Spanish train operator Talgo’s Adelaide Hills train trial appears to be dead after size and distance confusion

The Transport minister has been left hanging after it emerged the Hills to CBD passenger train trail may be dumped because the government and Spanish train operator bungled the brief.

Kavel MP Dan Cregan next to train line in Mt Barker. Picture: Supplied

The dream of a passenger train trial between the Adelaide Hills and the CBD may be dead, after it emerged during high-level talks in Spain the potential operators had misunderstood the distance in question.

As the Opposition accuses Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis of spending $35,000 on a “ritzy” trip to Madrid to talk to the operators in person, it emerged Spanish train manufacturers Talgo had believed Mount Barker was much larger – and further from the CBD – than it is.

But Mr Koutsantonis said he had approved the trial and it was now up to Talgo if it went ahead.

Before the 2022 election, Mr Koutsantonis vowed to allow a trial with Talgo, known for its production and distribution of high-speed trains that run between major cities.

Talgo said it could get from Mount Barker to the CBD in 45 minutes after the then-Liberal government said it would take 71 minutes. Talgo thenpushed for taxpayer support to trial their trains.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis and Education Minister Blair Boyer announcing new buses for schools last week. Picture: Matt Loxton

Mr Koutsantonis started that process in April 2022 and in February last year flew to Madrid with ministerial staff on a $35,000 trip that included a meeting with Talgo officials at the International Renewable Energy Conference.

On Monday, he told the ABC Talgo had said “that’s not what our trains do” and hadn’t realised the actual size Mount Barker’s population, believing it to be much larger – and far further away from the CBD.

“They’re very keen on commuter traffic between large capital cities, Melbourne-Sydney,” he told ABC Radio.

“When I mentioned that this was a metropolitan service within a city, they all stopped, looked at each other, spoke a few words in Spanish to each other and said, ‘well, that’s not what our trains do’.

The EMU Talgo, flexible and adaptable train that can run at up to 160km/h. Source: Talgo

Elena Garcia, with engineers Edwin Michell, Luigi Rossi and Jesus Rodriguez from Talgo at the Adelaide Showground stop in Wayville in 2022. Picture: Matt Loxton

“When I … mentioned populations of about fifteen to thirty thousand they weren’t as excited as they were before.”

Kavel MP Dan Cregan said it appeared Mr Koutsantonis had “received advice that high-speed rail to the Hills is not achievable at this time.”

“But that is an entirely different question to restoring conventional rail,” he said.

“Nobody is going to convince me that rail is not viable – old railcars could do the trip to Mount Barker in about an hour and higher power to weight-ratio cars could also do it today.

“Let’s be brutally frank, if the government put out a tender for rail to the Hills tomorrow many suppliers would bid for that contract and Talgo might well be amongst them.”

He said he would “continue the fight” for Hills passenger rail.

A state government spokesman said they still believed a Mount Barker to Adelaide rail service remains a viable option for further investigation and had introduced new bus services earlier in the month to the Hills.

“The Mount Barker and Adelaide Hills Transport Study, a key election commitment to inform future transport investment in the region, will be publicly released shortly and will point to future opportunities and next steps,” they said.

Mr Koutsantonis said he had given Talgo approvals to run a trial in Port Augusta to prove they could run trains at a higher speed than 200km/h in Australia, fulfilling his election promise.

“I think all the hype before the election about what Talgo could offer Mount Barker was not quite what they thought it was,” he said.

Opposition transport spokesman Vincent Tarzia said it was more “tall tales” from Mr Koutsantonis.

“Adelaide Hills residents were assured they would be getting a Spanish speed train to the CBD as a trial, but it looks like that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.

“Tom Koutsantonis claims Talgo executives didn’t understand the train only has to commute 55km between the Adelaide Hills and CBD – and the only way to clear this mess up was for the Minister and his department to blow more than $35,000 of taxpayer money on a ritzy trip to Spain to talk in person.”

While in Spain, Mr Koutsantonis also met with companies interested in bidding for North-South Corridor works and other transport stakeholders, and toured a hydrogen factory.