Adelaide Test trains shutdown: Transport Minister Stephan Knoll caught out by avoidable debacle

Rookie Transport Minister Stephan Knoll has delivered a rank full toss by caving in to his department’s decision to shut down trains on the weekend of the Adelaide Test Match, says Chief Reporter Paul Starick.

• Uproar as trains cancelled on weekend of the Adelaide Test
• How our readers reacted to the minister’s decision
• Bus replacements for suspended trains

Rookie Transport Minister Stephan Knoll has delivered a rank full toss by caving in to his department’s decision to shut down trains on the weekend of the Adelaide Test Match.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Knoll’s more experienced opponent, Labor’s Tom Koutsantonis, has easily dispatched Mr Knoll for six and will feast on more runs now that the full reason for the avoidable closure has been revealed.

Large crowds at the Second Test match between Australia and England at the Adelaide Oval last December. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

It is an amazingly stupid blunder that raises the question of whether Mr Knoll has been caught by surprise by the Transport Department decision.

The South Australian Cricket Association has been blindsided by the two-day rail closure, having learned about the foolish move just last night. Given SACA signed off on a Test transport plan in July, this indicates this is a haphazard move that has been made without consultation.

It is hard to escape the conclusion that Mr Knoll has lost control of his department on this key issue and has, foolishly, dug in his heels to back a misguided move. If he was responsible for the decision, the Liberal rising star has failed to consult key stakeholders and displayed an astonishing lack of political judgment on an issue that has enormous cut-through with the public.

Adelaide should be putting out the welcome mat for Indian visitors and seizing the opportunity to showcase our city, rather than turning them away by frustrating the task of getting to the cricket.

The Adelaide Test between Australia and India, which starts on Thursday, is the first of the summer. Adelaide Oval is one of the finest grounds in the world. India is the world’s premier cricketing nation, with fans gripped by frenzied excitement at watching their sporting heroes.

Indian fans have already outnumbered Australians at lead-up T20 matches, so they will flock here for the Test.

The Riverbank footbridge, built as part of the $535 million Adelaide Oval upgrade which opened in 2014, was explicitly designed to connect the stadium to the Adelaide Railway Station. The SACA says 13 per cent of patrons at last year’s Test used trains. Construction work on the Riverbank is disrupted during major events to, appropriately, open access between the station and footbridge.

Up goes the finger — as Transport Minister Stephan Knoll is caught out. Picture: Kelly Barnes/AAP

As a cricket tragic who takes annual leave every year to attend all five days of the Test (should it last that long), the popularity of trains is obvious. Many of Mr Knoll’s political superiors are sometimes spotted enjoying the cricket themselves, so they will be acutely aware of the public impact of his foolhardy decision.

His plan for substitute buses is woefully inadequate and deep down the minister must realise this. All the government’s political stumbles in what has been a bad week will pale into insignificance with the public compared to this blunder.

On behalf of Test patrons, the SACA was right to demand this decision be reversed. Premier Steven Marshall, himself a cricket and football fan, should have quietly guided his minister to take one for the team and ensured the two-day rail closure did not affect the Adelaide Test by switching to another weekend.