Spokesperson for Family First Nicholas Greer says Family First’s biggest concern is for a proper state wide planning of public transport to be done to better service everyone’s needs.

“Adelaide has laid and then ripped up 14 separate rail lines – including a line that already went right past Seaford…, we’ve closed passenger lines to the Barossa; and closed lines to places such as Mount Barker and Victor Harbor due to interstate gauge standardisation. In FAMILY FIRST’s opinion, Adelaide would be a more vibrant and easily accessible city if many of these lines had not been shut down,” he said.

Mr Greer says Adelaide’s wide range of public service vehicles would cause unnecessary costs in maintenance and that the party has pitched this to the government in parliament.

He says the Belair line should be electrified to reduce the later servicing requirements of the sole diesel line.

The party also says the Keswick station is poorly located but has doubts as to the cost effectiveness of the Liberal’s proposal.

Trains would better suit high-capacity travel to venues like AAMI and the Entertainment Centre, the party says.

Proper thought into public transport services is an issue for SA Democrats, Third candidate for Legislative Council Sandra Kanck says.

The party want to extend the Belair line as far as Murray Bridge and extend the Gawler line to Barossa Valley and Roseworthy for the proposed population expansion of 110,000 to the region, as written in the recent Adelaide 30 year report.

The Noarlunga line should also be extended to Seaford and Aldinga and potentially a new line to McLaren vale she said.

There was room to create a new freight line to the east of Mt Lofty Ranges.

How power for electric trains would be generated is an issue for The Democrats.

“If, for instance, the source is coal-fired generation from the Port Augusta power stations, that electricity would be highly greenhouse gas intensive, and to some extent would defeat part of the environmental upside of having more public transport,” Ms Kanck said.

Upgrades to the Keswick station to better assist travellers get to the suburban rail services was said to be a potentially more cost-effective option than the Liberal plan, she said.

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has panned the government’s developments of new housing and access to these sites.

In an interview with 5AA about the 30 year plan for South Australia last month, Mr Parnell said transport services need to be confirmed before land developments.

“…If the government is going to develop something like Buckland Park they have to commit to getting a fixed rail line out there … otherwise you’ve got people attracted out to the urban fringe by these cheap house and land packages and once out there they’re going to be marooned by incredible petrol prices because it’s nowhere near anything.”

Mark was a fan of the Smart Card ticketing system announced in February.

“At the moment, there aren’t many incentives to use public transport. People aren’t stupid – they weigh up the cost, convenience and reliability of driving versus catching a train, tram or bus, he said.

“If you get fifty or a hundred bucks off your car rego because you catch the train or the bus more, then that’s an extra bit of encouragement.”

He also believes public transport should be free to school children.

“The Greens call on the Rann Government to extend that to the next generation.

“We need to do everything we can to encourage school children out of cars and into more sustainable forms of transport,” he said.

By Anthony Caggiano for RailSA

It has completed 13 investigations into rail services to the Barossa Valley in the past five years, but will not release details of any of them.

A document released under Freedom of Information laws shows the Transport Department has prepared the series, including an executive paper on a trial service for a Barossa express, a draft paper on a proposal for Barossa services and a report to look at opportunity.

The Government also has prepared an executive paper on a service train trial between Adelaide and Angaston and a report on a working document for an Adelaide-Tanunda train service, as well as a working document for an Adelaide-Barossa Metroticket train service.

The FoI request answer stated no documents would be released because they might go to Cabinet. “While there is a public interest . . . those interests are outweighed by the need to ensure that the confidentially of the Cabinet process is maintained,” it says. “The premature release of the information could infringe on the confidentiality of future Cabinet considerations.”

Family First MLC Dennis Hood said he did not see any reason for the secrecy. “Clearly, the department is investigating a rail service to the Barossa at some level and yet the Government remains highly secretive as to the purpose of these investigations,” he said.

“Family First has been calling for a resumption of rail services to the Barossa for some time now and sees no reason for the secrecy.”

Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said the Government had been perfectly clear on its plan for public transport.

“Reinstating passenger rail services to the Barossa is not part of the State Government’s current transport plans,” he said.

A parliamentary inquiry into public transport and a resumption of Barossa passenger rail services specifically will start hearing evidence today week.

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The opening, a historic milestone due to take place on June 24, is likely to include guest speakers from organisations such as the South Australian Tourism Committee and former Barossa Wine Train. RailSA members Brian Leedham and Paul Henley will also be speaking.

The inquiry itself could come to be a major election issue for 2010, with at least three MPs closely interested in the result.

The inquiry will examine a number of factors resulting from the closure of the Barossa rail line to passenger traffic, and seek to find whether the service would be viable. Of particular interest are allegations of a TransAdelaide proposal for a metro service to Tanunda in 2006, which Parliament denied seeing in 2008. Other factors the inquiry will look at include the secrecy surrounding feasibility studies into a Barossa Valley passenger rail service.

Operator GWA will also more than likely come under scrutiny for disallowing passenger services on its broad gauge rail line, which interfaces with TransAdelaide’s Gawler line at Gawler Central, and the neglect of a number of structures and historical effects located along the alignment, which were to be maintained under the conditions of their lease.

Information supplied by RailSA members may provide insights into the inquiry. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the inquiry opening.

RailSA

The locomotive operated by Genesee and Wyoming was towing 23 carriages laden with limestone from Penrice Soda’s Angaston quarry when it came unstuck just after 1pm near Penfold’s Barossa Valley headquarters.

The accident blocked traffic through the town as carriages balanced dangerously close to houses which backed onto the train line.

The train, carrying a driver and observer, was delivering the limestone to Penrice Soda’s Osborne processing plant.

Genesee and Wyoming general manager operations Ian Hall said 11 carriages derailed but that nobody was injured.

The company contracts Transfield to maintain the tracks, but Mr Hall said it was too early to speculate as to the cause of the derailment.

He said the tracks were inspected on a regular basis and that there had been “no warning” to problems at the bend.

“At this stage we still don’t know what the cause of the derailment was and we probably won’t for another 24 to 48 hours,” he said.

“We expect to have recovery (of the train) within the next 18 to 24 hours and have the line back in full operation by tomorrow afternoon.”

He said the train was travelling at 20km/h at the time of the incident.

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