More Money for Trains Between Canberra and Sydney

May 11, 2026, 06:34
AustraliaPolitics

Introduction

Three governments will spend $100 million to make the trains between Canberra and Sydney better.

Main Body

The national government gives $50 million. The NSW and ACT governments give $25 million each. They want the trip to take less than four hours. They will fix the tracks and add new lights. New trains from Spain are late. They will arrive in 2028, not 2023. These trains now cost $2.29 billion. The government will spend $40 million to keep old trains working. Many groups will work together to manage the project. They will also study if they can make the tracks straighter to make trains faster.

Conclusion

The project will fix the tracks now and bring new trains in 2028.

Learning

🕒 Talking About the Future

In this story, the author uses one simple word to talk about things that happen later: WILL.

How it works: Put will before the action word (verb). It doesn't matter if the person is one or many; the word stays the same.

  • The government will spend money. → (Future action)
  • Trains will arrive in 2028. → (Future action)

💰 Money Words (Numbers)

When you see a lot of zeros, English uses shortcuts:

  • Million (1,000,000) →\rightarrow Example: $100 million
  • Billion (1,000,000,000) →\rightarrow Example: $2.29 billion

Tip: In A2 English, remember that 'billion' is much bigger than 'million'.

📍 Opposites in the Text

Notice how these words change the meaning:

  • Better (Good →\rightarrow More Good)
  • Less (More →\rightarrow Smaller amount)
  • Straighter (Curvy →\rightarrow Straight line)

Vocabulary Learning

government (n.)
the people or group that runs a country or city
Example:The government announced a new policy.
train (n.)
a long vehicle that runs on tracks and carries people
Example:I take the train to work.
track (n.)
the rails that a train runs on
Example:The train runs on the track.
light (n.)
a source of illumination
Example:The train has bright lights.
late (adj.)
not on time
Example:The train was late.
arrive (v.)
to reach a place
Example:The train will arrive at 10.
cost (n.)
the amount of money needed
Example:The train costs $2.29 billion.
keep (v.)
to continue to have
Example:They will keep the old trains working.
old (adj.)
having lived for many years
Example:They keep the old trains.
working (adj.)
functioning
Example:The old trains are working.
group (n.)
a collection of people
Example:Many groups will work together.
work (v.)
to do tasks
Example:They will work on the project.
together (adv.)
in joint action
Example:They will work together.
manage (v.)
to handle or control
Example:They will manage the project.
project (n.)
a planned activity
Example:The train project is big.
study (v.)
to learn about
Example:They will study if they can make tracks straighter.
straight (adj.)
not bending
Example:They want the tracks to be straight.
faster (adj.)
moving more quickly
Example:The trains will be faster.
bring (v.)
to take to a place
Example:They will bring new trains in 2028.
new (adj.)
recently made
Example:New trains will arrive.
money (n.)
currency used to buy things
Example:They spent money on the trains.
million (n.)
a large number of a thousand thousand
Example:They will spend $100 million.
better (adj.)
improved
Example:The trains will be better.
take (v.)
to occupy a period of time
Example:The trip will take less than four hours.
hours (n.)
units of time
Example:The trip takes four hours.
add (v.)
to put something in addition
Example:They will add new lights.