Re: Electrification of the rail north of Broadmeadows?

[Michael Walker <walker@hotkey.net.au>]

> also the Spark must  return to Warragul  again the shift in
> population beyond Pakenham will make this happen (??).

But the issue of ownership of assets will stop it. (ie do the privatised
Vline Passenger own the electrified (for how much longer?) track between
Pakenham and Warragul or the privatised Bayside Rail (at last report the
government were going to sell tracks as well as trains and fixed assets
although they have already changed their minds a few times now))

> Sunbury & Geelong lines will also need electrification plus the Yarra Glen
> along with the Whittlesea line.  Will need to be  looked at in the near
> future  again due to  population  pressure.

True but again do VP own St Albans to Sunbury or Bayside Rail? Geelong
hasn't even been mentioned for electrification for a number of years
now, even though it would provide a new growth corridor and probably
needs it almost more than any other place. Indeed the current Geelong
peak hour service is comparable to many other electrified rail lines and
in some cases better. I guess the reason it won't happen is simply the
large capital cost involved in aligning the track to suit electric
trains, the overhead, the new trains required, etc.

  Why not try a sprinter between
> Williamstown,Newport,Sunshine,Albion,Broadmedows and may be on to
> Craigieburn for a trail period ( not in the holiday season) to see if it
> works.
> The main  problem I see with rail travel in the suburbs is the lack of
> cross country rail links  eg how does one travel from Oak park to
> Heidelberg by rail  apart from going in to the City and out again.  The
> lost of Clinton Hill ,Royal Park loop years a go has put end to it.     I
> remember a few years back standing at Flinders St  watching a  spark for St
> Albans  changing its destinations sign  and up pop Melton & Sunbury signs
> (Hmmmmmm).
> 
Even more tragic is the loss of the Outer Circle railway at the turn of
the century and the slow removal of the alignment (eg Chandler Highway
bridge through Kew past Harp road is getting harder to set the railway
back up again with all the road realignments over the last ten years).
This would still be an ideal cross country route for inner suburbia
which would probably help revitalise inner suburban land use and
commercial centres which have slowly decreased in importance relative to
the large shopping centres, especially Camberwell. Potentially you could
connect in Chadstone via a short tunnel under the shopping centre which
would ease traffic congestion and encourage more shoppers to use it as
people from further away could get there quicker. It is all a dream
though as the money will never come for it, it would cause problems with
the Bayside / Hillside split and cause bureaucratic nightmares
negotiating with all of the local councils. The only people who it would
benefit anyway would be train travellers and the government already sees
more votes in motorists and buying expensive road upgrades for them than
any votes from commuters by cheaper rail improvements. (I believe it
costs the same to build an electrified railway per km as it does a
freeway only the railway can carry more people and has only 10%-20% of
the land use requirement)