High-speed rail in Australia
Encyclopedia
Proposals for High-speed rail infrastructure in Australia (where such projects are also known as Very Fast Trains) have been under active investigation since the early 1980s. There is currently no such technology in active service in Australia; existing rail services between the east coast cities are slow, infrequent, and not realistically competitive with air travel. The fastest trains currently in use in Australia have a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99.4 mph) (significantly below the internationally accepted definition for High-speed rail
of 200 km/h (124.3 mph)), but in practice average speeds are far below this due to unsuitable track geometry and condition.
Various combinations of the route between Melbourne
, Canberra
, Sydney
and Brisbane
have been the subject of detailed investigation by prospective operators, government departments and advocacy groups. Some have advocated extending this network as far as Adelaide
or even Perth
. Others advocate concentrating on shorter routes servicing dormitory towns
of the major capitals (such as Wollongong, Geelong or Bunbury
), possibly as a precursor to a full interstate link.
To date, no Australian high speed rail proposal has progressed past the planning stage. The long distances and difficult terrain between major population centres, low population density of the intervening regions, and present affordability of air travel make it difficult for such proposals to demonstrate financial viability. However, their competitiveness is expected to increase with future population increases, particularly that in regional areas.
The Australian Government
has commissioned a A$
20 million planning study into high-speed rail on an east coast high speed rail link, focusing particularly on the corridor between Newcastle
and Sydney
. The report is expected to be completed in 2011.
Because the development of railways in Australia pre-dated Federation
, each state developed its own system with a different gauge
and rolling-stock. The great distances between the colonies meant that planners gave little thought to connecting to other systems. The result of this was a national network of several different gauges; this necessitated train changes at the break-of-gauge
, prevented economies of scale, and in some cases eventually resulted in a very expensive standardisation. Despite these disadvantages, for a time rail was the preferred method of interstate travel in Australia. However, the advent of air travel and the private automobile gradually replaced rail as the major passenger services. Rail has been only a marginal passenger-market player in recent decades.
The construction of a high-speed rail link along the east coast of Australia has been under active investigation since at least 1980. Air dominates the inter-capital travel market, and intra-rural travel is almost exclusively car-based. Rail has a significant presence in the rural / city fringe commuter market, but inter-capital rail currently has very low market share due to low speeds and infrequent service. However, the duration of travel between the capitals by HSR could be as quick or faster than air travel - a 500 km/h Maglev train could reduce travel time from Melbourne to Sydney to about three hours, while the more conventional 350 km/h technology (such as TGV
and Shinkansen
) would take about four hours. Various studies and recommendations have asserted that a high speed rail service between the major eastern capital cities could be viable as an alternative to air. Although such studies have generated much interest from the private sector and captured the imagination of the general public upon their release, to date no private-sector proposal has been able to demonstrate financial viability without the need for significant governmental assistance.
A mature HSR system would be economically competitive with air and automobile travel, provide mass transit without dependence on imported oil
, have a duration of travel that would compare with air travel or be quicker, and would reduce national carbon dioxide emissions.
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{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
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! !! Melbourne to Sydney !! Sydney to Brisbane
|-
| Rhumb-line distance || 730 km || 770 km
|-
| Existing rail distance || 963 km (32% greater) || 988 km (28% greater)
|-
| Existing average speed || 92 km/h || 73 km/h
|-
| Existing travel time || 10:30hrs || 13:35hrs
|-
| Existing rail services (daily, each way) || 2 || 1
|-
| Air travel time (CBD to CBD*) || 3:00hrs || 3:05hrs
|-
| Air services (daily, each way) || 118 || 84
|-
| HSR travel time (max. 350 km/h) || 4:06hrs || 4:24hrs
|}
NOTE: Air travel time includes travel from CBD to airport, waiting at terminal, gate-to-gate transit, and travel to destination CBD.
The major issues preventing the adoption of high speed rail in Australia include, according to Philip Laird:
proposed the Bicentennial High-Speed Railway Project, which proposed to link the five capitals of south-eastern Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane) in time for the Australian Bicentenary
. However, it proposed only the strengthening and partial electrification of the existing tracks, and the purchase of new diesel-electric trains. It would offer only mild improvements on the existing travel times, and therefore could not be considered a true high-speed rail
proposal.
. The proposal was for a rail network based on French TGV technology linking Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney in about 3 hours, via a coastal corridor. It was claimed that construction costs would be A$2.5 billion, with initial revenue of A$150 million per annum exceeding operating costs of only $50 million per annum. The proposal attracted much public and media attention, as well as some private sector capital for feasibility studies.
In September 1984, the Bureau of Transport Economics found that the probable construction costs had been underestimated by $1.5 billion, and the proposal would therefore be uneconomic. The minister for Transport, Peter Morris
, rejected the proposal.
, chairman of TNT
, expressed interest in Dr Wild's proposal.
Two years later in September 1986, the Very Fast Train Joint Venture was established, comprising Elders IXL, Kumagai Gumi
, TNT
and later BHP
, with Dr Paul Wild as chairman. They proposed a 350 km/h rail link from Sydney to Canberra via Goulburn, and then on to Melbourne via the coastal route (or alternatively the inland route). A $19 million feasibility study was initiated by the group in 1988. In 1989, after talks with the Queensland Government, the joint venture group expanded the VFT proposal to include Brisbane.
The VFT was opposed by numerous groups, notably the Australian Conservation Foundation
and the Australian Democrats
. Concerns centered around the environmental impact a coastal corridor would have on fragile ecosystems, noise pollution
and the amount of public money that might be required.
Over the next several years, negotiations continued between the Joint Venture and state and federal governments. A favourable tax regime was sought, without which it was claimed that the project would not be economically viable. South Australian Premier John Bannon
was among the vocal proponents of tax breaks for major infrastructure projects such as the VFT. In August 1991, the Hawke Cabinet
rejected the proposed tax breaks after it was claimed they would have cost A$1.4 billion. Subsequently the VFT Joint Venture folded.
On 8 August 1998, Prime Minister John Howard
announced that Speedrail was the preferred party, and gave the go ahead for the project to move into the 'proving up' stage, on the understanding that if the project proceeded, it would be at "no net cost to the taxpayer". The proposal was for:
In November 1999, Speedrail submitted a feasibility study to the government, claiming that the project satisfied all the government's requirements. French TGV technology was to be used, and Qantas
was to handle on-board services and ticketing. However, the media still speculated that A$1 billion in government assistance or tax concessions would be required. In December 2000, the federal Cabinet terminated the proposal due to fears it would require excessive subsidies.
commissioned TMG International Pty Ltd, leading a team of specialist subconsultants, including Arup and others, to prepare a study (cited herein as the Arup-TMG study)to investigate all aspects of the design and implementation of a HSR system linking Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. The East Coast Very High Speed Train Scoping Study, which was released in November 2001 and cost A$2.3 million to prepare, dealt with HSR technologies, corridor selection and analysis, operating performance and transit times, project costs, projected demand, financing, and national development impacts. The report also concluded that although a HSR system could have a place in Australia's transport future, it would require years of bipartisan political vision to realise, and would most likely require significant financial assistance from the government.
As a result of the "high" potential cost to public funds (estimated at 80% of the total cost of construction) the government discontinued the scoping study in 2002.
, providing a high speed rail link was built that could reduce travel times between the cities to 50 minutes. Given the existing development within the Sydney basin
, a HSR link will probably be required whatever site is chosen, yet the Canberra option would potentially be cheaper overall, since it would negate the need to develop a greenfields airport site.
announced that a Very Fast Train along the Sydney-Melbourne corridor, estimated to cost A$
25 billion, was the government's highest infrastructure priority.
The Government of Australia is currently preparing a A$20 million study into the construction of the difficult Sydney-Newcastle leg of an east coast high speed rail link. It will focus on detailed corridor and station selection, high-level costings, and look at options for extending the line to Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne. The study is planned to commence in late 2010, the implementation study will be released in July 2011 and the final report in mid-2012. The Labor Party
initiative won the support of both the Liberal opposition
and the Australian Greens
, the latter of which called for the study's scope to be extended to encompass Adelaide and Perth.
In the lead-up to the 2010 Victorian state election
, Liberal leader Ted Baillieu
promised to spend $4 million to set up a "High Speed Rail Advocacy Unit", with the goal ensuring the first true high-speed rail services in Australia are hosted in Melbourne. He expressed support for an east coast link, as well as extending the system west of Melbourne to Geelong and Adelaide
.
In late 2010, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport advised the Government that a HSR link would not be economically viable, but suggested that the Government begin purchasing land along a preferred corridor. The feasibility study on the Newcastle leg began in 2011.
Soon after winning the 2011 NSW state election, the incoming Liberal premier Barry O'Farrell advocated high-speed rail lines to Melbourne and Brisbane instead of a second Sydney airport
, saying of a new airport site in NSW: "Whether the central coast, the south-west or the western suburbs [of Sydney], find me an area that is not going to end up causing enormous grief to people who currently live around it".
In June 2011, after the volcanic ash cloud from Chile
and the subsequent cancellation of hundreds of flights in Australia affecting 50,000 passengers, there were renewed calls for a High Speed Rail link between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.
The report urges the authorities to acquire land on the corridor now to avoid further prices escalations.http://www.theage.com.au/national/report-urges-highspeed-rail-20110801-1i89b.html
The width of the line is expected to be 22m from fence to fence, the two tracks are 5 metres apart.
The HSR tracks, like the new High Speed 2
in England
, would allow a maximum speed of 400km/h because it is believed 400km/h trains will be available in 2020.
5am - 11pm service, 7 days per week.
Service capacity is designed to be up to 14 trains per hour. It could be increased to 18 trains per hour with technology upgrades.
98% punctuality is expected.
All station platforms will be at least 250 metres in length.
Initially 8 car trains, 200-215m long. But stations are to be designed to allow 16-car trains.
There are a range of HSR routes being discussed in Australia.
These include long intercity routes (mainly along the east coast corridor) and shorter inner city routes, such as Sydney to Newcastle, Sydney to Penrith and Sydney to Macarthur.
re-entered the Australian high-speed rail debate with a proposal put forward to the Government of Victoria
to build a privately funded and operated Maglev line to service the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It was presented as an alternative to the Cross-City Tunnel proposed in the Eddington Transport Report
, which neglected to investigate above-ground transport options.
The proposed Maglev would connect the city of Geelong to metropolitan Melbourne's outer suburban growth corridors, Tullamarine and Avalon domestic and international terminals in under 20 minutes, continuing on to Frankston, Victoria
in under 30 minutes. It would service a population of over 4 million, and Transrapid claimed a price of A$4 billion. However, the Victorian government dismissed the proposal in favour of the underground metropolitan network suggested by the Eddington Report.
-Brisbane-Gold Coast
as a potentially viable high-speed rail link, and a possible precursor to a full east-coast system. The report predicted that a 350kph system would reduce travel times between Cooroy
(22 km west of Noosa) and Brisbane to 31 minutes (currently 2:08 hours), capturing as much as 84% of the total commuter market. Travel time between Brisbane and the Gold Coast would be reduced to 21 minutes, capturing up to 27% of commuters.
and Bunbury
. The proposed route would follow the existing narrow gauge
Mandurah line to Anketell
, and then follow the Kwinana Freeway
and Forrest Highway to Lake Clifton
, including 140 km of new track. It would replace the existing Transwa Australind
passenger service, which is under increasing use for freight traffic.
The proposed service would have a maximum speed of 160 km/h, at which the travel time from Perth Underground
to a new station in central Bunbury would be 91 minutes. However, the notional corridor allows for future upgrade to 200 km/h.
, the northern exit from Sydney through Kuring-gai Chase National Park and across Broken Bay
, the Great Dividing Range
near Armidale
, and the Border Ranges
on approach to Brisbane.
Though some existing track is sufficiently straight, the quality and flatness of track required by HSR necessitates major upgrades. The speed of such trains precludes the use of level crossings and necessitates measures to exclude trespassers and animals from the track.
The size and density of the major cities' suburban areas creates challenges, as the line reaches the central business districts. The HSR will have to either share existing corridors with other transport services, possibly augmented by additional land acquisitions, or build an entirely new underground corridor.
or nuclear
energy.
The impact of the railway on sensitive environmental areas such as national parks and wetlands has also been an issue. Any HSR line along the east coast will necessarily have to traverse national parks and other areas of high environmental and cultural value; How severely is affected by engineering and corridor selection decisions. Previous HSR proposals have failed, in part because of green groups' opposition to corridor alignments.
(around 100,000 per day), the Australian system would be about six times longer than the Taiwanese system with correspondingly higher capital costs. The most likely funding arrangement is therefore either government-as-developer or a public-private partnership.
Previous studies have made similar projections. In 1990, projections for the Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney leg of the VFT were around $7.5 billion (1990 dollars).
The 2001 Arup-TMG study concluded that a Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney-Brisbane HSR system would cost between A$32 billion to A$59 billion for systems in the range 250 km/h to 500 km/h, which would rank in the lower half of the cost of existing systems built overseas. The study also concluded that operating costs would be around 6-7 cents per passenger-kilometre. This study expected project costs to average approximately A$25 million/kilometre, but noted that similar high speed train lines constructed internationally have had widely varying costs depending on the level of viaducting and tunneling. While the Paris-Lyon TGV
was constructed for under A$10 million/km, most TGV lines in Europe average around A$20 million/km, and the Taiwan High Speed Rail
link cost over A$80 million/km.
In 2009 the cost for the Melbourne to Sydney section was estimated to be $32–59 billion by Infrastructure Australia
.
A 2010 study by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia concluded that the cost of a Melbourne to Sunshine Coast
HSR system would be $80 billion. Within this, it predicted that land acquisition would cost $13.7 billion in 2010, but that this would rise to $57 billion if the government waited until 2030. The report therefore advocated a near-term policy of corridor reservation.
which is entirely government funded.
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{| border="2" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" style="border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
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! Route !! Market share captured from air !! Trips per annum (2051)!! Travel time !!
|-
| Sydney-Melbourne || 49% || 6,264,000 || 3:00hrs ||
|-
| Sydney-Brisbane || 54% || 3,577,000 || 2:53hrs ||
|-
| Sydney-Canberra || 99% || 11,948,000 || 0:57hrs ||
|-
| Sydney-Gold Coast || 56% || 2,506,000 || 2:26hrs ||
|-
| Brisbane-Melbourne || 6% || 248,000 || 5:53hrs ||
|-
| Melbourne-Gold Coast || 8% || 225,000 || 5:26hrs ||
|}
The total demand-corridor for the high-speed railway would extend up to 300 km from the line, and the area under consideration covers an area over 2000 km in length. A mature HSR system could capture up to 15% of the total travel market within this area (including train, air, private car and bus transport). Passenger throughput would be highest at Sydney, with over 40,000 passengers per day (both directions), followed by Melbourne, Brisbane, each with around 20,000 passengers per day, and Canberra with around 16,000. Total daily ridership is forecast to be just under 100,000.
The projected switch from Airlines to HSR is calculated as per AECOM study by: (number of passengers forecast to fly if there was no HSR) - (number of passengers expected to fly even if there is HSR) = the number of passengers switching to from Airlines to HSR.
According to the study by AECOM: only on the journeys up to 300 km would some travellers switch from car use to HSR, i.e. Sydney - Canberra, Sydney - Newcastle, Brisbane - Gold Coast. People currently travelling long distances by car would not switch to HSR trains, i.e. from Melbourne to Sydney or Sydney to Brisbane.
A 2011 study predicted that by 2036, up to six million passengers per year would travel between Sydney and Canberra, and over ten million between Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia has several medium-speed services in operation, all of which operate on existing track which has been upgraded in order to accommodate faster services and/or tilting technology
.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
of 200 km/h (124.3 mph)), but in practice average speeds are far below this due to unsuitable track geometry and condition.
Various combinations of the route between Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
have been the subject of detailed investigation by prospective operators, government departments and advocacy groups. Some have advocated extending this network as far as Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
or even Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Others advocate concentrating on shorter routes servicing dormitory towns
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
of the major capitals (such as Wollongong, Geelong or Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
), possibly as a precursor to a full interstate link.
To date, no Australian high speed rail proposal has progressed past the planning stage. The long distances and difficult terrain between major population centres, low population density of the intervening regions, and present affordability of air travel make it difficult for such proposals to demonstrate financial viability. However, their competitiveness is expected to increase with future population increases, particularly that in regional areas.
The Australian Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
has commissioned a A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
20 million planning study into high-speed rail on an east coast high speed rail link, focusing particularly on the corridor between Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The report is expected to be completed in 2011.
Background
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
, each state developed its own system with a different gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
and rolling-stock. The great distances between the colonies meant that planners gave little thought to connecting to other systems. The result of this was a national network of several different gauges; this necessitated train changes at the break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
, prevented economies of scale, and in some cases eventually resulted in a very expensive standardisation. Despite these disadvantages, for a time rail was the preferred method of interstate travel in Australia. However, the advent of air travel and the private automobile gradually replaced rail as the major passenger services. Rail has been only a marginal passenger-market player in recent decades.
The construction of a high-speed rail link along the east coast of Australia has been under active investigation since at least 1980. Air dominates the inter-capital travel market, and intra-rural travel is almost exclusively car-based. Rail has a significant presence in the rural / city fringe commuter market, but inter-capital rail currently has very low market share due to low speeds and infrequent service. However, the duration of travel between the capitals by HSR could be as quick or faster than air travel - a 500 km/h Maglev train could reduce travel time from Melbourne to Sydney to about three hours, while the more conventional 350 km/h technology (such as TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
and Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
) would take about four hours. Various studies and recommendations have asserted that a high speed rail service between the major eastern capital cities could be viable as an alternative to air. Although such studies have generated much interest from the private sector and captured the imagination of the general public upon their release, to date no private-sector proposal has been able to demonstrate financial viability without the need for significant governmental assistance.
A mature HSR system would be economically competitive with air and automobile travel, provide mass transit without dependence on imported oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
, have a duration of travel that would compare with air travel or be quicker, and would reduce national carbon dioxide emissions.
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|
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! !! Melbourne to Sydney !! Sydney to Brisbane
|-
| Rhumb-line distance || 730 km || 770 km
|-
| Existing rail distance || 963 km (32% greater) || 988 km (28% greater)
|-
| Existing average speed || 92 km/h || 73 km/h
|-
| Existing travel time || 10:30hrs || 13:35hrs
|-
| Existing rail services (daily, each way) || 2 || 1
|-
| Air travel time (CBD to CBD*) || 3:00hrs || 3:05hrs
|-
| Air services (daily, each way) || 118 || 84
|-
| HSR travel time (max. 350 km/h) || 4:06hrs || 4:24hrs
|}
NOTE: Air travel time includes travel from CBD to airport, waiting at terminal, gate-to-gate transit, and travel to destination CBD.
The major issues preventing the adoption of high speed rail in Australia include, according to Philip Laird:
- a high level of competition in domestic air travel, resulting in highly affordable fares.
- excessive domestic air transport subsidies.
- that the great inter-city distances exceed those for which high-speed rail can compete effectively against aircraft.
- a perception of cheap car travel.
- a lack of tolls on the majority of inter-capital roads.
Proposals and Studies
The existing state of the Australian rail network has long been a target of proposals for improvement. The 1979 Premier's Meeting proposed the electrification of the Sydney-Melbourne line in order to improve transit time from over 12 hours to under 10, but a senate committee found this was not justified on economic grounds. In 1981, the Institution of EngineersEngineers Australia
The Institution of Engineers Australia, often shortened to IEAust and trading as Engineers Australia, is a professional body and not-for-profit organisation dedicated to being the national forum for the advancement of the engineering field within Australia...
proposed the Bicentennial High-Speed Railway Project, which proposed to link the five capitals of south-eastern Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane) in time for the Australian Bicentenary
Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement.-1970:...
. However, it proposed only the strengthening and partial electrification of the existing tracks, and the purchase of new diesel-electric trains. It would offer only mild improvements on the existing travel times, and therefore could not be considered a true high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
proposal.
1984 CSIRO proposal
Australia's first true high-speed railway proposal was presented to the Hawke Government in June 1984 by the CSIRO, spearheaded by Dr Paul WildJohn Paul Wild
Dr John Paul Wild AC CBE MA ScD FRS FTSE FAA was a British-born Australian radio astronomer and national science leader who served as chairman of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 1978-1985.Paul Wild was born in Sheffield, England in 1923...
. The proposal was for a rail network based on French TGV technology linking Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney in about 3 hours, via a coastal corridor. It was claimed that construction costs would be A$2.5 billion, with initial revenue of A$150 million per annum exceeding operating costs of only $50 million per annum. The proposal attracted much public and media attention, as well as some private sector capital for feasibility studies.
In September 1984, the Bureau of Transport Economics found that the probable construction costs had been underestimated by $1.5 billion, and the proposal would therefore be uneconomic. The minister for Transport, Peter Morris
Peter Morris (politician)
Peter Frederick Morris was an Australian politician.Morris was born in Sydney and was an alderman on the Newcastle City Council from 1968 to 1974. He won the House of Representatives seat of Shortland in 1972. He was appointed Minister for Transport in the first Hawke Ministry in March 1983. In...
, rejected the proposal.
Very Fast Train (VFT) Joint Venture
Later in 1984 Sir Peter AbelesPeter Abeles
Sir Peter Emil Herbert Abeles, AC was an Australian transportation magnate. A refugee from Hungary, he became one of the most powerful businessmen in Australia, and was knighted in 1972.-Life:...
, chairman of TNT
TNT N.V.
TNT N.V., more commonly known as TNT, is an international express and mail delivery services company with headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. In the Netherlands, TNT operates the national postal service under the name TNT Post. The group also offers postal services in eight other European...
, expressed interest in Dr Wild's proposal.
Two years later in September 1986, the Very Fast Train Joint Venture was established, comprising Elders IXL, Kumagai Gumi
Kumagai Gumi
is a construction company founded in Fukui, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The company still has registered headquarters in Fukui, but the actual head office is located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.Kumagai Gumi was removed from the Nikkei 225 index on Oct...
, TNT
TNT N.V.
TNT N.V., more commonly known as TNT, is an international express and mail delivery services company with headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. In the Netherlands, TNT operates the national postal service under the name TNT Post. The group also offers postal services in eight other European...
and later BHP
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, with Dr Paul Wild as chairman. They proposed a 350 km/h rail link from Sydney to Canberra via Goulburn, and then on to Melbourne via the coastal route (or alternatively the inland route). A $19 million feasibility study was initiated by the group in 1988. In 1989, after talks with the Queensland Government, the joint venture group expanded the VFT proposal to include Brisbane.
The VFT was opposed by numerous groups, notably the Australian Conservation Foundation
Australian Conservation Foundation
The Australian Conservation Foundation is an Australian non-profit, community-based environmental organisation focused on advocacy, policy research and community outreach.-History:...
and the Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
. Concerns centered around the environmental impact a coastal corridor would have on fragile ecosystems, noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
and the amount of public money that might be required.
Over the next several years, negotiations continued between the Joint Venture and state and federal governments. A favourable tax regime was sought, without which it was claimed that the project would not be economically viable. South Australian Premier John Bannon
John Bannon
John Charles Bannon AO is a former Australian politician. He was the 39th Premier of South Australia, leading the Labor Party to government at the 1982 election. The Bannon Labor government was re-elected at the 1985 election and the 1989 election...
was among the vocal proponents of tax breaks for major infrastructure projects such as the VFT. In August 1991, the Hawke Cabinet
Fourth Hawke Ministry
The Fourth Hawke Ministry was the fifty-eighth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 4 April 1990 to 20 December 1991.Australian Labor Party-Cabinet:*Hon Bob Hawke, AC MP: Prime Minister...
rejected the proposed tax breaks after it was claimed they would have cost A$1.4 billion. Subsequently the VFT Joint Venture folded.
1993 Speedrail proposal
In 1993, a proposal was made by the Speedrail Consortium for a high speed rail link between Sydney and Canberra. It was initially costed at A$2.4 billion. After years of delays and more claims that massive government subsidies would be required, in March 1997 the Commonwealth, New South Wales and ACT governments formally invited expressions of interest for the project. Six proponents were in the running. In December 1997, the government received four proposals, all accompanied by the required A$100,000 deposit. The proposals were:- Maglev technology by TransrapidTransrapidTransrapid is a German high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Based on a patent from 1934, planning of the Transrapid system started in 1969. The test facility for the system in Emsland, Germany was completed in 1987...
- TGVTGVThe TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
technology by the Speedrail consortium - Tilting trainTilting trainA tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...
s on existing upgraded tracks by two groups: Capital Rail and Inter Capital Express
On 8 August 1998, Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
announced that Speedrail was the preferred party, and gave the go ahead for the project to move into the 'proving up' stage, on the understanding that if the project proceeded, it would be at "no net cost to the taxpayer". The proposal was for:
- Construction of the project to commence in 2003, with 15,000 new jobs to be created during the construction period.
- The line to operate under a Build Own OperateBuild-Operate-TransferBuild-own-operate-transfer or build-operate-transfer is a form of project financing, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the private or public sector to finance, design, construct, and operate a facility stated in the concession contract...
model, that would allow a private company to manage the network, but would then be transferred to government after 30 years. - Services to commence in late 2003, with nine eight-car trains in use, that depart from each city at 45 minute intervals, and run at a maximum of 320 km/h (199 mph) to complete the journey in 81 minutes.
In November 1999, Speedrail submitted a feasibility study to the government, claiming that the project satisfied all the government's requirements. French TGV technology was to be used, and Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
was to handle on-board services and ticketing. However, the media still speculated that A$1 billion in government assistance or tax concessions would be required. In December 2000, the federal Cabinet terminated the proposal due to fears it would require excessive subsidies.
2000 East Coast Very High Speed Train Scoping Study Stage 1
In December 2000, the Howard GovernmentHoward Government
The Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
commissioned TMG International Pty Ltd, leading a team of specialist subconsultants, including Arup and others, to prepare a study (cited herein as the Arup-TMG study)to investigate all aspects of the design and implementation of a HSR system linking Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. The East Coast Very High Speed Train Scoping Study, which was released in November 2001 and cost A$2.3 million to prepare, dealt with HSR technologies, corridor selection and analysis, operating performance and transit times, project costs, projected demand, financing, and national development impacts. The report also concluded that although a HSR system could have a place in Australia's transport future, it would require years of bipartisan political vision to realise, and would most likely require significant financial assistance from the government.
As a result of the "high" potential cost to public funds (estimated at 80% of the total cost of construction) the government discontinued the scoping study in 2002.
Canberra Business Council study
In April 2008, Infrastructure Australia received a submission, "High Speed Rail for Australia: An opportunity for the 21st century", from The Canberra Business Council. The CBC submission detailed:- Improvements in technology, competitiveness and supply over the previous decade.
- Travel demand on the East Coast. The Melbourne - Sydney air route is the fourth busiest in the world and Sydney—Brisbane ranks seventh in the Asia-Pacific region.
- Increased economic standard of living for Australians.
- Use for freight. High speed freight trains are in use in France and soon to expand across Europe.
- Environmental sustainability and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
- Energy efficiency.
- Better social outcomes, quality of life, and reduced social disadvantage for regional centres on the rail line.
Canberra Airport plan
In 2009, Canberra Airport management proposed that it would be the most appropriate location for a second Sydney airportSecond Sydney Airport
The Second Sydney Airport is an ongoing proposition for another airport to supplement or replace the existing Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia...
, providing a high speed rail link was built that could reduce travel times between the cities to 50 minutes. Given the existing development within the Sydney basin
Sydney Basin
The Sydney Basin is a sedimentary basin on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia consisting of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks...
, a HSR link will probably be required whatever site is chosen, yet the Canberra option would potentially be cheaper overall, since it would negate the need to develop a greenfields airport site.
Current political positions
In December 2008, the Rudd-Labor governmentAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
announced that a Very Fast Train along the Sydney-Melbourne corridor, estimated to cost A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
25 billion, was the government's highest infrastructure priority.
The Government of Australia is currently preparing a A$20 million study into the construction of the difficult Sydney-Newcastle leg of an east coast high speed rail link. It will focus on detailed corridor and station selection, high-level costings, and look at options for extending the line to Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne. The study is planned to commence in late 2010, the implementation study will be released in July 2011 and the final report in mid-2012. The Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
initiative won the support of both the Liberal opposition
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, the latter of which called for the study's scope to be extended to encompass Adelaide and Perth.
In the lead-up to the 2010 Victorian state election
Victorian state election, 2010
The 2010 Victorian state election was held on 27 November. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu....
, Liberal leader Ted Baillieu
Ted Baillieu
Edward Norman "Ted" Baillieu MLA is an Australian politician. He is currently the Premier of Victoria and the member for the Legislative Assembly seat of Hawthorn...
promised to spend $4 million to set up a "High Speed Rail Advocacy Unit", with the goal ensuring the first true high-speed rail services in Australia are hosted in Melbourne. He expressed support for an east coast link, as well as extending the system west of Melbourne to Geelong and Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
In late 2010, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport advised the Government that a HSR link would not be economically viable, but suggested that the Government begin purchasing land along a preferred corridor. The feasibility study on the Newcastle leg began in 2011.
Soon after winning the 2011 NSW state election, the incoming Liberal premier Barry O'Farrell advocated high-speed rail lines to Melbourne and Brisbane instead of a second Sydney airport
Second Sydney Airport
The Second Sydney Airport is an ongoing proposition for another airport to supplement or replace the existing Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia...
, saying of a new airport site in NSW: "Whether the central coast, the south-west or the western suburbs [of Sydney], find me an area that is not going to end up causing enormous grief to people who currently live around it".
In June 2011, after the volcanic ash cloud from Chile
2011 Puyehue-Cordón Caulle eruption
The 2011 Puyehue-Cordón Caulle eruption is a volcanic eruption that began in the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex in Chile on June 4, 2011. Misleadingly called by media the Puyehue eruption - the eruption is actually from the Cordon Caulle fissure...
and the subsequent cancellation of hundreds of flights in Australia affecting 50,000 passengers, there were renewed calls for a High Speed Rail link between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.
2011 HSR Study
Phase 1 of the A$20m HSR study was released by The Transport Minister Anthony Albanese on 4th August 2011.http://www.theage.com.au/national/report-urges-highspeed-rail-20110801-1i89b.html It proposed a corridor similar to the 2001 study, with prospective stations located in Melbourne, Tullamarine, Albury, Canberra, Goulburn, Sydney, Newcastle, the Mid--North Coast, Gold Coast and Brisbane. The cost for this route was estimated at A$61 billion, but the adoption of more difficult alignments or cost blowouts could raise the cost to over A$100 billion.The report urges the authorities to acquire land on the corridor now to avoid further prices escalations.http://www.theage.com.au/national/report-urges-highspeed-rail-20110801-1i89b.html
Tracks
The width of the line is expected to be 22m from fence to fence, the two tracks are 5 metres apart.
The HSR tracks, like the new High Speed 2
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 is a proposed high-speed railway between London and the Midlands, the North of England, and potentially at a later stage the central belt of Scotland. The project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company established by the British government...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, would allow a maximum speed of 400km/h because it is believed 400km/h trains will be available in 2020.
Services
5am - 11pm service, 7 days per week.
Service capacity is designed to be up to 14 trains per hour. It could be increased to 18 trains per hour with technology upgrades.
98% punctuality is expected.
Stations
All station platforms will be at least 250 metres in length.
- Melbourne CBD - 6 platforms in either Southern Cross or North Melbourne - A$2 billion
- Canberra - CivicCivicCivic can refer to multiple things:*Civics, the science of comparative government*Civic, Christchurch, a Category II heritage building in the Christchurch Central City*Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community...
or Canberra Airport - A$1 billion or A$0.4 billion respectively - Sydney - 10 platforms in either Sydney Central Station or Eveleigh or Parramatta - A$3 billion
- Brisbane CBD - 6 platforms in either Roma Street or South Brisbane A$2 billion
Trains
Initially 8 car trains, 200-215m long. But stations are to be designed to allow 16-car trains.
Corridor selection
see also: Corridor selection history for Australian High Speed RailCorridor selection history for Australian High Speed Rail
-Corridor selection:There are a range of HSR routes being discussed in Australia.These include long intercity routes and shorter inner city routes, such as Sydney to Newcastle, Sydney to Penrith and Sydney to Macarthur.-East Coast corridor:The most frequently studied route for high-speed rail in...
These include long intercity routes (mainly along the east coast corridor) and shorter inner city routes, such as Sydney to Newcastle, Sydney to Penrith and Sydney to Macarthur.
2011 High Speed Rail Study routes
The most frequently studied route for high-speed rail in Australia is between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. There are two broad corridor alignment options between each capital city on the route — a coastal and an inland corridor. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages from engineering, environmental, population and national development points of view.- Melbourne—Canberra - 520-570km - 110-120 minutes
- Inland — Exiting Melbourne via the existing Broadmeadows corridor, the line would cross the Dividing Range at SeymourSeymour, VictoriaSeymour is a township in the Shire of Mitchell in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Seymour had a population of 6,063...
. It would then join the existing North East railway corridor through BenallaBenalla, VictoriaBenalla is a city of just over 9,000 people located just off the Hume Freeway in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, about southwest of Wangaratta. Its Local Government Area is the Rural City of Benalla.- Overview :...
and WangarattaWangaratta, VictoriaWangaratta is a cathedral city of almost 17,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the...
, which would require only minimal straightening. AlburyAlbury, New South WalesAlbury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
would be approached either from the east via the River Murray flats, or from the south via a new corridor through BeechworthBeechworth, VictoriaBeechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s...
. North of Albury, there are three options - one is to remain with the Hume Highway corridor through the increasingly dissected countryside through GundagaiGundagai, New South WalesGundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town...
and YassYass, New South WalesYass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
before entering Canberra from the north. The other options are a more southerly route cutting through the Brindabella RangesBrindabella RangesThe Brindabella Range is a mountain range located on the border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The ranges rise to the west of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and include the Namadgi National Park in the A.C.T. and Bimberi Nature Reserve and...
direct to Canberra (which would require extensive tunneling), or diverting north along the Main Southern railwayMain Southern railway line, New South WalesThe Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...
to service the large regional centre of Wagga WaggaWagga Wagga, New South WalesWagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
. Although this would be a longer route, the engineering costs would be lower due to the less mountainous terrain. After Wagga Wagga, the line would either continue on the Main Southern line to CootamundraCootamundra, New South WalesCootamundra is a town and Local Government Area in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. At the 2006 census, Cootamundra had a population of 5,566. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and...
and Yass and enter Canberra from the north, or divert east through the Murrumbidgee RiverMurrumbidgee RiverThe Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
valley to a shorter tunnel beginning at TumutTumut, New South WalesTumut is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut is at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is referred to as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains Scheme...
and enter Canberra from the west. Due to the better regional development opportunities along the inland corridor, and perhaps fewer environmental issues, the Arup/TMG study identified this corridor as the preferred alignment. - Coastal (no longer under consideration) — Exiting Melbourne via the broad-gauge Pakenham corridor, the line would traverse the generally flat GippslandGippslandGippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
region, encompassing the towns of TraralgonTraralgon, VictoriaTraralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
, SaleSale, VictoriaSale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
, BairnsdaleBairnsdale, VictoriaBairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....
and OrbostOrbost, VictoriaOrbost is a town in the Shire of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, located east of Melbourne and south of Canberra where the Princes Highway crosses the Snowy River. It is about from the town of Marlo on the coast of Bass Strait. At the 2006 census, Orbost had a population of 2452...
, before turning north into heavily dissected country. This climb from Gippsland to the Monaro region will necessitate numerous tunnels and viaducts, and possibly a prevailing grade of up to 3.5%. The line would generally follow the Monaro HighwayMonaro HighwayThe Monaro Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia. The Victorian section was formerly known as the Cann Valley Highway until the 1980s....
to a summit of 1070 m (3,510.5 ft) near NimmitabelNimmitabel, New South WalesNimmitabel is a small town in the Monaro region in southeast New South Wales, Australia, in the Cooma-Monaro Shire Local government area. At the 2006 census, Nimmitabel had a population of 237 people....
, and then continue on to CoomaCooma, New South Wales-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
and QueanbeyanQueanbeyan, New South WalesQueanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction, high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is the council seat of the...
. This alignment must necessarily pass through several National Parks and other regions of environmental significance, which could count against the selection of this corridor. Additionally, a station in central Canberra is difficult to achieve on this alignment; it would most likely have to be located at Canberra Airport or Queanbeyan.
- Inland — Exiting Melbourne via the existing Broadmeadows corridor, the line would cross the Dividing Range at Seymour
- Canberra—Sydney 270-290km - 70-90 minutes
- Inland — The railway would exit Canberra to the north or east on a new alignment, roughly following the Hume Highway corridor through GoulburnGoulburn, New South WalesGoulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, BowralBowral, New South Wales-Attractions:Bowral is perhaps the best known of the towns and villages of the Southern Highlands, and in recent years has become the commercial centre of the Wingecarribee Shire. Bowral is known for its boutiques, antique stores, gourmet restaurants, and rich coffee culture.Bowral is home to the...
and CampbelltownCampbelltown, New South WalesCampbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
. Entry to metropolitan Sydney could be effected by utilising the existing East Hills Line via Sydney Airport. - Coastal — This corridor would be the same until Goulburn, where the line would turn east towards WollongongWollongong, New South WalesWollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
. This alignment would present major engineering challenges due to having to cross the Illawarra escarpmentIllawarra escarpmentThe Illawarra Escarpment is the fold created cliffs and plateau eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney, Australia, enclosing the region known as the Illawarra which stretches from Stanwell Park in the north to Kiama, Gerringong and the Shoalhaven river in...
twice, necessitating a 40 km (24.9 mi) tunnel on the southern approach, and several tunnels in the order of 10 km (6.2 mi) on the northern exit from Wollongong. The line could then utilise the undeveloped M6 motorway corridor from SutherlandSutherland, New South WalesSutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
to Sydney AirportSydney AirportSydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
, from which it would use the subway system to reach Central StationCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
. Some have suggested an alignment to NowraNowra, New South WalesNowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
, thereafter continuing to Wollongong and Sydney,, however the engineering and environmental considerations on such a route would be significant.
- Inland — The railway would exit Canberra to the north or east on a new alignment, roughly following the Hume Highway corridor through Goulburn
- Sydney—Newcastle - 120km - 40 minutes
- Central Coast Corridor — Due to the density of existing development and the formidable terrain, there is no easy way of exiting Sydney to the north. One option is to use the North Shore line to reach HornsbyHornsby, New South Wales* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
, whereupon a new alignment would follow the existing F3 FreewaySydney-Newcastle FreewayThe Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
corridor, cross Broken BayBroken BayBroken Bay is a large inlet of the Pacific Ocean located about 50 km north of Sydney on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is the first major bay north of Sydney's Port Jackson.- Geography :...
via bridge or tunnel and enter Woy WoyWoy Woy, New South WalesWoy Woy is a coastal town and a southern suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the southern reaches of Brisbane Water north of Sydney...
and GosfordGosford, New South WalesGosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
via a series of tunnels and viaducts. A second option is to tunnel from North SydneyNorth Sydney, New South WalesNorth Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...
directly to Woy Woy via a 40 km (24.9 mi) tunnel (making it one of the longest tunnels in the world). The alignment would then continue to NewcastleNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
following the existing road and rail corridors. This route could use the iconic Sydney Harbour BridgeSydney Harbour BridgeThe Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
if two of the existing highway lanes were returned to rail use.
- Central Coast Corridor — Due to the density of existing development and the formidable terrain, there is no easy way of exiting Sydney to the north. One option is to use the North Shore line to reach Hornsby
- Newcastle-Brisbane 675-765km - 150-160 minutes
- Inland — From Newcastle, the line would transit the Hunter ValleyHunter ValleyThe Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
through SingletonSingleton, New South Wales-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
and MuswellbrookMuswellbrook, New South WalesMuswellbrook, a corruption of 'Muscle Brook', is a town and Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. The original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate...
before crossing the Divide at ArdglenArdglen, New South WalesArdglen is a village on the Main North railway line and close to the New England Highway on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia.-History:...
. After TamworthTamworth, New South WalesTamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, the line would have to climb to over 1060 metres (3,477.7 ft) above sea level to reach the New England TablelandNew England (Australia)New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The region has been occupied by Indigenous...
. After ArmidaleArmidale, New South WalesArmidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
, it would climb even higher (peaking at 1380 metres (4,527.6 ft) above sea level) before reaching Glen InnesGlen Innes, New South WalesGlen Innes is a parish and town on the Northern Tablelands, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the centre of the Glen Innes Severn Shire Council. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and the Gwydir Highway...
, TenterfieldTenterfield, New South WalesTenterfield is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the New England region at the intersection of the New England and Bruxner Highways. Tenterfield is a three-hour drive from Brisbane, 2.5 hours from Byron Bay, two hours from Armidale, New South Wales and 10 hours from Sydney....
, WarwickWarwick, QueenslandWarwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562....
and ToowoombaToowoomba, QueenslandToowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
. The existing rail corridor on the Tableland would require extensive straightening and sections of new alignment. After Toowoomba, a favourable grade (albeit involving several 5–10 km tunnels) would take the railway through IpswichIpswich, QueenslandIpswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and into BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... - Coastal — This route would follow the coast through TareeTaree, New South WalesTaree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of around 20,000 people and is the centre of a significant agricultural district. It is 16 km from the sea coast,...
, Port MacquariePort Macquarie, New South WalesPort Macquarie is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The city is located on the coast, at the mouth of the Hastings River, and has an estimated population of 44,313....
, Coffs HarbourCoffs Harbour, New South Wales-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...
, GraftonGrafton, New South WalesThe city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
, LismoreLismore, New South WalesLismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
and the Gold CoastGold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
before entering Brisbane via the Gold Coast railway. Although there are no significant mountains to cross except the escarpment near the Queensland border, there are numerous major estuaries which will require long viaducts. This route is shorter than the inland option, presents less challenging engineering obstacles, and passes through regions of greater population density. For this reason the Arup-TMG study identified it as being slightly preferable to the inland route.
- Inland — From Newcastle, the line would transit the Hunter Valley
Greater Melbourne
In late 2008, TransrapidTransrapid
Transrapid is a German high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Based on a patent from 1934, planning of the Transrapid system started in 1969. The test facility for the system in Emsland, Germany was completed in 1987...
re-entered the Australian high-speed rail debate with a proposal put forward to the Government of Victoria
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
to build a privately funded and operated Maglev line to service the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It was presented as an alternative to the Cross-City Tunnel proposed in the Eddington Transport Report
Eddington Transport Report, Victoria
The "" or Eddington Transport Report or Sir Rod Eddington Plan was a major transport study undertaken in Victoria, Australia, by Sir Rod Eddington in 2007 concentrating on solutions for transportation in Melbourne with a primary focus on reducing congestion of road transport in Victoria.The report...
, which neglected to investigate above-ground transport options.
The proposed Maglev would connect the city of Geelong to metropolitan Melbourne's outer suburban growth corridors, Tullamarine and Avalon domestic and international terminals in under 20 minutes, continuing on to Frankston, Victoria
Frankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
in under 30 minutes. It would service a population of over 4 million, and Transrapid claimed a price of A$4 billion. However, the Victorian government dismissed the proposal in favour of the underground metropolitan network suggested by the Eddington Report.
Noosa-Gold Coast
The 2010 IPA report identified NoosaNoosa, Queensland
The Shire of Noosa was a Local Government Area located about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia...
-Brisbane-Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
as a potentially viable high-speed rail link, and a possible precursor to a full east-coast system. The report predicted that a 350kph system would reduce travel times between Cooroy
Cooroy, Queensland
Cooroy is a town in Queensland, Australia, located in the northern Sunshine Coast hinterland about west of Noosa Heads. Cooroy's name came from Cooroy Mountain, which was originally called Coorooey, from the Aboriginal word for possum, kurui....
(22 km west of Noosa) and Brisbane to 31 minutes (currently 2:08 hours), capturing as much as 84% of the total commuter market. Travel time between Brisbane and the Gold Coast would be reduced to 21 minutes, capturing up to 27% of commuters.
Perth-Bunbury
In January 2010, Western Australia's Public Transport Authority completed a feasibility study into a high-speed rail link between PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
. The proposed route would follow the existing narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Mandurah line to Anketell
Anketell, Western Australia
Anketell is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Kwinana.Anketell was part of early settler Thomas Peel's land grant, used for the 1920s Group Settlement Scheme in "Peel Estate". It is named after Peel Estate's surveyor, Richard John Anketell....
, and then follow the Kwinana Freeway
Kwinana Freeway
The Kwinana Freeway is a major arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth with the southern suburbs and then further on towards Mandurah, a distance of . It has a speed limit of , except in central Perth and south of Lakes Road . Like all Western Australian freeways, the minimum...
and Forrest Highway to Lake Clifton
Lake Clifton, Western Australia
Lake Clifton is a small town located on the east side of the lake of the same name in the Peel region of Western Australia just off the Old Coast Road, between Mandurah and Bunbury at the north end of the Yalgorup National Park...
, including 140 km of new track. It would replace the existing Transwa Australind
Transwa Australind
The Transwa Australind is a diesel railcar train operated by Transwa that runs between Perth, Western Australia, and the south-west city of Bunbury on the South Western Railway . The Australind fleet consists of three powered railcars ADP101, ADP102 and ADP103, with two non-driving trailers ADQ121...
passenger service, which is under increasing use for freight traffic.
The proposed service would have a maximum speed of 160 km/h, at which the travel time from Perth Underground
Perth railway station
Perth Station including Perth Underground is the largest railway station in Perth, Western Australia, and functions as an interchange between the Transperth Trains Armadale / Thornlie, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland railway lines, as well as the Transwa Australind.-History:The Victorian...
to a new station in central Bunbury would be 91 minutes. However, the notional corridor allows for future upgrade to 200 km/h.
Geographic issues
Though Australia has no large mountain ranges, such as in Japan or Europe, the engineering challenges involved in constructing an east coast high-speed railway are formidable. The most direct route between the major destinations is also the most mountainous, and no route can avoid the Great Dividing Range altogether. High Speed railways require very long radius curves (generally greater than 5 km) and low gradients (generally no greater than 1.5%). Viaducts and tunnels will be required on any section passing through undulating countryside. Key challenges include the western approach to Canberra through the Brindabella RangesBrindabella Ranges
The Brindabella Range is a mountain range located on the border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The ranges rise to the west of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, and include the Namadgi National Park in the A.C.T. and Bimberi Nature Reserve and...
, the northern exit from Sydney through Kuring-gai Chase National Park and across Broken Bay
Broken Bay
Broken Bay is a large inlet of the Pacific Ocean located about 50 km north of Sydney on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is the first major bay north of Sydney's Port Jackson.- Geography :...
, the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
near Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
, and the Border Ranges
Border Ranges National Park
Border Ranges National Park, 150 km south of Brisbane, Australia, is in northern New South Wales with a small portion located in Queensland....
on approach to Brisbane.
Though some existing track is sufficiently straight, the quality and flatness of track required by HSR necessitates major upgrades. The speed of such trains precludes the use of level crossings and necessitates measures to exclude trespassers and animals from the track.
The size and density of the major cities' suburban areas creates challenges, as the line reaches the central business districts. The HSR will have to either share existing corridors with other transport services, possibly augmented by additional land acquisitions, or build an entirely new underground corridor.
Environmental concerns
A HSR link has also been advocated on the grounds that it will cut greenhouse gas emissions, primarily by reducing air travel. In Australia, air travel accounts for the highest greenhouse gas emission per passenger-kilometre—240 g—followed by automobiles at 225 g and buses at 75 g. If powered by existing coal power infrastructure, HSR is predicted to emit 150 g per passenger-kilometre, but this could be reduced to 40 g by powering the system with either renewableRenewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
or nuclear
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
energy.
The impact of the railway on sensitive environmental areas such as national parks and wetlands has also been an issue. Any HSR line along the east coast will necessarily have to traverse national parks and other areas of high environmental and cultural value; How severely is affected by engineering and corridor selection decisions. Previous HSR proposals have failed, in part because of green groups' opposition to corridor alignments.
Economics
It is unlikely that an Australian HSR system would be viable on a privately-funded basis alone. Although ridership on a full Melbourne to Brisbane link is forecast to be similar to Taiwan's privately funded HSR systemTaiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately along the west coast of the Republic of China from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung...
(around 100,000 per day), the Australian system would be about six times longer than the Taiwanese system with correspondingly higher capital costs. The most likely funding arrangement is therefore either government-as-developer or a public-private partnership.
Project costs
The most recent study into an east coast HSR link, the Australian Government's 2011 study High Speed Rail Study: Phase 1, predicted that a Melbourne-Brisbane line via Canberra and Sydney would cost between $61.1 billion and $108.6 billion, depending on the route selected and whether low or high cost estimates were used. Specifically, Melbourne to Canberra via Wagga Wagga was estimated at between $19.5b and $25.6b. Canberra to Sydney via the Southern Highlands was estimated at between $10.9b and $19.2b, while the same leg via Wollongong would cost between $15.0b and $24.5b. The Newcastle leg would cost between $10.7 and $17.9b. The Newcastle-Brisbane leg, via Beaudesert, would cost between $20.0b and $27.8b, while via Gold Coast would cost between $22.2b and $40.6b.Previous studies have made similar projections. In 1990, projections for the Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney leg of the VFT were around $7.5 billion (1990 dollars).
The 2001 Arup-TMG study concluded that a Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney-Brisbane HSR system would cost between A$32 billion to A$59 billion for systems in the range 250 km/h to 500 km/h, which would rank in the lower half of the cost of existing systems built overseas. The study also concluded that operating costs would be around 6-7 cents per passenger-kilometre. This study expected project costs to average approximately A$25 million/kilometre, but noted that similar high speed train lines constructed internationally have had widely varying costs depending on the level of viaducting and tunneling. While the Paris-Lyon TGV
LGV Sud-Est
The LGV Sud-Est is a high-speed rail line, which links Paris' and Lyon's suburbs, in France. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin and Sathonay on 22 September 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.This line, subsequently...
was constructed for under A$10 million/km, most TGV lines in Europe average around A$20 million/km, and the Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately along the west coast of the Republic of China from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung...
link cost over A$80 million/km.
In 2009 the cost for the Melbourne to Sydney section was estimated to be $32–59 billion by Infrastructure Australia
Infrastructure Australia
Infrastructure Australia is a statutory authority of the Commonwealth Government. Its role is to plan and co-ordinate infrastructure projects across Australia, particularly where the works cross state borders. It was established in 2008....
.
A 2010 study by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia concluded that the cost of a Melbourne to Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
HSR system would be $80 billion. Within this, it predicted that land acquisition would cost $13.7 billion in 2010, but that this would rise to $57 billion if the government waited until 2030. The report therefore advocated a near-term policy of corridor reservation.
Funding
The Government prefers to get private financing for the HSR, unlike the National Broadband NetworkNational Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
which is entirely government funded.
Benefits
Benefits from the implementation of high-speed rail would include:- Reduction in Carbon Emissions
- 90-95% punctuality is better than 75-80% for Airlines in USA and China
- Safety record is better than Airlines
- HSR can provide services to/from Sydney while the Sydney Airport curfew (11pm - 6am) is on.
- More comfort than Airlines due to bigger seats for the same ticket prices, quieter cabins and no luggage weight restrictions.
- Arguably more convenient than Airlines
- Increased unimproved land value along the demand corridor due to increased accessibility
- Increased development of regional areas, particularly as dormitory townsCommuter townA commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for the major capitals - Increased desirability of Australia as a tourist destination, and as a host for major events such as the FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
- Delaying the need for a second Sydney airportSecond Sydney AirportThe Second Sydney Airport is an ongoing proposition for another airport to supplement or replace the existing Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia...
- Reduced external costsExternalityIn economics, an externality is a cost or benefit, not transmitted through prices, incurred by a party who did not agree to the action causing the cost or benefit...
(pollution, vehicle accidents, traffic congestion, etc.)
Demand
Various projections of the demand and ridership of an Australian fast train service have been made. A 2010 IPA study predicted that a mature HSR system in Australia would capture significant market share from air travel, with the following table assuming a 350 km/h top speed with 2051 population projections.{| border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
|
{| border="2" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="5" style="border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Route !! Market share captured from air !! Trips per annum (2051)!! Travel time !!
|-
| Sydney-Melbourne || 49% || 6,264,000 || 3:00hrs ||
|-
| Sydney-Brisbane || 54% || 3,577,000 || 2:53hrs ||
|-
| Sydney-Canberra || 99% || 11,948,000 || 0:57hrs ||
|-
| Sydney-Gold Coast || 56% || 2,506,000 || 2:26hrs ||
|-
| Brisbane-Melbourne || 6% || 248,000 || 5:53hrs ||
|-
| Melbourne-Gold Coast || 8% || 225,000 || 5:26hrs ||
|}
The total demand-corridor for the high-speed railway would extend up to 300 km from the line, and the area under consideration covers an area over 2000 km in length. A mature HSR system could capture up to 15% of the total travel market within this area (including train, air, private car and bus transport). Passenger throughput would be highest at Sydney, with over 40,000 passengers per day (both directions), followed by Melbourne, Brisbane, each with around 20,000 passengers per day, and Canberra with around 16,000. Total daily ridership is forecast to be just under 100,000.
The projected switch from Airlines to HSR is calculated as per AECOM study by: (number of passengers forecast to fly if there was no HSR) - (number of passengers expected to fly even if there is HSR) = the number of passengers switching to from Airlines to HSR.
According to the study by AECOM: only on the journeys up to 300 km would some travellers switch from car use to HSR, i.e. Sydney - Canberra, Sydney - Newcastle, Brisbane - Gold Coast. People currently travelling long distances by car would not switch to HSR trains, i.e. from Melbourne to Sydney or Sydney to Brisbane.
A 2011 study predicted that by 2036, up to six million passengers per year would travel between Sydney and Canberra, and over ten million between Sydney and Melbourne.
Construction Schedule
If given the go ahead, the Newcastle-Sydney-Canberra leg would be complete in 2020 and the leg to Canberra and Melbourne in 2025.Medium speed services
Tilting train
A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...
.
- In Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
WestrailWestrailWestrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
began using high speed diesel railcars in 1971 on the ProspectorTranswa ProspectorThe Transwa Prospector is a standard-gauge passenger train operated by Transwa that runs between Perth, Western Australia, and the Goldfields town of Kalgoorlie.-History:...
service from Perth to Kalgoolie, and set a new Australian speed record. Now operated by TranswaTranswaTranswa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 275 destinations within Western Australia, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south to Esperance in the east along with the regional centres of Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Northam, Geraldton and Albany.Transwa is...
, the railcars were replaced in 2004 with new units capable of 200 km/h (124 mph), although track condition currently limits their operational speed to 160 km/h (99 mph). The same type of cars are also used on the AvonLinkTranswa AvonlinkThe AvonLink is a standard gauge passenger train operated by Transwa that operates between Perth, Western Australia and the Avon Valley. It provides one service in each direction every weekday, to and from the regional town of Northam, and since 2004, has provided three extended services a week to...
service.
- New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
commenced operations with their XPTCountryLink XPTThe XPT is the main long-distance passenger train used in regional New South Wales, Australia. It operates on key eastern seaboard routes including the Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Brisbane services...
in 1982. Based on the British InterCity 125InterCity 125The InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rail's High Speed Train fleet. The InterCity 125 train is made up of two power cars, one at each end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages, and is capable of , making the train the fastest diesel-powered locomotive in regular service in the...
train, it has a service speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) and set an Australian speed record of 193 km/h (120 mph), on a test run in 1992. The train is not often used to its full potential, operating along winding steam era alignments, and at times has had the top speed limited due to track condition and level crossing incidents.
- New South Wales trialled the Swedish X 2000X 2000X 2000 is the brand name of Sweden's tilting 200 km/h high-speed train class X2, which was constructed by Kalmar Verkstad in Kalmar, Sweden and operated by SJ. It was launched in 1990 as a first-class only train with a meal included in the ticket price, and free use of the train's fax machine...
tilt train in 1995. Propelled by two specially modified XPT power cars, the train carried passengers between Sydney and Canberra, in an eight week trial.
- Queensland RailQueensland RailQueensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...
's Tilt Trains operate on two routes: Brisbane to Rockhampton using an electric powered train; Brisbane to Cairns using a diesel powered train. These routes were partially upgraded in the 1990s at a cost of A$590 million, with the construction of 160 km (99 mi) of deviations to straighten curves. Both with a service speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), the electric tilt train set an Australian rail speed record of 210 km/h (130 mph) in 1999.
- In VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
the State Government upgraded railway lines as part of the Regional Fast Rail projectRegional Fast Rail projectThe Regional Fast Rail project was a rail transport project of the State Government of Victoria, Australia undertaken between 2000 and 2006 aimed at improving the passenger services on the Victorian regional railway network , specifically to reduce travel times, enhance service frequency and...
, with V/LineV/LineV/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
operating their VLocity diesel railcars at a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) over the lines. In the early stages of the project the Victorian Government incorrectly referred to it as the 'Fast Train' or 'Very Fast Train', and this practice continues among some politicians and members of the public.
See also
- AVEAVEAlta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
- TGVTGVThe TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
- Intercity-Express
- EurostarEurostarEurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
- ShinkansenShinkansenThe , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
- Peak oilPeak oilPeak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
- High-speed railHigh-speed railHigh-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
- Rail transport in AustraliaRail transport in AustraliaRail transport in Australia is a crucial aspect of the Australian transport network, and an enabler of the wider Australian economy. Rail in Australia is to a large extent state-based. The Australian rail network consists of a total of 41,461 km of track of three major gauges, of which...
Further reading
- CSIRO. VFT - A Fast Railway Between Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne: a CSIRO Proposal. [CSIRO], Canberra, January 1985.
- Wild, J. P. Brotchie, J. F. and Nicholson, A. J. A Proposal for a Fast Railway Between Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne: An Exploratory Study. CSIRO, Canberra, May 1984.