At first glance, the Lower Hunter Freight Corridor seems like a good idea. But is it really, and are there better options?
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Community consultation on the proposed freight train corridor between Fassifern and Hexham is currently underway. Transport for NSW is "undertaking preliminary investigations to assess options" with identified benefits including increasing passenger and freight rail capacity and reliability, and reducing traffic wait times at Adamstown and Islington level crossings.
Around $1.3 billion would be spent on transport infrastructure described in the Infrastructure Australia priority projects list in 2016 as "future freight rail bypass of Newcastle Urban Area". Yet information about the specific purpose, costs, benefits and alternatives should be considered before a corridor is determined.
Time has moved on and circumstances have changed in the 30 years since the Lower Hunter Freight Corridor has been discussed. Newcastle's urban development has grown west, green corridors are valued and protected, coal transport volumes projected to decline, as climate change risks from flooding and sea level rise increase. Better passenger train services are demanded, and the urban population overly dependent on private cars and congested roads.
It is time to rethink the purpose and benefits of rail infrastructure for the future of Newcastle and the Lower Hunter. Let's look at the heart of the matter why this issue needs real consideration - we don't believe that the government has given reasonable consideration to all the options, and the multiple benefits from this large investment that could be derived by thinking about more than a freight bypass.
In fact, a simple bypass might be a waste of money, and there should be some ballpark estimates provided on the economic costs and benefits. Transport initiatives such as Hunter LinkRail offer multiple benefits that meet future needs and shape metropolitan growth. This rail link utilising existing corridors joins Glendale, Kurri Kurri and Maitland to create an orbital rail network linking the lower Hunter to the rest of NSW. The route aligns with half of the identified Lower Hunter Freight Corridor with an equivalent or improved freight network efficiency.
Hunter LinkRail is a proposal that has been put to the NSW government before, and never properly considered. However, the route coincides with around half of the proposed route of the LHFC currently on public exhibition. It would be desirable to secure all potential rail transport corridors in the Lower Hunter sooner rather than later, and the best option would be to secure both the preferred route identified and an extension to Kurri Kurri and Maitland and Glendale that will allow for many multiple options over the long term.
The Hunter LinkRail proposal supports re-shaping Newcastle and the Lower Hunter fit for the 21st century and would:
- integrate future high speed rail with regional accessibility
- bring intercity rail up to international standards
- support an airport rail connection
- improve East Coast rail freight efficiency
- build climate change resilient and zero carbon emission rail infrastructure
A comparison of the costs and feasibility of the exhibited Lower Hunter Freight Corridor route with retaining the existing rail alignment and the Hunter LinkRail alternative is informative. Retaining the existing 32km rail alignment and removing problematic level crossings is the cheapest option at around a third of the cost and limited benefits. The Lower Hunter Freight Corridor improves rail efficiency and reduces east coast freight track length by 10km and comes with significant climate change risks and adverse impacts on internationally important wetlands.
Hunter LinkRail provides long term passenger rail accessibility benefits, reduces east coast freight track length by 15km to Maitland, primarily uses existing rail corridors and supports long term transport interconnectivity and transport accessible urban development. At a cost of only around 50 per cent more than the Lower Hunter Freight Corridor route and with multiple benefits, this is an option requiring proper feasibility investigation now.
Securing transport corridors for long term transport improvements in the Lower Hunter is an essential priority. This must be incorporated in future land use strategies. The current Lower Hunter Freight Corridor proposal represents a simple solution to a complex problem for rail transport that can be solved by considering other alternatives.