Shadow infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese has called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to “match his rhetorical support for public transport” by investing in the electrification of the Gawler Rail Line through Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
The former deputy PM was in Adelaide this week, and took the opportunity to highlight the lack of federal funding for a project which was first approved by Infrastructure Australia in 2009.
“The former Federal Labor Government allocated $293.5 million in general works including replacing sleepers on the line and upgrading stations and also put aside $76 million for the electrification,” Albanese said.
“But the incoming Coalition Government withdrew the funding a few months later.
“Since then, the Coalition has failed to provide a dollar of investment for the project, despite Mr Turnbull’s frequent declarations about the need to improve public transport in Australian cities.”
The South Australian Government recently called for expressions of interest for stage one of transforming the line, which will cost $152.5 million.
The State Government has committed to fully-fun the first stage, and has already allocated half of the money for the $462.5 million second stage, but wants the Commonwealth to match that funding.
“The South Australian State Government has now been forced to go it alone on Stage 1 and has written to the Commonwealth seeking a 50-50 partnership with the Commonwealth for Stage 2,” Albanese said.
“The Prime Minister likes taking selfies as he rides on trains. But he refuses to provide new investment for trains. He should partner with the SA Government to upgrade the Gawler Line and also work with it to deliver the AdeLINK light rail project.
“Instead, the Prime Minister has sought to conceal his inaction on public transport by creating a National Rail Fund which he says could be used for projects like the Gawler Line upgrade. But the National Rail Fund is a con.”
Albanese criticised the Turnbull Government’s National Rail Fund, which in the Budget papers does not forecast any spending for the next three years.
“It will not deliver a dollar this year. Not next year. Not even the year after,” he said.
“It is time for Mr Turnbull to stop talking about public transport and provide real investment in real projects, including the Gawler Electrification and AdeLINK.”
Hopefully high capacity trains will be considered for all Station when the Upgrade of the Gawler Line is implemented. 6 car or 9 car trains!! A mixture of “Express Trains” & “Local Trains” on the double track line would best be handled with 4 tracks at ALL stations with only 2 platforms at “Local Stations”. If “Express Trains” cannot overtake local trains the whole system runs at the pace of the slowest trains when there is 5 minute headways and only 1 or 2 km between stations.