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Fast rail proposals

Started by ozbob, September 20, 2017, 15:35:18 PM

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ozbob

Media Release:

http://paulfletcher.com.au/media-centre/media-releases/item/2029-media-release-government-on-the-hunt-for-fresh-fast-rail-proposals.html

Government on the hunt for fresh fast rail proposals

High-quality proposals are now being sought for the development of business cases to bring faster rail to Australian urban and regional areas.

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester and Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher were on the New South Wales Central Coast today to launch the Faster Rail Prospectus, which will start the process of bidding to build faster rail services.

The announcement follows a $20 million commitment by the Turnbull Government to investigate Faster Rail options in the 2017-18 Budget.

"For the many commuters in regional and outer urban areas, faster rail has the potential to have a significant impact on their quality of life by allowing them to spend more time at home, and less time travelling," Mr Chester said.

"This initiative will explore improvements to the rail connections between our cities and surrounding regional areas through $20 million in funding to support the development of business cases."

Minister Fletcher said the prospectus began the call for proposals process, with the Australian Government seeking business cases that demonstrate faster rail travel times through new or upgraded rail infrastructure, continuing its commitment to investment in high-quality rail infrastructure.

"In addition, business cases must outline initiatives that will increase housing choices by opening up regional areas, encourage job and career opportunities, and improve access to specialist services for people in regional areas, as well as major events," Mr Fletcher said.

"Proposals are open for application to both state governments and the private sector, including consortia arrangements, with submissions for high-level Stage 1 proposals closing on 13 October 2017. Ultimately, the best three proposals will receive Australian Government co-funding towards business case development, with the final business cases then progressing to Infrastructure Australia for assessment.

"I am looking forward to seeing which of these proposals progress to this final stage, and to working with stakeholders over coming years as we roll-out our $20 billion investment in rail infrastructure that was announced in the 2017-18 Budget, including the commitment to invest ten billion dollars over ten years under the National Rail Program."

For more information on this significant rail investment, visit http://investment.infrastructure.gov.au/.
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ozbob

#1
Note this is ' fast rail '  what we would describe as regional rapid rail.

I think there is a case for the Sunshine Coast Line here.

Upgraded line and fast tilt trains Sydney <> Canberra type of thing.

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ozbob

Sent to all outlets:

21st September 2017

Regional Rapid Rail - an opportunity presents for Queensland

Good Morning,

Couriermail has continued the theme of Future Brisbane with another piece this morning:

Couriermail --> Opinion: Brisbane's future liveability linked to its connections to the Gold and Sunshine Coasts

" ... For Brisbane to retain its position on the list, the connectedness of the two coasts needs to be addressed.

While a short-term solution may be to build more roads, that's unlikely to provide a long-term solution as the nature of car ownership will surely change in the future. High-speed rail connections are essential and once the heavy rail and the Gold Coast trams are linked, it will spur the Gold Coast's development even further. ..."


A point we have made constantly.  Fast rail, or what we believe is a better descriptor: Regional Rapid Rail as we have previously proposed to connect the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast is very achievable [ Regional Rapid Rail link discussion
> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12393.0 ].

We are not talking about pie-in-the-sky Magnetic Levitation or Hyper-loop dreams but running 160-200 km/h heavy rail services through upgraded track and use of electric tilt trains - something that Queensland already delivers in part.  There is an affordable upgrade path to deliver this.

Cross River Rail will provide the key link to the north and south.  A new track alignment from Park Road to south of Beenleigh, continuing on from Cross River Rail for a fast service is needed. To the north from Cross River Rail a new connection to the northern line is achieved by connection with the North West Transport Corridor thence onto the main northern line.  Upgrades between Beerburrum to Nambour are also needed, and in fact these should begin now.

Yesterday, the Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher released a media statement: Government on the hunt for fresh fast rail proposals
[ http://paulfletcher.com.au/media-centre/media-releases/item/2029-media-release-government-on-the-hunt-for-fresh-fast-rail-proposals.html ]

" ... For the many commuters in regional and outer urban areas, faster rail has the potential to have a significant impact on their quality of life by allowing them to spend more time at home, and less time travelling," Mr Chester said.

"This initiative will explore improvements to the rail connections between our cities and surrounding regional areas through $20 million in funding to support the development of business cases."

Minister Fletcher said the prospectus began the call for proposals process, with the Australian Government seeking business cases that demonstrate faster rail travel times through new or upgraded rail infrastructure, continuing its commitment to investment in high-quality rail infrastructure.

"In addition, business cases must outline initiatives that will increase housing choices by opening up regional areas, encourage job and career opportunities, and improve access to specialist services for people in regional areas, as well as major events," Mr Fletcher said. ..."


Now is the hour.  The Queensland Government through its appropriate agencies should submit proposals for Regional Rapid Rail upgrades now as an urgent priority.  First on the list must be the upgrade of the Sunshine Coast line between Beerburrum and Nambour.

Best wishes,

Robert

Robert Dow
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RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org
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ozbob

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verbatim9

ABC News -----> http://amp.abc.net.au/article/9833800

QuoteFast rail could turn Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle into 'mega region'



By Meredith Griffiths and Bellinda Kontominas

Posted7 hours ago, updated7 hours ago



IMAGEA fast rail, like those in China's mega-regions, could create better links in NSW.(Reuters)

A fast train network connecting greater Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle as a "mega region" could create more than 10,000 new jobs, according to a new report.

A planning lobby group, the Committee for Sydney, said such a rail network could slash the commutes from Gosford to Sydney, and from Wollongong to Liverpool, by half.

The report said even a moderately fast rail network, which reaches speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, could connect Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong with western Sydney in less than one hour.

ConnectionCurrent speedNew speedNewcastle to Gosford66 minutes35 minutesGosford to Sydney80 minutes40 minutesNewcastle direct to Parramatta (missing the Central Coast)153 minutes60 minutesWollongong to Sydney CBD85 minutes60 minutesWollongong to Liverpool via Campbelltown124 minutes60 minutes

Housing affordability to improve

Building new housing along such rail corridors could take the pressure off the Sydney housing market, the report said.

The Committee for Sydney has spent a year investigating the potential of improving links between Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong in what it is describing as a "mega-region".

It estimates that if an extra 40,000 homes were built along the new rail corridors, that could deliver more than $75 billion of housing affordability improvements.

It also said such a rail network could create 4,725 new jobs for Wollongong, 3,875 for Gosford and 3,225 for Newcastle.

The Committee is calling this interconnected area "the Sandstone mega-region".

It is following the lead of mega-regions in the Netherlands and south-east China, which it said has delivered improved economic and social outcomes for their communities.

The Committee said the area covered by the mega-region is already home to more than 70 per cent of the state's population and nearly 25 per cent of the national population.






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