Cr Bruce Johansen’s petition, on behalf of long-suffering Le Fevre Peninsula residents, is calling for a halt to train movements from 10pm-6am.

“Most were happy to sign it, some were ecstatic to sign it,” Cr Johansen said after doorknocking along the rail line last week.

“People have a right to a good night’s sleep.”

Cr Johansen will table the petition at next week’s Port Adelaide Enfield Council meeting and seek support from the council to lobby the state and federal governments for a curfew.

He said several residents had mentioned fearing there was an earthquake before realising they had been woken up by trains following the recent media coverage of devastating quakes in Japan and New Zealand.

Residents have previously complained of being persistently woken by trains, sometimes several times a night.

The state Transport Department has repeatedly said the duplication of the rail line in 2007 had ensured noise was within acceptable standards, so nothing more would be done.

via Messenger News

Taperoo resident Teena Baker is launching a petition with Outer Harbor ward councillor Bruce Johansen, calling for the State Government to enact a curfew from 10pm to 6am.

The move comes after Osborne resident Justin Burgess, who has been keeping a record of night train movements since last August, was disturbed five times in three hours last Wednesday, February 2.

The trains came past his Mersey Rd home at 10.40pm, 10.52pm, 11.03pm, 11.24pm and 12.46am. “Last night (February 2) has been the worst I have been through so far,” Mr Burgess said.

“The train movements are becoming far more frequent.”

Up to 180 freight trains use the line each week, up from 40 movements since the opening of Outer Harbor’s $135 million grain terminal early last year.

Mrs Baker, 61, who lives at the corner of Mersey Rd and Strathfield Tce, said she and her husband both had health problems and “we don’t need this added stress”.

“If the airport has a freeze on when planes come in, why can’t we have it for trains?” Mrs Baker said.

“It annoys the hell out of us because it wakes us up.

“Everyone’s complained about that noise but nothing’s been done.

“I’ve had to put in roller shutters to cut out some of it (noise).”

The petition will be gathered from residents along and near the train line, then tabled by Cr Johansen at an upcoming Port Adelaide Enfield Council meeting, with the intention of using it to lobby the State Government.

Cr Johansen said it was only fair peninsula residents were treated like those near Adelaide Airport.

He feared a proposed new fuel depot at Outer Harbor would increase the load on the line.

Some residents were angered in December when the Portside Messenger revealed a new housing estate for defence personnel at Largs North would have a sound barrier from the neighbouring rail line, while existing residents would miss out.

Others argued against an acoustic barrier because it would block views of the Adelaide Hills.

The Transport Department has repeatedly said the duplication of the rail line in 2007 had ensured noise levels were within World Health Organisation and Environment Protection Authority noise standards, so nothing more would be done.

via Messenger News

The Osborne resident has for two months documented the times that trains thunder past his Mersey Rd home and wake him in the middle of the night, forwarding the details to the Environment Protection Authority, Port Adelaide MP Kevin Foley and Port Adelaide MHR Mark Butler.

But with the state and federal governments refusing to take action, Mr Burgess is calling on Outer Harbor Ward candidates in the upcoming Port Adelaide Enfield Council election to commit to funding sound barriers.

He has regularly recorded two trains a night and last Wednesday, October 13, he recorded three trains in the one night for the first time, at 11pm, 1.22am (blowing its horn) and 5.24am.

That was after trains twice set off his car alarm last month.

“Three trains a night gets pretty disturbing in your sleep,” he said.

“I’m talking to my doctor because I’m getting fatigued from it.

“Broken sleep is just as bad as not sleeping.”

About 160 freight trains use the line each week at all hours of the day and night, up from 40 movements since the opening of Outer Harbor’s new $135 million grain terminal earlier this year.

Residents told the Portside Messenger if in June that the increased traffic, expected to rise to 180 movements next year, had made living near the line intolerable.

“It got to the point (in September) where I spat the dummy and sent emails to the EPA in the middle of the night,” said Mr Burgess, who believed the environment watchdog was “taking it seriously”.

In recent emails to Mr Burgess, EPA industry services manager Rob Lyons said the authority was working with freight companies to review what could be done to avoid train noise at night.

Mr Lyons told the Portside Messenger the freight logistics were “complex” and he did not know how long the review would take, but Mr Burgess’ data was “extremely helpful”.

He did not elaborate on what measures the EPA might take following the review.

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Residents are calling for Port candidates to back noise buffers being installed at their homes, with the 23,000 vehicles now travelling on Victoria Rd every day expected to double within a decade.

About 180 trains are also tipped to use the rail freight corridor adjacent Mersey Rd each week by mid-2011, up from the existing 160.

“If you had a barrier for the noise it would have to help stop it, it would have to be better,” said Largs North resident Robert Brown, who has long endured truck noise at all hours of the night.

“Not a lot has been done to help residents towards this end of Victoria Rd, it seems like they’ve overlooked us.”

Port-Enfield Outer Harbor councillor Bruce Johansen said noise complaints had been repeatedly overlooked by the Federal and State governments, despite both jointly investing more than $300 million over the past five years to improve road and rail links to Outer Harbor. Cr Johansen said all homes lining Victoria and Mersey roads needed high fencing or double glazing.

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Port Adelaide MHR Mark Butler (Labor) while several residents had spoken with him about their concerns, he did not consider it to be a federal matter. “I have previously written to the State government, which has responsibility for noise and attenuation measures associated with the rail corridor and roads in the area,” he said in an emailed statement.

Liberal candidate Nigel McKenna was also aware of the problems.

“If elected I will fight to see this managed so that the local community enjoys the economic benefits … but with minimal negative impacts, which would include consideration of a train curfew,” he said.

Greens candidate Kalyna Micenko and Family First candidate Bruce Hambour both agreed residents should be offered some form of acoustic barrier to minimise the effects of the noise. Mr Hambour also said the relocation of worst affected residents might need to be considered in the longer term.

via Messenger News

Cr Bruce Johansen will raise the issue at the council’s July 13 meeting after the Portside Messenger Last week reported Mersey Rd residents’ complaints that the noise from the 160 trains using the corridor each week was becoming unbearable.

Cr Johansen said the State Government must recognise the residents’ concerns as valid.

“Over the past decade we have attended many, many meetings and workshops with the Transport Department with the same outcome,” Cr Johansen said.

“They maintain we do not have a problem.”

He said while the council was told the 2007 upgrade of the line, which saw the track doubled, would fix the noise and vibration problems, it clearly had not.

“There are 78 houses that border the Mersey Rd section of the line, but even people one house back would be affected by the increase in traffic.

“Yet not one dollar was spent on noise abatement measures.” A spokesman for Transport Minister Pat Conlon confirmed no physical noise barriers were installed during the upgrade.

“The old single track featured passing loops, where idling locomotives sat waiting for trains to pass … it was these idling locomotives that were the main source of noise,” he said.

“The track duplication eliminated the need for further noise mitigation measures.”

The department said the results of the most recent noise monitoring in 2008 when an average of 30 trains used the line each week fell within EPA guidelines, and there were no immediate plans to do further testing at this stage.

via Messenger News