InterCityThe Rail Futures blueprint for faster and
better regional trains in Victoria
PresentationtoVictorianTransportInfrastructureConference
Melbourne,22March2017JohnHearschandDrBillRussell,RailFuturesInstitute
WhatisRailFutures?RailFuturesInstituteisanindependentnon-partisangroup.Itwasformedtoadvocatecost-effectiverailandintermodalsolutionsforpublictransportandfreightproblemsbasedonsoundcommercial,economicandsocialreasoning.
RailFuturesmembersincludeexperiencedrailprofessionals,urbanplanners,engineersandeconomists.
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WhatisInterCity?InterCity isRailFutures’proposalfordevelopingacomprehensivefasterandmoreintegratedregionalrailnetwork,respondingto3mainaims-• morebalancedpopulationgrowth,• betterconnectivity andreducedjourneytimesacrossthe
state,and• meetingwidespreaddemandsforimprovedrailservices
throughoutregionalVictoriaintermsof:• betterservicefrequencyonmostlines• muchimprovedreliability• reducedjourneytime• newlongdistancetrains
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BalancedPopulationGrowth• Victoria’spopulationisexpectedtodoubleto10
millionby2050,with8millionofthosepeopleinMelbourne
• OfficialfiguresshowtheimbalancebetweenMelbourneandtheregionswillworsenby2050withunchangedpolicies
• Faster InterCity trainswouldshrinkdistanceandextendtheareawithaccesstoMelbourneandmajorregionalcentresforemploymentandotherserviceslikehealthandeducation
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RegionalDemandsforTrainServiceReinstatementand/orUpgrading
• RFR,RRLandVLocityinvestmentsdemonstratedthestrongimpactofmodern,faster(160km/hmax)trainservices
• Theseinvestmentsproducedupto300%patronageincreasesandsignificantjourneytimereductions
• ButcommunitiesbeyondRFRgenerallyreceiveservicestandardsestablishedinthe1980s(severalareworse)
• AndthosecommunitiesthatareservedbyRRLgenerallyfacetheproblemsofsuccess,suchasovercrowding
• Therearenow8groupsofCouncilsacrossthestatesetuptoadvocateforbetterpassengerrail.Thisisunprecedentedinrecentmemory.
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TheRFR,RRLandV/Locityinvestments–nowavictimoftheirownsuccess!
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Why InterCity?• Toleadandsupportregionalgrowthanddevelopment• Tosignificantlyimproveconnectednessandsupportneweconomicactivity
• ToexpandtheareaofregionalVictoriawithgoodaccesstojobsandservices
• TosignificantlyimprovecommutingjourneystoMelbourneand,mostimportantly,journeysintoregionalcentres
• TocreateaEuropean-stylerailnetworkwithgreaterserviceintensityandintegrationbetweentransportmodes
• Tohaverailtravelcompetitivewithtraveltimesbycar• Toensurerailjourneysarecomfortableandallowthetimetobeusedproductively.
Usingrailtoshrinkdistanceisnotanewidea,asthis1936VRpostershows
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InterCity –mainfeatures• Faster,regularrailserviceslinkingmajorregionalcentres• AnewstandardgaugelinetoamajornewMelbourneAirporthub
servedbyregionalrailanddesignedforfutureHighSpeedRail
• A 15minuteCBDtoAirportAirTrain every10minutes• NewfastlinesontheGeelong,Ballarat,BendigoandSeymour
routes,progressivelyconvertedtostandardgaugewithfulloperationalsegregationfromthemetropolitanrailnetwork
• FastrunningthroughthemetropolitanareaforGippslandservicesbyDandenonglinetrackquadruplicationandlongpassingloops
• Cross-Country standardgaugerailrouteslinkingregionalcities• Muchimprovedservicereliability,throughmorerobust
infrastructure,newrollingstock,institutionalchangesandgreaterproficiencyinoperationalandengineeringmanagement.
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InterCity - aphasedprogramofinvestments
• Phase1to2026– deliverssignificantbenefitsincapacity,frequency,journeytimeandreliability.CompletesplanningformajorPhase2projects. Requiresinstitutionalchangesandrelativelystraightforwardinfrastructureandserviceimprovements.
• Phase2- 2027to2040 – providesastep-changeincapacityandjourneytimeswithfastertrainsandnewlinesfullysegregatedfromthemetropolitannetwork,includingamajorMelbourneAirporthub.
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WhyheavyrailforAirTrain ?
• Providesaquick,comfortabletripindedicatedrollingstock• AirTrain fromSouthernCrosstotheAirportin15minuteswithonlyaSunshinestop– easyataveragespeed106km/h
• Useswellproven,lowrisk,off-the-shelftechnology• MuchmorethansimplyanAirportrailway– amulti-functioncorridorforreconfiguringtheregionalnetworkwithfullsegregationfromthemetropolitanrailnetwork
• ConstructionstagedtoextendbeyondMelbourneAirporttolinkwiththeBendigolineatClarkefieldandtheOMRreservedcorridortojointheSeymourlineatWallan
• Onlyamodernheavyrailcorridorhasthecapacityandspeedneededforthisapplication.
WhyaSunshineroutefor AirTrain?• It’sallaboutnetworkconnectivity!• UsesexistingrailcorridorfromWestFootscraytoSunshine• Providestrainmaintenanceandstablingfacilitiesonexistingrailland atTottenham
• Sunshinestationwillhavenewsub-surfaceplatformsfortheAirportlineandregionaltrains
• AllBendigo,Seymour,SheppartonandAlbury/WodongatrainswillrunviaSunshineandtheAirport
• SunshinewillprovidequickandeasyinterchangetoGeelong,BallaratlinesandtheMelbourneMetrocorridor
• SouthernCrossStationwillprovideconnectionstoallothermetropolitanlinesandMelbourne’stramnetwork
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InterCity – thewayaheadforVictoria• Regionalrailupgradingshouldbeaprioritydriverto
incentiviseopportunitiesforregionalliving,accesstojobsandmuchimprovedhousingaffordability.
• AirTrain fromtheCBDtoMelbourneAirportshouldbethenextmajorrailprojectafterMelbourneMetro– 8to10yearleadtimemeanscommitmentnowandplanningunderway
• BendigolineandSeymour/Shepparton/AlburylinestobedivertedviaMelbourneAirport
• Metropolitanandregionallinestobeprogressivelysegregated• Regionallinestobeprogressivelyconvertedtostandardgauge• Dandenongraillinetobecomeafourtrackcorridor• Metropolitanlineextensions(Werribee-WyndhamValeand
Cranbourne-Clyde)tobeprioritised
InterCity - anexpresstracktoVictoria’sfuture
QuestionsandDiscussion
ReadthefullInterCity report
www.railfutures.org.au
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