The named passenger train is a phenomenon that is curiously unique in the transportation world. For road transport, many of the great highways still bear glamorous names, but not generally the journeys made on them. Earlier, in the age of ocean liners, it was the vessels themselves that bore the …
Hot Rails has previously looked at the Southern Highlands corridor, estimating the cost of a 200km/h corridor all the way from Goulburn into Central Station to be in the order of $3.2 billion. However, the most critical part of that railway is the section between Campbelltown and Mittagong, which bypasses …
One of the scenarios considered in the Canberra-Eden Railway feasibility study was a “passengers only” option, where the railway was only completed as far as Bombala. According to the study, this scenario would have a total financial cost of $1,424 million over 50 years, returning $84.8 million of benefits over …
This article gives additional detail to the numerous errors discussed in my previous article, Canberra-Eden Rail needs another look. All net-present-value figures assume a discount rate of 7%, the rate used in the Feasibility Study’s central case. Throughout, the Transport for New South Wales feasibility study is referred to as …
Eden, a small town on the far south coast of New South Wales, could become one of the most important places in Australia. Its natural harbour, Twofold Bay, is one of the finest anchorages in the country, yet its rugged hinterland has kept it isolated from the national freight network. …
ABC Radio Adelaide challenged listeners to come up with a plan to save The Overland, for under $100 million and within 10 years. Hot Rails thinks it can be done for $50 million and within a year…
The argument for fast rail between Adelaide and Melbourne is surprisingly strong, having a higher benefit-cost ratio than the much more expensive east coast proposals.
When one engineer accuses another of having his sums wrong by a factor of 50, you can be sure that one of them has said something silly.
The Turnbull government has today issued a call for faster rail proposals – the prospectus is practical, serious and foreshadows some form of government assistance. Hot rails is optimistic that this will elicit some interesting concepts from the private sector.
It’s one of the best budgets for regional and commuter rail in recent decades, among other things pledging $20 million for multiple business case studies, to focus on linking large cities to regional Australia. Hot Rails likes this idea, but thinks the government should consider supporting a larger number of more affordable studies.
