Re: VFT/VHST - third time lucky?

[Colin Weaver <colingw@my-deja.com>]

In article <91jul4$2ub6$1@pc1762.alcatel.com.au>,
  thebaron@nospam.ozemail.com.au wrote:
> Most people here seem to be pushing the high speed passenger option to
> the south and writing off the north. However if you've been on the
roads
> at night between sydney and brisbane you'll see hundreds of semis
crawling
> there way along. So on the northern route it's freight thats the big
> winner. I know nothing of the times involved either by air or trains
> sydney/brisbane so i'll leave that alone.
>
> On the south surely theres a mass of road frieght that should be rail
> hauled but this is where the high speed passanger really makes sense.
> Being able to travel city centre to city centre sydney/melbourne in 3
> or 3.5 hours would be brilliant for the business traveller.
>
> However nothing is going to happen for the next 5 years now at least
> and if something is going to happen we need a politition with a bit
> of vision. So were in for a long wait.

There is already a perfectly good freight proposal in place, namely the
Melbourne - Brisbane leg of ATEC's Australian Inland Rail Expressway,
including a connection to Newcastle by upgrading the NSW North Western
line.

I have previously posted in this group writing off the current NSW North
Coast Line as beyond salvation - a judgement which I stand by.  While I
believe a VHST running Melbourne - Brisbane via Sydney & Canberra would
be a winner in terms of patronage, I doubt it would be financially
viable and the cost of construction would be astronomical.

If the ATEC inland line is built, I think it will spell the beginning of
the end for the coastal route between Sydney & Brisbane.  On the other
hand, if it is not built I think the Sydney - Brisbane line will just
slowly fade away over many decades.

cheers,
Colin

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