The loss of 200,000 people would not much change Melbourne or Sydney, but those numbers moving to Geelong or Wollongong would create huge disruption
High speed rail is having one of its regular moments in the sun in Australia, with media articles attracting comments such as “just build it”, or seeing our lack of fast rail as evidence of a national incapacity to deliver large projects (see the NBN).
But the buzz is more than talk: a National Faster Rail Authority has been established, international engineering experts have been engaged, business cases are under way and funding commitments have been announced. The proposals promote a new role for HSR, shifting the focus from interstate travel to connections between major cities and their regional satellites, to address population pressures in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and to stimulate regional economies. But given the costs of HSR – Melbourne to Geelong has been estimated at $10bn to $15bn – we need to ask whether it can solve our urban problems.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31TAD7w
via
0 Comments