Rail weeds – a growing problem

By Kara Irving
WEEDS almost one metre high are causing concern for commuters at Beaconsfield train station.
Located next to the station’s bus terminal, the weeds have led to a series of complaints being made to Cardinia Council since the beginning of January.
In one instance, a commuter filed two consecutive complaints after action wasn’t taken.
According to the Weed Management Strategy, released by the council in March 2007, the document states that transport authority VicTrack was responsible for the maintenance of rail reserves.
But documents obtained by the Gazette show that the problem weeds are bordering land owned by both rail operator Metro Trains and the council.
Spokesperson for Metro Trains, Chris Whitefield said that although the weeds were growing on the perimeter of council-owned land, Metro would remove the problem growth from the area.
“We’ve now lodged it as an issue for our maintenance crews to investigate,” he said.
“Maintaining rail land is important to us and vegetation management is a particular priority.”
Council representative Paul Dunlop said it was open to removing long grass or weeds across the Cardinia area in the future.
“Council understands that residents are concerned about unsightly weeds and is committed to working with our local community to improve streetscapes and managing issues relating to long grass or weed infestations”, he said.
Both the council and Metro Trains already have infrastructure maintenance crews that respond to customer complaints regarding unwanted plantation growths.
Anyone with concerns about weeds on either private or public land is encouraged to contact Cardinia Council on 1300 787 624.