Re: VFT/VHST - third time lucky?

[Dion Williams <onamission@today.com.au>]

Colin Weaver wrote:

> I agree.  There's no point concentrating on a line which is past
> redemption.  Sydney - Canberra has enormous potential to attract much
> higher patronage.  As pointed out by Barry Campbell in another post,
> over longer distances such as Brisbane - Rockhampton or Sydney -
> Melbourne the incremental approach is unlikely to take much away from
> the airlines - ie the main users will still be subsidised pensioners.
> If you can get the transit time below about 4 hours, you'll probably
> attract a lot of passengers away from air.

4 to 6 hours is about the critical figure; above that and where speed is
an issue as opposed to quality of service, people will tend to favour
flying as an alternative. The difference of course with travel in Europe
or the northeast US is that a 4 to 6 hour journey covers an area with a
population of anywhere from 50 to 100 million people as opposed to 3 to
5 million in Australia. Rail in NSW at least has to stop trying to be
competitive timewise on interstate routes; it doesn't have the route
infrastructure nor the trains to offer an attractive alternative. What
it can do is offer regional and tourist services that feature high
standards of onboard service on runs up to 8 hours (Coffs Harbour and
Grafton, Dubbo, Tamworth), and high speed services in the 3 to 6 hour
radius (Canberra). 

  For longer distances, while there's
> still benefit in the incremental approach because it is at least
> affordable, it won't ever compare with a true VHST.  Furthermore, given
> the huge distances involved compared to Europe, a viable inter-capital
> line in Australia would need to run at higher speeds, say 350Km/h or
> even 400Km/h.  (But still conventional high speed rail, not this Maglev
> nonsense).

Either way, hugely expensive with no clear selling point to either
tourists wanting good service and a view of the countryside or business
travellers wanting speed. A 5 to 6 hour trip to Brisbane is of no more
use to them than a 14 hour one, and there's no better bet than if run by
a private operator, the fares will be exorbitant, if only to recoup the
massive cost. Why would you pay $500 to sit on a train for six hours
when you could fly there in an hour on Virgin or Impulse for under $150?

 There is
> absolutely no benefit in going via Wallangarra - the existing alignments
> (NSW & QLD) on this corridor are exceedingly slow compared to going
> further west, crossing the border at Goondiwindi, then cutting across
> to Toowoomba via Millmerran.  Plus, here in QLD we really need a
> replacement Toowoomba range crossing - the magnificent old line to
> Toowoomba has passed its use-by date and needs to be placed into
> semi-retirement as a tourist attraction.

Yes it's the grades that'd really slow down high-speed freight on the
old alignment I suppose. Quite a lot of the old perway past Tenterfield
would need full reconstruction at greater expense as well.

Dion.