Australasian Railway Association (ARA) welcomes Commonwealth commitment

The Commonwealth Government has decided to proceed with their $10 billion investment into the National Rail Program. The 10 year investment is owed to the ARA who advocated for enhanced funding that will bring economic, social and environmental benefits to Australia.

“The ARA has worked vigorously hard and we are pleased to see our energy and efforts going forward into the next stage of government planning,” said Danny Broad, Chief Executive Officer, ARA. “The criteria set by the Commonwealth Government is an important step in the establishment of the program, across the critical areas of governance, eligibility, assessment processes and funding. As the authority providing the jurisdiction, the Commonwealth Government will decide how the program will be implemented.”

The program, and the projects set within it, will provide the rail industry with the support and certainty it needs for the next decade. The investment will effectively assist in reducing road congestion in urban areas, improving liveability in cities and refining long-term planning to ensure the correct infrastructure is built and maintained.

“We look forward to working with the government and furthermore, we will continue to work with them to ensure the infrastructure is in place to meet our growing population, separate freight and passenger movements in our cities and importantly enhance our safety outcomes,” concluded Danny.