The Malinauskas Government is calling on the State Opposition to immediately rule out re-privatising Adelaide's rail services as Labor prepares to return the operations to public hands.
Liberal transport spokesman Ben Hood this week refused to rule out again selling off rail services if the Liberals return to government – a shocking admission that re-privatisation remains a live possibility for a future Liberal administration.
That follows former Liberal premier Steven Marshall's sell-off of rail services after previously assuring South Australians he had "no privatisation agenda".
With fledgling leader Vincent Tarzia overseas this week, it appears Ben Hood is taking the opportunity to hijack the party's policy agenda by pointedly refusing to reject the failed privatisation of Adelaide rail services.
We have already seen huge cost increases outweighing any savings delivered by the privatisation contract. South Australians rejected the Liberals' privatisation agenda at the 2022 state election, and Labor is delivering on its pledge to bring train and tram services back into public hands.
Those services will also be cleaner and greener, with hybrid-diesel railcars now in operation across Adelaide Metro's rail network and, in a major milestone in South Australia's journey towards sustainability, full diesel trains no longer operating on the lines.
With the completion of the final hybrid conversion and its entry into service today, Adelaide Metro's non-electrified Outer Harbor, Grange, Belair and Port Dock lines are now serviced entirely by hybrid-diesel railcars.
The distinctive green rail fleet is fully fitted with a hybrid system designed to reduce emissions, lower fuel consumption and enhance passenger experience.
The new Energy Storage and Recovery System works by storing kinetic energy generated during braking in the train's onboard batteries and converting it into electrical energy to power normal operations, decreasing stress on the engine and fuel consumption by more than 20 per cent.
The system also powers auxiliary functions like lighting and air conditioning, allowing trains to remain engine-free within Adelaide Railway Station for up to 20 minutes - significantly reducing noise and air pollution within the station.
Adelaide Metro will save an estimated 2400 tonnes of CO₂ annually and reduce fuel consumption by between 700,000 and 1 million litres of diesel each year.
The first converted two-car hybrid train entered service in October 2023 ahead of a progressive rollout of the remaining railcars.
The final diesel-only trains ran their final service on 31 December 2024.
This $11.4 million investment into creating a cleaner, greener and more efficient transport network is a critical step in achieving the State Government's net-zero emissions target by 2050. Adelaide Metro will continue to explore and implement advanced technologies to further reduce emissions and improve service efficiency.
Meanwhile, the return of Adelaide Metro rail operations to State Government hands has also reached an important milestone with the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) granting accreditation to the South Australian Rail Commissioner, formalising the Department for Infrastructure and Transport's authority to operate the rail network.
This accreditation is a requirement under national rail safety legislation to operate a railway in Australia. The Department was required to submit a thorough safety case to demonstrate all required systems and resources will be in place to safely operate the rail system.
The return of train services to public operation is part of the Government's election commitment to return rail operations to State Government hands.
As put by Tom Koutsantonis
While the cat's away, the mice will play – and Ben Hood is clearly taking advantage of Vincent Tarzia's overseas trip to continue to stamp his Hard Right faction's policy agenda on the South Australian Liberal Party.
Ben Hood knows that the Liberals' sell-off of rail services was a failure, leading to unforeseen costs over and above any mooted savings – but he's so fixated on his ideological commitment to privatisation that he has refused to rule out again selling off Adelaide's rail services.
Vincent Tarzia needs to step in and rule out re-privatising our services – simply put, does he have a privatisation agenda?
While the Liberals need to come clean, the Malinauskas Government is delivering a cleaner, greener fleet that will soon be back in full public control.
New Year's Eve saw the end of the diesel train on the Adelaide Metro network. By phasing out diesel-powered trains over the past couple of years and embracing cleaner technologies, we are reducing emissions, saving resources and offering a better travelling experience for South Australians.
Not only are these hybrid trains reducing fuel use and environmental impact, they also offer a better customer experience for those on board and inside Adelaide Railway Station.
Getting more people on public transport is one of the most effective solutions to reducing emissions, and that's why we are getting on with our quest to employ cleaner, greener and more efficient technologies across the entire public transport system.
The hybrid-diesel project complements our commitment to upgrading our public transport system to zero emissions – a commitment that includes the transition to an electric hybrid or full electric bus fleet, a two-year trial of two hydrogen buses and the search for zero emission options for our non-electrified rail lines.
The SA Rail Commissioner's accreditation from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator is a critical step in delivering our key election commitment to return rail services to public hands.
This accreditation shows that all of the required resources and safety systems will be in place ready for the State Government to operate the Adelaide Metro train network.
Returning a privatised service to public ownership is a remarkable achievement that will benefit South Australians every day.
