Nice that Rudd is planing this high speed rail on east coast!..... Anyone caught a train lately?? ...I prefer flight my choice it's easy and quick! Maybe he's thinking of cutting green house emissions by using trains!
You haven't caught a train because there's no high-speed rail in Australia.
High-speed rail is a much nicer and usually quicker travelling experience than getting to an airport, parking your car, catching a bus to the terminal, standing in line to check in, standing in line to check in your bags, standing in line to go through security, hanging around for half an hour, etc etc etc.
Central London - Central Paris is quicker and far nicer on Eurostar than it is flying.
Australian high-speed rail is not a bad idea fundamentally. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why it shouldn't be built, but if it was built and it was genuinely quick (min 250 - 300 km/h) it would work, just like it does in France and Japan.
The only reason I'd be against it is if they couldn't make the business case stack up (see HS2 in the UK).
Hmm tough one. One the one hand, would be nice. Much easier to go city centre to city centre, no check ins, no waiting around, stroll up and down, enjoy the legroom etc.
On the other hand, you start pouring money in today (actually already tens of millions been spent on various plans) and you keep pouring billions in and in 2035 maybe you get 1 leg complete, Syd to Melb.
I like infrastructure projects like this, in theory, but at the same time I'm sure ticket sales will never be enough to even pay it's way forward (maintenance etc) let alone pay back the hundred-odd billion it's cost just to get running. Unlike a similar massive infrastructure project, NBN, which will eventually pay itself off, because people pay $30-100/m for home internet, every month, most houses.
So, knowing it will cost massively up front, take forever, force lots of people to be turfed out of their houses or have their farms cut in half (can't take many curves at 300kph), and cost a packet, is it worth it? Maybe. Tough one.
I think that the Libs could produce a similar high speed railway system using the existing infrastructure at much lower cost. Clever suspension engineering is all that is needed.
Then again, that evacuated pipe that Egon Musk dreamed up would be a much faster system than either
As usual, large aussie distances, and low population density kill this one. Lost count of the number of times I've been asked to scope out the power supply for a Sydney - Canberra - Melbourne VFT by various proponents over the last 20 years, and it just never adds up economically.
And that was before cheap airfares and high power prices
Select to expand quoteHarrow said..
As usual, large aussie distances, and low population density kill this one. Lost count of the number of times I've been asked to scope out the power supply for a Sydney - Canberra - Melbourne VFT by various proponents over the last 20 years, and it just never adds up economically.
And that was before cheap airfares and high power prices
Yes Paul, I was listening to Annabel Crabb talking about it yeaterday.
Something like costed in the 80's at $5 billion, 90's at $10-15 billion, noughties at $50 b & now $150+
As you say, distance & pop'n density will kill it every time - like a lot of our infrastructure (is there a tunnel that makes $'s)
Maybe get Clive onto it - make much more sense than Titanic movies & dinosaurs on golf courses! 
Select to expand quoteMr Milk said..
I think that the Libs could produce a similar high speed railway system using the existing infrastructure at much lower cost. Clever suspension engineering is all that is needed.
Then again, that evacuated pipe that Egon Musk dreamed up would be a much faster system than either
Don't really think so.. Not when you have to slow the train for 50-60kmh permanent speed restrictions due to not only the condition of the rail, but the tightness of the curve. That's a recipe for another Spanish high speed disaster.
The singing and dancing mono-rail guy in The Simpsons comes to mind.
More electioneering anything for a vote. Route will have stops in all the marginal seats 
Select to expand quoteMr Milk said..
I think that the Libs could produce a similar high speed railway system using the existing infrastructure at much lower cost. Clever suspension engineering is all that is needed.
Then again, that evacuated pipe that Egon Musk dreamed up would be a much faster system than either
The Libs version will be faster. The trains will stop at nodes, known as stations.
The Labs are planning a high speed rail to every single home. A well-timed leap from the moving train should do the trick nicely for disembarkation disembowelment.
The singing and dancing mono-rail guy in The Simpsons comes to mind.Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
The singing and dancing mono-rail guy in The Simpsons comes to mind.
More electioneering anything for a vote. Route will have stops in all the marginal seats
LOL thats funny
I reckon Shanghai has it pretty good with a MagLev train from the city out to Airport. Imagine how many peoples lives would improve in Sydney if Sydney Airport was closed and moved to properly built airport in Bathurst or Goulburn or Newcastle.
Hong Kong did it, in Hong Kong you can check in at the train station downtown.
Select to expand quotepepe47 said..Don't really think so.. Not when you have to slow the train for 50-60kmh permanent speed restrictions due to not only the condition of the rail, but the tightness of the curve. That's a recipe for another Spanish high speed disaster.
and don't forget the 40kmh school zones. 
Select to expand quoteJustinL said..
I reckon Shanghai has it pretty good with a MagLev train from the city out to Airport. Imagine how many peoples lives would improve in Sydney if Sydney Airport was closed and moved to properly built airport in Bathurst or Goulburn or Newcastle.
Hong Kong did it, in Hong Kong you can check in at the train station downtown.
I think Sydney airport is in a fantastic location. I can't think of another airport in the world that is so close to the city. 11 minutes to central station, with a train every 10 minutes approx.
Sydney to Canberra is an obvious first choice for a high speed train line. Taking off and landing, and circling around in a holding pattern makes up nearly all of the trip in a plane.
Select to expand quotePugwash said..Mr Milk said..
I think that the Libs could produce a similar high speed railway system using the existing infrastructure at much lower cost. Clever suspension engineering is all that is needed.
Then again, that evacuated pipe that Egon Musk dreamed up would be a much faster system than either
The Libs version will be faster. The trains will stop at nodes, known as stations.
The Labs are planning a high speed rail to every single home. A well-timed leap from the moving train should do the trick nicely for disembarkation disembowelment.
Lol the libs version would stop 500m short of the station and transfer you to snail-back for the final leg, adding 3 hrs to each end, and making the whole thing a costly pile of p@@. You would, however, be offered the choice of paying $5000 to run your own train the last 500m to the station.
Clarification for kiteboy dave:Select to expand quotePugwash said..
[sarcastica]The Libs version will be faster. The trains will stop at nodes, known as stations.
The Labs are planning a high speed rail to every single home. A well-timed leap from the moving train should do the trick nicely for disembarkation disembowelment.[/sarcastica]
You sound like you need some support champ Here comes the aeroplane:
Select to expand quotekiteboy dave said..Pugwash said..Mr Milk said..
I think that the Libs could produce a similar high speed railway system using the existing infrastructure at much lower cost. Clever suspension engineering is all that is needed.
Then again, that evacuated pipe that Egon Musk dreamed up would be a much faster system than either
The Libs version will be faster. The trains will stop at nodes, known as stations.
The Labs are planning a high speed rail to every single home. A well-timed leap from the moving train should do the trick nicely for disembarkation disembowelment.
Lol the libs version would stop 500m short of the station and transfer you to snail-back for the final leg, adding 3 hrs to each end, and making the whole thing a costly pile of p@@. You would, however, be offered the choice of paying $5000 to run your own train the last 500m to the station.
It doesn't matter because it will all be superceded in the near future and we'll be flying in packets through the air.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
The singing and dancing mono-rail guy in The Simpsons comes to mind.
The name's Lanley, Lyle Lanley
Select to expand quoteMr Milk said..
I think that the Libs could produce a similar high speed railway system using the existing infrastructure at much lower cost. Clever suspension engineering is all that is needed.
Then again, that evacuated pipe that Egon Musk dreamed up would be a much faster system than either
The coalition doesn't build infrastructure, they sell it.
Morning! I laughed so hard at that I had tears...
There are three points to the goldfish. One point is about written words and emotion.
The rest... Well... It's a goldfish.
Your pugwash
Another leftist dream to punish people for driving cars. The big benefit of a train is the easy getting on and off but a few more terrorist attacks will put an end to that, security will have to be just like getting on an airplane.
And... trains have been crashing quite a bit lately, I'll take my chances on an airplane.
What is needed are fleets of DC3/ C47 type planes that can be purchased and maintained at a fraction of the cost of modern jetliners.
They will fly at a slower speed and lower altitude and will be faster and cheaper than even the fastest train.
Select to expand quoteFlickySpinny said..
You haven't caught a train because there's no high-speed rail in Australia.
High-speed rail is a much nicer and usually quicker travelling experience than getting to an airport, parking your car, catching a bus to the terminal, standing in line to check in, standing in line to check in your bags, standing in line to go through security, hanging around for half an hour, etc etc etc.
I'm all for high speed rail, work in the rail industry and believe something needs to be done in AUS like in other leading rail countries but your point about, (getting to an airport, parking your car, catching a bus to the terminal, standing in line to check in, standing in line to check in your bags, standing in line to go through security, hanging around for half an hour, etc) doesn't really make sense to me..
wouldn't almost all of that still have to happen when catching a train... I believe a high speed train station in the central parts of cbd's ant going to have ample parking for commuters to drive right up to and jump on the train, still have to check in like you would a plane or interstate bus, and I would think if traveling on a train 250kmh + they would have us going through security scanning to ensure no bombs etc are being carried onboard..
