Time to reduce Australia’s reliance on Road Freight and reduce emissions

Electric freight engines would are a huge difference even more goods by train would have a great outcome reducing carbon emissions. The $billions being invested into the national rail network after generations of freight decline will go some way to moving freight back to rail but not enough.

It is perplexing why the investment into Inland Rail did not include a plan to electrify this transcontinental route between Melbourne and Brisbane with AC overhead and a fleet of electric locomotives to ensure compliance with operating standards for the line and to ensure reducing in emissions. The line’s source of power could be the many renewable projects along the route. Largely this has been done previously with the creational of National Rail and the introduction of the NR Class.

If these private operators will not undertake the important task of moving freight by rail in Australia and only continue to chase coal haulage then let’s create an organisation that can and that is owned by the people for the people.

Australia requires a national approach from Canberra across key areas:

• Interstate Track Management and Access
  • Including electrification of the Inland Rail Network between Melbourne and Brisbane
  • Possible electrification between Adelaide and Melbourne (interstate terminals)
• Major Intermodal Terminals
  • Melbourne
  • Sydney
  • Adelaide
  • Brisbane
  • Canberra
• National Passenger Services
  • The establishment of a national passenger provide (like Amtrak) to run a series of important interstate passenger services
  • Establish passenger services between:
    • Brisbane and Sydney
    • Brisbane and Melbourne (via Inland Rail) being a longer distance service
    • Sydney to Adelaide
    • Melbourne to Adelaide
    • Melbourne to Sydney

A properly run series of national passenger trains is exactly what Australia has been seeking and will do a lot for the tourism industry and those wanting to avoid higher airfares and inflexible fare conditions imposed by the airlines. Australia needs some competition with the airlines and it needs to come soon.

Amtrak is experiencing rider growth as is the Overland between Melbourne and Adelaide and the East Coast Sydney/Melbourne passenger services which continued growth in overnight sleeper services.

Overnight sleeper services have been growing in Europe with new trains and new operators entering the marketplace.

The time for a rail renaissance is now and Australia is ready to undertake it. If we learnt anything from the Covid19 period and supply chain interruptions it is clear we cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and over again expecting a different result.

Australia cannot leave everything to the private sector it does not work. Investing in rail access and low carbon emission routes shifts maintenance costs from road to rail as an investment. Maintenance costs of rail networks per kilometre are much lower than those for road.

And no the rail network should NOT be expected to pay its way and recover all costs or make a profit. Why penalise rail when road and highways are not expected to provide any level of fiscal return?

In response to Freight operators will buy new diesel trains if governments don’t back green alternatives.