FREMANTLE TRAFFIC BRIDGE STRENGTHENING

The WA government is spending another $ 3 million on strengthening the Fremantle traffic bridge after it completed the fender system upgrade earlier this year.

Advanteering Civil Engineers has the contract to use specialist divers to repair and strengthen the 100 pilons under water. The work should be completed by May next year.

Roel Loopers

TRAIN CURFEW TO FREMANTLE PORT UNREALISTIC

People living along the railway line that goes through the west of Fremantle are calling for a curfew, claiming that there are more trains running at night and the noise wakes them up.

The railway line has been there for as long as I have known Fremantle and so has Fremantle Port, which is a 24/7 working port.

I agree that the wheel squeal should be fixed as they did near the Roundhouse for the residents of Little High Street. After many trials one Saturday the best solution to combat the annoying noise was water spray and that was installed so that whenever a train comes through the rails are kept wet and there is very little wheel squeal nowadays.

I lived in one of the Pilots Cottages at Arthur Head and enjoyed the sounds of the trains passing by and also the sounds of the working port. It made me feel alive and part of the big beautiful world out there.

People who buy or rent near a railway line, pub, busy road, port, etc. should be aware that they will be inconvenienced and it is unrealistic to demand Fremantle Ports should be a daytime working port only.

I was told that people who bought apartments in North Fremantle would call Fremantle Port to complain about night noise and demand it should close from 6pm till 6am. That is pretty ridiculous and so are the calls to put a curfew on the container trains that supply the port.

Ideally one day the freight will go down another rail track and the one through the West End of town can be used for lightrail to South Beach, Coogee and Rockingham.

Roel Loopers