“The railways actually wanted to cut it out because they wanted to close the Mount Gambier line. “I used to run the Bluebird service from Mount Gambier, it was a very, very popular service,” Maurice Parry said. One former rail operator gave an in-person submission to the committee in July, saying some regional South Australian rail lines were in fact well used before being shut down. We’ve received a really large number of submissions well over 100 so far- people recognising that we need to government needs to do more to address these issues.” “One of the things that struck me is the huge interest that we’ve had in the inquiry. The select committee is on target to report its findings in December before it makes a number of recommendations. “It’s an area where potentially you could see the federal and the state government partnered together to invest in this project, where we will create jobs, it’d be good for emissions, make it easy to move things around from different parts of the state, so I think it would be a win-win.” Simms said electrified or green hydrogen-powered trains would be most in line with the committee’s focus on reducing carbon emissions. “It’s something I’m keen for government to act on, this committee is hearing a lot of evidence around that and the impact on regional communities.” “It’s really challenging for people in regional communities without the capacity to get on a train and make a direct trip, the cost of petrol is exorbitant at the moment, too. And that’s got serious consequences in terms of community connectedness. “South Australia is the only state in the country that doesn’t have a regional train network. “There’s been a big push for rail to be reactivated going up to the Adelaide Hills which I’ve certainly been supportive of, but also there’s a push to have a rail network running more broadly through regional centres in South Australia, which we used to have in the past,” he said. Greens MP Robert Simms said he initiated the parliamentary select committee based on feedback from his constituents that more needs to be done to reduce carbon emissions from transport, with restoring regional rail an important element. Henley said the line is now unusable and could not be made operational within a fortnight’s notice, as per the original lease.Ī washed out section of the Burra rail line. He also called for the state of the Roseworthy-Peterborough line to be investigated, saying a lease agreement between the state agreement and a US company states that regional rail lines under its control must be maintained in operational order. Henley said the Burra station should not have been allowed ‘to close down and left in such a state of disrepair’. “My 83 years old mother spent 5 hours on this bus just to attend an eye appointment, whilst they pick up others from various locations along the way.” “The train had been replaced with a bus which only ran three times a week then it only runs twice a week now which means many are abandoned in the city. “I lived in the town when the train was active, but left to work in the Riverland for several years, returning after the service had ceased to what I encountered as a dying town. “I am supporting the reactivation of regional rail in the township of Burra,” she wrote in her submission to parliament. “I have talked to a lot of people and they have all told me that if there was a Park and Ride facility for rail services from Burra, they would catch the train rather than drive into town themselves.”īurra resident Debbie Elliot said the impact of axing the town’s train service was dramatic. It is very, very important that these services come back because people need the social inclusion. “That’s difficult if you’re on a limited income or a pension. “When a person goes down to Adelaide if they’ve got to wait four days to get back, that means they’ve got to find extra money for accommodation and all that sort of thing while they’re waiting,” he said. Henley said removing the train service to Adelaide left Burra residents no option but to drive or use a bus service which only operates twice a week and takes five hours. This map details the decline of SA’s regional rail network.
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