http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12675755-421,00.html

$3bn interstate rail link proposed
By Robin Bromby and Annabelle McDonald
March 28, 2005
From:
POWERFUL forces are aligning to realise another massive railway infrastructure dream - an inland line that links Melbourne and Brisbane and serves huge tracts of regional NSW.

The proposed $3 billion project would cement the concept of Australia entering a new railway age following the completion last year of the $1.3 billion Alice Springs-to-Darwin line.
It already has the backing of Chris Corrigan's Patrick Corp, which co-owns rail operator Pacific National, and is seen as a more viable financial proposition than the struggling line to Darwin.

The Federal Government has committed $1.8 billion to upgrading the interstate rail system but this project would almost certainly depend on some private financing.

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Others backing the proposal are understood to include freight operator Linfox and government-owned Queensland Rail, which is renaming itself QR National ahead of a thrust into interstate markets.

The nation is facing severe transport infrastructure constraints, with the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics forecasting inter-capital freight loads will expand at twice the rate of economic growth through to 2020. Large tracts of land have been bought up by at least one freight operator, Forbes-based Mountain Bulk Haulage subsidiary Terminals Australia, around Parkes - where the proposed new line would intersect the main Sydney-Perth railway - in expectation that the NSW country town would be the main interchange point between the two tracks.

Talk of Parkes becoming the country's new inland transport hub prompted the town's deputy mayor, Ken Keith, yesterday to predict the farming and copper mining community would become the "Chicago of Australia - without the gangsters".

"It is going to be a national transport hub - not just a state one," Mr Keith said.

"Parkes is 10 hours' travelling time from 80 per cent of Australians. People could have one warehouse here and ship goods to almost anywhere in Australia overnight. It really makes logistical sense."

Mr Keith said the new rail network would revitalise the region, which had suffered three years of drought, and encourage manufacturing companies to relocate to the town.

Already Parkes was experiencing a mini-boom in commercial development, with several large businesses moving into town on the strength of talk of the new rail line.

But Mr Keith said the challenge for the town would be to stay true to its hospitable country roots as it grew bigger.

"The people of Parkes don't want to lose that."

Patrick, meanwhile, is acquiring control of FCL Interstate Transport, which has a terminal at Parkes where it double-stacks containers on rail wagons for the journey to Perth.

And the Australian Rail Track Corp has earmarked $57 million to upgrade the existing line from Cootamundra via Parkes to Werris Creek, a key part of any new inland route.

Federal Transport Minister John Anderson will in the next two weeks announce details of a feasibility study into the rail plan. This is expected to include a review of all rail freight operations along the east coast.

The review will come up against one salient fact: it is impossible for the existing main line through Sydney to cope with forecast rail volumes over the next 15 years with tunnel heights and electric overhead wires ruling out double stacking of containers - a common practice elsewhere on interstate rail services.

Rail observers say the most likely option would be for the new route to veer from the main line at Cootamundra in NSW and wind through Parkes, Dubbo, Werris Creek and Glen Innes to cross the Queensland border and then on to Toowoomba.

Much of the route which is not already in use is either disused track or rail corridors that have been abandoned.

Regional interests are sure to play up the advantage of other possible routes.

Riverina councils will be advocating re-opening the mothballed track between Tocumwal and Narrandera while advocates of the existing line to Moree and then into Queensland at Goondiwindi are also likely to be heard.

Whatever the final decision, rail would be able to compete on a direct route between Victoria and Queensland in competition with trucks plying the Newell Highway.

Everald Compton, the Brisbane businessman whose Australian Transport and Energy Corridor consortium has been the main driving force for an inland route, said he believed realisation of the plan was the closest it had ever been.

While Mr Corrigan pledged that Patrick could contribute up to $500 million, there were many interests wanting to be part of the project.

"Corrigan's not the only one at the table. Every major freight company is seeking a place at the table," he added.

Mr Compton said there was no way of fixing constraints on the present main line through the NSW capital.

Port Jackson Partners, which has just completed a detailed infrastructure review for the Business Council of Australia, has concluded building a ring track around the edge of Sydney would not be cost-effective.

Report author Rod Sims said yesterday said a ring line would be extremely expensive and would still not raise rail performance.

Tunnel heights on the track would stop the double stacking of containers.

If rail got above 20 per cent of the north-south freight, then an inland route would be justified, said Mr Sims.

But the government would have to compensate rail operators for having to bear higher costs than truck companies.

The rebuilding of the track through Glen Innes would invoke a key part of Australian rail history. This was the rail route between NSW and Brisbane, through the famous change of gauge station at Wallangarra. It was superseded in 1930 by a coastal standard gauge line into Brisbane.

sounds like a fair dinkum proposal. i hope it includes for a high speed passenger option as well.

It is time for new nation building infrastructure. We must all learn to look beyond the borders of out state.

It is time for new nation building infrastructure. We must all learn to look beyond the borders of out state.

I think that's the key here. Our cities need massive infrastructure investment but we need to massively invest in better connecting our cities.

I think that's the key here. Our cities need massive infrastructure investment but we need to massively invest in better connecting our cities.

Well said.

I agree totally, and this seems like a pretty good investment.

Darwin was a bit of a farce, but giving stonger links to Aust's three main states would do wonders for rail freight, and maybe even the possibility of a high speed rail link :D

http://www.aire.com.au/assets/images/melb_gladstone.jpg

www.aire.com.au

the only segments worth upgrading for 'high speed rail' (of which I assume you mean for passengers) is the Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga section on that, above, route - btw 'high speed freight' is usually bout 110-120kph.

200kph would be nice, then all we need is a new line between Albury and Canberra, then a significantly upgraded line between Canberra and Sydney.

That would be good for Toowoomba. It needs a rail connection to Bris.

That would be good for Toowoomba. It needs a rail connection to Bris.

Theres plenty of demand, and people have been pushing for it for years.

All it needs is a re-allignment of the stretch between Helidon (??) and some other place.

I support anything that helps revitalise our export sector.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12675755-421,00.html
Others backing the proposal are understood to include freight operator Linfox and government-owned Queensland Rail, which is renaming itself QR National ahead of a thrust into interstate markets.


bwaha, going to be moving huge amount of freight interstate with a handful of standard guage locomotives and a few dozen cars... :hahano:

Meh continue till you merge into one city then do it all by car.

the only segments worth upgrading for 'high speed rail' (of which I assume you mean for passengers) is the Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga section on that, above, route - btw 'high speed freight' is usually bout 110-120kph.

200kph would be nice, then all we need is a new line between Albury and Canberra, then a significantly upgraded line between Canberra and Sydney.

If you're going to build a line suitable for high-speed passenger rail you might as well build it for the highest speed you can. But as far as the corridor goies, yeah, probably only from Melb-Albury is suitable. Y'know, this'd be a good way to actually kickstart a high-speed connection. It'd also be nice to have a direct Melb-Syd one, but you probably couldn't find the demand.

Nice one .

It makes economic sense.If we need it.Lets build it.Passenger services might also be able to run on the line.

That would be good for Toowoomba. It needs a rail connection to Bris.

it does have a rail connection to brisbane. just not a passenger rail.

I hope they don't do passengers on this rail line. They get in the way of the freight, causing a significant loss of time and competitiveness for these services. And rail is generally so uncompetetive with air for long distance passenger service. Unless they get really serious with a Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney-Brisbane high speed rail line.

I don't think you are going to get anything much over 100k/h average line speed for $3 billion. The line bypasses Sydney and many major coastal towns, so a slow speed Melbourne to Brisbane rail passenger line is not that exciting. If anything the line may get a token once a day or three times a week service.

sydney's rail netwrok is fairly conjested it would be nice to allow intercity trains to bypass it anyway, even better if it is high speed.

go wit hthe investment and build a mag-lev, the entire distance..Melb-Syd-Bris. Then we could boast about it and peopel would come from all over the wolrd to travel on it. :)

From memory a few announcements ago this project was going to "start" and it was signified by the planting of a tree at the present end of the line at either North Star or Boggabilla (past Moree). Maybe the time has almost come for the tree to be cut down and turned into sleepers.

As for maglevs, they are useless at moving freight efficiently, this corridor is not intended for passenger services, and besides, they are far too expensive for any actual purpose. Plus most of the freight traffic will originate off-route and thus the trains will have to travel on existing track then join or leave the new/refurbshed track along this corridor.

Further, we've spent the last 100+ years trying to eliminate break of gauge in this country and now you want to introduce yet another incompatible system? Get real.

Evidently there are three competing plans to build this track. One is the 10 year old ATEC proposal which has been planned to be privately financed. Rumour is that it will be impossible to make it stack up financially. The other is by the Australian Rail Track Corporation, for incremental improvement, using govt funding. The other is a consortium between Pacific National and Queensland Rail, also using govt funding, and evidently a bit more big bangish.

"But the government would have to compensate rail operators for having to bear higher costs than truck companies."

Interesting how this statement appears to have been overlooked. If the line is not cost effective then why build it? Why should the government subsidise transport companies? Do we need another multi-billion dollar white elephant?

^
Because the roads are so inadequate. So unless they fix them, this is a good option.

"But the government would have to compensate rail operators for having to bear higher costs than truck companies."

Interesting how this statement appears to have been overlooked. If the line is not cost effective then why build it? Why should the government subsidise transport companies? Do we need another multi-billion dollar white elephant?

You make it sound like road transport is unsubsidized. I'd like to see nothing more than per-km road usage charges by maximum rated axle loading for all vehicles, covering the full cost of the road network plus a 200% environmental menace premium.

However, for reasons known to themselves, governments spend a lot more on roads than they will ever get back in taxes. Sure, the highways and even state roads seem profitable in the context of fuel taxes, but all roads (read: ongoing grants to basically all councils nationwide)? Forget it.

So unless the government wants the balance of payment figures worsened (keep in mind our oil production is falling and oil prices are rising strongly, consumption is rising and thus imports are going waaaaay up every year). Why is this a government problem? Because the governments of this country have given an artificial boost to oil-intensive road haulage and by definition continuous kicks to oil-miserly rail haulage.

Governments ought to be either taxing or tolling trucks to oblivion or subsidizing rail by more than they subdidize trucks, to avert an imports catastrophe.

Alternately, wait a few years and let the oil price rise plus a plummet in the value of the aussie dollar do the job for them. Pity doing it that way leaves a larger number of bankruptcies in the trail of economic destruction.

I remember Paul Keating saying he would like ALL the capital cities to better link to each other. He also spoke of a Perth to Brisbane rail and a Brisbane to Adelaide/Melbourne rail link.

A darwin to brisbane was also considered.

Maybe they should just spend like 20 billion on a..

Sydney -> Canberra -> Melbourne -> Adelaide -> Perth -> Broome -> Darwin -> Cairns -> Townsville -> Brisbane -> Sydney line...

Make it Mag-Lev lol.

Maybe they should just spend like 20 billion on a..

Sydney -> Canberra -> Melbourne -> Adelaide -> Perth -> Broome -> Darwin -> Cairns -> Townsville -> Brisbane -> Sydney line...

Make it Mag-Lev lol.

20??

try 50-80bn. That would certainly be awesome, but I hope passenger serivce isn't introduced onto this new line it really needs to be for freight and moreso the expansion of the port of Brisbane (:D)

A darwin to brisbane was also considered.

Jeeez, wouldn't that have been a bust?!?!

This whole plan is a huge waste of time and money.
It's nothing but a way of dragging rural freight from western New South Wales into the ports of Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Map makes a pathetic attempt to show existing links into Sydney and Newcastle, but these lines get no funding or upgrade from this plan.
If this Federal Gov want to help open up these areas of western NSW then help fund high speed rail links accross the ranges to ports nearby not 900k away.

^ lol.

The purpose is not to help rural areas on western NSW... jesus.

Thats the point NSW is just the bypass route.
It's all smoke and mirrors for the people of Parkes, It wont be close to a transport hub.

It would certainly do better off being connected to Brisbane and Melbourne though, would it not?

No. The people of Parkes and the people in Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst and much of the central west would be best served by more modest but effective upgrades to existing lines over the great divide to the nearest ports.

But this line isnt about servicing them to their nearest ports is it.

This is about Brisbane and Melbourne. And Parkes, Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst are just lucky theyre getting included on the line.

What you want is a completely unrelated project... so i dont see an issue.

Why would they be lucky? if it's not in part to service these cities and towns Then it's just another passing goods train.
The original article paints Parkes as some kind of hub.
.

Well it gives them the option of sending goods to Either Brisbane, or Melbourne. As well as recieving goods.

Maybe it will be a hub? What tells you it wont?

This whole plan is a huge waste of time and money.
It's nothing but a way of dragging rural freight from western New South Wales into the ports of Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Map makes a pathetic attempt to show existing links into Sydney and Newcastle, but these lines get no funding or upgrade from this plan.
If this Federal Gov want to help open up these areas of western NSW then help fund high speed rail links accross the ranges to ports nearby not 900k away.

I'm afraid I don't get you. The aim is to facilitate better movement of freight between, generally, Melbourne and Brisbane. The idea is to go around Sydney because there are significant restrictions on freight movement within the Sydney Metro area.

Upgrades to the Main South line between Sydney and Cootamundra and the North Coast line is funded separately. Both will have money spent on them. Both are National Links for the purposes of Commonwealth funding under Auslink. Some $700 million is earmarked for the North Coast line, if I recall correctly.

As for Parkes, well it is a geographic centre. It is already a major freight hub. It is located on the Newell Highway and the railway between Sydney and Broken Hill/Adelaide/Darwin/Perth via Cootamundra. It has a freight airport. You have to put an intermodal terminal somewhere in Central NSW with access to the railway and highway and Parkes has established itself as that place. Upgrading the railway is incidental to this, but when you have freight of many origins and destinations on rail, road and air an increase of traffic overall will increase work at the mode interchange facility -- Parkes.

To think of the thing as just some method of moving agricultural goods to ports for export is simplistic at best.

Although it will help australia's economy if stuff from southern NSW can go to Melbourne port and stuff from NSW go to Brisbane's port if its cheaper and closer. As opposed to artificially forcing all freight in NSW to use a NSW port.

20??

try 50-80bn. That would certainly be awesome, but I hope passenger serivce isn't introduced onto this new line it really needs to be for freight and moreso the expansion of the port of Brisbane (:D)

250 billion.

Linking Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney costs in excess of 56 billion dollars. They did this feasability study 3 years ago.

250 billion.

Linking Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney costs in excess of 56 billion dollars. They did this feasability study 3 years ago.

Wow, thats a really interesting figure. I knew it was a large amount because people usually underestimate how much a railway actually costs. I know from experience that it's at least 1 million for 2km of track.

Hopefully its something along the lines of the new french TGV train, that would be very nice, this thing is not new, they've been deliberating over this for quite some time, although there was a reluctance to finance such a proposal because of its variable price tag. They were expected to use The french TGV trains sets, which travel about 300kph, so thats just wowwwwwwwwwwwwww


http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/speedrail/


On a side note Its about time they replace all those fing old trains in city rail, every time im on one it feels as if its going to derail.

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/frenchtgv/frenchtgv1.html

nice lookin 1

On a side note Its about time they replace all those fing old trains in city rail, every time im on one it feels as if its going to derail.

Generally speaking, the ride quality on a Tangara is worse than an old R/S/L set because of its softer ride you get thrown around a lot more as the car body moves further (but at a slower speed, so it's less violent).

As for being about to derail, well have you been on a train that derailed from taking a corner too fast or jumped or split a set of points?

[saracsm with a hint of truth] It's all the RIC's fault!! Using cheapo track and crappy crossovers and switch points where the speed limit is only 25kmh. [/sarcasm]

New freight link 'essential'

18apr05
A PROPOSED inland rail route linking Melbourne and Brisbane would be an economic necessity within the next five years, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said today.

The Nationals leader said a feasibility study of the new route should be ready by the middle of next year.

He said the Government was already making a $2 billion investment over the next five years in the existing east coast rail network, and that was expected to lift its share of freight tonnage from 17 per cent to a maximum of 35-40 per cent.

"But at that time it is really very evidently the case that we will need further corridor development. That in common language ... is usually taken to mean some form of inland route and that is highly likely," he said on ABC radio.

"We need to know now. We can't go back to the old days where we don't plan ahead and start preparing ourselves for our infrastructure needs.

"The point at which this (the new link) makes serious economic sense is probably about five years from now."

Mr Anderson said problems experienced by the Alice Springs to Darwin line would not make it harder to sell the idea of a north-southeast coast line.

He said financial and freight players were all saying the link was a necessity.

"We are looking at a doubling of freight volumes over the next 15-20 years. We are going to need that rail network," he said.

"We are putting the investment in to make the current network work. When we have fixed that and it reaches its peak capacity, we then will be ready to move with the next stage."

Mr Anderson said a figure of $3 billion was being mentioned as a possible cost, of which private industry would pay two-thirds.

He said the feasibility study would map the way forward for the next stage of revitalising rail freight services across Australia.

Mr Anderson said the boost to rail would ease pressure for road funding and would be more environmentally friendly.

"It will be commercially viable, we won't be building white elephants. It will be needed," he said.

"The freight that should be on rail ought to be on rail. It oughtn't to be on the roads."
_________________________________________________________________
"We are looking at a doubling of freight volumes over the next 15-20 years. We are going to need that rail network," he said. <--- This is the reason why the link is needed. To keep up with that we need to increase capacity for freight movement. It doesn't all need to pass through Sydney you know.

here

TONY EASTLEY: For years one man has studied the rail routes of the eastern states of Australia and dreamt about a single freight line network stretching the length of the country.

Everald Compton, the Chairman of the Australian Transport and Energy Corridor � a proponent of the so-called "steel Mississippi" � wants to see the line go via Parkes and onto Brisbane, and then go one, long step further.

EVERALD COMPTON: We did a pre-feasibility study, ATEC, some years ago, which showed that under certain circumstances it was a goer. Now, there'll be some losses in the early years while freight moves from trucks to rail and things such as that, and while the momentum of the line builds up. But in the medium-term this is a very profitable railway.

And if you look at a map of Australia, you see that Melbourne and Brisbane should've been connected directly without having to go through Sydney 100 years ago, and it's been a piece of massive neglect that these two major cities have never had a direct rail link.

Now, I believe it will be one of the great winners of rail in the history of Australia, this direct line from Melbourne to Brisbane via Parkes and Moree and Goondiwindi and Toowoomba.

TONY EASTLEY: ATEC's Everald Compton, who wants to see the line eventually, one day, go on to Darwin. One of the chief players in any north-south rail corridor would be Pacific National, which is co-owned by the big Patrick Corporation and the Toll Holdings Group.

Stephen O'Donnell is the CEO of Pacific National.

Stephen O'Donnell, let's assume the feasibility study gives your project the thumbs up. How quickly would your group move, and what do you need to facilitate the go-ahead for such a big project?

STEPHEN O'DONNELL: For such a big project what we need is what I call a bankable study. You've also got confidence that the market's there, and I think that's something that we can bring to it. So I think it's a case of getting all the different boxes ticked off. But we believe from the work we done that there is a good case to invest in this rail link.

TONY EASTLEY: So a profit, but within how many years?

STEPHEN O'DONNELL: I think it's going to take us 12 months to complete the feasibility study, to have the confidence that this is the right thing, and then after that you're probably talking about a five-year investment, construction period, and, overall, we believe a total capital investment of about $4 billion.

And that would be in rolling stock, that will be in terminals, and that will be in the rail link line itself. When you look at the map you look at the freight opportunity, you look at the current method of getting freight between Melbourne and Brisbane, and you really reach a conclusion that if there's ever a time to do this, this is now about the right time to start considering it seriously.

TONY EASTLEY: If it is such a good idea, why hasn't it been done before?

STEPHEN O'DONNELL: I think it hasn't been done before because it's such a large project and it's such a complex project. I mean, we'll be going through the State of Victoria, the State of New South Wales, the State of Queensland.

It never� it's only in the last three years that Pacific National was formed, which is now a private rail operator. So I think you've got several ingredients at this point in time which make it appropriate to really look at this seriously.

TONY EASTLEY: What does it mean for small trucking companies if a rail line is put through.

STEPHEN O'DONNELL: What it means is if you actually look at the trucking industry in Australia, the interstate freight is a relatively small part of the overall trucking task in Australia. I mean, there'll still be the metropolitan deliveries from the railhead to all the metropolitan customers. So the big impact of this really will be just on the interstate routes.

TONY EASTLEY: Rail has been described as the Cinderella of Australian transport. Do you agree with that characterisation?

STEPHEN O'DONNELL: Oh, I think it has been, but I think with the realisation of congestion, high fuel costs, the number of accidents that occur on the road network, I think there's a realisation that a renaissance is now occurring in rail, and from the work that was commissioned by the Australasian Railways Association over 12 months ago, which was: is rail fundamentally competitive with road?

And I think it was quite a surprise to all the people that participated in that, because the answer was that, on a level playing field, rail is in fact about 30 per cent cheaper over long haul compared to road.

TONY EASTLEY: So you'll be a disappointed man if this feasibility study is just that and nothing else?

STEPHEN O'DONNELL: Absolutely. I mean, one thing it cannot be is yet another study which gets filed away. Definitely not.

TONY EASTLEY: Pacific National's CEO, Stephen O'Donnell.

Looks like this might get up with the Nats backing it.

http://smh.com.au/ffxmedia/2005/04/19/keepingtrack.jpg

Looks like Temora and Narrabri are going to be more "hubs" than parkes is.

Thank god. An Upgrade to the North Coast line. Finally freight will be able to pass through without the constant distruption and slowing-down of Citytrain. This will be huge for PNQ.

If anyone needed more evidence of the idocy of Bob Carr:


Carr scathing about proposed $3bn rail line

The NSW Government has ridiculed a federal proposal to build an inland railway line for freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane and ruled out any state money for the project.



In a move warmly welcomed by the towns along the proposed route, the Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, yesterday announced a feasibility study into routes for a possible new line, as part of his attempt to push more freight off the roads and on to rail.

The Premier, Bob Carr, said the state simply did not have money to put into the project. NSW funds will be soaked up by the $2.5 billion, six-year plans to break the CityRail network into distinct lines and to replace old carriages with air-conditioned ones.

Mr Anderson, who is also the Transport Minister, said his department would complete the study on the north-south rail corridor between Brisbane and Melbourne by the end of next June. The line could eventually be extended to Darwin.

The proposed route would be likely to run through central western NSW regional centres such as Temora, Parkes and Dubbo, bypassing Sydney.

Mr Anderson said the existing rail network would not be able to carry more than 35 per cent of freight on the east coast.

At present rail carried less than 20 per cent of east-coast freight, compared with 80 per cent of the goods between Perth and the eastern states, he said.

Supporters of the line say that instead of freight having to go through Sydney, where trains compete with CityRail's passenger services, a straighter, modern line would allow for higher speeds and stacked containers.

Mr Anderson said the line could cost $3 billion to build and he would want the private sector to pay for about two-thirds.

"It'll be commercially viable - we won't be building white elephants, it will be needed," he said. "And of course you know my very strong view that the freight that should be on rail, ought to be on rail, it oughtn't to be on the roads."

But amid criticism that the Government's $1.3 billion Alice Springs to Darwin project has struggled to prove its worth by winning freight from roads, Mr Carr was scathing about the idea. The Federal Government might as well build a third railway line to Darwin in addition to the east coast one, this one from the west coast, he said.

"We can keep building - this country is so fabulously wealthy, and if we apparently have no other priorities why don't we just keep building these rail lines into Darwin," Mr Carr said.

The NSW Opposition Leader, John Brogden, said the link would benefit country centres like Parkes, Dubbo, Tamworth, Armidale, Wagga Wagga and Albury.

It would encourage businesses to relocate to those areas, he said, and make it cheaper to move goods to Brisbane and Melbourne.

"By dismissing this proposal out of hand, it demonstrates the Carr Labor Government has completely lost the will to rebuild NSW," Mr Brogden said.

The Federal Opposition's infrastructure spokesman, Stephen Smith, said that yesterday's announcement was the ninth on a possible inland rail link since 1999.

Mr Anderson had received a pre-feasibility report in July 2000, he said, and a Bureau of Transport Economics report in November 2000 concluded that the idea "stacked up".

Sydney Morning Herald

lol.
Thats a good laugh.

He's a bit of an idiot. "Lets keep building rail lines into Darwin"

Whats his problem?

Isnt it a Federal Project? and 2/3 payed by private sector?

And if State Govts would be paying... would it not be divided between QLD, NSW, and VIC. 3 states which really should have no trouble paying for it.

Just becuase it bypasses Sydney, doesnt mean they should whinge. Are the other towns in NSW not as important as Syd?

....keep building rail lines into darwin...

Just becuase it bypasses Sydney, doesnt mean they should whinge. Are the other towns in NSW not as important as Syd?


Not to Carr. He's the premier of Sydney, not NSW.

Maybe someone should tell him Brisbane and Melbourne have bigger populations than Darwin.

If anyone needed more evidence of the idocy of Bob Carr:

Well no, not really, a project like that is fundamentally a Commonwealth thing. It is analogous to a National Highway, funding for which is entirely the Commonwealth's concern

Well no, not really, a project like that is fundamentally a Commonwealth thing. It is analogous to a National Highway, funding for which is entirely the Commonwealth's concern

I'm not referring to the refusal for funding, I agree it's not a state responsibility. His whole attitude is what worries me. Why, especially given it's not his funding concern, must he bash the project itself. It will be, if not of great importance, of some benefit to regional NSW communities. Through his governance, he seems to be unaware that he is the premier of a whole state.
Also, surely removing some freight from Sydney suburban lines is of benefit to the Sydney suburban network.

Sirhc8, thats the best way to put it lol. His attitude IS what seems to be as you said. He Thinks he is the premier of Sydney, and forgets he runs a whole state


http://cootamundra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=387306&y=2005&m=4

Hub of the south
Wednesday, 20 April 2005

Cootamundra residents are being urged by a rail industry representative to lobby the Federal Department of Transport to ensure a proposed inland rail corridor incorporates the township.

The call comes after the Federal Government confirmed it will fund a feasibility study into a $3 billion project to build an inland freight rail link between Melbourne and Brisbane.

The study, which was announced on Monday by the Federal Minister for Transport John Anderson, will look at future rail freight demand along the major Melbourne to Sydney to Brisbane national freight corridor.

One man who has been pushing for the inland rail corridor for years is Australian Transport and Energy Corridor (ATEC) chairman Everald Compton.

Mr Compton said while it was not confirmed Cootamundra would be included in the proposed corridor, previous studies ATEC had undertaken showed a line through Cootamundra would be the most viable.

"I would say it's a fair possibility Cootamundra would be included if the rail line were to go ahead," Mr Compton said.

"This feasibility study has to look at all possible routes and will prove whether or not an inland freight corridor will go through Cootamundra.

"What the people of Cootamundra have to do now is contact the Federal Department of Transport and put forward the town's case."

Mr Compton said the advantages of an inland rail line through Cootamundra would be numerous.

"It will give the town of Cootamundra direct access to the ports of Melbourne and the ports of Brisbane and would enable industries to establish themselves in the region that would not have previously," he said.

Mr Compton said if the inland rail corridor were to go ahead, the transport industry would still prosper.

He said trains would mainly cover long distance routes leaving the short distance freight lines in the heavy transport industry.

Industry groups favour a north-south rail corridor, running from Melbourne to Canberra, bypassing Sydney and probably heading to Brisbane.

Speaking after the announcement of the feasibility study, Bryan Nye CEO of ARA said the association looked forward to being an active participant in the study to ensure we optimise the movement of freight along the major Melbourne - Sydney - Brisbane corridor.

"It is surprising that less than 20 per cent of freight is moved by rail between the eastern capitals considering the efficient rail is a cheaper mode of freight transport than road on all inter-capital corridors," Mr Nye said.

"When you add to this that rail is nine times more energy efficient and is the safest form of land transport we need to review the transport system."

Mr Nye said one train between Sydney and Melbourne equals 150 trucks and saves 45,000 litres of fuel and 130 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

The ARA has been pushing for a study into an inland freight corridor since it published a study late last year highlighting the current efficiency problems in the freight industry.

Speaking after the announcement, Mr Anderson gave thanks to Mr Compton and said the study would identify all impediments to meeting future demand and consider possible options and routes for addressing these impediments.

http://www.hawkesbury.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=388283&y=2005&m=4


Rail, not road
• by Gail Knox
Friday, 22 April 2005

THE Federal Government's proposed north-south rail link should finally sound the death knell of the Bells Line of Road superhighway, according to Macquarie MP Kerry Bartlett.

Details of a feasibility study into a $3 billion project to build a freight rail link between Melbourne and Brisbane, probably via Parkes, were announced on Monday by the Deputy Prime Minister and Transport and Regional Services Minister John Anderson. This link would complete the rail network linking the mainland state capitals.

"It's another strong argument against the Bells Line of Road superhighway," Mr Bartlett told The Gazette on Monday. "For safety and environmental reasons we need to get freight off the roads and onto the rail system."

Mr Bartlett said the proposed north-south rail link would provide central western farmers with "a real alternative".

He said they could take their produce by rail to Brisbane ports rather than trucking it to Sydney.

"And it will take the pressure off Sydney's roads," he said.

"Given that produce is mainly heading north (overseas) it makes sense to send it north by rail rather than bringing it across the mountains to Sydney.

"This is a sustainable answer (to our transport problems). Given the ever-increasing cost of oil, rail transport is more sustainable economically and also environmentally because it has only a fraction of the emissions of road transport.

"(Using rail rather road) would also lessen impact on the lives of residents alongside the Great Western Highway and BLOR, and on the (Greater Blue Mountains) World Heritage Area."

"I consider the superhighway is pie-in-the-sky. This proposal is far more sensible."

Hawkesbury Mayor Bart Bassett said the proposed north-south rail link was "the answer to moving freight". "It would free up our roads for commuters and light trucks."

Our mayor said he was personally opposed to a superhighway carving through privately owned land either side of Bells Line of Road. Although tunnelling had been proposed as a possible answer, he said he "could not see tunnelling adding up".

Meanwhile, at last week's Council meeting, the chamber agreed to invite superhighway lobbyist Lachlan MP Ian Armstrong, along with a Roads and Traffic Authority representative and the author of the latest report on the BLOR superhighway proposal to give a public briefing on that report. Anyone interested in attending should contact Esther Perry at Council on 4560 4444.

The Gazette is still awaiting confirmation from the RTA on the exact date the new BLOR superhighway report will be released.