This week Garry presented an overview of High Speed Rail in Australia to to the High Speed Rail Alliance in the USA. The Alliance is a people-powered non-profit working for stronger communities and a healthier environment through the development of fast, frequent and affordable trains.
It is interesting to look back at nearly 40 years of trying to get high speed rail in Australia. We've had private consortiums and government initiatives rejected by both Liberal and Labor governments, as well as two attempts by NSW state governments for faster rail within the state. No wonder we hold the record for the number of studies into high speed rail!
But now is there light at the end of the tunnel? The HSRA is developing a business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section of what they say will become a national high speed rail network. As we know, this corridor was selected to connect Sydney with Australia's largest regional city over a distance of about 140kms. Seems easy, if only it wasn't for the really difficult terrain with sandstone massifs and deep estuaries.
But if it's not built, Australia is doomed to a mega-city future, with the bulk of our population growth going into Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, where the only solution is to build up. And it doesn't bear thinking about the extraordinary cost to build the infrastructure we need in our already over-stressed cities - the train lines, light rail, airports, schools, hospitals, etc.
Garry provides a good overview of our recommended approach, where we focus on spreading growth into regional areas. He highlights the need for an integrated network carrying a wide range of passenger services (with some freight), which will allow the network to be built in smaller, manageable stages. We can get some early benefits by establishing a national rail operator. But it won't be a success unless we coordinate urban ad economic development with the rollout of high speed rail, and we consolidate our fragmented rail system under a single national governance structure.
Of course, this is merely our view of what should be done. The HSRA is well into developing its Business Case for the Sydney-Newcastle leg. And soon after it's produced, we will have an election. So we're all waiting with baited breath to see what the HSRA produces.
Many of us are concerned it will be difficult to make the case stack up just for this one leg. John Alexander, ex-MP, has already suggested Australia’s high-speed rail dream is doomed if stations are built in wrong place. He has called for the HSRA to maximise future land value capture by placing Sydney and Gosford stops outside CBDs, saying they are ignoring expert advice and parliamentary findings.
We just hope that the ensuing debate about the proposed alignment, and its costs and benefits, don't derail the prospect of building high speed rail in Australia yet again. There is no doubt the overall network will lift the prosperity of Australians, and that there are easier places to start from. So let's hope all parties agree we need it, and get on with it (whether Sydney to Newcastle or an alternative section is chosen).
Gary's presentation and a link to the recording of the webinar can be found here.