Compared to Melbourne's current the Suburban Rail Loop project, this paper argues that much more service, and thus accessibility, could be provided for a given budget through surface upgrade options. To test this assumption, the paper uses an ‘Alternative Network’ structure using a conservative but still significant $25 billion budget.

The Inland Rail project has the potential to provide significant benefit to rural, regional and urban communities — enabling a more efficient movement of freight across Australia and further diversification of the nation’s freight infrastructure. However, throughout this inquiry, the committee heard a number of fundamental concerns in key areas of the project.

This audit was conducted to see if the Department of Transport, and the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority, had effectively addressed recommendations made in an earlier (2017) audit report.

The Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to assess the economic impact of reforms to transport regulation agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2008-09. Those reforms relate to heavy vehicle safety and productivity, rail safety and maritime safety. This report outlines some suggested further reforms to develop a more integrated national...

This report shows that while a bullet train may be a captivating idea, it’s not realistic for Australia. Our population is small and spread over vast distances; the countries most like us – Canada and the United States – don’t have bullet trains either.