Re: Road and Rail Funding

[patrick_dunford@caverock.net.nz (Patrick Dunford)]

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Behold, on Mon, 28 Jun 1999 23:35:24 GMT in
misc.transport.rail.australia-nz:<mauried.344.377806BC@commslab.gov.au>,
Maurie Daly (mauried@commslab.gov.au) didst uttereth:

>In article <3777F471.51FD@REMOVEiprolink.co.nz> David McLoughlin
<davemcl@REMOVEiprolink.co.nz> writes:
>>Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:17:21 +1200
>>From: David McLoughlin <davemcl@REMOVEiprolink.co.nz>
>>Subject: Re: Road and Rail Funding
>
>>Patrick Dunford wrote:
>
>>> Trains have to go on railway lines. The construction costs of these lines
are
>>> massive. Therefore I am definitely challenging the implication that it is
>>> cheaper to run a train. When was the last time a new railway line was
built
>>> in NZ? Tranz Rail will not do it unless they can be sure of getting
enough
>>> traffic. Just being able to compete over a route is not necessarily
enough.
>>>
>>> Most of the network that exists today was built by the State (as public
>>> works, etc) and was not compelled to operate profitably. OK so the roads
at
>>> present are not compelled to operate profitably either but at least it is
>>> possible to show that the running costs of a railway are not trivial.
>
>>Ahem I was talking about public transport -- trams and trains -- in
>>cities. The cost of building a tram line or an electric train line as
>>urban public transport in a city is much less per kilometre than
>>building a freeway, but nobody moans about the cost of freeways, all the
>>criticism is on the much lower cost of a tram or train line.
>
>>David McLoughlin
>>Auckland New Zealand
>
>
>I cant comment on the New Zealand situation but here in Australia the costs
of 
>Railway Line construction are far cheaper then road.
>For example the Darwin to Alice Springs Rail line is estimated to cost
approx 
>$1 million per km , which gives 60 kg/M rail on concrete, ie a very high 
>quality rail line.
>A similar size road project being undertaken at the moment is the 
>reconstruction of the Pacific Highway between Maitland & the NSW / Qld
border.
>This project , which simply involves the upgrading of the existing road to 4

>lane freeway status is costing from $4 Million per km up to $10 Million per
km.
>A lot of this cost is to support the heavier gross weight of B double
trucks.

A four lane road can carry four lanes of traffic simultaneously. A single
railway line can only carry one, in effect. 

What is the terrain like on this Darwin - Alice Springs route? How flat is
it? How many rivers are there?

In hilly country the road can go over while the railway must be put through
tunnels at considerable expense. Major civil engineering works are typically
required to achieve acceptable curvature and gradient for railway lines;
roads aren't often subject to the same constraints.

>These figures are available from DOTs Web Site.
>
>The railway if we assume 1800 M crossing loops at 25 km spacings can carry
up 
>to 40 trains per day of 5000 tonnes gross.
>To carry the same tonnage by road requires 6000 semi-trailers per day or one

>every 15 seconds .
>Its pretty obvious which solution is the best.

Only for freight traffic. Trains cannot replace private motor vehicles.

- -- 
Patrick Dunford, Christchurch, NZ
http://patrick.dunford.com/ 
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