Gordon rail station no-go for near future

By Neelima Choahan
Updated November 2 2012 - 5:04pm, first published July 29 2011 - 11:05am
Gordon rail station no-go for near future
Gordon rail station no-go for near future

THE Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder has dashed Gordon’s hopes for a working railway station in the near future. He said a bus link between the town’s nearest station in Ballan, 11 km away, was adequate for the town’s needs.Mr Mulder’s comments follow a renewed push by Moorabool Shire to reopen the station, which closed in 1981. The push comes ahead of the completion of the town’s sewerage treatment plant next year.West Moorabool Councillor Tom Sullivan said the implementation of the sewerage plant would make the town more attractive for development.The town, he said, was growing and needed better infrastructure.But Minister Mulder said there were currently no plans to reopen Gordon Station.“The government is aware of previous representations from residents of Gordon and Mount Egerton seeking to reopen Gordon Station,” Mr Mulder said.“A review of residential growth and transport services established the initial needs of the area could be addressed by providing a connecting “TrainLink” bus between Gordon and Ballan.”This service operates Monday to Friday and connects with a V/line train to Melbourne in the morning, with an equivalent evening return service for commuters. In addition, he said, other ‘shopper’-type bus trips operate from Gordon to Ballarat. But Cr Sullivan said the government needed to be more far-sighted and plan for the future. “Growth in Gordon is a certainly,” he said.“It is going to happen. It is a case of when, but not if.” The shire is also in the process of exhibiting the Gordon Structure Plan for public consultation, pending approval from the Minister for Planning Matthew Guy. The structure plan proposes to rezone central Gordon into township with rural living and farming zones in the further outlying areas. The council, he said, was trying to ensure there was adequate infrastructure support for the future. The bus, he said, failed to meet all of the residents’ needs.“It is only a limited service,” Cr Sullivan said.“Unless you provide reliable and efficient service that runs on a timetable, it does not meet the market demand. If you don’t address these things and clearly look ahead, then you are always going to be playing catch-up.”

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Ballarat news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.