Handbrakes put on harvest: Nationals

The line will close from Wednesday, December 1 to Sunday December 12 as the RPV carries out works at several sites on the line.

A GrainCorp spokeswoman said the Murchison East site would remain open, but the line closure would cause significant disruption.

GrainCorp senior supply chain manager Craig Cochrane said the organisation had been in discussions with RPV since July.

"We told them months ago that this shutdown would impact harvest operations in the area at the busiest time of year," Mr Cochrane said.

"They asked if we could get the growers to delay the harvest.

"That really does show that they hadn't taken into account how important that time of year is for the local area."

B-double access to the GrainCorp Murchison East silos will be cut off, meaning they have to detour nearly 40 kilometres, adding an hours travel time and increasing freight costs of up to $8 a tonne

Mr Cochrane said that cost would be worn by growers.

He said GrainCorp would be working with the Victorian Farmers Federation to push for access to a shorter detour for B-double trucks, which were expected to make up a significant portion of truck movements into our site this harvest.

It comes after NSW processor SunRice faced an extensive closure of the rail line between Echuca and Bendigo, pushing hundreds of containers of rice, bound for export out of Melbourne, onto the road.

Read more:

Ms Ryan said she raised the issue with the Public Transport Minister after growers raised concerns about rumours of a shutdown of the Murchison East site, upgraded to take an extra 80,000 tonnes of storage capacity.

Local grain growers said last year there were approximately 2,000 truck movements into GrainCorp for the season.

"They're anticipating that number will be even higher this year, with up to 150,000 tonnes of wheat and canola expected to arrive at the site in just a few weeks," Ms Ryan said.

"While local detour routes will allow access to the site for smaller vehicles, the government has no workable solution for B-doubles which will put a handbrake on harvest."

Regional Rail Revival director Mark Havryluk said his organisation had been working with GrainCorp for more than six months, to minimise the impact of the works on farmers.

"We understand the concerns of farmers, which is why we're still working hard to identify a solution to enable B-Double trucks to access the GrainCorp facility from the west of the level crossing," Mr Havryluk said.

"We're committed to delivering these upgrades for passengers on the Shepparton Line in a way that enables local industry to keep operating safely - and the road will only be closed for the minimum amount of time it takes us to complete these works."

RPV had not asked growers to delay the harvest and was continuing to work on minimising the impact of the road closure.

All trucks travelling on Murchison-Violet Town Road from the east - including B Doubles - would still be able to get access to the GrainCorp site.

Currently, oversize vehicles such as B-double trucks approaching the level crossing from the west side had been advised they would need to seek an alternate route.

RPV was working actively with Greater Shepparton City Council and Regional Roads Victoria to identify additional safety measures that could be applied to enable a shorter detour route for oversize vehicles.

It comes at a time when Lowan Nationals MP Emma Kealy has revealed the speed limit on the Maroona-Portland rail freight line being halved from 80km/h to 40km/h due to the track's poor condition.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation, which leases the 170-kilometre rail freight line from the Victorian Government, has made the decision to reduce the speed limit due to the unsatisfactory condition of the rail line.

"With an above average-grain harvest approaching, halving the speed limit for all trains on the Maroona-Portland rail freight line could not have come at a worse time," Ms Kealy said.

The decision by ARTC added two hours to the journey time of all trains travelling to and from Portland, incurring extra crew costs for rail operators.

A third locomotive was now also required on most trains as the slow speed meant there was insufficient momentum to lift trains over a number of uphill gradients on the line.