Passenger Rail – Urban, Regional and Interstate
What passenger rail services are provided across Australia? These fall into three major categories:
How many passengers travel by train and tram? Passenger Journeys (million)
Learn more Does the Commonwealth government provide funding for urban passenger rail infrastructure and operations? No. The Commonwealth government has historically held the view that public transport is a State responsibility claiming that:
The Commonwealth government’s role has focussed on interstate connectivity and trade and commerce between the States and with other nations. However, there are signs that these views are being challenged through the Senate Inquiry into the Investment of Commonwealth and State Funds in Public Passenger Transport Infrastructure and Services. Read more What is the key focus of the rail industry submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Investment of Commonwealth and State Funds in Public Passenger Transport Infrastructure and Services? The rail industry called for a changing role for the Commonwealth government in public passenger transport through:
Link What are the benefits of an effective public passenger transport system? Effective public transport systems offer compelling benefits for the Australian economy, community and environment including:
What is rail’s role in people movement? The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) in December 2008 issued its urban mobility policy: Moving people around Australia – the role of rail in urban mobility. This picked up the rising concerns about urban transport in Australia which is at full stretch and is under-equipped to take up the ever increasing demand in the short to medium term. The community requires fully integrated passenger services that optimise mobility for all modes incorporating rail (and tram), bus, pedestrian, cycle and urban ferry options, in a seamless mix of transport modes. Rail is an integral and very significant part of the whole urban passenger transport solution. Link Are there any differences in the land used to provide a road compared to a rail line? Consider the following:
What percentage of commuters use rail public transport services in Australia’s major cities for travel to work or school and university? Access to city areas in the morning peak range from over 50% in Perth; to 60% in Melbourne; and over 80% in Sydney. It is estimated that the 200,000 plus people that commute into Sydney each working day by rail would need 65 freeway lanes and 782 hectares of car parking if they travelled by car. What is a Travel Demand Management (TDM) program? TDM programs are directed to changing the demands for travel – the number of trips, the mode, the timing of trips – to alleviate urban motor traffic congestion and to manage urban air quality. The TDMs key is ‘reducing the need to travel’ by bringing activity centres closer together, within the walking or cycling catchment of the household or accessible by public transport, so that fewer and shorter trips are made by car. What are the benefits of Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) to public transport? Australian capital cities have low density, sprawling suburbs with a reliance on expanded ownership of private motor cars for the diverse spread of residential, work, commercial and recreational activity. The TOD concept provides for railway stations being part of an inter-modal interchange (typically bus/rail connections with cycling facilities) supporting/being supported by mixed use development in the geographic walking catchment. It is intended to avoid the growth in private motor car use that occurs with denser development and to avoid urban sprawl. Two good examples of TODs are Perth’s Northern suburbs rail line (opened late 1992 and since progressively expanded) and the more recent Perth-Mandurah rail line opened in December 2007. Perth was able to build these new rail projects without the constraints imposed on Sydney and Melbourne. Ambient air pollution caused by motor vehicles is claimed to be a major health problem. What evidence is there to support this and how can the use of rail assist? Ambient air pollution caused by motor vehicles is a major health problem. In 2000, ambient air pollution caused an estimated 2,700 cases of morbidity and an estimated 1,400 cases of premature death. The main causes of death were cardio-vascular problems, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. The cost of death and disease that can be attributed to motor vehicle pollution was of the order of $2.9 to $3.9 billion in 2000. Greater use of public transport, in particular train and light rail (tram), would:
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