Labour promised to spend A $1 billion on land to build high-speed rail in the future. (Bloomberg Photo)
Labour has pledged A $1 billion to buy land between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane to build high-speed rail in the future.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, construction would take up to 1750 kilometers of corridors under the relevant high-speed rail proposal. However, corridor land may be eroded by urban development, causing the cost of land purchase to soar to A $114 billion. Labour`s move, if implemented, will contain this momentum.
Since the 1980s, Australia`s successive government has been seeking to build East Coast high-speed railway. Labour`s A $1 billion pledge will be the biggest investment so far to push the project forward.
The commitment "will put an end to Unionparty`s inaction for nearly six years and eventually advance the project, which will upend interstate travel and the development of remote areas," said (Anthony Albanese), a Labour infrastructure speaker who said the pledge "will put an end to Unionparty`s inaction for nearly six years and eventually push ahead with the project."
Labour said the high-speed train would travel at 350 kilometers per hour, cutting the journey from Sydney to Melbourne and Sydney to Brisbane to three hours.
The purchase of land along the railway corridor will require the assistance of the state and territory government. Schrington (Bill Shorten) government will set up a high-speed rail authority to facilitate the matter, Eben said. The new agency will work with the private sector, including foreign companies with experience in the construction and operation of high-speed railways.
In 2010, Gillard (Julia Gillard) reached an agreement with the Green Party to invest A $20 million to commission a feasibility study. According to the study at the time, the new railway, which is 1748 kilometers long and connects Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, has been suspended through more than a dozen remote cities.
Labour`s current high-speed rail plan draws on the results of that year`s research. Eben said the project "will reverse the economic situation for communities along the way."
"these communities will be more closely linked to the capital cities, increase commuting and increase business investment in remote areas," he said.
The study proposed phased construction, first Sydney to Canberra, then south to Melbourne and north to Newcastle (Newcastle), Gold Coast and Brisbane. (Zhai Longwei)
