The Japanese dream of high-speed rail arrived decades ago, as seen in this 1963 archival film about the Dream Train: Getty Images

The Japanese dream of high-speed rail arrived decades ago, as seen in this 1963 archival film about the Dream Train: Getty Images

IT could be faster than flying, good for the environment and be our next great “nation-building exercise”. But does Australia have the wherewithal to make an idea as big and expensive as high-speed rail a reality?

Climate change think tank Beyond Zero Emissions will present a report in Brisbane tonight that advocates for Australia to take up this major infrastructure challenge.

Its research finds that a high-speed rail network on Australia’s east coast could be built for $30 billion less than previous projections and the system would be faster, cheaper and cleaner than air travel.

What is high-speed rail?

Australia’s proposed high-speed rail network would connect Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne across a dedicated 1748km route.

Trains would move faster than 250km/h and allow people to travel from Sydney to Melbourne in two hours and 44 minutes, and Sydney to Brisbane in two hours and 37 minutes — potentially faster than flying once you take into account time at the airport.

Where would it go?

There would be express and stopping-all-stations services for the major stops as well as 12 regional stations — the Gold Coast, Casino, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Newcastle, the Central Coast, the Southern Highlands, Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton.

How much will it cost?

The latest report on the concept, released by the former Labor government last year, calculated that the system would cost $114 billion, making it one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Australia. This total comprises $64 billion to build between Brisbane and Sydney and $50 billion between Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

But the Beyond Zero Emissions report found that a similar route could be built for $84 billion, a saving of $30 billion.

Chief executive officer Stephen Bygrave said the organisation made savings by altering the route to include fewer tunnels and bridges.

What’s the timeline?

The government report showed construction could start as soon as 2027 and that the Sydney-Melbourne line could be completed by 2040. The whole network was projected to be operational by 2065.

What are the benefits?

The Beyond Zero Emissions report finds that the rail trip would be faster than air when you take into account airport check-in times and security screening.

Its design envisages a network powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from regional travel by 150 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over 40 years.

The rail link would also turbocharge regional development.

“High-speed rail will allow people to live in cities like Shepparton and Goulburn but commute to Sydney or Melbourne for work,” Dr Bygrave said.

“It would allow people to live outside of urban cities but still work in them. It’s a pretty important nation-building exercise.”

This would make living in regional areas more attractive, and in turn alleviate pressure on house prices in capital cities.

The government report estimates that 83.5 million people would use the network every year if it is operational by 2065.

Labor’s infrastructure spokesman, Anthony Albanese, is a strong advocate for the concept.

“High-speed rail represents a real opportunity for Australia to provide a fast and convenient alternative to air and road travel,” he told news.com.au.

“In coming decades, as demand for business travel increases along with the pressure for emissions reductions, high-speed rail will become increasingly competitive in cost terms. It also represents a prime example of nation building — identifying the challenges of the future and acting now to begin to meet those challenges.”

The government report found that road and air travel alone could not cope with predicted population and employment growth along the east coast in coming years.

Travel on the east coast of Australia is forecast to grow about 1.8 per cent per year over the next two decades, an increase of about 60 per cent by 2035.

High-speed rail comes with a hefty price tag. Is it worth it?

Both the government and Beyond Zero Emissions reports found there was a strong economic case for the project.

Dr Bygrave said the $84 billion figure could be put into perspective when you considered that state and federal governments spent a combined $18 billion each year on roads.

If an equivalent amount was set aside for five years, that would be enough to pay for the project.

Mr Albanese said Labor’s study showed the $114 billion project would provide $2.15 of economic benefit for every $1 invested on the Sydney-Melbourne line.

“High-speed rail would revolutionise interstate travel, and would also be an economic game-changer for dozens of regional communities along its path. That’s why the politicians need to exercise vision and think way beyond the current political cycle,” Mr Albanese said.

However, the report’s financial assessment said the program would only produce a small return on investment and that the fares would be unlikely to cover the capital costs of the building the network.

Who will pay?

In short, the taxpayer will bear the cost. The Labor-commissioned report says governments would be required to fund the majority of the upfront capital costs and the potential to attract private finance is limited

But Dr Bygrave disagreed, saying there was appetite from private finance and international building firms to contribute.

But Australia is too small a country to support this system this big, right?

Dr Bygrave said there was demand for high-speed rail links when you considered that the Sydney-to-Melbourne air corridor was the fifth busiest in the world, with 7 million passengers a year.

The case for rail grows stronger when you consider that the Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that Melbourne and Sydney will each grow to a population of 8 million by about 2050.

Can it wait?

Labor’s infrastructure spokesman, Anthony Albanese, says action needs to be taken now otherwise future development may not be possible.

“It’s necessary to ensure that you in the first instance preserve the corridor. If we don’t make decisions today to advance high speed rail it will be impossible tomorrow because urban growth and urban sprawl will make the corridor unworkable,” Mr Albanese said.

The government report notes that the case for the rail system will steadily improve in coming years and that delay may make the project more expensive and harder to build.

“In this regard, inaction is not benign,” the report states.

What is the government doing about it?

Labor allocated $52 million to establish a planning authority on high-speed rail, but the Coalition scrapped the funding in its May Budget.

“This is consistent with Tony Abbott’s complete disinterest in rail infrastructure … Mr Abbott has no vision for nation building. He thinks no further than the next election,” Mr Albanese told news.com.au.

But a spokesman for Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss said he was supportive of the idea and has got the ball rolling early in the government’s term on consultation with the states and territories.

Mr Truss wrote to the transport ministers of all affected states and territories in December about the need to preserve the rail corridor land and all jurisdictions indicated a willingness to discuss the concept further.

“Given the cost and time involved, any decision to proceed with high-speed rail must be taken in a measured and methodical way to ensure all implications are properly identified and carefully considered,” the spokesman said.

“The agreement and ongoing support of the Queensland, New South Wales, ACT and Victorian governments is necessary before the Commonwealth could consider any commitment.”

But Mr Albanese said the biggest barrier to the future of high-speed rail was “the Coalition’s lack of will to back the project”.

“Despite Warren Truss and the Nationals saying they support the project, they have been unable to convince their Liberal party Coalition partners to commit funding to get it moving. A failure to act now will see the corridor built out and the project become more expensive in the future,” he said.

Dr Bygrave is hopeful that the project will get off the ground, saying “the momentum is building”.

Do you think Australia should make high-speed rail a priority? Would you use the network? Comment below or join the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ.