Moments before Bill Shorten boarded the Adelaide CBD tram, the Labor leader was warned about congestion.
"They're jam-packed!" an exasperated commuter told the opposition leader on Tuesday, as they both stood on the platform awaiting the tram.
Mr Shorten was to use the journey to spruik Labor's $500 million funding commitment for pre-construction work on a new tram network connecting the city to the suburbs, named AdeLINK.
And he certainly got to see first-hand just how tight the squeeze was as he stepped on board accompanied by Adelaide Labor MP Kate Ellis, the South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, Labor Senate leader Penny Wong - oh, and more than a dozen cameramen and journalists travelling with him.
He took selfies on the three-stop journey with Mr Weatherill and some happy commuters.
But others surrounding him appeared less impressed that their daily commute had become a media event.
One couple were visibly annoyed that they couldn't get off at their stop.
Mr Shorten later spoke of the need to clear congestion on the roads with trams.
Too many people lost time sitting in cars, he said.
He also couldn't resist a dig at the public-transport loving Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
"He'll hop on the tram to take a selfie - he just won't build a tram line," he said.
Share
