The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities has commenced a new inquiry into options for financing faster rail to connect major cities across Australia.

Committee Chair, Mr John Alexander, said that with the recent establishment of the National Faster Rail Agency (NFRA), it is the essential time for the committee to examine financing options to deliver fast rail connections between major capital cities and their regional centres.

The NFRA will work with state and territory governments on opportunities to develop better rail infrastructure, including on the Geelong to Melbourne fast rail.  It will also examine five faster rail business cases funded in the 2019-20 Budget for: Sydney to Wollongong, Sydney to Parkes, Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga, Melbourne to Traralgon, and Brisbane to the Gold Coast.

“Delivering a viable option for people to live in regional cities and still have ready access to big cities will have positive social, economic and population outcomes, but it will be hard to progress without a sustainable financing mechanism,” Mr Alexander said.

“The committee will play its part by examining how to finance these much needed faster rail connections.”

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