Fast enough train the better option?
ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey today warned that economic costs of a Very Fast Train for Canberra – now back on the agenda – might derail all plans to invest in rail.
Dr Foskey pointed to the positive Queensland experience of tilt trains and argued for environmental benefits to be factored into any cost benefit analysis of linking Canberra into an improved rail network.
“Good transport is about efficiency. We need to get a better train system up and running promptly” Dr Foskey said today.
“Tilt trains can run at up to 200kph, and all we need to do is to straighten and improve our existing infrastructure to be able to run them.”
“A very fast train that will take years to put in place, is an order of magnitude more expensive, and uses a lot more energy for every trip, needs to be compared with other options.”
“The Greens concern is that the proposed Very Fast Train might prove too slow to get going, too expensive to build, and need too much energy to offer a really viable alternative to road and air.”
“Pursuing the very fast option, because it is exciting new technology, might simply push more viable options off the table.”
“Canberra needs to be linked to Sydney and Melbourne with a fast enough train which is cheap and convenient.”
“Maybe we could connect that up to an integrated rapid transit system, including light rail, which runs across Canberra.”
“Now that would be a national infrastructure project worthy of the title” Dr Foskey said.
