Eleven thousand signatures opposing the truncation of the Maitland-Newcastle rail line will be presented to NSW Parliament today as the government’s intentions for rail transport into Newcastle CBD is brought into question.
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The government has appointed the same consultant who worked on the 2010 AECOM reports, which detailed the future of the rail line, despite Coalition MP Craig Baumann rubbishing them in Parliament in February.
The Port Stephens MP told Parliament the reports commissioned by the former Labor government – AECOM’s 2010 Transport Management and Accessibility Plan and Preliminary Assessment of Newcastle Truncation – were “423 pages of pure pap” and has since stood by the statement.
The reappointments have angered Save Our Rail president Joan Dawson, who was told during a meeting with Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian that the government would start from scratch on the issue.
These documents were reviewed before the 2012 Newcastle Urban Renewal Strategy was written and released by the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure, and some of the details were included in the strategy.
A Transport for NSW spokesman said the consultant, Graham Mounsey, was employed by the department’s Bureau of Transport Statistics.
He said Mr Mounsey was providing statistical input on a range of transport projects and was not solely working on the light rail plans.
This reappointment of Mr Mounsey, who now works for another company, comes on the back of another reapointment.
GHD – a company banned by the world bank on the grounds of fraud – has again been appointed to work on the plans.
The company had previously been appointed by the former Labor government and wrote that Newcastle train station could be transformed into a hotel and conference centre, and 300 units could be built along the city’s rail corridor.
This was outlined in the Economic Impact of Rail Closure in Newcastle report, which was released in 2004. The reappointments have angered Save Our Rail president Joan Dawson, who was told during a meeting with Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian that the government would start from scratch on the issue.
“The AECOM reports advised for the line to be cut at Wickham and now the government has appointed a person to work on its plans [the same person who] was involved in developing the plans for the former Labor government,” Ms Dawson said.
“That, combined with the reappointment of GHD, is not starting afresh.”
Ms Berejiklian would not be drawn on questions about the conversation with Save Our Rail but did confirm that the government would bring light rail to Newcastle.
Another light rail workshop will be held today as the project team continues to look at how light rail could work in the Newcastle CBD.
Ms Dawson said the petition of 11,000 signatures showed the region was against the rail line truncation.
The petition calls for the heavy rail line to stay and improvements to services and the visual appeal of the rail corridor to be made.
“We are asking the government to reach its goals that it outlined in the 2021 plan in terms of public transport,” Ms Dawson said.
“The people who have signed the petition have provided their name and address and have committed themselves to the belief that the heavy rail line should stay.
“These people outnumber the groups that want the rail line gone including the Property Council, Hunter Development Corporation and the Hunter Business Chamber.
“The government cannot ignore these signatures.”
