Momentum builds for high-speed rail

By Jennifer Perry

The Federal Government’s address on high-speed rail (HSR) yesterday at AusRAIL PLUS 2011 given by David Williamson, executive director, policy and research division, Department of Infrastructure and Transport, gave delegates the strong impression that the implementation of HSR in this country is no longer a case of “wishful thinking”.

“Once the second phase of the government’s strategic study is completed around this time next year, it will paint a very evocative picture of what a HSR network could look like if implemented,” Williamson said.

He emphasised that the study is focused on the “immediate feasibility” of HSR and the east coast route it has identified, and takes a “deliberate long-term view”.

Acknowledging that federal minister for infrastructure and transport, Anthony Albanese, has been clear that Australia’s biggest challenge in implementing HSR is its cost – between $61-$108bn at today’s prices as indicated by the study (capitol cost only) –Williamson also told delegates that the minister has also been “pretty clear” that the government is taking the possibilities of HSR “very seriously”.

Williamson said that with many complexities surrounding implementation, the government is also clear that HSR needs to be looked at in the “broader context”.

“[HSR] needs to be thought of as part of an overall transport and land use planning agenda: how it could integrate with Australia’s existing transport network, how it could impact on regional development, and where it should be factored into the government’s broader investment in transport,” he said.

The study’s second phase will take a more in-depth analysis of an east coast HSR network, with the minister due to announce the successful tenderer for this stage over the next couple of days.

Williamson told delegates that this stage of the study will comprise six modules detailing the market needs for HSR; a preferred alignment; the full capital and operational cost of the network; an environmental, social and economic appraisal; the development of a finance model for the projected life of the network; and the specifics of implementation (staging, procurement, governance and regulatory arrangements).

Unsurprisingly, Williamson noted that HSR involved many complex issues regarding its commercial financing.

Two European experts on HSR that Rail Express spoke with at AusRAIL PLUS – Christoph Bruns, Siemens head of acquisition, high speed and intercity Germany, and Jean de la Chapelle, managing director Alstom AUNZ – both pointed out that governments the world over were all grappling with the high cost of implementing HSR networks.

“Governments overseas, and I believe this is also the case for the Australian Government, are trying to find a solution together with the private sector – Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) – to finance HSR; the main factor here is a fair and realistic risk allocation,” Bruns said.

“Europe does have some successful examples of PPPs. In Amsterdam for example, a HSR line between this part of the Netherlands, Belgium and onto Paris, was done via a PPP and this seems to be working well.”

De la Chapelle, a passionate advocate for HSR in this country, believes that after much talk and debate HSR will become a reality for Australia. He said that the opposition to its implementation – for example, that we do not have the population to support it – has now been overturned.

“When you look at the Melbourne-Brisbane HSR corridor identified by the government’s study and consider the forecasts that 50% of Australia’s population will live on the east coast, this is no longer an issue,” he said.

De la Chapelle pointed out that Australia has much to draw from the benefits that HSR has brought Europe; firstly, that HSR has become a part of the "daily lives" of Europeans who now would seldom think of catching a place from Paris to London, for example.

“Secondly, there are inherent and well-proven environmental benefits of HSR. As the price of oil rises, and road congestion increases, there is a very compelling social case for HSR and we need to think in terms of our social responsibility,” he said.

“Last but not least is the level of comfort that HSR can provide to the traveller’s journey – the journey becomes an experience; and a good one.”

Bruns said that Australia can not only learn from the experience of HSR around the world but leverage off the technology developments that have already occurred.

“Australia will need to have very fast trains – 350 km/h – to connect the long distances along the east coast corridor. With developments that have improved the efficiency of trains, for example, this is a very good opportunity and chance for Australia to have an even better system with better trains and newer technologies than we have in Europe,” he said.

Considering that Australia is the only continent left – apart from Antartica – that does not have a HSR network, the words of Bryan Nye, chief executive, Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and chairman at AusRAIL PLUS, were very encouraging indeed.

“I’ve spent a lot of time at parliament house talking to politicians and every single one of them – the Coalition, Labour, the Greens – have all me asked questions about HSR,” Nye said.

The public sentiment for HSR is equally as strong.

“The ARA has looked at some recent polling on HSR conducted through the ABC and The Age in Victoria which showed it had an 87% approval rating, 12% of the public wanted to know more, with only 1% of people against it,” he said.

“HSR is back on the national agenda and the ARA is here to make sure that it stays that way.”