Whilst
work continues on rebuilding the Hume, Pacific
and Newell to modern engineering standards, our existing interstate mainlines
are left with sub-standard alignments, and an Inland Railway linking Melbourne
Parkes and Brisbane is subjected to study after study - firstly by the former
Coalition government and then the Rudd Gillard governments.
On 22
June 2012 at a Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail Symposium hosted by Parkes
Shire Council, Minister Albanese and Shadow Minister Truss maintained that their party had done more than the other party to advance the
inland railway, and, that their party would do more than the other party in the
future.
Minister Albanese, after referring to some recent
transfer of Melbourne Brisbane freight from road to rail a record $12 billion
federal investment in rail and a national rail safety regulator could not
announce funds to get the Inland Route 'shovel ready.'
Two
days later, Mr Truss suggested that the $2.1m in federal funding allocated to
the Parramatta to Epping urban rail link should be used instead for upgrades of
the Pacific Highway. He would have done better to suggest that some any released
rail funds would be used on the Inland Rail link.
More generally, the Coalition's new 50-page policy
booklet has no fewer than 12 mentions of 'roads', but none of 'rail' or 'public
transport'. Check for yourself at:
