HIGH speed rail may be the way of the future, but it won’t solve any short-term challenges.
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Goulburn Rail Users’ Group secretary Leon Oberg suggests governments consider the electrification of existing railway lines before committing tens-of-billions of dollars to a project decades from completion.
Mr Oberg was among 40 people in attendance at a rail and regional development forum last Thursday hosted by Member for Hume, Angus Taylor.
Liberal MP John Alexander, chair of the Coalition’s policy committee on Infrastructure and Regional Development, gave the keynote address.
In it Mr Alexander said development and business booms along any high speed rail network would make up for expenditure.
Mayor Geoff Kettle also spoke, describing high speed rail as “a necessity, not a fantasy”.
While both arguments struck a chord with Mr Oberg, current railway lines are underutilised and could solve short-term headaches, he argues.
“Everywhere electrification has gone, you can see the massive growth that’s followed. Places like Kiama and the Blue Mountains, they’ve grown enormously,” Mr Oberg said.
“I believe that the same thing can happen with electrification to Goulburn. Places like Marulan and Gundaroo, they’d explode.”
The rail enthusiast, author and photographer believes an upgrade of current Southern Tablelands’ lines to the standard of those found in Sydney and its surrounding regions could be completed in two years.
“High speed rail is certainly a long term project, but there’s a whole generation of people to look after first,” Mr Oberg continued.
“By electrifying the line to Goulburn, you’re going to bring development to the region in a faster fashion. Electric trains are faster, cleaner and carry more people.”
Councillor Kettle, an outspoken advocate of a high-speed rail network, accepted a request from Mr Taylor to speak at the forum.
“High speed rail is not a fantasy, it’s a necessity,” the mayor said.
“It’s not about giving people an alternative means of travel, it’s about assisting regionalisation. If we don’t have high speed rail, the metropolitan areas – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – will become that bloody big, the infrastructure won’t cope.”
While years and billions of dollars from fruition, a high speed rail network will be created.
“It’s all very young, it’s in its infancy, but it’s not just talk,” media adviser to Mr Alexander, Josh Bihary, told the Post.
“High speed rail isn’t going to happen if governments just put their hands into their own pockets.
It’s not going to be viable unless we capture the potential of regional areas.”