WA transport officials say plans for the high-speed rail link between Perth and Bunbury are “not going anywhere”.

Questions were put to Public Transport Authority (PTA) officials about progress on the idea in budget estimates last week.

The idea to link the two cities with a fast rail route was first modelled in 2008 by the state Labor government at the time, and furthered by a private consultant on behalf of the PTA in 2010.

The study in 2010 suggested that travel times from a new Bunbury Central station to Perth Underground would be about 91 minutes, and an initial maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour.

At the moment the closest trip takes 150 minutes and runs just twice a day.

PTA chief Reece Waldock told a hearing last week that not much has happened since 2010.

“We have done enough work to maintain it, look at the corridor and understand the corridor and it will probably sit there for some time until I guess the Government wants to reactivate it,” he said.

“I think it is expensive and it does not seem to have enormously high patronage.

“I do not think that anybody questions that it is certainly something that we should look at ... but I know it is not a high priority and that is why it is not going anywhere at the present moment.”