| Five Truths about TOOT's proposals |
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TOOT’s proposes
Truth 1. It’s not expensive Truth 2. People will use it
Truth 3. Good for tourism
Truth 4. It will reduce carbon emissions & protect us from peak oil Truth 5. Train lines do get reopened Truth 1. It’s not expensive The NSW Govt has consistently overstated the cost of the rail line. They have never given detailed figures. By contrast, the only publicly available report from Price Waterhouse Coopers in 2004 said $30 mil was needed. Even if that figure has doubled, it is still cheap in comparison to some of the other current projects.
Cost Comparison Graph showing the millions spent/planned for nearby road & rail projects.
Even if the PWC figure is wrong by 100%, its still cheap. Another way of comparing costs: about 1.5 km worth of the most recent highway upgrade would be sufficient to cover the cots of the 132 km C-M rail line.
Truth 2. People will use it The 2007 Southern Cross University
survey found that 2875 people per day would use the service. This is
made up of Youth and low-income people have repeatedly called for
public transport options. People without cars are forced to hitch as
there are no other options.
Transport contributes a third of our green house emissions. Rail is up to 10 times more efficient than a rubber tyre on a bitumen road.For a serious, long-term transport system, people can take their bikes on the train. Truth 5. Train lines do get reopened Example 1 Bairnsdale, Victoria, roughly 250km from Melbourne, had a gap of almost 11 years between trains. In 2004 services were reestablished; currently there are six trains daily. Patronage on that line is increasing Example 2: Just north of the border we see millions being spent on extending the line from Brisbane that currently stops at Robina. Currently the Qld government is building the line down to the next station at Reedy Creek, and the line will reach the Gold Coast airport. While this is a new line, there used to be a line from Brisbane all the way into Tweed (Bay Street). There were also stations at Southport, Kirra and Coolangatta. In 1961 the last train ran the Southport to Tweed section. At the time it was noted in the Courier Mail that there was a road running parallel to the rail. Today that road, though greatly widened, is struggling to cope with demand and once again there is investment in rail. “The rail line is a vital asset for residents and visitors alike. The best way to protect it is to use it. Talk is cheap - we need action,” said Karin Kolbe, President of TOOT |
