sign in sign up
<<
Home , Brisbane, Cowan Bank, Inland Rail, Melbourne, Ropes Creek

Eastern Rail Motorway 1

Eastern Australia (freight and passenger) Rail Motorway linking , , and By Peter Egan

1. ROUTE SELECTION page 2 2. SPECIFICATION 18 3. MARKETS 20 4. SERVICE EXAMPLES 34 ‘Rail motorway’ concept "Motorway", in this context, means the railway is fully separated, does not pass through any towns, cities and villages, and links to existing railways. Service points are off the mainline. Trains do not stop on the main line. Freight will move at speeds between 80kmh and 160kmh, with passenger trains able to operate at 200 kmh. A key target is an intercity freight journey faster than by road, and a passenger journey twice as fast as a road journey. The aim of double-track and passenger services is regional development. Thus, the motorway route is selected to pass near, but not through, regional cities and towns – see route maps on the following pages. Rail "motorway" maximises the capability of "conventional" railway that we know well in Australia. It has cost structures similar to railways. It is not high-speed rail, it serves a different market. However, a rail "motorway" will build a market for HSR - likely for the "regional development" model rather than the " competition" model studied by the Commonwealth.

Typical rail motorway infrastructure (overhead power is not end-to-end) Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 2 Section 1 – Rail Motorway route selection The current rail routes between our major cites is the equivalent of a narrow country lane. That the lane passes through every town and village along the route adds to infrastructure and maintenance costs. The east coast of Australia is very rugged - costs for rail line of appropriate speed are extremely high. Appendix 1 shows the impact of the ruggedness on the NSW North Coast line and its unsuitability for a significant performance upgrade. To achieve significantly shorter intercity journey times by rail at reasonable cost requires an inland route. The proposed route between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne is set out in Appendix C. The first phase of the rail ‘motorway’ route is a 1710 km path between the container of Melbourne and Brisbane and a 210 km spur from Blayney to Botany (Sydney). 160 km of the 1920 km is existing track or existing rail corridor. The maps also show the route relative to Commonwealth’s lower cost, lower capability route that makes use of existing infrastructure. Presently, most freight between the east coast and goes via the Sydney-Crystal Brook (180 km north of Adelaide) rail line, or the Melbourne-Adelaide line, and then via the ARTC and WA line to . A second phase of the south east railway could be upgrading the Melbourne-Adelaide- Line to double-track 160 km/h standard. A third phase could be a new cyclone resistant standard gauge double-track railway from Brisbane to . The current route is too close to the coast in many places and prone to washouts and flooding. is more dependent on general freight rail services than the other states. It is proposed that the track base be prepared for 4 tracks and a maintenance vehicle path. This will require a track base platform around 25 metres wide. It is also proposed that the corridor contain space for utilities such as telecom ducts and electricity cables. The aim being to extract the most value from the corridor. The route between Melbourne and Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane will be shorter than the current route, while the Sydney-Brisbane route will be longer. As the corridor will be used for at least 100 years, it is proposed that it be suitable for 160 km/h freight trains with a general maximum of 1% grade as grade has a significant impact on journey time. In mountainous terrain, grades to 2% will be acceptable. The route between Brisbane and will likely use a 200 kmh corridor reserved by the QLD government for rail purposes. The route would have the sidings listed in Table 2 for pick-up and set-down of cars and trucks. It is proposed the track corridor be a space 10 metres high by 30 metres wide to preserve vertical space for track ballast, track, trains and overhead electric power cables and, horizontally, for 4 tracks with 6 metres separation for ‘F’ plate loads (see Appendix D for load diagrams) and special cargos upto 5 metres wide. Space will be required in the track corridor for an access road, signalling, communications, high voltage power for possible future electrification, and corridor customers such as intercity communications cables and perhaps an underground gas pipeline. Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 3

Proposed rail motorway route in relation to the study area

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 4

Proposed rail motorway in relation to the Inland Rail Project

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 5

Indicative Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne 200 km/h rail motorway Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 6

Route includes a 46 km tunnel from Emu Heights to Hartley Vale via Springwood and Blackheath. The tunnel grade will be close to 1.67% (1 in 60). Underground passenger rail stations could be built at Springwood and Blackheath to serve the Mountains. The stations would be respectively 190 metres and 420 metres below ground level and accessed by large lifts. Construction access would be provided at the stations. Indicative 210 km Blayney-Port Botany route

The route utilizes much of the existing rail corridor. Indicative 970 km Port Augusta-South Dynon (Melbourne) rail motorway Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 7

Rail motorway (red) and Inland Rail options – Brisbane-Toowoomba Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 8

Rail motorway (red) and Inland Rail options – Moree- Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 9

Rail motorway (red) and Inland Rail options – Young-Seymour Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 10

Indicative East Australia rail ‘motorway’ relative to Federal electorates Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 11

Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne route details Location Cumulative Existing Corridor New Corridor Journey time distance sector distance sector distance hrs @100kmh km km km Brisbane-Blayney-Melbourne Brisbane Port 0 Ridge IMT 33 33 Kagaru 66 33 Willowbank (near drag strip) 102 36 Laidley 130 28 Toowoomba Range tunnel portal 178 48 Toowoomba tunnel 183 5 (tunnel) QLD border 382 199 QLD total 66 321 387 Pallamallawa (Moree) 484 102 – east 585 101 Dubbo – east via Boggabri 875 290 via Baradine 275 Orange – west 1005 130 Blayney junction 1030 0 25 648 (QLD border) Cowra – west 1095 65 Temora jctn – well east 1195 100 – west junction 1248 53 – west jctn 1286 38 NSW border 1402 116 West NSW total 0 1020 1020 – west junction 1406 4 – east jctn 1526 120 Seymour – west 1600 74 Kilmore – west 1633 33 Wallan (junction existing) 1652 19 Cragieburn 1672 20 Somerton terminals 1676 4 South Dynon IMT 1705 29 675 (Blayney jcn) (Melbourne port) VIC total 53 250 303 Sydney-Blayney Port Botany 0 Enfield IMT 8 8 Leightonfield Station 28 20 Eastern Creek IMT (prop) 47 19 Western Line () 52 5 Western Line (Mulgoa Rd) 62 10 Emu Heights tunnel portal 66 4 (Nepean Rr floodplain viaduct) Wedmore Rd Springwood Station 75 9 (tunnel) Blackheath Station 102 27 (tunnel) Little Hartley tunnel portal 111 10 (tunnel) (46 km tunnel) Sodwalls loop junctions 133 22 Blayney junction 211 78 Sydney-Blayney total 38 173 211 NSW total 38 1193 1231 QLD-NSW-VIC total 157 1764 1921 Port Brisbane – Port Botany 104 1133 1237 13 hrs Port Brisbane – South Dynon IMT 119 1591 1710 18 hrs Port Botany –South Dynon IMT 91 795 886 9.5 hrs Acacia Ridge IMT – Enfield IMT 63 1133 1196 12.5 hrs South Dynon IMT – Enfield IMT 83 795 878 9.2 hrs Acacia Ridge IMT – Eastern Ck IMT 43 1114 1157 11.5 hrs Acacia Ridge IMT – Somerton IMT 62 1591 1653 16.5 hrs Somerton IMT – Eastern Ck IMT 34 776 810 8.0 hrs Willowbank IMT – Eastern Ck IMT 10 1078 1088 11 hrs Willowbank IMT – Somerton IMT 24 1555 1579 16 hrs Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 12

2015-2024 Sydney Metropolitan Freight Strategy projects overview and the ‘rail motorway’ Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 13

Sydney Rail Freight Corridors with Rail Motorway corridor in red Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 14

Sydney freight activity precincts with rail motorway marked in red

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 15

Victorian and freight infrastructure

Victorian rail freight infrastructure upgrade and Rail Motorway Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 16

Melbourne – national rail network lines Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 17

Brisbane – national rail network lines Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 18

Section 2 – Rail motorway track specification Inland rail specification modified for Rail Motorway (red changes)

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 19

The proposed corridor clear of infrastructure is 10 metres high by 30 metres wide to allow for an eventual 4 tracks, overhead electrification infrastructure, and rails, sleepers and ballast. The rail motorway track centreline separation is 6 metres, with 3 metres from centreline side clearance to allow specialist cargo loads 5 metres wide. The corridor also include space for a maintenance vehicle path and space for underground utilities such as intercity telecom mains and gas pipes. Plate ‘F’ vehicle – largest class standardised – suitable for double-stacked containers Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 20 Section 3 - Markets Existing Coast freight flows Rail has virtually all the bulk commodity cargos – coal, other minerals and grain. It has a small share of palletised and container cargo between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 21

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 22

This diagram gives a visual indication of the Melbourne-Brisbane freight market served by the Newel Hwy relative to freight flows to and from Sydney Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 23

This map from TfNSW shows the influence of state capitals on NSW. It is an indicator of the to which regional cities look to for goods and services. Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 24

Intercity freight The figure below shows rail having a 30% cost advantage on the Brisbane-Melbourne route despite the slow service offered relative to trucks.

A key aim of the project is an intercity freight journey time faster than by road. Trucks appear to average 80 kmh on intercity motorways. The aim is for trains to average 100 km/h with average general freight speed rising over time to 120 km/h – modern freight trains are capable of 160 km/h on reasonably flat terrain and downhill. The UK-France Channel Tunnel train paths are based on freight trains passing through the tunnel at 140 kmh. Appendix H has a typical track specification.. Rail has 80% of the east coast to west coast general freight market. The aim is to capture 80% of the Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide general freight market in addition to the bulk and heavy goods market already held by rail. In the , the Class 1 railroads carry virtually all the long-distance general freight along the corridors in which they operate. Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 25

One estimate says 90 per cent of Sydney-Melbourne freight is moved by road, on about 3,000 trucks each day – 30 to 50 trains worth. Demand is not spread evenly throughout the day. However, demand is currently sufficient to support a minimum hourly service across the day. The Rail Motorway would offer the service times given in Table 1. Table 1 – Indicative journey times and distances for proposed freight rail ‘motorway’ Route Distance Road Rail Inland Existing Motorway Rail Rail km hours hours hours hours Somerton VIC – Eastern Ck NSW 810 10 8 Willowbank QLD – Eastern Ck NSW 1090 14 11 Willowbank QLD – Somerton VIC 1580 21 16 24 Ravenhall VIC – Gawler SA 750 9 7 Intercity passenger trains While limited to about 200 km/h on the ‘rail motorway’, intercity passenger services are crucial for regional development. For example, in NSW, Bathurst (140 km, ~1 hour), Orange (190 km, 1.3 hours) and Dubbo (320 km, 2 hours) were served by such a railway, they would be within commuting distance of Parramatta. Services not available locally, become available on a daily basis – encouraging people and businesses to relocate to the more affordable Central West. Two types of services will likely be offered – communities within two hours of a capital city and hourly services between the capital cities including regional towns and cities along the route. Electric only passenger trains can operate where track has been electrified. Grid-scale battery technology now allows automated ‘drone’ battery cars to power electric passenger trains and electric freight locomotives away from overhead wire power circuits. Agricultural market The proposed route passes through south-east Australia’s grain belt whose rail infrastructure is directed at particular ports. The new rail line will enable the aggregation of speciality agricultural products at a location determined by the customer rather than the infrastructure. GrainCorp is reducing the number of its country grain terminals, but will use rail to more of the crop in an effort to reduce costs. The new line will support containerised grain transport. Minerals market Iron ore and coal volumes need a dedicated railway. Higher value, lower volume minerals will have greater choice of ports and local processing plants. Other utilities in corridor A new corridor presents the opportunity for other utilities to lease space in the corridor that would not be viable on a stand-alone basis. Interlinking of the Queensland, NSW and Victorian natural gas trunk mains is an opportunity. Telecom and electricity are another opportunity, however, a major accident with one utility could put other infrastructure out of service. Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 26

Subject to adequate safety measures, other utilities may use the corridor to bring extra value to the project. Opportunities to carry freight from ports to IMTs in metro area Ports operate 24 hours per day and container movements must occur 24 hours per day due to freight volumes. Yet, due to the AM and PM peaks and non-business hours, it is not efficient for businesses to deliver to, or take deliveries from, ports 24 hours per day – see TfNSW graph over page. There are considerable cost advantages to businesses to buffer the movement of containers at an intermodal terminal connected to the port by rail. It also means more efficient use of the public infrastructure that is our roads. Qube and MIC have entered into a period of negotiation to develop a joint IMT at Moorebank – see Appendices H, I and J. This location is not suitable for many businesses. The Eastern Creek terminal site alongside the TfNSW freight rail corridor between Villawood and St Mary’s is a better location for many customers. It is the intent of this proposal that the consortium assembled for this east coast rail project develop the Eastern Creek corridor and terminal site, and develop similar terminals at Willowbank west of Brisbane and Somerton in Melbourne’s northern to provide both port to metro area and intercity services. The terminals would include shuttle train loading facilities similar to the EuroTunnel facilities at Folkestone and Calais. The Enfield terminal will serve locations in the metropolitan east. Another terminal in Sydney’s west could be developed in the St Marys-Ropes Creek industrial area if Eastern Creek is too small. A Shipping Australia report, "Metropolitan Intermodal Terminal Study (SAL, 2011), summarised, the costs of a moving a 20-foot container from the Port to its first leg end point – see table. Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 27

Costs of moving a 20-foot container from Port Botany to its first leg end point PATTERN Time (hours) Container Rate ($) 20 ft box direct, by road, then to container park 4.58 458 20 ft box by road to depot, then to container park 4.91 634 20 ft box by rail to IMT thence road to customer and later to park - 476 Rail is already competitive by SAL's numbers and relative changes will occur as land-side and road/rail systems improve.

2015-2024 Sydney Metropolitan Freight Strategy Road V Rail costs Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 28

Time of day demand for freight services

TfNSW Efficient road freight delivery hours Sydney Freight market

Sydney Ports Corporation, Logistics Review 2010/11 Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 29

Supply chain opportunities

International container movements

Essential for a rail motorway that it serves the major container ports of NSW, VIC, QLD and SA Port Botany – Ship-rail intermodal transfer Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 30

Rail motorway permits agricultural product sales via ports from Queensland to SA (red)

Meat processing chain – rail freight opportunity once packaged Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 31

Presently, this grain is carried to dedicated cites and ports for processing or export. The rail motorway will create many more opportunities for cargo aggregation and export. Semi-permanent bulk intermodal facility for grain

Permanent bulk intermodal facility for grain Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 32

Grain is shifting to containers for direct sale of quality product to customers

Processed cotton fibre being loaded for despatch for sale. At the sale warehouse it will be packed in containers for the journey to fabric manufacturers Agricultural product despatched for sale Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 33

Cargos (Fruit and Veg) and trucks that could be carried by the rail motorway. Potential cargo

This fleet, and others like it from DHL, etc., that carry parcels interstate, represent key opportunities for the proposed interstate rail line. Potential customer Australia Post Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 34 Section 4 – Rail freight service examples This section gives a visual representation of rail freight services available in Australia and other countries.

Double-stacking of often lightly loaded containers is a more efficient use of a train Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 35

A forklift can directly move a container from a truck to train and vice versa Intermodal transfer Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 36

Lower volume rural IMTs are cheaper to build and operate Intermodal terminal at a country location

Sdggmiss two-section pocket wagon which had to be approved for operation on RFF tracks in France and over HS1 in the UK. The train carried a pair of ‘megatrailers’ provided by Dutch carrier Ewals Cargo Care, loaded with automotive components for Vauxhall Europorte Channel ‘piggy back’ trial Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 37

Container transfer from truck to train

Car carrier - A new rail corridor creates opportunity for high staking of cargos Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 38

Carrier for ‘piggy-backed’ trailer of semi-trailer rig

Unaccompanied trailer ready for ‘piggy-backing’ Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 39

Trains can carry trucks and their cargos to reduce door-to-door journey times

‘Roll-on – roll-off truck carrier – Poland Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 40

Eurotunnel service examples

Eurotunnel Folkestone – car and truck loading yard

Eurotunnel Calais – car and truck loading yard

Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 41

Eurotunnel ‘rolling’ road truck carrier

Eurotunnel ‘rolling’ road truck carrier Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 42

Eurotunnel high vehicle carrier

Eurotunnel car carrier with stairs to passenger facilities Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 43

Eurotunnel car carrier with upstairs space for car passengers Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 44

Intercity passenger trains serving European markets

Siemens-Bombardier IC4 – Germany – 250 kmh intercity electric train

Alstom Regiolis – France – Intercity electric train

Stadler FLIRT – Norway – intercity electric train

Bombardier Regio 2N – France – intercity electric train Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 45

Appendix 1 – Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor analysis by Philip Laird Sydney - Brisbane Land Transport Philip G. Laird (Univ. of ) 3 The present Sydney - Brisbane rail corridor As noted in the draft corridor strategy, there are severe constraints on the Sydney to Broadmeadow line. The Maitland - was considered in 1989 in a consultants report for the State Rail Authority as a candidate for closure and in 1994 was noted by the National Transport Planning Taskforce to be the 'weakest link' of all interstate lines in Australia. At present, freight trains average only 50 km per hour, due to excessive 'dwell time' waiting at sidings etc, plus excessive length and poor alignment. Together with Sydney - Melbourne, the Sydney - Brisbane track was rated as F (Inadequate for current and future needs) by Engineers Australia (2001). The present Sydney - Brisbane rail link was completed in 1932 through Maitland, Grafton and . The Maitland to Kyogle rail track is basically a string of branch lines built to steam age alignment and joined together in the early twentieth century. Some details are given in Table 3. By 1905 only the Grafton - Casino - section was in place. By 1915, this section had been complemented by four further branch lines, all built to a very basic standard with a ‘steam age’ alignment that has excessive tight radius curvature and numerous speed restrictions. The various NSW linking sections completed by 1923 were also built to a basic standard. The Kyogle - Qld Border (completed in 1930 to link standard gauge to South Brisbane) was also on ‘steam age’ alignment complete with a spiral loop. Table 3 – North Coast Line Section Year completed Maitland - Dungog 1911 Dungog - 1913 Taree – Wauchope 1915 Wauchope – Kempsey 1917 Kempsey – Macksville 1919 Macksville – Raleigh 1923 Raleigh – 1915 Coffs Harbour – Glenreagh 1922 Glenreagh – South Grafton 1915 Grafton – Casino 1905 Casino – Kyogle 1910 Kyogle – Queensland Border 1930 Reference: Quinlan and Newland (2000). Note: Mullumbimby – Lismore 1894, Lismore - Casino 1903 Grafton Bridge 1932 Table 4 Aggregate lengths of Strathfield - Acacia Ridge rail track with tight curves, number of circles traversed, and steep grades on tight curves Section of Track Length Tight curves Number of Circles Steep grades circles per on tight curves km km 100 km km km Strathfield - Maitland 181 57 27 15 14 Maitland - Grafton 506 237 111 22 0 Grafton - Acacia Ridge 274 102 39 14 14 Total 962 396 177 18 28 Note: Worst Main South section is Junee - Goulburn 15 Table 5 Curvature of radius less than 800 metres 47 per cent Maitland - Grafton track 3 per cent Melbourne - Perth "East - West" rail corridor, with its easier terrain and better standards Reference: Laird (1998). Number of circles added. Compiled from rail system computer file data with aggregate data rounded to 100 metres. Data is qualified and for track as at end of 1996.Tight curves refers to curves of less than 800 m radius and steep grades are those with a grade of less than 1 in 66. The only grade and curve easing since 1930 known to this writer took place in the mid 1990s as part of the Keating Government's ‘One Nation’ programme. This was in two locations north of Grafton. Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 46

Using computer track file data which gives at 10 metre intervals the grade and the radius of any curve, it is possible to calculate the angle subtended by each curve on the track. Adding these angles gives the number of circles as in Table 4. It can be seen that a train moving between Sydney and Brisbane negotiates a total of about 177 circles – some 88.5 to the left and 88.5 to the right. This reflects the original ‘Branch Line’ status of most of this 'long and winding' track. The corresponding number of total circles for Sydney to Melbourne is 72 and averaging 8 circles per 100 km. The worst Main South section is Junee - Goulburn with 15 circles per 100 km. No less than 47 per cent of the Maitland - Grafton track has curvature of radius less than 800 metres. The corresponding percentage for the Melbourne- Perth "East - West" rail corridor, with its easier terrain and better standards, is 3 per cent. At the conclusion of this work by the ARTC by 2009, transit times from Sydney to Brisbane for 1500 metre superfreighters are estimated to decrease by nearly 4 hours from 19 hours 22 minutes to 15 hours 30 minutes. This compares with about 11 hours and 15 minutes for road transport. On time reliability for interstate rail transport is also is also expected to improve from only 40-45 per cent on the Sydney to Brisbane corridor (within 15 minutes of scheduled departure) whilst the comparable figure for road is above 95 per cent (DOTARS, 2007, p14). It is of note that much of the ARTC track upgrading is being funded from its own sources. Other work underway to improve rail on the Sydney to Brisbane corridor, as noted in the draft strategy (DOTARS, 2007, page 14) includes: RailCorp Clearways Projects with platforms to allow freight and inter-city trains to by-pass terminating passenger trains at Berowra (completed) and Hornsby (under construction); Acacia Ridge grade separation at Beaudesert Road approaches to Acacia Ridge intermodal terminal (under way); and, certain Valley Rail upgrades, including the Sandate flyover completed in late 2006. Despite this work, the draft strategy (DOTARS, 2007, page 14) notes that "The rail network is heavily capacity constrained for freight services, particularly between Sydney and Newcastle, where freight services share the track with commuter and long-distance passenger services. Freight trains are timetabled outside of the morning and evening peaks due to the priority given to passenger trains. ... In addition, performance issues also arise from track curvature, alignment and gradients which limit capacity and wheel loads of trains, and there are several bridges with structural deficiencies. .... Steep hills to the north of Sydney at also make it difficult for freight trains as their heavier loads mean they travel more slowly than commuter trains and their greater length adds to line congestion.” In looking to 2030, the draft strategy (DOTARS, 2007 (page 14) notes that " Train paths on the rail corridor, presuming it continues to serve Melbourne to Brisbane, will be limited because of the single track north of Maitland, conflicts with passenger trains in Sydney and Newcastle and, in northern Sydney, track congestion, gradients and environmental limitations like National Parks and waterways. Insufficient intermodal capacity in Sydney and Brisbane also needs to be addressed in the early part of the strategy period." 4 A 2009 -14 Sydney Brisbane corridor upgrade programme As noted above, it is a priority of both the Federal and NSW Government to complete a Pacific Highway by 2016. The use of tolls for some upgrades would not only expedite this work and assist with vehicle use demand management but also complement the approach where part of the Maitland - Brisbane rail track upgrading is paid for by those who consign freight by rail. This is opposed to the situation where there is some debate on recovery of road system costs from heavy trucks, with under-recovery from 9 axle B-Doubles being $23,000 per year (Productivity Commission, 2006, Table 5.3, page 125). Regarding the Sydney – Brisbane railway, it is necessary to note a somewhat negative view for further track upgrading past the present work as noted by a North South Rail Corridor Study (DOTARS, 2006a, Chapter 1, p16). "Further infrastructure investment beyond the current ARTC program does not indicate substantial additional benefits in terms of either significantly reduced transit time or greater demand. The Study Team analysis suggests that the current problems associated with congestion north of Sydney can not be easily or cost effectively addressed." A different perspective was taken by Mr Paul Neville MP as the HORSCTRS Chair (Australian Broadcasting Commission, 2007) "We know that the freight task is going to double in the next 20 years, and because of that, our roads will become totally and utterly congested if we don't do something serious about rail in that time. I'm saying if we're not progressing rail in parallel with road, in other words if rail doesn't really catch up, all we're doing is exacerbating the amount of freight that will go on the newly upgraded roads, and that would be ones like the Highway and Highway." Eastern Australia Rail Motorway 47

Both Australia and overseas experience demonstrate that rail deviations built to modern engineering standards give wide ranging benefits. By way of example (Laird, 2006), gauge standardisation between Perth and in the 1960s included a new section with high clearances and easy ruling grades replacing an older section with steep ruling grades and poor alignment. This assisted in reducing freight train times from 31 hours to 13 hours. Track distance 650 km – direct distance 550 km. Train speed average 50 kmh. Direct distance average 42.3 km/h Today, as noted by ARTC, rail wins 81 per cent of interstate freight in and out of Perth on the East – West corridor (as opposed to rail’s 12 per cent share of Sydney – Brisbane intercapital freight as noted in Section 4.3). Rail’s high on the East – West corridor would be simply impossible on the old track. This high modal share is also due to Australian National’s concrete resleepering in (1978-95) and the Melbourne Adelaide Rail Standardisation (MARS) project (1992-95). The strong growth on the East - West corridor would not have been possible without the major initiatives that were supported with some Federal funds. The little or no growth of rail freight on the North - South corridor, linking Australia’s three largest cities, in part reflects the substandard track. A further factor is rebuilding in recent decades the Hume and Pacific Highways at a cost exceeding $10 billion to 2007 in current terms. Extensive track straightening extending for over 160 km in many locations between Brisbane and Cairns was undertaken by the from 1986 to 1996 as part of its Mainline Electrification and its Mainline Upgrade (MLU) programmes. As noted above, two small rail deviations north of Grafton at Lawrence Road and Rappville were completed in mid 1995. The combined length of the two deviations was 9.8 km which was 0.9 km shorter than that of the original track. The older track alignment with 1 in 50 grades and many tight radius curves was replaced by improved track with 1 in 70 ruling grades. The net result, with both deviations, was a saving of about 5 minutes in time, along with reduced fuel use and maintenance costs. The average cost of the two deviations, including new or extended crossing loops, was about $1.3 million per kilometre. The White Paper (DOTARS, 2004 p37) refers to “…building deviations at 14 locations, totalling 121 kilometres, to ease curves on the North Coast railway between Newcastle and Brisbane ($158 million)." A special allocation of $450m to the ARTC, with a reference to projects such as “to straighten out the track” was cited by the Treasurer in his May 2004 Federal budget speech. $1.31 mill/km An ARTC report in circulation during February 2005 noted potential rail deviations including those listed in Table 5. The total cost of the 8 deviations was estimated at about $900m and the total time saving was just over two hours. Table 5 – ARTC 2005 North Coast rail deviations - ranked in order Location of Existing Cost Time saving (min) Start km Distance km $m Nambucca Heads - Bonville 565.1 31.4 39 8.8 Taree - Johns River 383.3 34.5 76 12.5 Taree North Bypass 375 7.9 20 3.2 Tamban - Nambucca Heads 520.6 44.5 118 17.5 Kundabung -Tamban 487.2 33.4 72 10.1 Fassifern - Hexham 142.3 33.2 123 16.5 Rossgien - Point 439.1 34.9 86 10.8 Hexham - Stroud Road 176.5 93.5 361 43 Totals 313.3 895 122.4 Average cost of single track $2.86 mill/km Reference: (ARTC 2005) Some rounding has taken place. The list was compiled from a detailed examination of all potential deviations.