High Speed Rail

HSR is present on all populated continents save Australia. The CLARA proposal intends to implement HSR between Sydney and Melbourne via Canberra, as well as linking eight new cities along the route that are located nearby existing regional towns.

Whilst the CLARA proposal is one centered on the concept of de-centralising the Australian population away from our major cities into viable, sustainable and high tech second tier inland cities, the HSR piece is vital to the plan. HSR is the best available technology for the mass transit of people over the proposed distances in a timely and affordable manner.

Further, high speed rail will be the best technology available for the foreseeable future, meaning HSR in Australia can be a 50 to 100 year infrastructure platform that can establish the national interior for growth for the next century.

World's best HSR Options

Super Conducting Magnetic Levitation Train – Japan

  • The Super Conducting Magnetic Levitation Train remains the most advanced and fastest HSR option in the world today
  • The train can reach speeds of 500kmh and has reach 603kmh during testing
  • At 500km speeds the train would allow the Express Melbourne to Sydney service to complete its journey inside 1hr 50 minutes
  • The SC Maglev has been tested since 2003. A continuous running test was conducted over a distance of 1,787 miles (89 round trips on the test line)
  • Trainsets: 16 car train sets can carry 1,000 passengers
  • The train sets require approx. 25m of platform for each car in the set
  • The SC Maglev is best used on viaduct, elevating the line over open country to address right of way matters and viable topography
  • In built up areas the use of tunnelling is the best option to deliver the dedicated SC Maglev line into CBD’s

TGV for SNCF France

  • A TGV test train set the record for the fastest wheeled train, reaching 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) on 3 April 2007.
  • In mid-2011, scheduled TGV trains operated at the highest speeds in conventional train service in the world, regularly reaching 320 km/h (200 mph) on the LGV Est, LGV Rhin-Rhône, and LGV Méditerranée.
  • The trains are made up of two power cars and ten carriages with a total of 485 seats.
  • The TGV system itself extends to neighbouring countries, either directly (Switzerland and Italy) or through TGV-derivative networks linking France to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands (Thalys), as well as France and Belgium to the United Kingdom (Eurostar). Several future lines are planned, including extensions within France and to surrounding countries. Cities such as Tours have become part of a "TGV commuter belt" around Paris.

China HSR

  • China has the world's longest HSR network with over 19,000 km (12,000 mi) of track in service as of January 2016, which is more than the rest of the world's high-speed rail tracks combined, and a network length of 30,000 km (19,000 mi) is planned for 2020.
  • The fastest trains can reach operational speeds of up to 380 km/h (240 mph), although all trains have had their operating speed reduced to 300 km/h (186 mph).
  • The CRH3C trains are similar to the Velaro E design in Spain. They are 8 cars, 200 m (656 ft) long and will seat 548 passengers.

The benefits of HSR in general are well documented. Broadly, it is accepted that HSR provides:

  • A nation-building infrastructure asset providing long term economic dividends to regions and capital cities
  • Workforce mobility and productivity gains
  • An alternative to other transport modes such as aviation and automobile
  • Time savings
  • Greenhouse gas emissions savings
  • Automobile accident savings
  • Pollution savings
Imagine living over 200km from the CBD of Sydney or Melbourne and being able to commute to the city inside 30mins. That is the game changer that High Speed Rail offers.