00:00Passenger rail operated in Tasmania for over 100 years.
00:05It was renowned as probably being the most luxurious train in Australia for most of its life.
00:11It had a hostess on it, plus waitresses and people that worked in the buffets to prepare meals.
00:19We had meals on board.
00:20Train enthusiasts are determined to return passenger trains to the rail line that runs along the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor.
00:27Of course, it's needed and it's ridiculous not to have it.
00:33So the Hobart Rail Action Group was formed in 2009
00:37and we have been campaigning for a return to passenger rail on the Hobart Northern Suburbs Railway since that time.
00:44One of the two railway lines was removed decades ago and turned into a cycleway.
00:50The Rail Action Group wants a light rail service to run on the remaining line
00:55with passing loops and 13 stops between the CBD and the outer suburb of Bridgewater.
01:00The benefits for rail are quite considerable.
01:04It's a much more smoother ride, more comfortable ride.
01:07It's much more environmentally friendly.
01:10But the Tasmanian government argues creating a light rail service would be too expensive.
01:15A 2020 report estimated light rail would cost $685 million to install
01:21while turning the corridor into a busway would cost $512 million.
01:26Does everybody like the idea of light rail? I think so.
01:30The question then is do they like the potential cost that it will be to the taxpayer?
01:36Not so much.
01:38Last week, the government released a growth strategy for the corridor based on rapid bus transit.
01:44The remaining rail line would be removed and replaced with a road for rapid buses within five years.
01:50Five stops would be built between Glenorchy and Newtown.
01:54But there's still a slim chance for light rail.
01:57As a government, we haven't ruled light rail out, but we are very conscious of how expensive it is.
02:03Our preferred option is rapid buses.
02:07Leaving a glimmer of hope for the light rail advocates.
02:11The government definitely needs to revisit its decision.
02:14With the future of Tasmania's public transport system still uncertain,
02:18only time will tell if rail will ever make a return to Hobart.
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