Opinion
High-speed rail collides with reality
Governments have been talking about high-speed rail for decades but are yet to create one kilometre of it to make the dream real. The Albanese government promises to be different, but who will pay?
Jennifer HewettColumnistAnyone who’s caught a high-speed train in Europe or Japan or China can’t help but experience a bout of train envy. So it’s hardly surprising that generations of Australian governments from the 1980s on have funded inquiries, reports and agencies into the potential of high-speed rail between major cities. Without result.
Anthony Albanese has been a particular enthusiast of high-speed rail since his time as transport minister in the previous Labor government. Even during the long years of opposition, he promoted it as an “economic game changer” for Australia that would “revolutionise” interstate travel with trains running at over 250 kilometres an hour
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