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On track for a bright future in rail

August 27, 2004

Madgewick lecture.jpgAn antiquated road tunnel bridge crossing the Liverpool Plains is one of the few missing bits of rail infrastructure holding up a proposed rail corridor linking Melbourne with Brisbane, former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tim Fischer (pictured) told an audience at the University of New England on Thursday (August 26).
Delivering the annual Sir Robert Madgwick lecture, Mr Fischer advocated a rail corridor for a double-stacked container line, to be built from Melbourne, through Parkes, Moree, Toowoomba, Ipswich and finally, Brisbane.
“But to do this, we need to eliminate the antiquated load tunnel and bridge across the Liverpool Plains,” Mr Fischer said.

“We won’t have the development of coalfields in Gunnedah unless we remove the ‘Ard-Glen’ choke, where trains hurtle across the Liverpool Plains.”
Mr Fischer was talking to his latest book, Transcontinental Train Odyssey: The Ghan, The Khyber, The Globe. He was comparing rail developments the world over with Australia and envisioned a bright future for rail in the 21st Century.
“As much as 80 per cent of freight goes by rail across the Nullabor,” Mr Fischer said, adding rail was the cheapest option to move freight because: “The steel wheel on the steel rail has a fraction the friction of rubber tyre on the road and that translates to being a fraction of the amount of fuel needed to move the vehicle.”
Rail was gaining new-found popularity the world over, he added.
“In the US, Log Angeles is swinging back to a new commuting line to Pasadena and soon a new train service will link St Pancreas Station in London to the Gard de Nord in Paris in just two hours and 20 minutes,” Mr Fischer said.
He called for an upgrade on rail’s branch line network in Australia.
After the lecture, Mr Fischer Dutch-auctioned a signed copy of his book -- which tells the story of the people and events that created the world’s great railways -- for $70, donating the proceeds to the people of Bhutan.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at August 27, 2004 12:37 PM