Lost plot with student protest

HAVE we lost the plot by supporting children protesting instead of going to school, to put it bluntly why would anyone support truancy? Has the State Government lost the plot also?

Isn’t attending classes by going to school legal any more? This sanctioned truancy flies in face of Department of Education legal requirements and responsibilities. Shame, shame, shame.

ROB BERRY, Toowoomba

TRAIN TO BRISBANE

TWENTY odd years ago, there were passenger trains from Toowoomba to Brisbane and Jack McCafferty ran buses to Helidon connecting to a rail motor service to Brisbane. This stopped when QR extended electric trains to Rosewood. Then buses would connect at Rosewood.

These days it is quicker to take a bus straight to Brisbane. The problem with rail passenger services from Toowoomba to Brisbane is it takes more than 90 minutes by train just to get to Helidon then at least another 90 minutes to get to Brisbane.

The only way train travel to Brisbane would be a success is for the government to spend money on a new rail line from Toowoomba to Brisbane bypassing the range section following the new Toowoomba bypass road. There is no excuse for not doing this as the government has spent billions on rail links from the Gold coast to Brisbane as well as to Nambour/Gympie to Brisbane.

This new proposed rail link from Melbourne to Brisbane via Goondiwindi and Toowoomba needs to address the problem with the existing slow section of rail line between Toowoomba and Helidon. This section would need to be duplicated between Toowoomba and Helidon making way for more freight trains and passenger trains.

If this were to happen it would put Toowoomba on a level playing field with the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Travellers could board a train at Toowoomba changing at central then on to the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast and be there in about four and a half hours.

The cost of this trip would be around $50 and if the city train still have free returns on Sundays. Passengers could leave Toowoomba at 5am on Sunday and be at either coast by 9.30am, leaving there at 5pm and home about 9.30pm.

The cost would be much cheaper than the price of petrol for the trip, more relaxing and not have to worry about driving home tired.

I worked with QR for 46 years, 36 years in Toowoomba and 10 years with Citytrain at Nambour. Large numbers of passengers commute from stations from Gympie to Brisbane and return daily. This also happens with passengers at the Gold Coast who work in Brisbane.

If this were to happen, Toowoomba people would think they were part of Queensland not just country bumpkins like they are treated by everyone east of Ipswich.

Dreams are free and maybe one day this will happen but not in my lifetime.

As for this talk of a fast train taking 45 minutes from Brisbane to Toowoomba - what a load of rubbish. These are the sort of statements you hear when elections are around. DARRYL WILLIAMS, Harristown