Tourism train plan derailed

Article printed in Yahoo 7 News on June 29, 2015.

Residents of the regional WA town Busselton have been pushing to re-open the old Busselton to Bunbury train line that has been closed since the late 80s. With the mindset that the old line will bring jobs and tourists while simultaneously allowing farmers to get their produce to Perth, resident David McKeating is very optimistic that this train line will help expand Busselton.

Although some members of the community are focused on the road conditions around Busselton being addressed instead, the logistics of having multiple transport systems is supported by the recent report by the Regional Australian Institute. This report, Cities Beyond Perth, stated that for Busselton to have economic success at the end of the mining boom, transportation networks will need to be upgraded.

However Transport Minister, Dean Nalder, is not as enthusiastic about the idea. There are currently no plans to re-establish the Busselton to Bunbury train line as Busselton is currently being serviced by the Transwa Coach services.

In contrast, South West MLC Adele Farina, is fully supporting the desire to reopen the train line. She realizes that diverse transport routes are at the heart of the successful regional cities. MLC Farina believes that such an endeavor will bring social, and economic support to Busselton and she is an advocate of the project going ahead.