The Barnes Junction grain terminal, 15km north of Echuca-Moama, will be connected to rail for the first time in 30 years.
The new grain terminal connection at Barnes will soon see freight trains moving bulk grain for domestic and export markets, which the Victorian Government says will reduce the reliance on trucks on regional roads.
A four-kilometre section of the previously closed Moulamein Line will allow for the new terminal to begin operating. This follows a $10 million upgrade of the Echuca-Barnes-Deniliquin freight corridor, which was completed in late-2023.
Plans for construction of a hardstand will eventually enable loading of containerised goods from the region to also be moved south by rail.
The government says the Barnes upgrade is a boost to Victoria’s freight rail system that plays a vital role in transporting regional produce to port and a further signal to industry that the broad-gauge freight network is important and growing.
“As the first new grain terminal connected to the state’s rail freight network in 30 years, this is a significant milestone and there are more to come, which will grow rail-freight volumes from paddock to port,” Victorian Ports and Freight Minister Melissa Horne, who visited the site on Macrh 12, said.
V/Line is responsible for the maintenance of more than 3500 kilometres of rail track across the state, used by passenger trains and freight operators.
This includes freight-only lines from Echuca to Barnes and Deniliquin, and from Strathmerton to Tocumwal.
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