The Hunter must push for better public transport as Perrottet government lays out its new four-year plan

Other countries have built Very Fast Train systems in the time Australia has been talking about one. Picture from the Commonwealth Government

WITH the NSW government unveiling its first new public transport strategy since 2018, it is worth reflecting on on the chequered history of public transport reform in the Hunter Region, and the shortcomings of the system as it stands.

Despite decades of strategies to encourage more use of public transport in the Hunter, the numbers of people using buses, ferries, trains and (since February 2019) light rail have remained stubbornly small.