Garry and I have been busy over the last few weeks preparing papers that address integration of high speed and conventional rail lines in the Sydney-Newcastle corridor.
We have been adamant the that high speed rail should be integrated with the existing conventional rail network to deliver the optimal outcomes for the cities and regions it connects. See Garry's initial paper East Coast Higher Speed Rail written back in 2021 and our joint Implementation Plan for High Speed Rail from 2023.
Unfortunately however, the High Speed Rail Authority wants to build a standalone high speed line. Its position is understandable. According to the national Transport Commission, Australia has18 separate rail networks with three railway gauges, 11 separate signalling systems and many different standards and working rules. It is foreseeable that high speed rail could have interfaces with at least 5 other systems (ARTC, Sydney Trains, NSW Country Link, QLD Rail and Vline) if it becomes a truly national network. This would become unworkable.
However, a standalone high speed line would create yet another network in Australia. A 19th rail network in Australia! And many of the expected benefits as shown in the following diagram will simply not be realised.
The solution is, of course, to rationalise the rail governance arrangements in Australia. Consolidation of our fragmented system of rail networks is essential to enable the efficient operation of long-distance freight and passenger services, as we show in A National Rail Governance Structure - Discussion Paper.
Ross' paper, Integrating HSR in the Sydney-Newcastle corridor therefore explores a simpler way to integrate high speed rail with the existing conventional line in the Sydney-Newcastle corridor. It requires cooperation with Sydney Trains (and probably the ARTC), but it can be done.
On the other hand, Garry's paper Sydney-Newcastle: Standalone, Integrated or Hybrid?considers the best way to implement high speed rail in the Sydney-Newcastle corridor with minimal integration with the existing conventional line. This is a compromise to create a "least worse option" in that it allows passengers to interchange between the lines, can be constructed in stages and reuses the existing train stabling facilities at Kangy Angy.
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