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Category: Government and Politics / Rail Transport

Nationals pledge new rail link through key regional seat

Wednesday, 18 Jan 2017 14:49:30 | Gian De Poloni

The Nationals want the proposed line to extend from Mandurah to Bunbury. (Wikimedia: Bahnfrend)

The WA Nationals want to use funds from their proposed state mining tax to resurrect a long-touted plan to connect Perth's passenger rail network to the regional city of Bunbury.

The project has been previously estimated by the party to cost $1 billion and would see the line extended more than 100 kilometres.

Perth's railway network currently terminates in Mandurah, and people bound for Bunbury can only get there on the existing Australind diesel train line.

Nationals leader Brendon Grylls said he wanted to bring better public transport to the bush, and he would use his mooted controversial increase to the mining rental lease fee to fund the plan.

"Perth political parties spend all their time talking about new public transport in the capital city, but when it comes to Bunbury they say it's a long way off," he said.

"The WA Nationals have a new revenue source — by raising that 1960s special mining lease rental to $5 — which is the type of revenue source that allows a project like that to be considered."

The proposal was first mooted in 2008 by the then Labor government, which commissioned a feasibility study into laying 140 kilometres of track down Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway, spurring off the Mandurah line.

However, transport officials poured cold water on idea in 2015, saying progress on the rail link "was not going anywhere".

Close to $1 million has already been spent planning the route.

Curtin University sustainability expert Peter Newman said he believed high-speed rail was an area worth investing in and said the project was feasible.

"We have to start looking at new technology that would enable this to happen and start looking at how the private sector could fund it," he said.

'Win Bunbury, win government'

A local government-commissioned survey of the Greater Bunbury region, which has a population of about 65,000 people, showed respondents believe the fast-train project should be the number one priority going into the election.

Political analyst Peter Kennedy said train projects are typically popular with voters.

"I think it's an indication that the National Party is serious about its candidacy in Bunbury and wants to maximise its vote and if possible win the seat," he said.

"Mr Grylls knows trains are popular, particularly country trains and if the National Party is promising that, then that's probably a vote winner."

Mr Kennedy said he suspected the seat of Bunbury would play a key role in the outcome the state election.

"The seat of Bunbury is in play because of [incumbent member] John Castrilli's retirement, so his personal vote goes out there plus there's been a swing against the Liberal Party over the last four years," he said.

"I know Labor is very confident about their candidate, the Nationals are in there and the Liberals are fighting to defend their patch.

"There's an old saying some years ago that the party that wins Bunbury, wins government and it's been fairly accurate and I think that's what the parties are fighting over this time around."

Labor pledges revamp of existing line

Labor has announced it will instead commit $30 million towards a revamp of the Australind diesel train line, which has been running services between Perth and Bunbury since the 1940s.

However, Labor leader Mark McGowan said he is yet to liaise with Brookfield Rail, which leases the line for around-the-clock freight services.

"They're aware of the plan but obviously if we're elected we'll have negotiations with them to make it happen," he said.

Mr McGowan could not say how much time his party's planned upgrades would shave off the two-and-a-half-hour trip.

"If we are successful on March 11, we'll be able to work out exactly what the improvement will be," he said.

"Currently it's a slow but pleasant journey.

"I'd like to make it speedier and more frequent so therefore people can get out of their cars and use the train historically as they did."

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