Elsie Adamo
TRAINS were once a popular way to get from Mount Gambier to Adelaide but, after the rise of car and bus travel, trains stopped in the 1990s.
However, the South Australian Regional Rail Alliance (SARRA) wants to bring it back, along with services to other regional centres like Port Pirie, Leigh Creek, Burra and the Yorke Peninsula.
SARRA’s convenor, Paul Henley said if trains were reimplemented in regional areas, people would use them.
“As a long-time resident of the Mid North, I am all too well aware of the wealth contributed to the State’s economy by regional SA,” Mr Henley said.
“Over the years, however, our politicians have turned their backs on regional SA.
“This plainly is not good enough and must be reversed.”
With growing populations in regional areas, Mr Henley said now was the time to reinvest in train infrastructure in the regions.
“As a result of Covid concerns, South Australians are also increasingly moving to regional SA where there are jobs going begging,” he said.
“The acceleration of this development must be a priority of the incoming government – and must be built on a ‘backbone’ rail transport infrastructure – not more buses.
“It needs to be noted by all politicians that one three-car train set can carry up to 240 passengers which would otherwise require five buses to carry the same number of commuters.”
Deputy Chair of Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast Alan Richardson is less optimistic about the return of passenger services.
“Passenger rail is not being talked about at this stage,” Mr Richardson said.
“Maybe in the long-term future, but at this stage, it is just freight that makes sense economically.
“Even the Melbourne to Adelaide line, the Overlander, is struggling to break even.”
However, Mr Richardson believes that the return of freight is a strong possibility.
“It is important to emphasise the rail will not be going into the centre of Mount Gambier, there would be a terminal at the saleyards.”
“The proposal is to open up the train line between Mount Gambier and Portland.”
Mr Richardson said the focus on road infrastructure in Australia has been at the cost of railway infrastructure.
“One of the issues in Australia is that we do not do a good job of running railways,” Mr Richardson said.
“Australia does not get how to run it, you have to go to Germany, Japan, or North America to see how to run it properly.
“We need to learn it, they have been inefficient in the past, but they do not need to be in future.”
