• Infrastructure SA report rejects Hills train solution
• NSW COVID deaths fall
• New flood warnings as SA braces for more rain
• SA’s staggered school return begins
• Nadal hails his greatest comeback in epic Aus Open final
• US vows to press Russia at Ukraine talks
• Fifteen-year-old sparks Reds’ last-minute A-League heist

Infrastructure SA report rejects Hills train solution

A report from Infrastructure SA investigating the best public transport options to free up congestion on the South Eastern Freeway has rejected the prospect of opening a train service on the existing rail corridor, arguing it would “not come close” to buses and cars on reliability and travel time.

The study – commissioned by the State Government to investigate transport solutions to manage the burgeoning population in Mount Barker – instead recommends improving local bus services, increasing Park n Ride capacity, improving “freeway reliability” and bringing forward the completion of the Heysen Boulevard in Mount Barker as better alternatives.

The report also recommends improved efficiency and bus prioritisation on Glen Osmond Road to solve the ongoing traffic problem.

On a potential rail solution, Infrastructure SA said the study “finds that any service on the existing rail corridor would not come close to matching buses and cars on travel time or reliability due to the steep and winding single track limiting speed and any express services”.

“Infrastructure SA’s preferred option is to improve bus services and freeway reliability which will benefit current and future bus patrons as well as other freeway users,” the statement continued.

The study assesses 48 different public transport configurations and recommends a study to identify the right long-term solution for the transport corridor.

“With an efficient corridor, a Hills BRT (bus rapid transit) service, similar to the O-Bahn in Adelaide’s north east, could reduce travel time from Mount Barker to under 40 minutes,” said Infrastructure SA chief executive Jeremy Conway.

Hills MP and Independent Dan Cregan immediately rejected the report’s findings about the rail line.

“The Hills community expects the government to Act on this report and invest in Bus Rapid Transport and rail solutions, including more local park and ride facilities,” Cregan said in a statement.

“I reject the finding that rail is not viable. An alternative study has found modern railcars with higher power-to-weight ratios can do the trip to Mount Barker in as little as 45 minutes with $70M in track improvements.

“The government walked away from Globelink and I don’t want them walking away from this latest study, too.”

NSW COVID deaths fall

COVID-19 deaths in NSW nearly halved overnight to 27, down from the record 52 deaths reported the previous day.

There are 2779 COVID patients in NSW hospitals, 185 of whom are in intensive care.

The latest numbers come as parents are set to get a $500 voucher for each primary school child to help with before and after school care costs, as students return to class this week.

Victoria recorded eight deaths and 10,053 new COVID-19 infections students across the state return to school.

COVID-19 hospitalisations fell by 16 to 873 patients, with 102 people in intensive care including 33 on a ventilator.

Public schools begin term one today, with all staff and students encouraged to take twice-weekly rapid antigen tests.

New flood warnings as SA braces for more rain

South Australia’s far north is bracing for up to 200mm of rain over the next few days as another wave of wild weather looks set to exacerbate widespread infrastructure damage and supply chain disruption felt across the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch warning for the North West and North East Pastoral Districts for today through to Wednesday, as well as a generalised flood warning for Cooper Creek in the state’s far north.

“Rainfall totals until midnight Wednesday are expected to be generally 10 to 50 mm over the pastoral and Flinders districts, increasing to 50 to 150 mm over the central parts of the pastoral districts,” the BoM said on Sunday.

“Isolated higher falls of 150 to 250 mm with intense thunderstorms are also possible.”

It comes after the State Government called a major emergency on Friday in response to storms that hit the northern Eyre Peninsula last weekend and then the Lower Eyre on Thursday morning.

The storms have cut access to a 250km strip of the Stuart Highway between Glendambo and Coober Pedy and have also severed the rail link from Adelaide to Darwin and Western Australia.

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport said on Sunday the timeframe for reopening the Highway is “unknown” because “the road surface near Glendambo is still inundated by water, and more rain is forecast … throughout the coming week”.

The State Emergency Service said yesterday that it expects the Australia Rail Track Corporation will finish repairing the damaged train lines by February 14 to 17.

However, State Emergency Service chief officer Chris Beattie said authorities are concerned today’s forecast weather will add to the problem.

“A flood watch and severe thunderstorm warning is in place and we do have concerns that this next front could lead to additional road, rail and property damage, exacerbating supply chain disruptions including food supplies for some communities, as well as increased economic impacts from further delayed freight,” he said in a statement late on Sunday.

“We will continue to coordinate across government agencies to ensure the appropriate support is being delivered where it is needed most.’’

The Australian Defence Force is set to deliver 20 tonnes of food and supplies to Coober Pedy where grocery shipment routes have been affected by floodwaters, with the first flight to lift off from the RAAF base in Edinburgh this morning.

Shortages of food and essential supplies are now a concern in Darwin, Western Australia and remote towns including Coober Pedy.

“We are very grateful to our friends in the Australian Defence Force who have been helping South Australia, first with the bushfires of course, then with our response to coronavirus and now with these extreme weather events,” Premier Steven Marshall told reporters on Sunday.

“In addition, a new heavy vehicle route has been secured for access to the Northern Territory through New South Wales, Queensland and into Darwin.”

SA’s staggered school return begins

Children of essential workers, or those who are vulnerable, will be allowed to return to school today as South Australian students begin the first stage of the State Government’s controversial “hybrid” back to school plan.

Year 1s, 7s, 8s and 12s will return to school for face-to-face learning on Wednesday while the remaining year levels will remain at home for two weeks in a bid to limit the state’s Omicron wave.

Premier Steven Marshall said around 40 per cent of the state’s students would be returning face to face, while 60 per cent would be learning online.

“There’s a few changes that are coming in the coming days and weeks: back to schools, back to offices, and of course a fairly significant reduction in the density requirements for hospitality,” he told reporters yesterday.

“We’re ready for the start of the school year, we’ve said for some weeks now that it will be disrupted.

“But I genuinely believe because of the great cooperation that exists with our teachers, our principals, our school support officers, our parents and our students, that we will have a very good start to term one.”

The State Government’s back to school plan has attracted criticism – primarily from the Australia Education Union – due to provisions around surveillance testing and ventilation.

The union’s public school teacher members initially voted to strike on Wednesday, February 2. But the union’s executive recommended against the strike and re-balloted members on Thursday after crisis talks with chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier, ending in a vote to postpone industrial action.

Nadal hails his greatest comeback in epic Aus Open final

Rafael Nadal now stands alone with 21 grand slam wins. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ABACAPRESS.COM.

A “physically destroyed” Rafael Nadal is savouring the “greatest comeback” of his career after winning an epic five-hour Australian Open final from two sets down to claim a record-setting 21st grand slam singles crown.

Nadal recovered down two sets to love for the first time in 15 years to defeat second seed Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a drama-charged climax to the Open at Melbourne Park.

The landmark victory in a five-hour, 24-minute war of attrition that finished well past midnight on Monday morning vaulted the Spaniard one slam clear of great rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the all-time major titles leaderboard.

“If we put everything together – the scenario, the momentum, what (it) means – yeah, without a doubt (it’s) probably the biggest comeback of my tennis career,” an exhausted Nadal said.

The sapping encounter was the second-longest final in Open history – behind only Nadal’s five-hour, 53-minute loss to Djokovic in 2012 – with the 35-year-old admitting he was feeling “destroyed, physically”.

In claiming the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for a second time, 13 years after his first triumph, Nadal joins Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Djokovic as only the fourth man in tennis history to win each of the four grand slam titles at least twice.

“Without a doubt, it’s one of the most emotional moments in my tennis career,” Nadal told the crowd.

“I’m going to keep trying my best to come back next year.”

Laver, fittingly, enjoyed a front-row view in the arena named in his honour as his fellow southpaw pulled off one of the most incredible wins of his legendary career.

US vows to press Russia at Ukraine talks 

The US ambassador to the United Nations vowed that the UN Security Council will press Russia hard to discuss Moscow’s massing of troops near Ukraine amid rising fears it is planning an invasion.

“Our voices are unified in calling for the Russians to explain themselves,” Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield said of the US and the other council members on ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday.

“We’re going into the room prepared to listen to them, but we’re not going to be distracted by their propaganda.”

Russia’s massing of an estimated 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine has brought increasingly strong warnings from the West that Moscow intends to invade.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has, in turn, demanded that NATO promise never to allow Ukraine to join the alliance, and to stop the deployment of NATO weapons near Russian borders and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe.

The head of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev on Sunday rejected Western warnings about an invasion.

“At this time, they’re saying that Russia threatens Ukraine — that’s completely ridiculous,” he was quoted as saying by state news agency Tass.

“We don’t want war and we don’t need it at all.”

The United States and European Union countries say a Russian invasion would trigger heavy sanctions.

On Sunday, the chairman of the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez, raised the prospect of imposing some punishments pre-emptively and warned Russia would face “the mother of all sanctions” – including actions against banks that could undermine the economy – in the event of an invasion.

Fifteen-year-old sparks Reds’ last-minute A-League heist

Adelaide’s Nestory Irankunda celebrates scoring a late equaliser against the Newcastle Jets last night (AAP Image/Darren Pateman).

Fifteen-year-old Nestory Irankunda has scored his first A-League goal to spark Adelaide United’s thrilling last-minute comeback to beat the Newcastle Jets 2-1.

Goals from Irankunda and Hiroshi Ibusuki – both substitutes – in the 88th and 91st minutes allowed the Reds to claw their way back from a goal down and claim three valuable points in Newcastle.

The young Irankunda got the comeback going with a magical free kick from 25 yards, giving Newcastle keeper Jack Duncan no chance after his side had failed to create many chances of note through a cagey second half.

As the clock wound down into stoppage time, Japanese forward Ibusuki bobbed up at the back post to fire home the winner and send Reds fans into delirium.

Unlikely hero Irankunda said his first ALM goal meant a lot.

“I wasn’t expecting it to come from a free kick but the captain and everybody gave me the ball, and that gave me the belief to take the free kick,” he told Network 10.

“Last year I was playing under-15s and they put me on free kicks and I just felt like I was back there at that moment, at my old club taking a free kick and then I just hit the ball and it went in.”

Adelaide jumped to third with the win, while Newcastle remain on the bottom, although they do have a number of games in hand.

-With AAP and Reuters