The Federal Government has released its feasibility study into the development of a high-speed rail network to connect eastern seaboard cities, finding that such a network could transport passengers from Sydney to Brisbane in under 3 hours for an estimated $75.

 

The report claims that trains could travel at speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour, while the construction of the network has been estimated to be between $61 billion and $108 billion.

 

The Government says that the network could carry anywhere up to 54 million passengers a year by 2036.

 

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese praised benefits of a high-speed rail system in Australia.

 

"Firstly, productivity benefits, we know that rail can be extremely efficient, it can improve the way that economies function. There's also obvious advantages in terms of climate change," Mr Albanese said.


The study has claimed that the commuting time between regional and metropolitan regional would be significantly reduced, with the high-speed line reducing the travel time between Sydney and Newcastle to 40 minutes.

 

The government will release the next stage of the study in 12 months time.