The Andrews Labor Government is providing Victoria’s tourist and heritage rail sector with more than half a million dollars in funding to support them with their operations and their work to protect the state’s rail assets.
The groups receiving funding include Seven-O-Seven Operations and Steamrail Victoria, which both operate from the Newport Workshops, and the Newport Railway Museum. The three groups will receive a total of more than $130,000 over the coming weeks.
- The Newport Railway Museum will receive $25,113 to construct an additional two storage bays for heritage carriages, enabling them to protect more of their artefacts from the weather.
- Seven-O-Seven Operations will receive $68,200 for the restoration and upgrade of key rolling stock.
- Steamrail Victoria will receive $41,580 for the restoration of two T Class locomotives.
Across Victoria, sixteen tourist and heritage rail operators and museums are receiving a total of $620,000, after the sector was invited to apply for grants to support them with works to preserve state-owned assets earlier this year.
Applications for the funding were assessed by VicTrack and the Department of Transport.
In their applications, groups had to demonstrate that they would use the funding for projects including repairing, restoring, or refurbishing state owned rail assets; improving access to assets; delivering approved projects on buildings or rolling stock; and works in the rail corridor such as weed control or vegetation management.
The Labor Government is implementing Preserving our rail history – a blueprint for the future a strategy to help secure the future of the tourist and heritage rail sector.
Through this, tourist and heritage rail groups are being supported with governance, leasing, growing visitor numbers and developing processes to allocate rolling stock and other assets.
Up to $2.2 million of funding and grants is being provided to the sector to support the implementation of the blueprint.
As part of this, last year tourist and heritage rail operators received $1 million from the Labor Government to help them re-establish their operations and cover costs after they were unable to run their services during COVID-19 restrictions.
The funding this year was offered to the 16 tourist and heritage rail and tram operators, and more widely to rail museums.
The blueprint was put together by the Victorian Government in partnership with transport, tourism and heritage stakeholders.
For more information visit victrack.com.au
Quotes attributable to Member for Williamstown Melissa Horne
“Newport is lucky enough to be the custodian of so much rail history, with volunteers working hard to preserve heritage rail locomotives, carriages and other artefacts.”
“The tourist and heritage rail operators at Newport run popular heritage train services across Victoria and the Newport Railway Museum preserves and protects some of our most valuable historic rolling stock and memorabilia.”