I was extremely disappointed to hear that the federal government had decided to scrap the section of the high-speed rail from Forbes to Brisbane. My reasons are twofold. Firstly, so much money has already been invested in this project and this will largely be wasted. Secondly, the long-term financial benefit of reducing the amount of freight transported by road together with the low carbon footprint of rail compared with road will be lost. It seems that governments are focusing too heavily on short-term solutions, instead of more ambitious longer-term projects where many substantial benefits will only become apparent in the future and could not have been anticipated now.
The cost to date of the project seems very large, and should be examined, together with the cost to complete if the current decision was reversed. Using my experience as a civil engineer, it seems that the cost of all major infrastructure projects in Australia is too high and we need to compare our costs with those of similar projects overseas taking into account the difference in wages, salaries and material costs. Armed with this knowledge we might find ways of reducing costs in Australia.
There will be a major backlash in the community should the decision of the federal government not be reversed. To make matters worse, I have heard that much of the funding saved may be spent on major road projects in Melbourne.
Far too much funding is being invested now in roads and rail in cities compared with what is spent on infrastructure outside the major cities. Transport bottlenecks in cities could be reduced by decentralising future planning and creating satellite developments.
I urge you to take the concerns of many Australians to the termination of this project to parliament, some of which are expressed here. It would be beneficial if our parliamentarians were more visionary and courageous in their deliberations. Any suggestions as to how this can be achieved?
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. 
