<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/15/sydney-melbourne-rail-track-upgrade-is-cheaper-quicker-way-to-slash-journey-times-says-expert>
"The Sydney to Melbourne train journey could be slashed from 11 hours down to
just six, and at a fraction of the cost of high-speed rail plans, if sections
of the track were upgraded for medium-speed rail, a train expert says.
While a high-speed rail line would take decades to build, laying just 200km of
new, straighter track to replace an existing 250km stretch of steam-age railway
would deliver a quicker service within four years, according to Wollongong
University associate professor Philip Laird.
Laird’s proposal, presented to the Ausrail annual conference this month, would
also require three major track deviations to be built in New South Wales,
between Glenlee and Mittagong, Goulburn and Yass, and Bowning and Cootamundra.
The proposal would reduce the length of the Sydney to Melbourne railway from
about 960km to 900km. Crucially, a track upgraded to modern engineering
standards could benefit from tilting trains – which can travel through curved
sections of the track at higher speeds where the current XPT rolling stock must
slow down."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
