This is hilarious (posted a couple of days ago...)!!! 😂 🤣 😂 https://lnkd.in/emv3z5bp
Trainer, Consultant, Podcaster. I help improving railway performance and capacity through advanced digital signalling (CBTC and enhanced ETCS).
According to informed industry sources, the recently established High Speed Rail Authority investigates a secret plan to expand the future high speed railway network in Australia significantly beyond the initial vision. The connection Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane is now merely seen as a first stage, with further stages going north from Brisbane via Cairns and Darwin to Perth, and later west from Melbourne via Adelaide to Perth, replicating the famous "Big Aussie Lap" with high speed rail. This plan is meant to improve sustainable and climate-protective connectivity between all major Australian cities. (Note, an underground spur line from Melbourne to Hobart in Tasmania has been put on the backburner, but not entirely ruled out, according to a spokesperson of the Authority who preferred not to be named due to concerns about backlash from the Tasmanian government.) State politicians have shown enthusiastic reactions. Members of the Queensland parliament were "over the moon excited" by the prospects of Townsville and Cairns becoming satellite subcentres of their capital city Brisbane with commuting times under two hours considered possible. The first reaction from Darwin was relief that finally the Northern Territory was included in federal planning for passenger land transport, cutting down journey times to the "Pearl of the North" by more than half. Not all stakeholders were equally positive about the grand plan and its details. The South Australian government allegedly raised an appeal, questioning why Darwin should receive a high speed rail connection ahead of Adelaide. The initial response from Canberra was that "the sequencing of stages is work in progress and input from stakeholders, even from South Australia, will be duly considered in the decision-making". A further update on this exciting development is expected around the same day next year. #australia #highspeedrail #networkplanning #publictransport #docfrankrailservices