Russ’ light metro The following figure shows an option for light metro linking Parramatta. The green line is derived from the Westline proposal. I’ve simply extended it through the Strathfield bus interchange and onto Burwood station. I’ve also extended it across the Parramatta river to Meadowbank, then Top Ryde shops, Macquarie hospital, Macquarie Park station and Macquarie Univ...
Read More »For some time now Parramatta has been recognised as a logical location for a future High Speed Rail station given its centrality to greater Sydney. However, Parramatta is also rapidly going vertical and is space constrained. Some say that High Speed Rail station would seem to be enormously expensive and disruptive. This is an outline of one plan under which Parramatta can be given a High Speed Rai...
Read More »Regeneration after undergrounding rail between Perth CBD and Northbridge The Perth City Council wanted to connect Perth CBD and Northbridge urban precinct by undergrounding the Fremantle rail line. Strategex staff led the economic, environment and social impact assessment of the case for undergrounding. The economic assessment included: • net economic value from new residential, commercial, car pa...
Read More »Uniqueness of Southern Highlands The Southern Highlands of NSW distinguishes itself as an area, somewhat unique in its combination of rural and retirement lifestyles with picturesque villages, a cooler climate than Sydney, a mix of reasonable sized towns (Mittagong, Bowral, Moss Vale, Berrima, Robertson, etc.) and some industry. Without wishing to draw negative contrasts to other areas of the Stat...
Read More »Driving to/from WSA, or catching a taxi? Other posts on this site have dealt with options for “Metro or very fast rail for Western Sydney Airport?” contrasting today’s Metro rail technology, on the one hand, with the latest high speed rail advances out of Germany, China and Japan in the form of Maglev, at the other (fastest today) extreme. In the post headed “Just how fast ...
Read More »A fast rail link for Badgerys Creek airport The authors have done some computations with assistance of qualified engineers, on the various choices referred to in the post Just how fast a rail link between CBD and Western Sydney Airport?. Sydney is introducing faster Metro style services with its North West Rail Link and the extension of its Sydney Rapid Transit concept, now to be called simply ...
Read More »Fast as a speeding Bullet – not quite, but almost as fast as a Jet. Another post has described how Japan has achieved major technological breakthroughs with very high speed rail, through the new form of Superconducting Magnetic Levitation trains (SC-Maglev). As recently as 21st April this year, this type of train set a new land speed record for rail vehicles of 603 km/h, in formal tests, wit...
Read More »A History of Government studies and decisions regarding fast rail, with relevance to Canberra The latest detailed work, the Phase Two study of 2013 into High Speed Rail, nominated a first stage of the Melbourne to Sydney project being Canberra to Sydney, with a Canberra spur line (see map from study Chapter 6, Figure 6.1). Construction was provisionally envisaged between 2028 and 2035. There is a ...
Read More »The Newcastle-Sydney Rail Corridor: History & Status Because it may become a controversial topic, let’s jump now to the case of the Newcastle-Sydney rail corridor. Let’s start with a quote out of Wikipedia Wikipedia: History of rail transport in Australia New South Wales: “…New South Wales’ railways were standard gauge lines built to connect the ports of Sydney and Newcastle to the...
Read More »Evolution of rail speeds Some history first Rail has come a long way as a mode of transport since its first recognised commerciality, generally accepted as when George Stephenson constructed his first steam locomotive for the Stockton and Darlington Railway (1825). Rail speed has certainly increased over the years, and rail’s predicted death may not eventuate. Believe it or not the first pub...
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