30 Sep 2012: SEQ: North Coast Line – Duplicate NCL or risk slower Queensland ...

[ozbob]

Media release 30th September 2012

SEQ: North Coast Line – Duplicate NCL or risk slower Queensland economy

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org), a web-based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers, says Queensland risks a slower economic recovery without joint federal-state cooperation to fund the $2.2 billion duplication of the North Coast Line (NCL) to Nambour, and additional track straightening to Maryborough.

Robert Dow, Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The notion of separate consideration of funding for roads versus rail when it comes to the national transport task has been relegated to history, a fact even acknowledged by a Queensland peak motoring body. The RACQ recognises that duplication of the NCL to Nambour will assist motorists by relieving pressure on the Bruce Highway (1).  Yet the current and former Queensland governments have ceased strategic thinking about rail track investment supporting freight, along the most important transport corridor in the state, since the sell-off of QR National."

"Sensible logistics thinking says that investment should flow to the transport mode that best achieves transport efficiency."

"That is perhaps best summed up by this quote from the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon. Anthony Albanese MP, when he said: 'One 1500 metre freight train can carry the load of 100 semi-trailers, leaving our roads safer and our air cleaner.'  Economic Stimulus Plan; A progress report (2011, p1)."

"RAIL Back On Track agrees with Mr Albanese and seeks the support of communities from Rockhampton to Brisbane for a 'Wheels on Steel' campaign to get more freight on a rail track that needs to be vastly improved, especially south of Nambour, where there is hopeless congestion on road and rail links.  The answer can't be more lanes on the Bruce Highway between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.  Rather, it lies in an acute examination of improved rail freight efficiency, with spin-off benefits for passenger rail, and that means track duplication to Nambour before 2031."

"Crucially, for the rail freight sector in Queensland, other states have passing loops for trains that are 1500m standard length, or longer, while the NCL single track has short passing loops, allowing for trains just 650m long.  Our freight forwarders must live with inefficiency and the relatively high freight rates that result," Mr Dow said.

Jeffrey Addison, Sunshine Coast region spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track said:

"For Queensland, the need to upgrade the Beerburrum-Nambour section of the NCL has been identified in many planning and policy documents, including the SEQ Regional Plan 2005-2026, the SEQ Infrastructure Plan and Program 2005-2026, the Draft TransLink Network Plan 2005, and the Rail Network Strategy for Queensland 2001-2011."

"Federally, it has also been identified by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport and Regional Services (the Neville Committee - 2007, p103)."

"The Neville Report (2007, p128) found that '..the greatest need for Australia is the reconstruction and realignment of the main freight networks.'"

"The NCL stretches 1668km from Brisbane to Cairns and, predominately, is a single track.  Short passing loops – that require freight trains half the length of long super-freighters operating in other states – increase costs for Queensland freight forwarders.  Increasingly, freight is being diverted to road.  This has consequences for road funding and safety, and the amenity of towns through which the Bruce Highway passes."

"The NCL system currently carries in excess of 11 million net tonnes of various products annually." (2).

"The NCL will provide economic benefits to the State by the extension of the rail duplication through the Sunshine Coast, and provide greater freight capacity and quicker transport times for both passengers and freight."

These benefits (cost savings, actually) were outlined in this QR Submission to Productivity Commission by QR Limited, dated 5 July 2006, (3). and aptly sub-titled: Review of the Economic Costs of Freight Infrastructure and Efficient Approaches to Transport Pricing.

The report stated that for an investment of $350 million (~$2012), in 'below rail' works, there would be savings of $500 million (~$2012).
Thus saving $150 million over 20 years. These savings are;

• Extraction of just over 850,000 tonnes of general freight/containerised traffic from road to rail on NCL markets.
• Road accident cost savings of Present Value (PV) $43 million over 20 years.
• Environmental gains valued at PV $23 million over 20 years.
• Road pavement / maintenance savings of PV $94 million over 20 years from reduced heavy truck movements.
• Benefits associated with better transit times, improved service reliability and improved service availability valued at PV $127 million over 20 years.
• Benefits to rail operators and customers valued at PV $143 million over 20 years.
• Potential reductions in rail freight costs in the range of 2% to 6% across NCL markets if gains to "above rail" operators are passed on to customers.
• An increase in GTKs (gross tonne kilometres) on the NCL associated with additional containerised traffic of 34% "over and above" underlying growth.

Mr Addison continued: "Advice to government states that the NCL is expected to have freight growth rates that exceed its capability, with freight growth at more than 3 per cent annually spilling onto the highway as heavy trucks. An under-investment in rail is contributing to Bruce Highway traffic congestion and compromising road safety.  The crash rate for the Bruce Highway is approximately 40 per cent higher than the average of all other major interstate highways, while the fatality rate is at the higher end of the range nationally."

"A report produced jointly by the relevant State and Commonwealth Government departments, the '2007 Brisbane-Cairns Corridor Strategy'(4), exposes the critical need for rail duplication to improve freight passenger services and relieve congestion on the NCL."

"This 2007 Strategy (4) identified seven major strategic issues - first and foremost being 'the efficiency and safety of passenger and freight movement in the section between Brisbane and Gympie'.  Another was 'the competitiveness of the NCL and its capacity to handle long-term growth in freight.'"

"In its analysis under Current Corridor Performance (p7), the strategy says: 'A major current impediment to the corridor's overall performance' is 'rail congestion between Brisbane and Nambour.'" (4).

"Table 3, summarises transport issues in regional centres and tells us (p13), with specific reference to Caboolture, Sunshine Coast and Gympie track sections that 'poor rail track alignment impedes efficient transit times.'" (4).

"Under the heading 'Short Term Priorities' (to 2015) (p19), it recommends to governments that they 'continue the current programme of road and rail works ... aimed at addressing rapid growth on the corridor between Brisbane and Nambour/Gympie.'" This is with reference to increasing rail freight capacity. (4).

"The 'Most Likely Future Scenario', (4, p14) predicts 'up to four per cent a year growth for rail freight'.  On the next page, the report states: 'If freight transport growth was sustained at more than three per cent a year, there is concern that current NCL infrastructure may not enable rail freight to grow at the same rate, thereby resulting in the freight growth over three per cent a year 'spilling over' to road transport.  We see that already happening now."

Non-Bulk Freight Growth, p107,
From Table A.3 Rail and Road expected average annual growth rates, 1999 to 2025. (5).

Corridor              By Rail  By Road
Sydney - Perth      4.4%  3.0%   HIGHEST FREIGHT GROWTH
Brisbane - Cairns   4.2%  4.0%   SECOND HIGHEST FREIGHT GROWTH

"Dr Phillip Laird, of the University of Wollongong NSW, said in a paper presented to the 31st Australian Transport Research Forum: 'The Brisbane-Cairns corridor is a major contributor to Queensland's economic activity.'"

"The Queensland NCL plays an important role in moving freight and passengers within the corridor, and now moves more non-bulk freight (over 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa)) than either the Sydney-Melbourne corridor (1 mtpa by rail as against 11 mtpa by line haul road) or the Sydney-Brisbane corridor (1 mtpa by rail as against over 6 mtpa by line haul road)."

"As noted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport and Regional Services (the Neville Committee - 2007, p103), a submission by the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) also indicated that there is a 'demonstrable need to expedite Caboolture-Landsborough duplication and re-alignment and to start planning for other rail deviations and bridges... on the Brisbane–Townsville route.'"

"The Neville Report (2007, p128) also found that '... the greatest need for Australia is the reconstruction and realignment of the main freight networks.  This would: allow faster speeds and greater axle loads; clear the way for longer trains and double stacked containers; make it possible to reduce the steepness of grades, straighten lines and remove loops; and allow for the elimination of many level crossings.'"

Mr Addison asked: "Why is this avalanche of advice being ignored? It is time for the state and federal government to heed the advice and fund the NCL duplication and freight capacity improvement works."

In summation, Mr Addison said: "Today the single track bottleneck at Beerburrum, and the predominant single track with short crossing loops for the 1668km up to Cairns, stands out as a stark reminder of the failure of federal and state government policy and their joint lack of commitment to funding and construction of Queensland's rail lifeline."

"The NCL remains mostly single track bottlenecks, in this the 21st century. A monumental transport failure that requires immediate action."

Contacts:

Jeff Addison
Sunshine Coast Region Spokesperson for RAIL Back On Track

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

References:

1. Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) http://www.racq.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/86150/RACQ_Motoring_Matters_V5.pdf (p8, bottom 3rd column)

2. http://www.queenslandrail.com.au/NetworkServices/DownloadsandRailSystemMaps/Freight/Pages/NorthCoastLineSystem.aspx.

3. p94, QR Submission to Productivity Commission: http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/48577/sub053.pdf

4. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/publications/files/Bris_Cairns_Corridor_Strategy.pdf

5. Original Source: BTRE (2006), Demand Projections for Auslink Non-Urban Corridors: Methodology and Projections, Working Paper 66, Table 2.16.

[ozbob]

Discussion --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=6647.msg109876#msg109876

[Stillwater]

I wonder what PN and QR National's views are on this?  What feedback are they giving government?  Is government listening?