AUSTRALIA PROPOSAL UNDER CONSIDERATION TO CONNECT ENTIRE COUNTRY BY HIGH SPEED TRAIN RUNNING AT A SPEED OF 250 KM HOUR WITH ESTIMATED COST OF $ 84 BILLION IN 30 YEARS HOWEVER MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY LINE CAN BE COMPLETED BY 2035 WHEN PASSENGER CAN REACH BETWEEN TWO CITIES IN JUST 2 HOURS AND 2.44 MINUTES AND FROM SYDNEY TO BRISBANE IN 2.37 MINUTES Less than three hours between Sydney and Melbourne, now thats a Very Fast Train! Getting it built may take a little longer though... Two hours, 44 minutes from Sydney to Melbourne Two hours, 37 minutes from Sydney to Brisbane A train would be quicker than air travel between some destinations Its top speed would be 250 kilometres per hour Four capital cities (Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane) and 12 regional centres including the Gold Coast would be connected It would take at least 30 years to complete construction of the High Speed Rail Network But a limited service between Sydney and Canberra could be up and running 2035 and the entire east coast network by 2065 The forecasts of up to 111 million people forecast to use it by then The cost would be $84 billion, thats $30 billion less than previously thought A potential downside is theres to be no private involvement; totally taxpayer funded but with a positive return on investment Imagine jumping on a train between Australias biggest two cities and it taking about the same time it does now to jump on a plane. Just two hours and 44 minutes between Melbourne and Brisbane is not just an idle boast, but what could possibly be achieved under a proposal to be officially unveiled tonight in Brisbane. And the venue for its unveiling is hardly coincidental, when you consider that taking a train from Sydney to Brisbane in future could actually cut the time in takes you to make the same journey by plane. The Beyond Zero Emissions study claims a High Speed Rail linking Sydney to Brisbane would cut travel time to just two hours and 37 minutes. Thats far faster than the one-and-a-half plane journey when you consider time traveling to and from airports, checking in, being screened by security and then having to transfer to your terminal for the flight. Experts believe the ease of train travel when considered with the often stressful nature of flight is the reason why High Speed Rail will eventually drag more than 40 per cent of passengers away from air travel across the east coast and on the main three routes (Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Canberra and Sydney-Brisbane). It would also lead to a 50 per cent increase in travel between the capital According to the report: The HSR network would comprise approximately 1,748 kilometres, with four city centre stations, four city-peripheral stations (one in Brisbane, two in Sydney and one in Melbourne) and 12 regional stations. And, they insist, its no pipe-dream despite the Very Fast Train or High Speed Rail having had several incarnations down the years. The cost, which has always been the stumbling block, along with the viability, is not as exorbitant as once thought. In fact the sum total of the HSR build is $84 billion. Thats a saving of $30 billion on previous estimates and that it would run at a profit. To enable fastest possible times between destinations and to keep up with expected demand, it would offer direct express and limited stop services. The report also suggests that by 2065, peak period demand for Sydney to Melbourne would be met by two non-stop inter-capital express services, every hour, in each direction. The peak demands would supplemented by three more one-stop inter-capital express services per hour per direction, calling in at either Sydney South or Melbourne North. Analysts have also assessed the viability of regional stations and come up with 12 sites. They are Gold Coast, Casino, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Newcastle, Central Coast, Southern Highlands, Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton. As for the cost of a ticket, the report authors insist that it will be competitive with air travel. They claim that fares would be structured to be comparable to and competitive with alternative modes of transport for both business and leisure purposes. HSR fares have been set to be competitive with air fares on the main inter-capital routes on the east coast, trending downwards over time by 0.5 per cent per year to 2015 and remaining constant thereafter, consistent with the forecast reduction in real air fares. Beyond Zero Emissions is a climate change think-tank, a not-for-profit research and education organisation, which says it is working at designing and implementing a zero emissions economy for Australia. The group has been involved in this strategic study on the implementation of a High Speed Rail (HSR) network for the east coast of Australia between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne - which was announced by then Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, in 2010. This is phase two after the first identified a short-list of corridors and station options.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 02:26:31 +0000
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