[Greens-Media] MEDIA ALERT: 'Greens MP to Visit Lismore to Call for Reinstatement of the Casino-Murwillambah Line' (Greens NSW Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC)

[Mehreen Faruqi]

Media Alert
14.05.14
Greens MP to Visit Lismore to Call for Reinstatement of the Casino-Murwillambah Line
Greens NSW MP and Spokesperson for Transport, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, will address a public meeting tomorrow (Thursday 15/5) at Lismore Train Station to commemorate the 120 year anniversary of the opening of the Casino-Murwillambah line and to call for its reopening. Dr Faruqi will be at the 'Commemoration at the Station' event at Lismore Railway Station', which begins at 6pm (poster attached).

Dr Faruqi, who is a civil engineer and holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering, has been a consistent supporter of the reinstatement of the Casino to Murwillambah line, which was decommissioned ten years ago.

'2014 marks ten years since the then Labor Minister for Transport, Michael Costa, closed the Casino-Murwillambah Line, leaving the North Coast with no regional rail services.

"The government is prepared to spend billions of dollars on the wasteful and unnecessary WestConnex Tollway in Sydney, but has nothing to offer Lismore, which is the largest city in NSW without a rail connection.

"This event is crucial and will send a message to the local National Party MPs, who have repeatedly broken their promises to reinstate the line, that the community wants their rail back.

"It is very clear that the Government's $900 million estimate to reinstate the line was just an excuse to not reopen the line - this estimate comes out at many times more the cost per kilometre than equivalent line reinstatements in Victoria. An independent evaluation of the Government's paper is urgently needed.

"This trend of massive overestimation of rail project costs has not only starved Sydney of public transport, but also regional NSW of much needed rail lines.

"NSW needs effective, efficient rail services to connect our regional communities and create more employment and tourism opportunities", she concluded.

Contact: Matt Hilton 0423 106 247

Dr Faruqi's previous media releases on the Casino to Murwillambah Line:
http://www.mehreenfaruqi.org.au/?s=casino&submit=


Matt Hilton
Legislative, Policy and Media Adviser

Office of Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC
Legislative Council | NSW Parliament
E: matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au<mailto:matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au>
P: (02) 9230 2625 | M: +61423106247|F: facebook.com/mehreenfaruqi | T: @MehreenFaruqi | W: mehreenfaruqi.org.au
Mail: Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

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