The study into High Speed Rail (HSR) by the clean-energy consultancy Beyond Zero Emissions argues the east coast network would cost $84 billion to build and could pay for itself in 40 years. This study includes a station at Lismore, which would serve locals as well as the five million national and international visitors to the region. HSR could also reduce carbon emissions by 150 tonnes and be a wonderful boost to tourism and the north coast economy.
Anyone who has concerns about damage to the environment by HSR needs to have a look at the horrendous swathe being bulldozed through beautiful rich soil for the Pacific Highway upgrade. We should be growing food in that soil. The damage to the environment and wildlife, including endangered koala colonies, is appalling. Then there’s the huge number of deaths from road accidents and the horrendous injuries sustained by people who never recover.
Between 2003 and 2006 over 11,000 people signed petitions demanding a commuter train service on the Casino to Murwillumbah rail line. These petitions were presented to state parliament and documented in Hansard. For obvious reasons, state governments have chosen to ignore the northern rivers community’s need for a train service.
We’ve all seen the never-ending parade of NSW politicians and ministers through ICAC, from both the Labor and Liberal parties, who have been found to be corrupt and have illegally accepted large donations in brown paper bags from developers. Those developers clearly expected their developments to be approved in return. We also know that both the ALP and LNP receive millions in donations from other sources, particularly the powerful road transport lobby. These are hard-nosed business people; focused on maximising profits, they do not donate large sums of money to aspiring politicians out of pure altruism. They expect a return on their ‘investment’.
This explains why our politicians continue to ignore the community’s need for public transport and are willing to waste $75m of our money ripping up a perfectly good, if neglected, rail line, and steal any chance of this community ever having a sustainable, eco-friendly train service.
Owing partly to the rising cost of oil, airlines are all losing buckets of money, or going bankrupt, and cheap airfares cannot be sustained.
Given these circumstances, governments will be forced to fund high speed rail on the east coast to keep the economy going. It’s imperative that the Casino to Murwillumbah rail line be restored and a train service reinstated to ensure we have the ability to connect with any future HSR service to Lismore.
Louise Doran , Ocean Shores
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
