Freight Rail, Passenger Rail

Shorten promises big transport spending as election kicks off

Metro train. Photo: RailGallery.com.au

Labor has committed to fund major rail projects in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide if it wins at the federal election on July 2.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull formally triggered a double dissolution election, when his advice to dissolve both houses was accepted by Governor-General Peter Cosgrove on Sunday, May 8.

Turnbull’s Coalition is running a campaign off the back of last week’s federal budget, which committed funding to the Sydney Metro, the Melbourne Metro Tunnel, Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 2, preparatory work for Inland Rail, and a number of other projects.

In his budget reply on May 5, Labor leader Bill Shorten said the Coalition’s plan didn’t go far enough to fund public transport.

“Instead of cutting infrastructure by a further $1 billion as this government has done in this budget,” Shorten said, “Labor will turbo-charge Infrastructure Australia with a new $10 billion funding facility.”

Shorten said Labor will invest directly in the Melbourne Metro, a rail link to the new airport in Western Sydney, Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, Perth Metronet, the electrification of South Australia’s Gawler Line, and the ambitious, multi-line AdeLINK tram network in Adelaide.

“Instead of taking selfies on the train, we’ll get new projects underway,” he told Parliament.

Shorten’s colleague, shadow infrastructure and transport minister Anthony Albanese, says Malcolm Turnbull’s plan to have the private sector help fund future public transport projects is simply an excuse to favour road funding over rail.

“Malcolm Turnbull’s value capture model which insists that projects must produce a return to private investors and removes public funding is a model whose outcomes will mirror Tony Abbott’s toll roads only policy,” Albanese said on Saturday.

Australasian Railway Association chief executive Danny Broad reminded all major political parties and candidates of the crucial role he says rail must play in building a future for Australia.

“Our message to all parties and candidates is that we cannot transform cities and regional areas, alleviate congestion on our roads and rail corridors, improve productivity and safety on our roads, or create jobs if we fail to invest in our future,” Broad said.