Australia continues to delay on high-speed rail
Australia has a history of high-speed rail fails. Every election the government promises major rail links between capital cities but afterwards this all turns out to be nothing but talk.
Australia is the only continent other than Antarctica without high-speed rail and we are lagging well behind major global cities in terms of interstate transport.
The latest talks surround the creation of a Sydney – Canberra – Melbourne line, however, this seems difficult considering the current rail infrastructure in NSW which is out of date and built for steam rail according to experts. The best option looks to be a faster rail system at 200km/h even if it cannot be the 250km/h or more system classified as high-speed rail.
According to RTBU Loco Division Secretary Bob Hayden, “A fast rail would ease congestion on roads and help with housing affordability and supply. It would mean that regional cities are not as far from capital cities. People would find it easier to live outside of Sydney if it was a 15 minute train ride to Wollongong from Sydney.”