The Federal Government has announced the second and final stage of the High Speed Rail Study has begun with the authorship tender given to AECOM.

 

AECOM will be tasked with evaluating the viability of a high-system along the country’s east coast.

 

AECOM and its partners will determine with greater precision the alignment of the track and station locations, improve the accuracy of the costs associated with building and operating the network, re-evaluate patronage projections, and recommend financing options along with possible governance arrangements.

 

Based on the preliminary work undertaken as part of the Study’s first stage, an eastern seaboard network connecting Brisbane to Melbourne via Canberra, Sydney and a range of regional centres would:

  • Cost between $61 billion and $108 billion to build and involve laying more than 1,600 kilometres of new standard-gauge, double-track.
  • Achieve speeds of up 350 kilometres per hour and offer journey times as low as 3 hours from Sydney to Brisbane, and just 40 minutes from Sydney to Newcastle.
  • Carry around 54 million passengers a year by 2036 including, for example, about half those who would have flown between Sydney and Melbourne—currently the world’s fifth busiest air corridor.
  • Offer competitive ticket prices, with one way fares from Brisbane to Sydney costing $75$177; Sydney to Melbourne $99$197; and $16.50 for daily commuters between Newcastle and Sydney.
  • Cut carbon pollution, with emissions per passenger a third of what a car emits and each full train—450 passengers—equivalent to taking 128 cars off the road.

 

 

 

The first stage can be found here