#33: High-speed rail anyone?

60 Reasons to Protest: Reason #33 – High-speed rail anyone?

Several countries around the world have high-speed rail networks. The development of high-speed rail has become increasingly important as countries seek to reduce carbon emissions, improve the efficiency of their transportation systems, and curb the excessive noise pollution from flight paths. Some examples include:

• China: The world’s largest high-speed rail network, with trains capable of reaching speeds up to 350 km/h.
• Japan: One of the first countries to develop high-speed rail, its Shinkansen network has trains that can travel up to 320 km/h.
• France: The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) network can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h.
• Germany: The ICE (InterCity Express) trains can reach speeds up to 300 km/h.
• Spain: The AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) network can reach speeds of up to 310 km/h.
• Italy: The Frecciarossa network has trains that can travel up to 300 km/h.
• South Korea: The KTX (Korea Train Express) can reach speeds up to 305 km/h.
• Taiwan: The High-Speed Rail (HSR) system can travel up to 300 km/h.
• UK: The Eurostar connects the UK to mainland Europe and can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h.

What about Australia?

Currently, the fastest train line in Australia is Brisbane – Gold Coast. However with its speed capped at 160 km/h and a limited number of services per day it is not considered a true high-speed rail line. Australia currently does not have a high-speed rail network connecting major cities. – Why?

Australia does not have a high-speed rail network because the development of such a network is complex and requires significant investment. One of the main reasons for the lack of investment is the strong opposition from the aviation industry lobby. The aviation industry has been a powerful force in Australia’s transport sector, and the lobby has been successful in maintaining its dominant position in the market through state capture. Consider that the Sydney – Melbourne route is the second busiest in the world with 48,599 flights in 12 months (Feb 2022 – Jan 2023).

The aviation industry has opposed the development of high-speed rail on the basis that it would be a direct competitor to air travel, and therefore a threat to their profits. For example, already back in 2012, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce dismissed the idea of a high speed rail link between Sydney and Canberra, saying a second Sydney airport is the only way to meet the growing demand. Well of course he would say that.

Similarly, the peak industry body, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ), has also been vocal in its opposition to high-speed rail, arguing that it would be too expensive and would not deliver significant benefits to passengers.

The aviation industry has also been successful in lobbying government to allocate funds to airport infrastructure, rather than investing in high-speed rail. For example, in 2017, the Australian Government committed $5.3 billion to upgrade the Western Sydney Airport, while no funding was provided for high-speed rail.

Only in December 2022, “infrastructure tsar” Sir David Higgins publicly declared that a high-speed Sydney to Melbourne rail plan ‘will never work’ – he is also a director of Sydney Airport.

Airservices Australia chairman John Weber is also a member of the board of directors for the Western Sydney Airport Corporation. Conflict of interest much? Nah, he’ll be right mate.

In Australia, despite the aviation industry’s aggressive opposition, high-speed rail is frequently used to win votes in the lead-up to state and federal elections. Disgraced NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (Liberal) originally announced a high-speed rail line linking Sydney and Newcastle as her showpiece policy in the lead-up to the 2019 NSW state election. Yet, after four years of feasibility studies worth $100+ million, her successor Perrottet abandoned those plans arguing this should now be the job of the federal government’s new High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) announced by Labor in Nov 2022, which is likely to conduct a new suite of feasibility studies once it has been set up – until the next election…

Meanwhile, the rest of the world moves on

Several countries have implemented policies that limit or ban flights between cities where there is a high-speed rail network alternative, including:

• France: In 2020, France announced plans to end all domestic flights on routes where train journeys can be made in under 2.5 hours by 2025, in order to reduce carbon emissions.
• Spain: In 2021, Spain implemented a new law that bans flights between cities where train journeys can be made in under 2.5 hours.
• China: China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network and has significantly reduced the number of domestic flights between cities connected by high-speed rail.
• Japan: Japan’s Shinkansen network has limited the number of flights between Tokyo and other major cities, as the train journey times are often faster and more efficient.
• Italy: Italy has introduced new policies that limit flights between cities connected by high-speed rail.

These policies have been implemented to reduce carbon emissions, improve transportation efficiency, promote sustainable travel, and reduce the excessive noise pollution from the aviation industry.