What does a high speed rail project really need to make it a success? Lessons from an expert who has worked on many high speed rail projects
We're back for 2025.
This week we talked to Stewart Prise, a scottish rail engineer who has worked on many high speed rail projects across Europe. It was great to get some insights from a person who has actually worked on high speed rail, rather than simply observed it from afar like us. In particular he highlighted Rotterdam, Utrecht and Berlin as three very successful projects that were also the most enjoyable to work on.
His first point is that the high speed rail line must work as a seamless system, which at first seems obvious - but is really more complex. Clearly it must go where people want to go, which is the coverage of the line. But the high speed line is only one part of the journey for most passengers. Connectivity with other regional, metro and local services is critical to making a journey useful. Then operational factors such as when and how often services are provided play a critical role. And so is its reliability, which requires backup services and rapid repairs ready to take effect. This has to be supported by things like preventative maintenance to ensure things keep running like well-oiled cogs.
Stewart's point is that these aspects are designed into the project from the get-go. They are not after-thoughts, and they are not easily accommodated after a project has been started.
Second is how the high speed line is integrated into the urban fabric of the cities it serves. It is well-known that land value increases closer to railway stations. Stewart's point is that the land use around stations should be designed to maximise the value of being near the station. All three projects he cited used Land Use and Transport Interaction modelling in their preliminary stages to determine how integrate the station into the urban fabric of the city. And the outcome in each case is a station that works well as a major transport hub and node in the economic lifeblood of the city.
Finally we discussed the role of the authority that commissioned the work. In each case it was a vertically-integrated rail authority that owned and operated the trains and infrastructure to deliver regional and national rail services. Having a single major stakeholder creates simplicity in the governance of the project through clearer decision-making responsibilities and straightforward working relationships with suppliers. The broad remit for these authorities also gave them the incentive to consider the wider aspects of the project, particularly how it fits into the liveability and economy of a city.
Here in Australia, we know the HSRA is very confident of their business case. It will be very interesting to see how they have handled the operational design, land use integration and proposed governance of the Sydney-Newcastle high speed line. Getting these right will be critical for the success of their project.