It seems the NSW Government is spending the poles and wires lease on city rail while ignoring the needs of the country people. Country people need public transport to reduce isolation. The trains that service country people are antiquated while not meeting the needs of all.
The 2014-2015 state budget allocated $30B for city rail with $0 for country rail. The 2015-2016 state budget will have more of the same.
We do exist this side of the mountains.

Up where I am we have a railway but here have been no trains, antiquated or otherwise, for thirty or so years.

Once people realize that NSW stands for Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong then the status quo is more easily accepted.:)

It's not just the NSW government with this problem its the whole system.
As I see it we have 2 possible futures (please add your ideas) barring global destruction.
1. we become a closed country making and depending on ourselves (could happen if energy get to scarce or to high in price)
2. We become the world's food basket
Both of these futures depend on getting rail/road (infrastructure)
But our Fearless leaders can't find anyway to make a quick buck doing this so will continue to sell out the people and country they Pretend to represent.

It's to be hoped governments have not sought to tear-up any of the existing rail lines like some other states have done ? While true, lines do need regular maintenance to keep them serviceable, but to remove them, and their infrastructure altogether, is ridiculous ?

It is all political our state governments can only see $ and votes. Not enough votes outside coast and major cities.

Spot on Aussieboy !
All we need is for the politicians to listen.
They have told at a number of hearings that electric railways are
going to be the way of the future and to start edging road haulage
out of the picture.
The trouble they have is a phycological complaint that has been studied,
and it is an unwillingness to consider uncomfortable reality.

Those that studied it suggest that people will not change until there
is a traumatic event.
At those hearings they have been told that the government spports the
OECD'S International Energy Authority but have taken no notice that
the IEA stated two years ago that peak oil occurred in 2006 !
The pollies have completely ignored the advice.

The very fast train is now too late but the fast enough train is
reachable financially, the XPTs are in fact the 125s of British Railways
and can run at those speeds.