High Speed Rail Authority
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Authority overview | |
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Formed | 13 June 2023 |
Annual budget | $59.487m AUD (2024-25) |
Minister responsible |
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Authority executives |
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Parent department | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) |
Website | https://www.hsra.gov.au/ |
The High Speed Rail Authority (abbreviated as HSRA) is an Australian government authority established in 2023, tasked with advising on, planning, developing and overseeing the construction and operation of an eventual high-speed rail network along Australia’s eastern seaboard. The Authority is currently developing a business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the high-speed rail network, with $500 million allocated by the Australian Government for planning and corridor works.[1]
Establishment and previous incarnations
[edit]In a speech in Newcastle on 2 January 2022, then-Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese promised, if he was successful in the 2022 federal election, to build a high-speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle. Part of this commitment included an allocation of $500 million for planning, land purchases and early works, along with establishing a dedicated authority to deliver an eventual line from Melbourne to Brisbane.[2] This mirrored a similar announcement by the Labor Party in November 2021,[3] and a similar promise made at the 2019 federal election.[4]
In September 2022, the then-recently elected Albanese government introduced legislation to establish a new national High Speed Rail Authority.[5][6] The Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the Authority would have an expert board and be tasked with overseeing "the construction and operation of a high-speed rail network along Australia's eastern seaboard" between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.[7] The authority would consult with state governments, give advice to the federal government, and develop standards to ensure an interoperable high-speed rail network across jurisdictions.[6] King announced the Authority would advance the government's first priority of providing high-speed rail between Sydney and Newcastle, to which the government committed $500 million to commence early works and secure corridors.[5] The Bill would abolish the National Faster Rail Agency and absorb its functions into the new authority.[7] The Bill was passed by both houses on 24 November 2022, and gained assent on 12 December 2022.[6]
The authority commenced operations on 13 June 2023, and the permanent CEO Tim Parker was appointed on 11 January 2024.[8][9]
National Faster Rail Agency
[edit]In the 2019–20 Budget, the Australian Government established the National Faster Rail Agency (NFRA), its purpose being to support "economic growth and social opportunity through faster rail connections between major capital cities and growing regional centres", and was tasked with producing a number of business cases for higher-speed rail between capital cities and regional centres.[10][11] The Government allocated $40 million to assess five fast rail corridors:[10][12]
- Sydney to Wollongong
- Sydney to Parkes (via Bathurst and Orange)
- Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga
- Melbourne to Traralgon
- Brisbane to the Gold Coast
These assessments were in addition to the three business cases already underway, started under the Turnbull government, examining the following corridors:[12]
- Melbourne to Greater Shepparton
- Sydney to Newcastle
- Brisbane to the regions of Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast
On the commencement of the operation of the Authority, the Agency ceased operations, and all employees were transferred to either the Authority or the DITRDCA.[13]
Board structure
[edit]Per the High Speed Rail Authority Act 2022, the board of the Authority consists of the Chair and four other members, who are all appointed by - and report to - the Minister. The board is required to hold at least four meetings a year.[14]
As of 2024, the Board members are:[14]
- Jill Rossouw, Chair
- Gillian Brown, Member
- Ian Hunt, Member
- Dyan Perry OBE, Member
- Neil Scales OBE, Member
Planning
[edit]Sydney to Newcastle section
[edit]First half of 2024
[edit]On 30 January 2024, it was announced that $78.8 million of funding would be released for the development of a business case for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the high-speed rail network.[15][16] The tenders for the business case were released in March 2024 and were split into eight packages, including:[17]
- Project controls (costs, schedule and risk)
- Rail operations planning
- First Nations participation and engagement, and
- Commercial, delivery strategy and industry engagement.
In response to tender documents suggesting the consideration of a potential station at Broadmeadow (in contrast to the 2013 Phase 2 report, which suggested a station "located outside the current urban areas" of Newcastle), Tim Parker said that a line from Sydney to Broadmeadow was "achievable".[18][19]
The successful tenderers were announced on 13 June 2024, with the contracts being awarded to the following companies:[20][21]
Package | Successful tenderer(s) |
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Project Control Services (Costs, Schedule and Risks) | KPMG |
Economics, Funding and Financing, Demand Modelling and Economic Development Strategy | EY |
Commercial, Delivery Strategy and Industry Engagement | EY |
Transport, Land Use and Property | WSP |
Technical Advisory, Environment and Sustainability, Community and Stakeholder Engagement | WSP and Arcadis[Note 1] |
High Speed Rail Network Operations Planning | Arup[Note 2] |
First Nations Participation and Engagement | GHD |
First Nations Culture and Heritage | GHD |
Second half of 2024
[edit]Geotechnical investigations (starting with drilling of 27 boreholes along the Sydney to Newcastle corridor) commenced on 26 August 2024, ahead of an industry briefing the next day.[25] At the industry briefing, Tim Parker gave a presentation suggesting the following:
- Up to 100 km (62 mi) of the line would be in tunnels, including beneath the Hawkesbury River and Brisbane Water;
- The section between Gosford and Newcastle would largely be above-ground, and
- The first construction contracts could be signed by 2027 if the federal government made an investment in 2025.[26]
Parker also gave the following target travel times:[26]
Destination | Target travel time |
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Gosford | 30 minutes |
Central | 1 hour |
Parramatta[Note 3] | 1 hour 10 minutes |
Notes
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "High Speed Rail Authority". High Speed Rail Authority. 2024. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Duke, Jennifer (2022-01-01). "Labor promises $500m for Sydney to Newcastle leg of future high-speed rail". The Age. Archived from the original on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "High Speed Rail Authority: Labor will kick start high speed rail" (PDF). Australian Labor Party. 15 November 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via Parliament of Australia ParlInfo.
- ^ Lynch, Lydia (2019-03-21). "The duelling rail plans for south-east Queensland". The Age. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ a b "High-speed rail plans to be put on track". The West Australian. 2022-09-07. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
- ^ a b c Commonwealth Parliament House, Canberra (8 September 2022). "High Speed Rail Authority Bill 2022". www.aph.gov.au. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
- ^ a b Commonwealth Parliament House, Canberra (8 September 2022). "Catherine King, High Speed Rail Authority Bill 2022, Minister's Second Reading Speech". parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
- ^ "Inaugural High Speed Rail Authority CEO announced - Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure". 11 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ King, Catherine (5 June 2023). "All aboard High Speed Rail Authority - Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure". Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Federal budget 2019: fast rail solution to traffic congestion". Australian Financial Review. 2019-04-02. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ "National Faster Rail Agency | National Faster Rail Agency (NFRA)". National Faster Rail Agency. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Projects | National Faster Rail Agency (NFRA)". www.nfra.gov.au. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ "Budget October 2022-23 - National Faster Rail Agency - october_2022-23_infra_pbs_14_nfra.pdf" (PDF). Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b "About Us - High Speed Rail Authority". High Speed Rail Authority. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Funding released for Sydney to Newcastle high-speed rail business case - Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure". Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Ikonomou, Tess (2024-01-30). "Australia splashes $78m on high-speed rail case". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Tenders to develop business case for high-speed rail network". Newcastle Herald. 2024-03-17. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "High Speed Rail Authority boss says Broadmeadow-Central line 'achievable'". Newcastle Herald. 2024-03-31. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "High Speed Rail Authority pushes Broadmeadow station option". Newcastle Herald. 2024-03-27. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "'Very serious': firms named to shape high-speed rail business case". Newcastle Herald. 2024-06-13. Archived from the original on 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "World-leading experts on board for high-speed rail". Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "Post". Arcadis. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Magariño, Javier (21 June 2024). "Ineco analizará la viabilidad de la primera línea de alta velocidad en Australia" [Ineco to analyse the feasibility of the first high-speed line in Australia] (in Spanish). Cinco Días. Archived from the original on 2024-08-04. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Engineering firms Arup and SYSTRA team up for high speed rail". Newcastle Herald. 9 August 2024. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "High Speed Rail Authority drills under Newcastle as project builds steam". Newcastle Herald. 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
- ^ a b "Newcastle-Sydney high-speed rail possible by 2037 as tunnel plan emerges". Newcastle Herald. 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-27.