[LINK] Rail and broadband in place of second Sydney airport

[Tom Worthington]

A very high speed train from Sydney, through Canberra, to Melbourne 
would replace about 75% of flights on one of the worlds busiest air 
corridors. This is not a new or unexplored idea, from a high speed rail 
line proposed in 1981, to a "East Coast Very High Speed Train Scoping 
Study" in 2008. But the mass production of very high speed trains in 
Asia, combined with advances in broadband and environmental pressures, 
make it more feasible.

The Federal and New South Wales Governments are to conduct a joint study
of options for additional airport capacity for Sydney:
<http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/aa/releases/2009/november/aa500_2009.htm>. 


This follows a "National Aviation Policy White Paper", 16 December 2009: 
<http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/aviation/nap/>.

It should be noted that the paper is not just talking about an airport 
and mentions rail transport systems. I suggest that the study should 
look at a train in place of a second Sydney airport. A very high speed 
train from Sydney, through Canberra, to Melbourne would replace about 
75% of flights on one of the worlds busiest air corridors. Provision of 
wireless broadband on the train would allow the passengers to do useful 
work and be entertained. In addition to passengers, a high speed train 
can also carry high high value freight, such as priority mail, currently 
sent by air.

Sydney airport already has two underground stations in place and a 
direct underground line to the Sydney CBD. Work would be needed on the 
rail corridor out of Sydney, but this is relatively minor, with work 
already underway for a rail freight corridor.

Very fast trains are now a proven technology, with China and Korea mass 
producing adaptions of proven European designs.

The cost of the line from Sydney to Melbourne could be covered by the 
sale of land in new greenfield environmentally efficient towns in inland 
Australia. These towns would also reduce the growth pressure on Sydney 
(politically the new towns would be attractive to the current NSW and 
Federal governments as it would shift the voting trends to the ALP in 
previously conservative rural electorates). Integration of the National 
Broadband Network in the new towns would allow rapid provision of 
services and jobs to the new towns and reduce the cost of infrastructure.

New towns could be built along the VFT route incorporating high 
environmental and planning standards. Buildings could be designed to use 
the minimum of water and power, then assembled from mass produced 
modules. Homes could be designed to accommodate the elderly. Broadband 
could bring jobs, education and services to the towns quickly. Both 
government and commercial telecommuting offices could be provided 
allowing office works to telecommute most days and perhaps have to catch 
the train only once every few weeks. Each town could have a university 
campus, as well as a hospital with advanced medical facilities, linked 
by broadband to specalists.

The pressure on Sydney airport will also be reduced in coming years due 
to changes in the aircraft used and environmental pressures. The 
introduction of larger aircraft, specifically the Airbus A380, will 
reduce the number of international aircraft movements needed. Added to 
this the Boeing 787 (and Airbus A350) will allow more direct 
international flights from other Australian airports, reducing the need 
for Sydney to act as a hub. Added to this, the need for reduction in 
greenhouse gas emissions will increase pressure on airlines to have 
aircraft loaded to capacity to increase fuel efficiency. The requirement 
for passengers to pay the environmental cost of their travel will also 
dampen demand for flights.

For a version of this with more links, see my blog: 
<http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2009/12/rail-and-broadband-in-place-of-second.html>.


-- 
Tom Worthington FACS HLM, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
Adjunct Lecturer, The Australian National University t: 02 61255694
Computer Science http://cs.anu.edu.au/people.php?StaffID=140274