Labor promises high-speed rail study
Updated 59 minutes ago


A high-speed train in China. Labor has promised a study looking at an initial link between Newcastle and Sydney. (Reuters, file photo)

Map: Sydney 2000 The Federal Government says if it is re-elected it will fund a study into a high-speed rail link along Australia's east coast.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese will announce details of the plan in Melbourne today.

He says the government will commit $20 million to study the feasibility of a first rail link between Sydney and Newcastle.

"It would commence later this year and be completed within 18 months," he said.

But the Liberal Member for Paterson, Bob Baldwin, says Labor has been promising high-speed rail for decades but has delivered nothing.

"This Government has had so many studies it deserves a master's degree in studies," he said.

"What people want is rubber to hit the road. They want to see action and traction, they don't want to see more studies.

"More rhetoric again about more trains, very fast trains, doesn't deliver the solution.

"I think this is just another desperate plea from a desperate government to announce a study in the 11th hour of an election campaign when they've had three years to talk about infrastructure and development," he said.

Greens Leader Bob Brown says Labor voted down his party's proposal for the study in the Senate just a few months ago.

"Labor's changed its policy because it's seen the polling on this which shows a huge majority of Australians - over 70 per cent - want high-speed rail," he said.

"The logic of it also has got through to Labor. It was leaving Australia behind and at last the government has caught on

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is continuing her campaign focus on North Queensland today by starting her day in Townsville.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott is campaigning in his home city of Sydney, where he will be announcing the Coalition's health policy.

Tags: business-economics-and-finance, industry, government-and-politics, elections, federal-government, federal-state-issues, rail-transport, federal-elections, australia, nsw, newcastle-2300, sydney-2000

First posted 5 hours 57 minutes ago

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Dnarever wrote on Aug 5^th, 2010 at 12:50pm:



And labor did what

Greens Leader Bob Brown says Labor voted down his party's proposal for the study in the Senate just a few months ago.

"Labor's changed its policy because it's seen the polling on this which shows a huge majority of Australians - over 70 per cent - want high-speed rail," he said.

nichy wrote on Aug 5^th, 2010 at 1:05pm:



A FIG OF $ 200000O0

Yeah no points for this, it gets announced every 18 months along with Williamtown Airport becoming the 2nd airport.
They've already spent sh!tloads on studies(between state and federal governments) & 20 mill for a few pieces of paper full of information already contained within other reports will only confirm the rabid right assertations of waste.

What this old chestnut again it's been talked about for decades so now they want to waste 20 million just to make themselves look good.

Abbott is right they just keep on spending don't they.

Sydney to newcastle is not an appropriate route, unless they build it in a completely different area to the current rail line, Th espeed through Hawkesbury River and up to Cowan is only 60Kmph, It would have to run from Wahroonga alongside the F3.

And building a new line down the nth shore will not happen no land and all are million dollar+ houses.


Good theory but not gunna happen

Why is Labor leaving out Canberra?


Not part of the real world in Labor's thinkng?