The Federal Government’s Adelaide Rail Freight Movements Study paper, released last week, presents different options to improve the capacity and efficiency of the freight line between Murray Bridge and Adelaide.

They range from upgrading the existing line at a cost of $700 million to creating a new southern bypass, which would cost $2.4 billion.

However, the Mitcham Rail Freight Sub-Committee says the paper’s costings are questionable, and it fails to give equal importance to issues such as health, amenity and safety.

Mitcham councillor and freight rail sub-committee chair Mark Ward said it was disappointing that the paper, part of a $1.35 million study which consultant GHD is undertaking for the Federal Government, did not offer “a broader presentation of the wider issues”.

He said engineers attending a public meeting to debate the options also believed some of its calculations were triple those of comparable projects.

“Some people feel it’s almost becoming a bit of a fob-off with inflated figures, and some figures seem to contradict those previously released,” he said. “Option four seems almost unachievable at $2.4 billion and with the longest tunnels in Australia.”

The sub-committee has recommended Mitcham Council reject upgrading the existing Adelaide Hills line, saying this would probably worsen the problem of the squealing noise endured by nearby residents, and increase the risk of derailments.

The committee dismissed as “grandiose” the $2.4 billion option of a southern tunnel bypass from Kangarilla to the Cross Roads level crossing.

Cr Ward said its preference was for a northern bypass south of Truro to Two Wells, estimated to cost $1.4 billion, which would bypass the Adelaide Hills track all the way to Islington and reduce by more than two hours the transit time for freight travelling direct between Melbourne and Perth/Darwin.