STRUG president Greg Price said he was delighted Ms Goward had agreed to attend the meeting and present her transport vision for the Southern Tablelands region.

STRUG members and the community will be most interested to learn how improvements to rail, in particular, factor into the government’s long range plans for the Goulburn area and beyond.

“At the candidates forum on February 18, Ms Goward insisted the south rail corridor required one million people to make electrification viable after insisting she was misquoted telling a December council meeting in Goulburn the corridor required 100,000,” Mr Price said.

“Many members have been puzzled by this for the South Coast railway which is electrified to Kiama boasts just 376,150 persons along that line (2014 figures inclusive of Wollongong, Port Kembla, Shellharbour and Kiama).

“To the north, the entire Central Coast which is considered to include the region bounded by the Hawkesbury River to the southern end of Lake Macquarie totals 321,500 and Newcastle a further 150,000.

“Both regions have comfortable and fast electric trains and both regions have populations well short of a million people,” Mr Price said.

The Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Cr Geoff Kettle will also be attending the meeting.

Mr Price said the meeting would be seeking nominations for the secretary’s position following the resignation of the inaugural secretary Leon Oberg due to a changing personal work load. However he will be remaining on the committee to assist where possible.

The meeting will start at 7.30pm in the Goulburn Workers’ Club Station Room.