Protesters call to open gates

ANGRY residents gathered around the closed Lydiard Street station heritage gates to protest V/Line and the State Government’s perceived inaction on the issue.

The protest came in response to V/Line’s recent announcement that the organisation is currently looking to hire a heritage consultant as part of the project to replace the gates, and that a long-term solution is not in sight.

The level crossing has been closed for nearly 10 months following an incident where a VLocity train crashed into the gates at about 11.30pm on Saturday, 30 May 2020, narrowing missing pedestrians at the crossing and sending one passenger on the train to hospital.

One of the organisers of the protest and Lydiard Street resident Frederica Perovic said everyone at the rally was there for the same thing – to get the road open and the gates restored.

“There’s no other option, we want it done now,” she said.

“This is a connection between south and north and we need this road open, it’s a main thoroughfare… It’s congesting the whole area around here.

“It’s ridiculous, these gates are within the UNESCO Heritage Listing, Ballarat is within that system, it’s ridiculous that they can’t do it.”

Alongside the protesters was the shadow minister for rural roads Roma Britnell, joined by the Member for Ripon and shadow treasurer Louise Staley. They both echoed the resident’s sentiments to re-open the road and return the gates to their previous condition.

“This has been going on for a very long time, there is no way that the whole of VicTrack, V/Line, Vic Roads cannot come up with a solution,” Ms Staley said.

“The minister needs to act and give the people of Ballarat an absolute timeline of when this is going to reopen and whether they will retain the heritage gates which is what the community wants.

“They can fix this, they can make it look like heritage if they need to… they should be looking innovatively at other solutions.”

Ms Britnell added, “There’s lot of issues and the State Government can act, should act and are not acting, they’re ignoring you.”

Representatives from Ballarat’s Save Our Station group including president Gerald Jenzen and secretary John Barnes were also present during the protest, both voicing their concerns for long-term maintenance of the station.

“The gates are symbolic of the neglect by the State Government of the whole station precinct, it’s falling to bits,” Mr Barnes said.

“The problem they have in fixing this, is they haven’t done maintenance in the last 25 years and suddenly they’re caught out.

“They spent $420 million in upgrading the line, but done nothing to the Ballarat station and then a further $32 million getting a hotel development on the site but still do nothing for the public transport site.”