Will Refurbished Trains in Hunter ever run on Country Rail Network?

Manufacturing Refurbished Trains Locally in Hunter. Will they run on Country Rail Netwwork (CRN) Ever?

Recently, many Labor ministers and MPs have posted on social media celebrating the NSW Government's decision to invest billions of dollars in refurbishing trains in the Hunter rather than importing them.

While supporting local manufacturing is welcome, these refurbished trains are of little benefit to regional NSW unless the Government also invests in revitalising the regional country rail network.

There are more than 3,000 kilometres of non-operational rail lines across NSW. Not all of these are minor branch lines. For example, the Great Northern Railway from Armidale to the Queensland border has significant potential for both passenger and freight services.

The NSW Government's much-publicised Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plans (SRITPs), which set the transport direction for the next 20 years across nine regions, contain no meaningful short- or medium-term initiatives to restore regional rail lines. The recently released draft SRITPs emphasise more buses and active transport, but offer no commitment to bringing back regional rail.

This is difficult to accept when Victoria is investing more than $4 billion in regional rail, while many of our neighbours in Asia continue to expand and modernise their railway networks, including high-speed rail.

How can regional NSW move forward with only more buses and bike paths?

With the Federal Government deciding not to extend Inland Rail beyond Parkes, the need for a second north-south rail corridor for interstate passenger and freight movement has become even more important.

The real question is this: can regional communities rely on either Labor or the Coalition to deliver the nation-building rail infrastructure Australia needs?

Away from the political noise, what regional NSW needs is real investment, real vision, and real action.

Manufacturing Refurbished Trains Locally in Hunter. Will theY run on Country Rail Netwwork (CRN) Ever?