Albury mayor Henk van de Ven has reservations about the viability of the newest high-speed rail proposal from Melbourne to Sydney.
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The latest in a string of iterations, Consolidated Land and Rail Australia has now struck land deals to begin the next phase of the plan which would link Melbourne to Sydney in two hours and include the construction of eight new regional cities.
Cr van de Ven said it would be preferential if the substandard North East line received upgrades before launching into a new build.
“I’ve indicated before it’s time to stop talking and actually do something,” he said.
“It would be fantastic for the region if something happens but there’s been a lot of talk for a long time now.
“It’s a matter of whether the building of the infrastructure is going to get a return.
“They think it’s viable … I just don’t think we’ve got the population to justify high-speed rail.
“It would be nice to see a fast, reliable service at the moment – we don’t have that – let’s get that fixed first.”
Albury MLA Greg Aplin said the latest blueprint had a “6.5 out of 10” chance of realisation.
Mr Aplin admitted he was surprised the plan included the construction of a new green fields city between Albury and Wagga.
“Landowners are normally very reticent to part with their land for developments of this nature,” he said.
“I was surprised so much land was seemingly acquired so easily when we generally encounter major difficulties (for works) … and some confrontation.
“Clearly, if you’re in one of those shires you’d be welcoming the prospect of a new city because that would represent a new rate base and opportunities for people to settle and develop businesses and services.”
Mr Aplin said he believed the plan had its merits.
“I think there’s always been a consideration that anything of this nature requires a public-private partnership – and in the past it’s been driven more by the public than private sector,” he said.
“There’s always been plans and booklets showing different route structures but this one seems to have moved to the point of acquisition of land, which of course hasn’t happened before.”
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer said if it proceeded, it would be another reason why the rail corridor, between Melbourne, Seymour and Albury-Wodonga, must be fully upgraded to 160mk/h to ensure two-hour city services.
