Australia needs to remember this every time a politician announces high speed rail from Melbourne to Sydney. How many times can people fall for it?
3 Likes
And every time, millions spent for nought.
While I would be absolutely be overjoyed to see high speed rail in Australia, I just donât think there will ever be the political willpower to get it done.
Feel like the best we can hope for would be some form of âhigher-speedâ rail.
This proposal from a few months ago seems like it would be achievable and affordable in my view. Iâd argue we could be a bit more ambitious still and look at top speeds of 220-240kph outside urban areas compared to the 170kph proposed.
Sydney to Melbourne in say 5 or 6 hours would be very competitive against flying, given that there wouldnât be a need to go through security, comfier seating, the ability to get up and move around, waiting at the terminal, and being more environmentally friendly.
1 Like
The cost and the distances between major population centres make it really hard to justify - higher speeds from say Sydney to places like Canberra, Newcastle & Wollongong make some sense, but further afield it makes less so. It also doesnât help that the terrain makes it difficult (and expensive).
The NSW Governmentâs plan to invest in improving the corridor to Newcastle is probably a more prudent one if we actually want faster trains (hopefully there is similar investment to Wollongong, but terrain may make that tricky) - HSR in the same vein as Continental Europe and Japan/China is just folly
Iâll just be happy to get an upgraded train on the line which has charging capabilities and WiFi.
The entire Sydney Trains network was affected for a number of hours this afternoon after a communications failure on its radio system.
The contract to run Melbourneâs 250 kilometre-long tram network will go out to tender, however, with a new operator potentially taking over from Keolis Downer at the end of 2024.
A Department of Transport and Planning notice posted online on Thursday said the new tram contract would âmodernise the experience for our passengersâ.
Keolis Downer Victoriaâs acting chief executive Adele McCarthy said the company would put in a âcompetitive bidâ to keep the Yarra Trams contract which âexpands on the extraordinary work weâve delivered ⌠over the past 14 yearsâ.
The departmental notice on tram network franchise tender
1 Like
No more e-scooters for hire in Paris
City Hall said just over 103,000 people voted, with 89 per cent rejecting e-scooters and just 11 per cent supporting them. But the voter turnout was low â the poll had been open to Parisâ 1.38 million registered voters
1 Like
The removal of Bayswater railway bridge started today and would finish on Monday, April 17.
3 Likes
OK, can the a***holes who insist on using their speakerphone on public transport please stop? No one cares about your house, your family, your job, in whatever language you use, please use your phone like a normal person.
4 Likes
Respond to the conversation like youâre part of it. Weird them into cutting it out 
1 Like
Iâve been tempted.
Or listening to their music. That is why god invented earphones!
1 Like
If Iâm ever travelling on public transport I usually wear my noise cancelling ear buds to block out the sound of annoying people(especially young women 
)talking too loudly to each other or on their phones.2 young women got on a bus I was on yesterday they were so LOUD I had to crank my music
I donât know about other states, on trains in SEQ thereâs 2 quiet carriages,2nd and 5th ones .If you sit in the seat closest to the driver in a bus you must keep noise to a minimum,(NO using Speaker Phone )
earbuds are a must for me. its how i wind down at the end of the day. unfortunately ive had rude people decide to reach over and pull the cord on my buds, popping them out of my ears because they wanted to ask me for change.
as i have autism, my social cup was empty and the copped the full force of a barrage in a peak hour train. iâm nor proud of it, but donât mess with someones earphones.
I have airpod pros and also beats studio over ears so its not a problem any more
1 Like
I prefer the in ear earbuds because some cheaper headphones donât block out noise and the sound might be heard by others.Iâll probably end up damaging my ears eventually 
I have noise sensitivity issues also so I find wearing earbuds if travelling on public transport or eating out in a cafe or food court necessary as they block out unwanted noise of people talking or laughing too loudly.