Australia’s push for high-speed rail is ignoring expert advice and parliamentary findings, according to a former MP who chaired the inquiries, warning planners are pursuing expensive station locations where recouping costs will be so difficult it could derail the project.
Former Liberal MP John Alexander, an advocate for east coast high-speed rail, is pleading for the High Speed Rail Authority to heed recommendations from three inquiries he chaired since 2010 before it finalises a business case on the Sydney-Newcastle stretch by the end of the year.
