Zempilas Slams Cook Govt Over Australind Rail Delay

0:00It's April 3rd. This is Sydney News Today. Local news powered by AI. Opposition leader Basil Zimpelis is firing shots at the Cook government over delays restarting the Australian Rail Service from Perth to Bunbury. New trains are still undergoing testing, even though officials promised they'd roll out when the upgraded Armourdale Line reopened last October. Fuel prices are through the roof from the war in Iran, and transport services are jammed solid, so that direct southbound route would hit different. Right now, especially ahead of Easter travel, Zimpelis calls it a major hold-up that spotlights the government's shaky project delivery, stressing it links key population centers both ways across. Western Australia, he wants them to prioritize it since locals are itching to ride. These six new cars come from the $1.6 billion MetroNet program, built at Allstom's Bellevue factory here in the state. Designs dropped in 2020, with hopes for 2022 delivery that stretched out, and transport minister Rita Safiotti just showed off.

1:03The fresh yellow and orange paint job, premier Roger Cook owns the delay, but says testing ensures top safety, targeting first quarter 2026 launch, while they greenlit two extra. Three cars sets for $80 million back in January, fingers crossed a track on time to ease the strain down south.