Australia needs high speed rail as an alternative to flying

Australia, it’s time we had an alternative to flying. Our airports are overloaded, flights are frequently delayed (or cancelled) and there has to be a more reliable way to transit our brilliant country.

Look at the upsides of Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train network. Or Twiliner, a luxe sleeper bus service with flat beds for those seeking an eco-alternative to European flights. The European Union is even pursuing Hyperloop, vacuum technology to get from London to Paris in 20 minutes.

With the high-speed Sydney-to-Newcastle rail route set to become a (distant) reality, I’m hoping the east coast at least can be next. It may seem trivial compared to the experience of travellers stranded by the Middle East conflict, but a recent domestic journey from Hobart to Sydney took me nearly 12 hours instead of the expected two, so I had time to contemplate. Here’s what I realised.

Australia’s airports (with the exception of Adelaide) have outgrown themselves. Particularly Hobart – there are too many people crammed into a small space with few facilities. My recent Qantas flight departing Hobart was delayed four times, and then cancelled (due to “engineering issues”). Another flight was cancelled later due to “engineering issues” so I wondered if the issue was in fact a lack of engineers?

We were then allocated a seat on a 6am flight the following day (which was also subsequently cancelled), many with no offer of accommodation until hours after queuing. (A colleague who complained via phone was offered $200 if an invoice for a room was lodged online.)

I ended up booking on another airline in the afternoon (Virgin) but had to fly from Hobart to Brisbane (also delayed), then Brisbane to Sydney and finally arrived home by 8pm. The wi-fi didn’t work (for me) on either flight. We had to wait to find someone in Sydney to operate the airbridge to disembark. I didn’t get one meal provided throughout the day (I had to pay for my own snacks, although kudos to the hostess who kindly gave me a KitKat.)

There is little recourse for delays. This attitude is behind the times. Given how frequently we fly (delayed) these days, and how big the business of “wellness” travel is, airports should include affordable sleep pods, chess sets or games areas, pianos, a library with a book exchange, a free gym or stretching area, massage bars, or a spot to book a mani or pedi. Help us do something positive. (Sydney International Airport has launched Anytime Fitness and Icebergs at the domestic terminal.)

Or, let’s prioritise high-speed rail. Improved infrastructure, economic growth, reduced environmental impact, plus easing the load on airports and highways, are advantages. Yes, the investment looks prohibitive, but so is the build of new airports, more jets and the associated maintenance. Infrastructure minister Catherine King says high-speed rail would deliver a $250 billion boost to the economy over 50 years, create more than 99,000 jobs and open up 160,000 homes along the rail corridor from Sydney to Newcastle. Australians would pay $31 for a 60-minute train. Imagine, then, if we could get to Melbourne or Adelaide without delays? As Kendall Hill notes in this column, if the new Sydney and Melbourne metros are anything to go by, and I can get somewhere on time, I’ll be the first to get on board.

Kerrie McCallumEditor-in-chief

Kerrie got her first passport at the age of two to travel around Europe by campervan. She’ll go anywhere for good food, is a shopping fanatic, and always overpacks. She’s lived in New York, considers Croatia her most special place, and gravitates to great beach holidays. Her most memorable work assignments include travelling through India with Anita Roddick, dining in a Moorish castle in Seville, trawling for clams in Marlborough, trekking the Great Wall of China, and swimming with sharks in the Maldives (they were tiny, but still!). Her one travel wish is to return to Kokomo island in Fiji, and stay forever!

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