Passenger Rail

Nalder, Barnett complete light rail backflip

MAX light rail, Perth. Graphic: Public Transport Authority WA

WA transport minister Dean Nalder is doubting the viability of a light rail line in Perth’s north, a week after Premier Colin Barnett said several states were regretting their decisions to install light rail.

Nalder returned from a research expedition to Singapore on Tuesday, and reportedly told The West Australian that he’d spoken to SBS Transit – operator of the city’s two light rail lines – and found Perth’s proposed MAX light rail project may not be the best option for public transport.

“In talking to the company that runs the two light rails in Singapore, they indicated that they haven’t been able to make it work and they wouldn’t be building additional light rail in Singapore,” Nalder was quoted in a report from The West Australian.

Nalder reportedly believes buses can perform the same task as the proposed light rail line, at half the long-term cost.

His comments followed comments from Premier Barnett in an interview with The West Australian a week ago, where the premier said there wasn’t enough money for both the Forrestfield Airport rail link and MAX light rail right now, and suggested light rail wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“I think the light rail has got some challenges,” Barnett was quoted as saying. “It hasn’t been an overwhelming success in Australia at all, and indeed some states regret their decision to go down that path.”

Barnett suggested Queensland was one such state now regretting its light rail decision.

G:link, the light rail line now operating on the Gold Coast, recently served its five-millionth passenger, 289 days after opening in July 2014. Operator TransLink said in May 2015 that passenger figures were exceeding expectations, with an average of more than 17,800 passenger trips made on the line every day.

Barnett, however, believes the project is one example for why light rail is perhaps not the best option for Perth.

“The project for example recently completed on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, really has not been successful on the information provided to me,” he reportedly said last week. “So there’s a bit of rethink about light rail.”

Before the last state election – and before Prime Minister Tony Abbott came to power – Barnett and former transport minister Troy Buswell were firm supporters of both the Forrestfield-Airport link, and the MAX light rail project.

“Today’s State Budget re-affirms our Government’s commitment during the March election campaign to deliver better transport options to this State,” Buswell said when handing down the 2013/14 State Budget.

“By 2020, the people of WA will be able to take an easy train ride to the airport to start their family holiday, or hop on the MAX light rail system to quickly travel across town.

“Our Government is investing in the future by building long-term assets that will be enjoyed and used for years to come.”

Anthony Albanese on Tuesday blasted the premier’s change-of-heart, and blamed the Federal Government, saying Tony Abbott’s “rail hang-up” has left Perth commuters hanging.

He cited documents obtained through Freedom of Information by The West Australian, which suggest Barnett was counting on Commonwealth investment before the election, and was now being forced to back-track on his support for light rail because of the unexpected lack of funding.

“Upon being elected, Tony Abbott cut $500 million public transport funding that was included in the 2013/14 Budget, allocated by the former Labor Government to progress the Perth Airport Link project and light rail,” Albanese said.

“Two years later neither project is certain to go ahead, with only conditional EPA approval granted for the airport link, while WA transport minister Dean Nalder signalled this week light rail may never happen at all.

“Meanwhile, as Coalition State and Federal Governments busy themselves finding excuses as to why public transport is too hard for them, Perth commuters have been forced to sit in traffic for increasingly long parts of their day.”

The shadow minister for infrastructure cited the recent Infrastructure Australia Audit, which showed just 5.5% of Perth’s passenger kilometres are taken on rail, compared with 15.5% in Melbourne and 12.3% in Sydney.

“This is not good enough,” Albanese assessed. “West Australians deserve better than two governments which won’t fight for them or help to address the increasingly long hours they are spending in their cars, travelling to and from drive-in, drive-out suburbs to their jobs and recreational activities.”

2 Comments

  1. If light rail has been so unsuccessful in other Australian cities, why are all of these same cities now expanding their light rail systems? Also, most people in WA have now accepted that the airport line is now not going to happen.
    I am so sick of the lies and miss leading statements of both our governments (state and federal), and being treated like an idiot.

  2. So Premier Barnett is reported to have said: “The project for example recently completed on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, really has not been successful on the information provided to me.” I am not sure how his advisers define success? Are we to assume that the 17,800 people a day catching the tram on the Gold Coast are making the wrong choice? Liberal politicians are often lampooned as believing that people making choices to use public transport are losers – is this what Premier Barnett actually believes?