Finally, we have a national rail system
15th January, 2010
The dream of a national rail network linking the mainland states finally comes true tonight. “I welcome the handover of track from the Queensland border to Acacia Ridge in Brisbane to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), meaning that freight can now travel seamlessly on standard gauge from Brisbane to Western Australia,” said Shadow Transport Minister, Warren Truss.
“This handover finally brings to fruition an understanding reached between former Coalition deputy prime minister John Anderson and the Queensland State Government more than five years ago.
“For reasons I still find hard to understand, Queensland Labor took too long to accept that rail would be far more productive if this 101 kilometres of track became part of the national network. The Queensland Government will now lease the track to the ARTC for 60 years.
“This is a deal that is good for business, for productivity and for jobs. The Bligh Government should now consider leasing more of the track in Queensland to the ARTC.
“That certainly makes a lot more sense than simply flogging off the line to keep Queensland solvent, as the State Government now plans,” Mr Truss said.
The former Coalition government provided funding for the upgrading of the broad gauge track in Queensland, including the construction of the Acacia Ridge Flyover. The completion of the track lease agreement should provide the avenue for further Australian government investment in the line.
The ARTC was established by the previous Coalition government to create a national rail network in Australia.
The ARTC now manages the main interstate rail lines between all mainland states and has played a major role in eliminating many of the infamous regulatory barriers which hampered the performance of the rail system for more than a century.
