Inland Rail

A FEW years ago at Biddeston’s Hall, the then Deputy Mayor was asked if TRC would hold a meeting in one of the local halls for the concerned persons who were affected by the proposed Inland Rail line so we can air our concerns and perhaps make some plans for the future.

She said it was not the council’s job to hold such a meeting.

But now the council being steered by our mayor is holding a get together of all interested parties to see the strength and to see the available avenues to make a few bucks, strikes me as a bit ironic, but there you go.

I have heard what a wonderful idea it is to open up Australia with this $15 billion line.

But I must remind people that Australia does not manufacture anything worth exporting.

What we do export is mining products and many of these mining companies are foreign-owned even the ones with Anglo-Saxon names.

We do get royalties but not much from each bucket full and when we are paying for our $150 billion rail line to transport the goods to port (Yes, I mean $150 billion as government funded projects usually blow out by 10 times), we will be paying for the line forever.

We will also be repairing it forever not forgetting the ARTC the management team running at the moment is not looking at guaranteeing the engineering for much more than 30 years and they are putting it across the shifting black soils of the Millmerran flood plain for 20km of it.

Yes this meeting will be full of those who don’t care about anything but their companies’ bottom line.

They don’t mind if they ruin a few businesses and homes so long as they are doing well.

They will fly in to give encouragement to the “opening up of Australia” at taxpayers’ expense, listen to a few presentations, agree wholeheartedly and disappear while Toowoomba is left with a huge bill and a filthy old rail line.

PAUL CLAPHAM, Southbrook