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ABN 64 217 302 489

LIGHT RAIL IN AUSTRALIA –

THE RENAISSANCE CONTINUES

Danny Broad, ARA CEO

21 February 2017

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OVERVIEW

• The ARA and Rail in Australasia

• Why the Light Rail Revival?

• Benefits of Light Rail

• A Local Update

• Innovative Funding

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94 Manufacturers, Suppliers,

Contractors and Consultants

WHO IS THE ARA?

• Australasian Railway Association

– Peak body for Rail

– Host of this conference

– Member funded

– Over 130 members

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HOW DO WE WORK WITH OUR MEMBERS?

ARA Board

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THE ARA - WHAT DO WE DO?

• Provide a platform for members to:– Network

– Knowledge share

– Innovate

– Learn of opportunities to develop their businesses

• Advance the master plans of our four rail sectors as well as the ARA strategic plan

• Work with industry, all levels of government and key industry stakeholders to develop policies that benefit the community, the industry and our members.

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RAIL IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

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OUR ANNUAL CUSTOMERS

> 1.23 billion tonnes

of freight

697.4 million

heavy rail

journeys

898.8 million customer journeys

17.3 million trains trips every week or 2.5 million people daily!

201.4 million

light rail

journeys

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WHY THE LIGHT RAIL REVIVAL?

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POPULATION GROWTH IN OUR CITIES

• Our cities are growing at triple the rate of regional centres and our national infrastructure deficit is in excess of $300 billion

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CITIES: THE ENGINE-ROOMS OF OUR NATION

Source: John Daly, GRATTAN Institute

Our 2nd - 5th largest cities have bigger populations than the 2nd -

5th largest cities in France / Germany

Efficient public transport systems are vital!

Top 5 largest Australian cities

produce 12.3% of GDP

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BENEFITS OF LIGHT RAIL

• Reduction in congestion due to increased capacity

• Ease of accessibility for all

• Light rail fixed tracks provide certainty for investment. Light rail is proven to

regenerate urban areas, increase density and encourages sense of social

interaction and community.

• Public transport users walk five times more than those who drive

• Employment opportunities during construction, operation and maintenance

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A LOCAL UPDATE

AUSTRALIA’S LIGHT RAIL RENAISSANCE

Sunshine Coast

Gold Coast

Newcastle

Adelaide

Hobart

Perth

Brisbane

Parramatta

Sydney CBD & South EastCanberra

Melbourne

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GOLD COAST, G:Link

• Stage 1:– G:Link commenced 20 July 2014

– 13km, 16 stops

– Land within 400m of stops increased > 7 per cent

• Stage 2:– 7.3km dual track connecting light and heavy rail

– Construction commenced April 2016

– Operational by Feb 2018 (Commonwealth Games)

– 2 park and ride facilities (1400 carparks)

• Stage 3?– 22km Broadbeach to Coolangatta Airport

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New South Wales Light Rail Projects

• Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail– 11.8 km, 19 stops, wire free (Circular Quay – Town Hall: 1.5km)

– Net present cost of design and construction = $1.185 billion

– Opening March 2019

• Parramatta

– A 20 km network to revitalise and generate jobs growth

– Construction to commence in 2017

• Newcastle– 2.7 km through the heart of Newcastle

– A key part of the ‘Revitalising Newcastle’ strategy

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CAPITAL METRO - CANBERRA

• Canberra

– City designed for light rail

– $1 billion roads investment over last decade

– Urban sprawl stretches 45km North – South

– Only 7.9% commute by public transport

• Stage one:

– Route: 13km Gungahlin - Civic

– The beginning of a network

– Driving development along the corridor

• Stage two announced in September ’16

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MELBOURNE – YARRA TRAMS

• 1763 stops, 24 routes and a free city circle service

• 31,500 tram services scheduled weekly

• Approximately 3.5 million passenger trips weekly

• Tram network:

– 80 per cent share road space with other vehicles

– average speed of a tram is 16 km/h

– A traffic light priority trial is underway to increase speed and

reliability

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AdeLINK, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

• Plans to reinstall a city-wide light rail network, connecting North, South, East and West Adelaide

• Arranged by stages:– EastLink

– WestLink

– ProspectLink

– UnleyLink

– CityLINK

– PortLINK

• Stage one went to market in Dec

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INNOVATIVE FUNDING

• Multiple tools are used around the globe to fund transport

– Value Capture

– Transit-oriented developments (TODs)

– Congestion charging

– Sales tax

– Payroll tax

– Fuel tax

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VALUE CAPTURE

• Recoups part of the increased

value transport improvements

provide to nearby properties

• Must be determined on a

case-by-case basis

• TODs are complementary

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TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTS (TODs)

• Developments above, adjacent or near public transport stations

• Proven to encourage greater patronage

• Can be a long-term revenue source

• MTR, Hong Kong

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GENERAL CONCLUSION

• It’s an exciting time for light rail in Australia

• Light rail is now recognised as a critical element of integrated

transport solutions for our growing cities

• Governments are adopting light rail as a catalyst for urban

renewal and regeneration

• Innovative funding should be used to invest or expand

existing systems further

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Whether Australians travel by public

transport or not, they still benefit from

its use and existence.