HORSHAM North residents have considered blocking the gates to Horsham's rail freight terminal in a bid to have the Mill Street site decommissioned.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Horsham North Residents Committee chairwoman Rae Nelson said residents were fed up with the terminal being 'chock-full' of containers less than two months after Qube Logistics began operations there.
"People have said they want to lobby at the gates and there were even a couple of residents who said they would get old cars and block the gates," she said.
"I told them we would get it resolved before it came to that. People are still reeling from the shock of it being leased and there is a lot of hostility there."
Mrs Nelson said representatives from the eight-member committee established at a community meeting on November 28 would meet Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty on Wednesday.
"I have made an appointment for myself and Mick Farrell to meet Hugh Delahunty so things are starting to happen," she said.
"I am also in the process of sitting down to draft some letters to the Australian Rail Track Corporation, VicTrack, Hugh Delahunty and the relevant ministers."
Mrs Nelson said the committee wanted answers on who approved Qube's lease when the terminal was marked to be decommissioned. "No-one seems to want to take responsibility for opening the gates again," she said. "It has become evident that we have a lot of passing the buck, which is unsatisfactory."
Horsham Rural City Mayor David Grimble said he was confident Qube would move operations to Dooen's Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal after council talks with Wimmera Container Line on Wednesday.
"We are also meeting Qube next week and we are confident we can resolve this sooner rather than later," he said.
"I spoke to Member for Mallee John Forrest on Monday and he is very optimistic that this might be resolved within the first three-month block because Qube has the option of extending its lease for another three months.
"There has been an emphasis on removing the intermodel services but council wants to remove any industrial use out of that site."