Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has used a speech in Newcastle to dangle the prospect of fast rail to voters ahead of the upcoming federal election.Labor pledges $500m in its first budget for fast rail, with Sydney to Newcastle the priorityLocal business leader welcomes the announcement to improve connectivity
"If I'm elected prime minister, I want ours to be the first government that actually gets work underway on high-speed rail," he said."Under a Labor government I lead, the High-Speed Rail Authority will make the corridor from Newcastle to Sydney, which includes stops at the Central Coast, its first priority."We'll start with a fast-rail corridor but we'll plan and build for the move to high-speed rail.
Business Hunter chief executive Bob Hawes welcomed the announcement, saying it brought the focus on the need for such infrastructure.
Must be an election near if govt is trotting out this ridiculousness again. We don't have the infrastructure and no govt will look past its next term to allow anything like it. Ever.
Why?
Another year, another fast rail promise.
Every election is the same ole shite, “we gunna do this and we gunna do dat” and when push come to shove…………same same, NOTHING!
And Canberra to Sydney?
Sydney Newcastle Canberra Wollongong .. a high speed loop ..only place in Australia a fast train makes any sort of sense ..it's out in the bush we need trains..n no need to travel at the speed of sound ...
To quote Julia Gillard 'there will be no carbon tax under a Labor government' then she did the direct opposite. I'll never forget that, it was an outright lie. This is all a political election strategy by Albanese? Liberal Labor. Labor Liberal. Not much of a choice have we?
That was being promised in the 80s
this is so going to lose votes - there is nothing worthy in Newcastle for this to be viable, no, 45 minutes to the 'Knights game' is not worth $500m
Having to duplicate the entire line, putting in new bridges and substantial earthworks to ensure correct gradient, angle for turning etc … I don’t see then getting close with $500M …. Impossible
Will the rail be built by Chinese companies? 🧐
The newcastle Light Rail cost $368m. It’s 2.7km long. $500m will get us to Morrisset.
It's not practical to build high speed rail in Australia with such low population and density. Forget about it. Just another old election topic which shows they don't have a true vision.
LABOR WILL GET CHINA TO BUILD IT AND THE TRAINS LOL
Yes please - AlboForPM
And it will happen in 100 years
CGWJS54139911 whats the rush to get to newcastle
Priority should be building a Melbourne - Sydney fast train rail service . There can’t be a more convincing business case than this !!
I know the value of high-speed rail to a modern, forward-looking economy but isn’t this regularly trotted out as a federal election approaches… and then quietly forgotten?
That's a start.
Yes we know the neoliberals 'don't do nation building'.. If we got all the rorted JobKeeper money back from profitable businesses, it'd more than pay for Albo's Newcastle line and many more.. $32 billion is MASSIVE money.. Rorted by buisness. Tax payer money. auspol
Shouldn’t that be MEL-SYD-BNE-SYD-MEL
FFS what next a football stadium 🏟, I’m voting and preference to everyone independent putting Labor and Libs last.
I thought it was 300 billion? I'd rather my taxes went to High Speed Rail than the waste of billions under the LNP with absolutely nothing to show for it.
That wouldn't buy the ticket booth.
Every year they roll out this BS and every year it never happens, since Hawke proposed it in 84. We are too dumb to make this happen and even dumber for falling for it every year.
That wouldn't pay for the feasibility study
That wouldn't but the ticket booth.
Hmm $500m will probably only cover the studies, concept design and perhaps a proper business case.
Jokers
For the last 20+ years pollies have been waffling about a high speed rail line from Sydney to Canberra, Melbourne or Brisbane, now Newcastle. Must mean there is an election on the horizon 😏
Mmmmm. 🎇🧨🎆 The Opposition Leader of Sydney ✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼
That’s bound to impress voters across Australia. Care factor = zero
You can't even tar a road to Qld. How many years has it been now? Just employ the Chinese to do the Job properly. Stop your campaign of HATE.
Why not get a fast train all the way from Brisbane to Adelaide (via Sydney Melbourne Canberra)?
😂
Because Labor good at throwing money away to help unions have work for short period. Always short term thinking. An absolute waste of money.
Can't they just stop? I had hoped the opposition would be a refreshing break from the horrendous Morrison years but here it is, already spinning age old lies to the electorate months before they expect us to elect them. It seems there is no party worth voting for in Australia.
Unless we're getting the global leader to build the thing, quickly & cheaply, it will take 30 years & $30B to see the first passenger for anything coming close to 'fast rail' here in Aust. China would have proper fast-rail built & operating 5 years from Brisbane to Woolongong.
Not again.
And the imposter of a PM Scott Morrison has plans to feed his face.
Bullllshhitttteeee
AlboMP couldn’t run a hot bath let alone the nation.
Why doesn't he promise us all a new car and a bag of popcorn. sure would be better then a train full of bullshit.
We had enough bloody talk on that. We need that Canberra - Newcastle fast train. Like every other halfway developed country. Maybe buy some fewer bloody submarines!!!!
Labor wishing for $500m for Sydney-Newcastle fast rail😂
I don’t believe $500 m is enough.
😆😆 that's bound to appease the unemployed Mining and Gas workers who will lose their jobs!
So what happened to high speed train between capital cities?
Sydney wants this... Not Newy
AlboMP JEChalmers markdreyfusQCMP CatherineKingMP TimWattsMP bruce_haigh This is really not smart in a political environment in which NSW is so toxic nationally. We're really over the PM for NSW. THINK!!!
$500 million. Tell him he's dreaming
I promised my wife to clean the cat litter too. Like this, that will never happen.
How can they build a railway like that for $500 million, and NSW libs spend billions to build toy tram ways.
🤦♂️🤨🤔🤷♂️🤯🙄
If only UTOPIA was still on ABC TV we would have a whole new episode.
Fast rail is the only way to regionalise Australia and allow people to live outside major centers Australia is decades behind this infrastructure Image Qantas is one huge obstacle as it has huge interest on major air routes High speed trains would compete
We need a train between the Melbourne CBD and Doncaster the LNP have been talking about it for 40 years but but Kevin bloody Andrews only clutters our letter box up with junk mail covered in his 30 year old photos. Useless
This business of people going from somewhere to somewhere else needs a rethink.
They trot high -speed rail out everytime
Another State issue...do they have any Federal policies
🤔🤣😂🤣$500 M😂🤣😂🤣😂- is it April Fools day? ABC was there a typo? Should it have read $500 B. Where in the hell is that money coming from. The present Gov't is in deficit by $700 B, and counting for goodness sake.
Why?
I was going to vote for Morrison, but now this, I'm definitely voting for Albo. Lol
Screw NSW, what about Melbourne Geelong
Fantastic forward thinking 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
When they trot out the old hi speed rail pipe dream you know an election is imminent.
I hope this will be done in Standard Gauge
Utopia S1E3 Wiki 'Jim pushes Tony into investigating the feasibility of a very fast train connecting Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane despite nearly 50 years of studies positing its lack of viability. Amy audits the office's safety protocols.'
New Year's Eve fireworks are beautiful in the US
Wishing everyone a lot of health in 2022
His speech was a lot more than that, sick of ABC undermining Albenese and his speeches and press conference. Where's the charter these days, no equal time just stunts from Morrison and no policies again this election
Need to promising and spending money on the public health system that the LNP is doing its utmost to dismantle and hand over the keys to the private sector and leave the poor to put up with pain and misery
Absolute & utter garbage
if Joyce could spent $10bils for coal trains in Inland rail yet they wont spend the money on passengers trains It goes to show the massive mismanagement n corrupted priority AlboMP
give up on HSP rail for another 20 years at least.
Can it be completed in 2050? or 2060？
Why not to Stright to Maitland
Match the One LNP want from Shepparton to Melbourne
lizfarquhar AlboMP The alignment will be a challenge because it will require to calculate sea level rises for all urban areas within the catchment of this line. And who will build the rolling stock? If speeds/specifications are too high Australian manufacturing may lose out
I really want to see the financial model. $500 million wont pay for a feasibility study. There are a few that could be updated
In the year 2525....
Utopia
500 million only? Is that to produce a consultant's report? Does Labor know how costly it is to lay high speed tracks and rolling stock? All vacuous promises as usual.
People probably need to understand this, today's Trains to Newie & Sydney are slower to today compared to the Stream locomotives that ran between Sydney & Newie! Ever since the Stream locomotives were phased out Pax Rail Services have gone backwards just not with trains but 1/2
🤦 They need to deliver policies not pipe dreams
This is exactly what super funds & ethical business could achieve together. Basic stable effective projects. Listening Scotty? Oh busy with the fish happy snaps. OK.
Every couple of years Albo suggests this, and each time ignores the Grattan Institute Report
that's about a fifth of a feasibility study.
So, basically the NSW government's plan? So he is committing federal funds to this project?
Lol election coming so out comes high speed rail. We know it will never happen, time to come up with some other empty promise.
Coming up election Dejavu workingdogprod 's Utopia covered that
Hilarious - this project will cost billions. The pork barrelling begins. How about $500M for clean air AlboMP - for masks? HEPA filters? There are problems that need solutions today. auspol
Labour isn’t going to be in power. Socialism sucks.
Not another feasibility studies i hope. I do love a HSR, but as far as i know it cost $16m to 110m per km to construct. Meaning for a distance between Syd to Newcastle, which is about 163km will cost about $2.61B to $18B ... at least, because i assumed one straight line.
Oh that old chestnut! Pfwhaaa ha ha!
And Melbourne to Adelaide?
I think I heard the same thing about 30 yrs ago.
When will we get some detail to see if this actually stacks up?
I see pigs flying, unicorns and rainbows. I want to smoke what Albo’s smoking so I can see mythical trains too. I’m also hoping he’ll take me to see the Leprechauns that will be funding this dream.
Raising Newstart would be good too! End WorkChoices as well!
Good start. Who knows in 20 years we might catch up to China's development.. Sorry, 200 years...
Oh, Fvck... election promises b/sit has started ALREADY NOOOOOOOO
How about putting it towards more PCR/RAT tests or vaccines first? Train travel is not as important as our health
Ridiculous. Nowhere near enough population in the Hunter to make it feasible. 🙄🙄🙄