Topic > Australia should not adopt high-speed rail as…

High-speed rail consists of modern passenger trains that have the capacity to move at an average speed of 250km/h or more, on tracks specially built. The Shinkansen in Japan, the French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) and the German ICE (Inter-City Express) are just some of the examples of high-speed rail. There are currently new railways under construction or planning in countries including China, Portugal, Russia, Vietnam, the United States and India. The purpose of this article is to investigate the feasibility of this infrastructure in Australia, specifically focusing on a high-speed rail line between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. From the analysis, the paper will argue that high-speed rail is not a suitable mode of transport in Australia. The document will first provide some basic information on the economic factors related to high-speed rail, followed by an analysis proposing arguments that highlight the negative impact that the construction of high-speed rail infrastructure will have on the country. The construction of a high-speed railway has been on the national agenda since 1981 (Williams, 1998). The desire for a high-speed rail between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane has grown steadily in recent years. This is mainly due to increased air travel between Melbourne and Sydney, which is currently the fourth busiest air service in the world, with around 70 flights per day each way between the two cities. Furthermore, air travel between Sydney and Brisbane is the seventh busiest in the Asia/Pacific region (Canberra Business Council 2008). Furthermore, statistics released by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (2009) show that high demand for air travel has caused overwhelming airport congestion and has resulted in... half of the document......ing Herald, seen 3 May 2010, http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/a-very-fast-train-is-a-model-of-sustainability-20100326-r2cv.htmlPearce, D & Warford, J 1993, World without End: Economics, Environment, and Sustainable Development, Oxford University Press, New York.Saulwick, J 2010, 'High-speed rail between Sydney and Melbourne too expensive', The Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 3 May 2011 , < http://www.smh.com.au/national/highspeed-rail-too-costly-study-finds-20100927-15u5s.html>.UIC 2008, High-speed rail: fast track to sustainable mobility, UIC, Paris, viewed 3 May 2011, < http://www.uic.org/IMG/pdf/20101124_uic_brochure_high_speed.pdf>.Williams, P 1998, 'Australian Very Fast Trains-A Chronology', Economics, Commerce and Industrial Relations Group, Canberra, viewed 28 April 2011, < http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bp/1997-98/98bp16.htm#INTRO>.