SAVE OUR RAIL LINES
17th January, 2008
Federal Member for Wide Bay and Shadow Minister for Transport Warren Truss has expressed dismay at proposals by the Queensland Government to tear up the Theebine to Kingaroy rail line.
Mr Truss said, “abandoning the moth-balled railway line will be further evidence that the Queensland Government has given up on rail”
He said “There are already thousands of extra semi-trailers on the road every day because Queensland Rail is no longer even trying to compete for freight business”. Queensland rail now more owns more trucks than trains which are fighting with motorists for space on an overtaxed road system.
Queensland’s freight task is expected to double by 2025 and unless the rail system plays a more effective role in delivering freight around Queensland, the number of trucks on our roads will at least double over the next 20 years.
The State highways including the Wide Bay highway simply cannot cope with these extra truck movements.
Proposals being considered by the Queensland Government to divert maintenance money allocated to the Kingaroy line to sealing roads in the region are not the answer. The State Government should be providing sufficient funds to seal roads in the region without having to strip more money from the rail system.
Mr Truss said “the run down of the one hundred year old Theebine to Kingaroy branch rail line is a tragedy and an appalling example of mismanagement of the Queensland rail system over recent years”.
In this era when people are concerned about global warming, vehicle emissions and a shortage of liquid fuels we should be running more trains and building more rail lines — not pulling up the few that are left.
It is incredible that the Queensland rail system should be performing so poorly at a time of strong economic growth and record commodity exports.
Mr Truss called on the Queensland Minister for Transport to put the Kingaroy branch line back to work - don’t pull it up.
