Fast trains
It has been rumoured, initial project commenced, planned timetabled etc for a fast train service between Sydney and Melbourne. The Sydney/Melbourne air corridor is the second busiest in the world, with something like 50 flights (767's and Airbus) each day each way between to two. (3 airlines plus internationals (747's)). The flight used to be 55mins 15 years ago, but is now 1hr 20min due to traffic congestion etc. It gets rasied every 6 months or so, when some politician wants some credos, or a construction/engineering co wants some free publicity. It will never be built.
The fast train proposal was to reduce the current 11 hour train trip (2 each way each day) which uses the British "Intercity 125" technology from the early 80's, on 1960's track, down to about 4 hours using the French TGV technology, or the Swedish "tilt" train, with a train every hour. The project involved building a complete new line.
Most of the Sydney/Melbourne air traffic is business commuters. These business commuters (me included) will not use the train for the following reasons:
You have 1 - 2 days business in Melbourne. You can catch the 6 - 7am flight and be in town around 9am for a full days business. Leave at 6pm and be home around 8pm.
Should you catch the train, you would need to catch the 3 - 4am train to be in Melbourne for 9am, and leave at 6pm, you wouldn't be home till nearly midnight. Of course, you could catch the train the day before, but that would involve accom expenses for the company, and a wasted day/afternoon travelling, effectively doubling the time taken to do a day's business in Melbourne. Of course you could catch the train the evening before, but what good is it to be dumped in Melbourne at, say 1am??
You can fly Sydney/Melbourne for as little as $160 AUS return ($80 US). SYdney/Melburne is a distance of about 1050kms (650 miles by road). These are pre advanced discount bookings of course. The standard "roll up" fare is about $450 AUS return.
The current train patronage is old age pensioners that get a free train trip annually as part of their pension. This is about 50% of the train patronage. The rest is backpackers, that have the time and the need to "look around". The standard train fare is about $150 one way. ($300 return). No discount travel is provided for. Two 7 car XPT trains run each way each day (a daytime, and nighttime one). Sleeping berths are about $250 each way.
This project has been talked about for years. One justification is that Sydney airport is currently at capacity (with night curfews, and movements capped at 80 per hour due to noise etc). To implement the train would remove 30% of the airport traffic, and negate the need for a second airport (which they cannot agree on where to build for the last 20 years!).
However, in a practical sense, no one will use the train, as the plane is more convienient for the bulk of the air traffic the train intends to replace.
If the time could be reduced to, say 2 1/2 hours CDB to CBD (both cities have their rail terminals in the CBD) then it would become a viable alternative for business travellers, which make up 75% of the travellers between the two cities. This type of rail speed has not yet been acheived at a cost effective rate to make the fares comparable to flying, and still provide a return on the capital invested in the rail system.
High speed rail does work effectively in Europe due to the shorter distances travelled and far greater population density to supply passengers. Short air commuter traffic (flights under 1 hour say) can be repalced by high speed rail. Remember most of the amount of time taken to travel short air commuter routes, is in check-in, security, boarding, trundling down the runway, also getting to/from the airport (usually outside the city) etc.
I travel Sydney/Canberra a lot, and it is quicker to drive than to fly, plus the added advantage of having a car to travel between meetings, plus I can depart when I choose, and not according to a timetable. The current train service is 3 per day using a 3 car deisel railmotor that takes 3 1/2 hours. To drive is just on 3 hours down the freeway. Flight time is 45 mins with a flight every hour. (20 passenger DASH 8). Add check-in time, security, wait etc. It's quicker to drive. A fast train service here could be viable, except the population and demand for it would not be enough. A fast train carrying 200 passengers would need the equivalent of 10 flights to fill it up, making about 2 trains a day. What's the point of a fast train, when you have to wait half a day to catch it??
Cross country travel (in Australia) for fast train is not an option. Currently it takes 4 1/2 hrs to fly (6 flights a day), or 3 days on the train, with two 15 car trains a week. Train fare is about $1800 return, with the plane at about $800. (of course the train includes all meals, sleeper berth etc) Passengers on the "Indian-Pacific" are close to 100% tourists.
Fast trains may be an option for rail enthusiasts, but not really a practical solution for long distance travel, (further than, say 300 kms) and would need the population density to provide demand for at least 200 passengers an hour.
They did build a rail link from Sydney airport to the city (about 10kms) with expected patronage of 50,000 per week, expecting the business commuter to use it. They don't. Current patronage is about 12,000 per week. It is cheaper to catch a cab door to door (for two) than the train fares. It is more convienient to catch a cab if you have bags to lug around. Mum dad kids etc, are not gunna lug grandma and grandpa and bags on the train to the airport to see them off on holidays (and pay 6 fares) when it is just as easy to drive. Only backpackers use it, and airport employees.
This might seem like a bit of a bitch session, however I'm just pointing out the practical use of high speed trains, over the long distances travelled by airline commuters.
**soapbox mode off**
