If all goes to plan, the high speed service will connect Sydney West and the ACT with pressure mounting on the Federal Government to commit to the service.
And Stockland CEO Mark Steinert has pitched into the discussion via the Financial Review recently.
“A high-speed rail service between Canberra and Sydney would have a significant, positive impact on productivity, given the frequent travel between, and national importance, of these two cities,” Mr Steinert, CEO and managing director for Australia’s largest property developer, told the paper.
“Investing in high-speed rail boosts economic activity through jobs growth, productivity gains, reduction in congestion and sustainable, improved mobility.”
The most important factor about fast rail was its ability to create equal opportunity, he said.
“High-speed rail can be a connector and equaliser – giving people improved access to major capital cities or activity hubs, opening up possibilities for greater participation in education, jobs and cultural experiences, helping people create better lives with more opportunities.”
In 2017, Infrastructure Australia reported that the early acquisition of corridors for seven rail projects on its priority list, including high-speed rail, would save the public $11B in land acquisition and construction costs,
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has committed $5M in funding to investigate high-speed routes between Sydney and Canberra via the Western Sydney Airport, while ACT chief minister Andrew Barr said he would call on the Federal Government to fund the high-speed rail link before the next election.
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Catherine King is also pushing the project.
“High-speed rail is a game changer for real decentralisation, with benefits flowing to both the city and the country,” Ms King said.
(Source: railexpress.com.au)
