Sydney to Canberra High Speed Train

The Canberra Business Council made a submission on "High Speed Rail for Australia: An opportunity for the 21st century" in April 2008. They also light rail for Canberra in an Infrastructure Australia submission. However, it should be noted that the Sydney to Canberra route at 270km could be serviced in under three hours by conventional railways already in service in Australia, with a modest supplement to the upgrade to the track already under way.

1. A High Speed Rail Link between Canberra and Sydney
High speed rail refers to passenger trains travelling at 250km/h or more, on purpose-built tracks. Among the best known examples are the Japanese Shinkansen or bullet trains, the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) and the German ICE (Inter-City Express). The typical operating speed of high speed trains has increased to 300km/h, and speeds of 350-360km/h are in prospect.

The energy required for operation at such speeds means that high speed trains are invariably powered by electricity. Although high speed rail systems are focused primarily on the movement of people, they are being used increasingly for freight, and this will grow in the future. ...

Previously, a journey time of three hours by rail was considered
the upper limit in competitive terms. Now, experience in France is that, of rail and air travel, high speed rail captures 90% market share for rail journeys of two hours; 66% at three hours; and 45% at four hours. For leisure travel, high speed rail attracts a significant market share on journeys up to six hours. ...

Sydney - Melbourne has the fourth busiest air service in the world, with some 70 flights each way per day between the two cities. The only busier routes are between Madrid and Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and Jeju and Seoul. ...

A route which linked Melbourne and Sydney via Canberra, and Sydney and
Brisbane via Newcastle and the Gold Coast; would link these major cities but further, through the provision of additional ‗stopping‘ trains, would serve regional centres such as Benalla, Albury/Wodonga, Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, the NSW Central Coast, Taree, Coffs Harbour and Grafton. ...

High Speed Rail travel will provide Australians with a more cost effective intercity rail service. Trains are becoming faster, making routes such as Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra, and Sydney to Brisbane via Newcastle and the Gold Coast, each with three hour travel times, well within the competitive distance for high speed rail. More suppliers of high speed train technology have entered the market, adding to competition and lowering costs. ...

Use for freight
As indicated above, high speed rail systems are focused on the movement of people. However they are also being used increasingly for freight. This ranges from use of the high speed tracks by conventional freight trains, where gradients permit (in Germany and Italy, for example), to the operation of dedicated freight trains at the same speed as passenger trains. The latter is the case with the postal TGV trains in France. This activity is soon to be substantially increased as the first step in an initiative entitled Cargo Rail Express which will see a major expansion of
high speed freight services in Europe. Partners in this project, which is included in the European Union Logistics Action Plan, include Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, Amsterdam Schipol airport, FedEx, TNT and the French National railways; see
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,534978,00.html

An Australian high speed rail network could carry freight on either of these two bases (i.e. use of the tracks by conventional freight trains or by high speed freight trains); or the high speed alignment could provide, again where gradients permit, a route for an independent freight track, improving existing main lines by reducing their length and curvature.

Environmental sustainability and reduced greenhouse gas emissions

High speed rail is a more climate-friendly way of travelling that greatly reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared with alternative modes. It is much more energy-efficient and, being electrically powered, has the potential to draw energy from renewable sources. High speed trains are enjoying success around the world because they compete very effectively with air travel for journeys up to about 1000km, and with car travel for trips longer than about 250km. ...

Given the situation, what should be done first?
... The Council believes that Sydney–Canberra (with a terminal at Canberra airport) remains the logical first step in a larger network. The distance, 270km, is suitable for high speed rail. A Sydney–Canberra high speed rail would effectively make Canberra International Airport a second airport for Sydney. ...

2. Light Rail for Canberra
Canberra Business Council has partnered with the Conservation Council to make the case for a Light Rail network in Canberra. The partnering of these two organisations demonstrates the wide-spread support that Light Rail receives across the entire spectrum of community interest groups. A proposal to introduce Light Rail to Canberra is opportune. ...

It would be considerably cheaper to provide Light Rail in Canberra than in any other Australian city, as the Griffin Plan provides the planning infrastructure such as wide roadways, to support its installation. There are open space corridors across the city and major arterial roads have medians or parallel corridors that allow for rail development. ...

The ACT Government‘s Canberra Spatial Plan identifies a potential need for between 58,000 and 90,000 additional dwellings, of which 90% would be contained within 15km of the city centre, and 50% concentrated within 7.5km of the centre within the next 15 years. The development of areas in and around Civic will require additional transport services. Higher densities of residents and places of employment will reduce the cost of providing public transport to these areas. ...

From: Infrastructure Australia submission, Canberra Business Council, 20 October 2008