The NSW Labor Opposition has said that today’s announcement from the Perrottet government on faster rail is simply too little, too late after 12 years of inaction and broken promises on faster, and high speed rail.
Premier Perrottet is the third Liberal Premier in twelve years to announce faster or high speed rail before the beginning of an election campaign. Premiers O’Farrell and Berejiklian had both previously announced high speed rail projects, but not a single metre of track has ever been laid.
- NSW Liberal Premier Barry O’Farrell first announced his support for high speed rail on the central coast in 2011.
- Premier Gladys Berejiklian promised a plan for faster and high speed rail in the leadup to the 2019 NSW election.
- Premier Berejiklian again committed to delivering a high speed rail network for NSW in late 2019.
In 2018 the NSW Liberal Government commissioned a panel led by UK high speed rail advisor Professor Andrew McNaughton, to investigate options around faster and high speed rail.
It has been four years since then, and the government has failed to publish his report or take any other action to make high speed rail a reality.
NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said: “Dominic Perrottet is the third Liberal Premier in twelve years to call for faster or high speed rail before an election!
“Every time an election comes up the Liberals promise fast rail, why should this year be any different?”
“The people of NSW have heard promises about faster and high speed rail for years, but not one metre of track has been laid and now the Liberals are asking the people of NSW to trust them again.
“I think the people of NSW will take a look at this and say to Premier Perrottet and his you’ve had twelve years, this is too little, too late.”
Shadow Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said: “The Liberals had four years since the McNaughton report to show that they meant business when it came to faster and high speed rail. Instead, they did nothing.
“Planning for faster or high speed rail needs to be a serious endeavour, not a pre election stunt. We’ve seen how the Government has failed to deliver on Parramatta Light Rail stage two, and how so many of their promised infrastructure projects have now been put on the backburner.
“The Government’s record of overpromising and then under delivering means they have very little credibility when it comes to faster or high speed rail.”
CHRIS MINNS MP
NSW LABOR LEADER
JO HAYLEN MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT
