The article questions the feasibility of a $32 billion high-speed rail line between Sydney and the Central Coast, comparing its cost to other large-scale projects like AUKUS submarines and nuclear power stations. It argues that the rail project offers immediate benefits for Australians, while the other projects have uncertain outcomes and significant financial implications.
Currently it takes approximately the same time (1.5 hours) to drive from Gosford to the CBD on an increasingly crowded M1 as a train service that is frustratingly slow in sections. Anyone who has travelled on the high-speed rail systems in Europe, China or Japan knows just how efficient and convenient this mode of transport can be. The cost, however, is an eye-watering $32 billion for a high-speed rail line between Sydney and the Central Coast.
Can we afford it? Published on the same day were the revelations of unacceptable wait times and overcrowding in our state hospitals, putting lives at risk. Can we not prioritise fixing this problem first?It is surely time to revisit the commitment made in haste to support AUKUS at an estimated cost of $360 billion. With projected budget deficits and precarious overreliance on revenue from mining, necessary expenditure on infrastructure for a growing population, climate change, social welfare, and projects such as fast rail – which would reduce emissions from flying and encourage decentralisation of population and industry – become problematic, if not unaffordable. Saner policies with far less cost and risk for the long-term defence of Australia would free up perhaps $200 billion for necessary expenditure which would boost Australia’s economy, lift Australia’s transport into the 21st century and immediately improve the lives of many Australians.$32 billion for a high-speed rail line between Sydney and the Central Coast seems like an absolute bargain when compared to $358 billion for AUKUS submarines or $331 billion for Dutton’s nuclear power stations that may or may not provide 38 percent of our power by 2050. At a fraction of the cost of these “pie in the sky” defence and energy projects, a high-speed rail line would deliver immediate and tangible benefits for millions of Australians, reducing congestion, connecting communities, and boosting regional economie
HIGH-SPEED RAIL AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE AUKUS COST
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