This article is more than 7 months old

Labor to promise $1bn for east coast high-speed rail line

   This article is more than 7 months old
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   [ ] Bill Shorten and Labor’s infrastructure spokesman, Anthony
   Albanese, who says a high-speed rail line would ‘revolutionise
   interstate travel’ in Australia. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

   Labor will promise $1bn to begin buying the land corridor for an east
   coast high-speed rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane via Canberra
   and Sydney.

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   “small positive financial return on investment” to be expected.

Why are we still waiting for high-speed rail between Sydney, Melbourne and
Brisbane?

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   costs, for a project estimated to cost $114bn in 2012 terms, it said.

   Labor has already committed $50m to create a high-speed rail authority,
   which would be required to finalise track alignment, start land
   acquisitions and finalise an updated business case for the project in
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   the corridor at the time of construction.

   Infrastructure Australia listed preserving the east coast high-speed
   rail corridor as a “high priority” initiative as recently as February.
   By 2075, the combined population of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane is
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   In September a list of leaked infrastructure spending suggested the
   Turnbull government had planned to spend $1.5bn on high-speed rail
   connecting Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
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