Australia’s shadow minister for transport and infrastructure has announced plans to preserve the route of the country’s proposed high-speed network.
Anthony Albanese said he plans to introduce a member’s bill to Parliament to establish an authority to start work protecting the path of a proposed 1,750-kilometre high-speed rail route linking Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.
Albanese said: “High-speed rail is a visionary project that could change the face of transport in this[pullquote align=”right”]If we don’t start planning now for the possibility of high-speed rail it will never happen.[/pullquote] nation and reduce our carbon emissions.
“If we don’t start planning now for the possibility of high-speed rail it will never happen.’’
A feasibility study estimated the cost of the line at $114 billion and predicted an annual patronage of 84 million passengers.
Australasian Rail Association (ARA) chief executive Bryan Nye said the announcement “cemented the fact that the Federal Opposition was, and still is, committed to seeing the idea of high speed rail in Australia become a reality.
“The issue of high speed rail will not drop off the political agenda, I won’t allow it.”
