australian railway association.pdf

7/23/2019 AUSTRALIAN RAILWAY ASSOCIATION.pdf

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AUSTRALIAN DIGITAL TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM


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CONTENTS


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Why

s

it important?

The

demand for international freight

transport

will

grow more slowly if shipping and aviation prices

increase. Higher international transport costs

would increase the advantage of producing goods

closer

to

their site

of

consumption

The longevity of rail equipment

will

delay the take

up

of

lower emissions fuel and technology (This

hints

at

a solution

of

accelerated depreciation for

rollingstock?

ommunity

Impact

Transport is vital

to

modern communities . It

is

essential

for accessing services. connecting people and providing

goods. Fundamentally transport occurs

as a result

of

connecting people and goods and services.Accessibility

and efficient transport systems make a significant

contribution to Australian cities being rated as amongst

the

most

liveable

in the

world.Some

of the more

serious

impacts on communities from

transport

include:

the

death

of more

than I 600 people and serious

injury

to

more than 30.000 per annum in road

crashes. resulting

in

a quantifiable

cost

of

over

20billion per annum;

the deaths

of

over 1500 people a year. and over

4.500 cases

of

asthma and other sickness from

transport emissions

enormous

unquantified travel time and

transport

costs; and

personal

transport

times and

costs

are

increasing

as a proportion

of

available time and disposable

income to the extent that

transport is

contributing

to family pressure.

Page

As for environmental impacts. many social impacts are

not

included in

transport

planning and decision making.

Rail

public transport offers many benefits to individuals

and to cities as a whole. For the majority of users it

is

cheaper, safer (rail

is

more than I0 times safer than

road transport . and

more consistent

with persona' )

values

of

sustainability.

ll Australian city

rail

transport systems

are

under

stress due to increases

in

demand caused

by

increases

in

population. fuel price and congestion. Australian

communities are being pressured by

high

mortgage

costs

and high fuel prices which

will

continue into the

future. Improved public t ransport efficiency reduces

community travel costs. providing economic respite for

consumers

.This.

in turn

allows people

to

afford more

advantageous and efficient benefits such as education .

clothes and health.

Rail

public transport urgently needs investment

to

keep

pace with increasing demand and to maintain quality

of service. A large number of major cities around


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the world value

the

benefits of rail

tr nsport and

are

currently developing

their

systems through investment

and

other policies to enhance their cities.

Integrating pubic

tr nsport

with urban development

enhances the quality of human activity and is seen

in most modern cities s essential for vibrant cities

Unfortunately

tr nsport

and urban development are

still typically planned and provided independently.

Enhancing

the

efficiency

of

public

tr nsport

through

modern digital tr nsport control systems increases

safety reliability speed

and

capacity while at the

same

time

reducing costs.

n

doing so all the desirable

outcomes

for

cities are improved

uture Challenges and the

Opportunity

for Rail

Australia faces significant challenges in meeting a range

of

tr nsport needs:

tr nsport capacity;

greenhouse gases and other pollution;

operation and infrastructure cost escalation;

congestion and slowing urban travel speeds;

vulnerability

to

liquid fuel availability and price;

road crashes and health impacts

of tr nsport

emissions; and

deterior tion

of

urban amenity increasing funding

demands on Treasuries.

Rail

has

the potential to address many of these

significant problems for the nation. Specifically the

benefits of enhanced passenger

and

freight rail include

the following benefits

to

the Australian

community

bu siness and the environment :

supporting regional communities

reducing community health effects

minimising environmental consequences

reducing the road toll by reducing crashes

limiting local governme nt road maintenance

limiting road investmen t demands on Treasuries

improving international

agriculture

competitiveness for

reducing road infrastructure costs

for

state

government road authorities

maintaining robust tr nsport systems

to

suit a

variety

of

futures including reduced oil availability

greater use

of

both passenger and freight rail

will benefit business the environmen t and the

Australian communit y in general.

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What are the impacts of these

problems?

Almost

all

indicators of transport performance

in

Australia are deteriorating

or

are not

improving,

including:

infrastructure operating and users costs

cr shes

travel times

emissions noise and

other

environmental impacts

and

health effects

Economic

osts

If

Australian railways are

not

economically efficient,

infrastructure costs and maintenance are high, as

well as operational costs.This results

in

high costs to

transport

users and subsequently

to the

community and

producers .Lower

transport

costs increases

the

capacity

for Australian businesses to be

more

productive.

The

economic effects of suboptimal

transport

systems

are widespread, including:

passenger

transport is more

expensive

road and rail traffic congestion increases

road and rail travel times are longer than

necessary

road and rail travel time reliability decreases

road maintenance costs

will

increase

rail maintenance will increase requiring additional

time,

cost

and staff

The

commercial consequences of these effects are

that

Australian

export

industries become less

competitive reducing

export

earnings,

business costs increa se resulting

in

higher

onsumer

and business costs depressing

the

economy, and

Page

households pay

more

for goods and services

resulting

in

l

ower

quality of

life

.

reater use of passenger and freight rail reduces the

need for investment

in

expensive road construction

projects and reduces road maintenance costs, for which

heavy freight

is

a major contributor. It also improves

road transport efficiency, by reducing congestion.

A

robust transport

system which makes best use of

all modes

of

transport

is

not

only efficient, but alsc

resilient

to

external changes which are evident

in

future.

The

global financial challenges, environmental

challenges, liquid fuel avai labi lity,

the

rise of China and

potentially India as economic

powers

and consumers

are all

changes which Australia needs to be prepared

to respond to with systems which can adapt to change.

Relying on fewer modes of

transport wi

restrict

Australia

's

adaptabi

lity to meet

future shocks.

Some

quantified examples of

these

effects include:

Traffic congestion costs

in

Australia

amount

to

over

10 billion annually.

Heavy vehicle congestion costs rose about 50 in

the 15

years to 2005 and are forecast to increase

an additional 120

in the

following

15

years,making

a total increase of 230% over 30 years .


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If

Australian railways are not economically efficient.

infrastructure costs and maintenance are

high

as well as operational costs. This results

in

high

costs

to

transport

users and subsequently to

the

community and producers.

Higher road maintenance costs

Reduced trans

port

efficiency

due

to higher

congestion.

Reduced ability to respond to

transport

system

shocks such as global financial challenges.

environmental challenges. liquid fuel

avai

lability.

the

rise of China and potentially India

as

economic

powers and consumers.

Social osts

ransport

results

in

numerous community benefits

and impacts. Poor

transport

systems adversely impacts

regions. communities and cities because

transport is

vital.

he

costs

of poor transport

systems affect

the

whole

community

in

numerous ways. including:

increased travel times which reduce accessibility

to employment, schools. recreation

family

and

friends;

increased

transport

costs

put

pressure on families

reducing disposable income for

more

productive

purchases. and generally reducing quality of

life;

long

commuter

times also increase pressure on

families' recreational .

family

and personal time

in regional communities poor

transport

increases

road damage and hence vehicle

wear

and damage.

and road

comfort

;

poor

roads increase crashes and their costs.

whereas public

transport

use has much lower rash

effects

around 40% of the community

cannot

drive due to

age. infirmity

or

economic limitations . Improving

public

transport

provides access for

these

people.

which

is

particularly

important in our

aging

community

Strong exponential growth

in

urban passenger

demand

is

creating major pressure on urban

networks

Accessible and efficient transport system options

are

not

available

to

meet

this demand;

Higher than necessary road accident and emissions

related deaths and injuries which currently costs

over

$,20 billion

per

annum;

personal

transport

times and costs are increasing

as a

proportion

of available time and disposable

income to

the

extent that transport

is

contributing

to family pressure;

age 2


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- - - - -

How did these problems come about

Specifically Australia is lacking

a strategic plan describing the intended future for

integrated and multi modal t ransport intentions

and solutions;

a comprehensive policy agenda describing

the

directions

to

meet future requirements; and

adequate data and information from which to base

. strategic and specific activities.

) ithout this clear context there is a significant risk

that individual projects, while appearing beneficial at

the micro level, are counterproductive

to the

desired

objectives of the land transport system as a whole.

Furthermore , there is a risk that key elements which

might provide integrated benefits for the various modes

may

be overlooked.

Governments appear

to

have no substantial principles

grounding their

support

of any mode, resulting

in

haphazard policy focussed on narrow, short term and

incremental objectives. Rather, the clear strengths

of

each mode and categories within modes) should

be identified

so that

policy and tangible

support

are

directed co-operatively

to

enhance strengths and

discourage inefficient operations.

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How might these problems be

addressed

ptions

The

significant lack of rail capacity and thereby lack

of

significant potential improvement in national

productivity. is a crucial national issue which can be

resolved. Three possible options are:

review the policy framework and settings to

optimise the environment within which rail can

increase its capacity and productiVity for the

movement

of

people and goods.

Review Policy ramework and

Settings

t

is essential that the desired system for land transport

be clearly defined and described as the goal towards

which all transport policy decisions are aimed. This can

be achieved through:

better planning systems and methodologies;

using better data and information;

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major infrastructure works t increase rail capacity }

by duplicating existing tracks.

with

the consequent

related infrastructure changes including

other

major engineering works such

as

tunne ls

broadening the perspective some decisions are

currently based on

narrow

views.

eg

from a road

system perspective based on the infrastructure.

not taking other factors into account); and

installation of a national digital rail traffic

control

system

in

urban. regional and inter-capital networks

to optimise existing tracks

age

5

conducting analysis on a holistic basis

One important element of strategy is to take account

of a variety of futures to develop robust plans. Plans for

the future need to consider reasonable possibilities such

as

dramatically increasing fuel prices. emissions trading.

constraints caused by public demands. skills availability

and so on. Optimising use of existing infrastructure

should be pursued as the

first and

preferable option

before embarking on other major system changes.

The Australian Rail Industry recommends that )

transport policy

be

further developed.The policy should

consider at least the following elements relevant to rail

infrastructure:

Federal funding

for

infrastructure should include

contributions

to

all

modes

of

infrastructure

Congestion charging to encourage public transport

usage

Incremental pricing as a forerunner to

mass

distance charging

Planning transport infrastructure and land change

with a horizon

of

40 years or more.

Strategic policy to be coordinated across all modes

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with a single body

in

each state and territoriy

to

be

responsible for transport policy and coordination

across

the transport

portfolio.

National service delivery agencies should be

established

so that

each

is

responsible for a single

mode

.

Pricing

structures shou ld

take account

of

such

factors as distance travelled, mass

of

cargo

) especially for trucks)

Major Infrastructure

Works

It is

recognised

that

a number

of

major projects

tunnel ,extra track

etc are

being proposed by different

ju risdictions as a means

of

increasing rail system capacity,

and this is

supported

.

However

,

in

addition

to

hard

infrastructure,

there

are other projects

that

also need

to be focused on

to

produce infrastructure benefits.

Installation of igital ail Traffic

ontrol

Systems

At

an international level , rail traffic

control

technology

has evolved

to the

stage

whereby

excellent control

over

train movements

is

feasible providing the ability

to

continuously

monitor

train location, and

to

override

train

operation ie stop

a train

if

necessary, when

that

train has

exceeded

safety margins. Further,

the

technology can reduce

the

gaps

between

trains, safely

thereby

increasing capacity and productivity significantly,

without the

need for very expensive building works

such as additional

rail

tracks.

Digital

rai

l traffic

control

systems can be utilised

in

all rail

environments namely, urban/metro, regional

and inter-capital. The

technology

is

well proven being

already

in operation in

Europe, recently been mandated

in the

US and is being

adopted in

India and South East

Asia.

The

Rail

Industry

strong

ly

recommends

this

option

as a

very effective small footprint capacity-multiplier which

will

transform the Australian rail

network

into a

high

capacity, technologically

current

and safer

network

.

It

will not require the level

of

major engineering works

that

is required

to

duplicate tracks although

in

same

cases this duplication may still be

warranted

.

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What should be done first

afety

prevent train collisions/crashes

like

Glenbrook,

Waterfall

by

automated intervention

increased track

worker

protection

level crossing safety - system communication to

motor

vehicles a possibility

emergency communications systems across

network especially

at

platforms

Security

enhanced security via CCTV which is supplied by

digital communications system

Business benefits

net reduction in cost of ownership

improved asset / resources utilisation

improved customer satisfaction

client - customer

attraction through improved

travel experience

reduced infrastructure costs

lower cost of ownership

negates replacing

outmoded

train control

technologies with similar technologies

Page 9

Note - Train

operators

will face some increased costs

associated with

the

installation of on-train equipment

to create the operational interface with the TMS

system.

overnance

Industry proposes

that

governance would be provided

by

the new organisation known as the Australian

Rail Network

Authority ARNA) which would be

established

under the

auspices of

the

ARA much )

like the successful Rail Industry Safety and Standards

Board which is established, receiving co-funding from

overnment and Industry).

The ARNA would be

an

incorporated body established

by the ARA and its brief would be:

oversee

the

project management

of the

Scoping

Study

ensure engagement of appropriate stakeholders

ensure timely reporting of progress and

outcomes

recommend

to

Government the way forward after

the Scoping Study

Its membership would comprise senior Industry )

representatives of both rail operators, infrastructure

managers from all jurisdictions, with representation from

overnment and Industry.

It

would also incorporate

technical expertise from Industry.

This organisation would report to both the ARA

Executive as well as Senior Commonwealth and State /

Territory

overnment

representatives .

Project

management

ARA proposes that

the

first stage in this Project would

comprise a scoping project

to

be completed

by

end

2009, to examine:

the

technical elements of the proposed ADTCS,

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its potential application to networks around

Australia,

the budget for such a roll-out over I 0

to

I 5 years,

and

the costs and benefits of the project.

The scoping would be informed

by

experience ofARTC,

RailCorp, Victorian Government and Queensland Rail

all

of whom are undertaking ADTCS type evaluations

in one form or another, as well as

the

initiation of the

RTMS project in Europe.

The Project

is

anticipated to

cost

in the order of

20M.

utputs

Outputs of

the

Scoping Project would include:

estimated costs and benefits

to

provide effective

cost

benefit analysis

technology options

development

of

detailed plan using ARTC and

RailCorp trials pilots and experience

in

Europe

RTMS as starting point

application of an

open

standards approach to

ensure effective competition for

the

supply of

components and systems (6 suppliers already

operating

in

Australia)

research into interoperability between GSM-R and

Next

G data and other technology options

requirements for radio spectrum allocation

governance

structure

based on the idea of a

proposed Australian Rail Network Authority

(ARNA) which would be established under the

auspices of the ARA (much like

the

successful

Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board which is

established, receiving co-funding from Government

and Industry)

expansion

of

freight terminals

to cope

with

increased rail system capacity.

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List of Appendixes

Appendi x I

Appendix 2

AClL Tasman assessme

nt

o economic impact

ETCS

Diagram and brief overview

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