Re: Speed Rail V Maglev

[dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David Bromage)]

[Faxed and mailed]

Mr Jim Kremmer
Mayor of Campbelltown
PO Box 57
Campbelltown, NSW 2560

By fax: 02 4620 1496

Dear Mr Kremmer,

I am writing to highlight some gross errors in some statements you have
made concerning wheel-on-rail high speed trains.  I should point out at
the outset that I have no connection with any high speed rail consortium
or manufacturer.

You have asserted that Speedrail would take five hours to reach Melbourne.
You appear to be quoting some figures published recently in The
Australian, which have been proven to be incorrect.

The rail distance between Sydney and Melbourne on Speedrail would be 868km
for an express journey not calling at Canberra.  The maximum speed would
be 360km/h.  Compare this with the Nozomi 500 Skinkansen service between
Tokyo and Hakata in Japan.  The distance is 1069km, and the maximum speed
varies between 270km/h and 300km/h.  The journey time is 4 hours 49
minutes, including 7 intermediate stops.

The Nozomi 500 journey is 200km longer and 60-90km/h slower than Sydney to
Melbourne on Speedrail, yet already takes less than five hours.  How then
can you reconcile your assertion that Sydney to Melbourne would take five
hours?  The rival Inter Capital Express bid for the VHST project proposed
a journey time of 5 hours to Melbourne, at a maximum speed of only
220km/h.

It is also incorrect to state that wheel-on-rail technology has reached
the end of its development.  High speed trains now run at 300km/h in
France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan.  France has 320km/h and
360km/h trains in development, Germany is building new 330km/h trains,
Japan has a 350km/h train in production and Spain has a 350km/h tilting
train at the prototype stage.  Your assertions are unfortunately incorrect
in the face of this easily verifiable evidence.

A French TGV reached a world record speed of 515km/h in 1989, a speed
which has yet to be reached by the German Transrapid maglev.  A higher
speed was not possible on that particular line because they simply ran out
of straight track.  The line in question had only been designed for
300km/h running.  Higher speeds are possible on suitable track, and TGVs
have been tested on rollers up to 600km/h.  German ICE trains have been
run at 400ikm/h, and Japanese Skinkansen trains at up to 450km/h.

You will also be aware that the maglev line between Berlin and Hamburg was
cancelled earlier this year due to cost blowouts and substantial delays.
You may not be aware that there are several different maglev systems in
development around the world, in Germany, Japan and the USA.  All these
maglevs are totally incompatible with each other, and totally incompatible
with all other railways and monorails.

As you know, Australia has suffered the legacy of different railway gauges
for over a century.  It is only now that the country is starting to
standardise its railways, to the benefit of the community and the economy.
Why then should Australia introduce a totally new and incompatible system?

Wheel-on-rail high speed trains can and do use existing standard gauge
railways.  Speedrail, for example, would use the existing (and upgraded)
railway between Glenlee Junction and Sydney Terminal via East Hills and
the airport.  A TGV can run anywhere on the CityRail network, such as for
direct services from Canberra to Parramatta via Campbelltown.  A maglev
would require its own incompatible and vastly more expensive guideway,
which is more unsightly than the Darling Harbour monorail, and could not
run anywhere apart from on that guideway.

Maglev is not a new technology.  It was first demonstrated in the 1920s,
and test tracks have existed since the late 1960s.  Wheel-on-rail high
speed trains did not enter development until the 1970s, and now have a
proven track record of 10 to 20 years in several European countries.  The
only maglev to be used in commercial service, at Birmingham Airport in the
UK, closed after 11 years because it was expensive and unreliable.  No
other maglev system in the world has any track record in regular public
transport.

It appears that you have been unfortunately misled into making some
incorrect statements.  Wheel-on-rail technology has proven to reduce air
travel and prevent the need for new or expanded airports. I would urge you
to conduct some very careful research before putting any support behind an
unproven technology.

A copy of this letter has been sent to the Chronicle.

Yours sincerely

[signed]

David Bromage