Download the Currie Review Final Report

19th February 2006

Two documents are available below as PDF files. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.

First, Professor Graham Currie's report "Decision to Close the Newcastle Branch Rail Line - Independent Review of Transport Reports - Final Report".

Download the 38 page full report here: Currie-Rail-Review-Final-Report.pdf (157 kB)

This report details the findings of an independent review of recent reports regarding the NSW State Government's decision to close the rail line to Newcastle Station.

Professor Currie concludes that "It is unfortunate that its sustainable transport system is to be discarded so easily based what can be factually identified as biased, flawed and misrepresented advice."

Second, the presentation that Prof Currie used during his address to Newcastle City Council on 14th February 2006.

Download the presentation that summarises the full report: Currie-Rail-Review-Presentation.pdf (1.1 MB)

The closing remarks in this presentation are:

• Government has every right to evaluate its options with expensive rail infrastructure
• However analysis was weak, minimalist, biased, unobjective and included misrepresentations
• Is it a sham? - Don't know, its at least highly suspicious.
• A major question remains unanswered -Is the railway worthwhile? Despite the bias towards closure no one seems to have answered this simple question.
• Rail is certainly a high quality feature of the Hunter's transport infrastructure and expansive for a city of the size of Newcastle. Some would see this as a competitive advantage NOT as a problem.