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| Information Paper 57 - Filling a gap in rail data: an investigation of the Gheringhap Loop train sightings | March 2007 |
| This paper analyses train sightings data collected at Gheringhap, Victoria, located on the Melbourne to Adelaide main line. These sightings provide an independent source of information on train movements, train lengths, and reliability, and, given knowledge of freight volumes, can be used to estimate average wagon loads. In cases where trains are not scheduled, sightings such as these are presently the only publicly available source of data for freight volumes on specific routes. |
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| Report 114: Optimising Harmonisation in the Australian Railway Industry | September 2006 |
| The past decade has seen Australian rail transformed in terms of ownership, operational and technical advances. This report reviews the theory and the practice of physical and regulatory harmonisation in Australia and overseas. It also explores the benefits and costs of harmonisation and the concept of optimal harmonisation. |
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| Report 108: Rail Accident Costs in Australia | July 2003 |
| This report is the third in a series covering the socio-economic costs of transport accidents in Australia. Transport accidents impose a significant burden on the Australian community. Not all of their consequences can be expressed in financial terms. However, to weigh up options for minimising and dealing with this burden, it is important to know the costs of transport accidents |
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| Working Paper 57 - Land Transport Infrastructure Pricing: An Introduction | June 2003 |
| At the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) meeting on 7 November 2002, the Council asked BTRE to provide a comparative analysis of current land transport pricing regimes and their objectives and to present the findings at the next Council meeting, held on 27 February 2003. This working paper comprises the paper prepared for the ALC and already released by the ALC as a discussion paper. |
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| Working Paper 54 - Regional Public Transport in Australia: Economic Regulation and Assistance Measures | April 2003 |
Regional public transport plays an important role in meeting the needs of Australians living in regional and remote areas for access to essential services and for mobility. This paper provides information on Commonwealth, State and Territory government regulatory arrangements and assistance measures relating to regional public transport in 2001-02.
A companion paper, Regional public transport in Australia: Long-distance services, trends and projections (Working Paper 51), provides information on long-distance regional public transport services in Australia, and includes a snapshot of all such services across Australia in 2000-01 and the level of demand and characteristics of regional passenger travel. |
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| Working Paper 51 - Regional Public Transport In Australia: Long-Distance Services, Trends And Projections | March 2003 |
| Regional public transport plays an important role in meeting the needs of Australians living in regional and remote areas for access to essential services and for mobility. This paper provides information on long-distance regional public transport services in Australia, and includes a snapshot of all such services across Australia in 2000-01 and the level of demand and characteristics of regional passenger travel in 1999-2000. The report also provides projections of likely future long-term trends in regional passenger travel. A companion paper, Regional public transport in Australia: Economic regulation and assistance measures (Working Paper 54), provides information on the regulatory arrangements and assistance measures relating to regional public transport. |
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| Working Paper 45 - Brisbane to Melbourne Rail Link: Economic Analysis | October 2000 |
| The Minister for Transport and Regional Services asked the Bureau of Transport Economics to undertake a benefit-cost analysis of the inland rail link between Melbourne and Brisbane being proposed by Australian Transport & Energy Corridor Ltd (ATEC). The analysis relies significantly on information gathered recently for a pre-feasibility study carried out for ATEC. |
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| Working Paper 40 - Competitive Neutrality Between Road and Rail | September 1999 |
| If the Commonwealth Government's new tax system (ANTS), and associated legislation such as the Diesel and Alternative Fuels Grants Scheme Bill 1999, had been in place in 1998-99, average input costs for interstate non-bulk rail and interstate non-bulk road would have been 8 per cent and 15 per cent lower, respectively, than actual average input costs in 1998-99. |
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| Information Sheet 7 - Costs of rail accidents in Australia - 1993 | December 1995 |
BTCE (1992) Social cost of transport accidents in Australia, Report 79, p. 52, estimated the total cost of rail accidents in 1988 as $94.5 million (in 1988 dollars). The Information Sheet table provides
updated estimates, including comparable figures for 1988 and 1993 that are expressed in 1993 dollars. |
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| Information Paper 40 - Analysis of the Rail Deficit | October 1995 |
| The aim of this study is to find out if railways are improving their financial performance following the industry reform programs initiated by the State and Commonwealth Governments in the 1980s. |
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| Working Paper 18 - Economic Effects of a Brisbane - Melbourne Inland Railway | June 1995 |
| Like some other freight-oriented rail investments, the inland railway has been advocated partly on the grounds that it will stimulate the economies of some rural regions. Examined in this paper are the effects of inland railway on the agricultural and mining industries of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. |
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| Report 88: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Australian Transport: Long Term Projections | March 1995 |
| This Report provides a 'business as usual' scenario for the emission of greenhouse gases from the Australian transport sector for the period 1993-94 to 2014-15. Models for emissions from cars, trucks, rail, sea and air transport reflect sectoral activity, fuel intensity and emission intensity factors. The models indicate that emissions from the Australian car fleet over the next two decades will decline while emissions from trucks and aircraft are likely to grow quite strongly. Background information and historical data series are also provided. |
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| Working Paper 14.2 - Adequacy of transport Infrastructure: Rail | December 1994 |
| This Working Paper is the second in a series of Working Papers which disseminates the results of a large research project into the adequacy of Australia's transport infrastructure over the next 20 years. The assessment covers all four modes of transport - road, rail, air and sea - with the primary focus on freight. |
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| Report 79: Social Cost of Transport Accidents in Australia | July 1992 |
| This study has refined the methodology and expanded the scope of a previous Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics study on the cost of road accidents in Australia. The human capital approach has been used in this study to estimate the social cost of road, rail, aviation and maritime accidents in Australia in 1988. |
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| Report 76: Relative Efficiencies in the Transportation of Commodities | January 1992 |
| This Report assesses the relative efficiencies of road and rail in the transportation of several bulk commodities. The work explores potential constraints to the efficient transportation of bulk commodities, including the pricing systems applied by road and rail operators. |
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| Report 74: Transport and Regional Economic Development | January 1992 |
This Report describes a case study of capacity of regional transport infrastructure to meet current and future demands of industry. The selected region is comprised largely of the Australian Bureau of Statistics statistical divisions of the South East division of South Australia and the South Western
division of Victoria. The region is an important corridor for the transport needs of other regions. The region's transport infrastructure inlcudes a port, road and rail networks, and airports. |
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| Report 72: The Social Impacts of Rail Systems Rationalisation | August 1991 |
| This report assesses the social impacts of a range of scenarios developed for non-urban rail by the Railway Industry Council to set out reform options for railway systems in Australia. Use is made of Australian Bureau of Statistics census data for 1981 and 1986, data from railway systems in Australia and results from a survey of redundant and redeployed railway workers. |
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| Working Paper 1 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Australian Transport | May 1991 |
| The Paper details emissions from various segments of the transport sector, discusses the magnitude of the task involved in reducing transport emissions, and examines the potential for reducing them by alternative means. These include fuel economy improvements, use of alternative fuels, transport system improvements including modal shift, and reductions in discretionary travel. |
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| Report 68: An Analysis of Total Factor Productivity with an Application to Australian National | January 1991 |
| This Report has two main goals. The first is to present the theoretical aspects of productivity measurement and its interpretation with particular emphasis on its role as a performance measure. The second is to provide, within the context of performance appraisal, an empirical analysis of productivity growth in the Australian National Railways Commission over the period 1979-80 to 1987-88. |
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| Report 65: Redeployment and Redundancy in Australian Railways | November 1989 |
| Initiatives adopted to facilitate structural adjustment of rail systems in Australia have resulted in redeployment and redundancy of rail workers. A survey was conducted by the Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics to obtain information on the work experiences of redeployed and redundant rail workers. |
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| Information Paper 30 - A Comparison of Overseas Railway Systems: Their Policy Trends and Performance | October 1988 |
| During the last decade, the major railway systems around the world have undergone a fundamental reappraisal of their place in the economy in general, and their transport purpose, in particular. This Paper examines the railway systems of eight countries, including Australia, to see how they responded to a changing competitive environment, focusing on institutional and organisational restructuring that had taken place to revitalise them and to improve their performance. |
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| Information Paper 28 - Railway Legislation and Rate Contracts in Canada and Australia | March 1988 |
| This Paper provides information about recent changes in the regulatory approach to the railway industry in Canada and about the approach taken by Australian governments. The Paper also provides specific information on the components of shipper-carrier contracts, detailing their form and the range of factors a shipper would need to consider when negotiating such an agreement. Case studies illustrate the range of purposes these contracts may serve and the variety of approaches available to the solution of a rail transport problem. |
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| Report 63: AN-Westrail Integration: An Assessment of Options | December 1987 |
| The Bureau was required to assess the economic and financial costs and benefits to the railways, governments and the nation of several options for partial or complete integration of the two systems. Operational, marketing, financial and industrial implications, and social costs and benefits have been considered. The study includes a description of the current plans for both railways in the event of no integration. These plans, which incorporate the improvements that both railways (operating independently) anticipate over the next five years, are adopted as the Base Case, which is used as a benchmark for the subsequent analysis of the integration options. |
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| Report 62: The Tasmanian Rail System: An Assessment of Costs and Benefits | December 1987 |
| In 1985-86 the Comnonwealth Government agreed to a contract arrangement to finance the operating losses incurred by the Australian National (AN) Tasmanian rail system over the three-year period, 1985-86 to 1987-88. The contract provided for a payment of $18.4 million in 1985-86 declining to $17.8 million and $16.2 million in the following two years. To assist in the consideration of future arrangements for the Tasmanian railway system (Tasrail), the Commonwealth directed the Bureau to undertake an assessment of the costs and benefits of closing Tasrail. |
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| Information Paper 24 - Tasmanian Industry Outlook: Implications for Tasrail | December 1987 |
| On 11 September 1985, Terms of Reference directing the Bureau of Transport Economics to undertake an assessment of the costs and benefits of closing Australian National's Tasmanian rail system were announced. This Paper provides details of freight projections derived from an examination of the future prospects for those industries using rail services within Tasmania. |
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| Report 58: Social Audit and Australian Transport Evaluation | May 1984 |
| This Report covers the interpretation of the social audit concept, the methodology for its application and potential areas of application to Australian transport. The Report also considers possible guidelines and proposals for promoting the social audit approach. |
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| Report 57: Central North NSW Transport Alternatives | May 1984 |
| In March 1982 the Northern Transport Study Committee presented a submission to the Bureau of Transport Economics (BTE) on the inadequacies of the transport system serving the Gwydir and Macintyre River Valleys, commonly referred to as the north-west slopes and plains area of New South Wales. Subsequently, in response to a Ministerial reference the BTE undertook this study in which the economic and financial implications of a range of transport alternatives for this region are examined. |
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| Report 54: Evaluation of Standard Gauge Rail Connections to Selected Ports | November 1983 |
| This report is on the economic and financial benefits and costs of providing standard gauge railway lines to the ports of Brisbane, Melbourne and Geelong. The terms of reference for the study also required the BTE to examine the possible standardisation of the Tocumwal-Mangalore railway line because of the interdependence between the proposed Tocumwal-Mangalore and Melbourne-Geelong links. As a result, the study covered standard gauge links to Fisherman Islands (Brisbane), Swanson Dock (Melbourne) and Geelong, with the latter project including a standard gauge connection between Tocumwal and Mangalore. |
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| Information Paper 08 - Australian Rail Freight Movements 1979/80 | December 1982 |
| This Information Paper identifies for 1979-80 the freight movements which occurred on Australian railways and the sizes of particular flows. To a large extent this Information Paper represents an update of an earlier Bureau of Transport Economics (BTE) publication entitled Australian Rail Freight Movements, 1975-76. |
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| Report 50: Transport of Slaughter Cattle in Australia | December 1981 |
| This Report presents the results of an investigation of the market conduct and performance of that part of the road haulage industry which undertakes the transportation of cattle intended for slaughter at abattoirs for human consumption. In addition, an assessment of the costs of transhipping beef from processing points to retail outlets is made. The Ministerial terms of reference for the study are contained in Appendix I. |
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| Occasional Paper 35 - Railway Track Design: A Review of Current Practice | May 1980 |
| This Paper reviews the current practice for the design of conventional railway track. Current track design practice has historically developed slowly and is predominantly based upon years of operating experience. Consequently many of the developed design expressions are at best semi empirical in nature. The scope of this report is confined to the design of the track structure above the level of the formation, i.e., rails, sleepers and ballast. |
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| Report 43: Sandy Hollow - Maryvale Railway: Economic Evaluation of Proposed Completion | July 1979 |
| The uncompleted Sandy Hollow-Maryvale railway in New South Wales has a somewhat chequered history. It was finally begun in 1936 after inquiries stretching back to 1911. Construction was slowed to almost a standstill by World War 11, accelerated in the early post war years and then abandoned in 1951 due to a shortage of capital. Subsequent moves to complete the railway foundered in the face of unfavourable economic assessment. This report presents the results of an economic benefit-cost analysis of a recent proposal for the completion of the railway against the background of the discovery of massive proven coal reserves along the line. |
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| Report 39: Mainline Upgrading - Evaluation of a Range of Options for the Kalgoorlie - Perth Rail Link | October 1978 |
| This Report is the last of a series on railway mainline upgrading options and covers the evaluation of options for upgrading the standard gauge link between Kalgoorlie and Perth. The evaluation of upgrading options differs in this case from those previously reported, in that no capacity constraints are envisaged, but severe and continuing track deterioration has occurred between Koolyanobbing and Kwinana as a result of heavy axle loads in the iron ore and wheat trades. Thus the upgrading requirements in this case are concerned with the use of heavy rail and high standard track rather than the capacity to run more trains. |
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| Report 38: Transportation of the Australian Wheat Harvest | June 1978 |
| The production and export of wheat is important for Australia and its storage and transport represents a significant load on domestic resources. This report presents the results of a study of the costs of transporting the wheat harvest from the production areas to the ports in order to meet both domestic and international demand. |
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| Report 35: Mainline Upgrading - Evaluation of a Range of Options for the Trans Australia Link | March 1978 |
| For the purposes of this study the east-west rail link across Australia was considered in sections: Sydney to Broken Hill, Broken Hill to Port Pirie (including Adelaide to Peterborough and Adelaide to Port Pirie), The Port Pirie Bogie Exchange and Port Pirie to Kalgoorlie. For each section the study procedure adopted was similar to that used in previous BTE studies with possible upgrading options evaluated in light of the forecast growth in traffic. Upgradings were evaluated from both a commercial and a resource cost point of view. |
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| Report 32: Darwin and Northern Territory Freight Transport Study | August 1977 |
| The difficulties associated with defining and funding an acceptable transport system to serve the needs of Australians living in the Centre and North of the continent have proved a continuing area of concern to successive Commonwealth and State Governments. In this study an attempt has been made to define a broad network of supply links to the major population centres of the Northern Territory and identify priorities for investment which would provide a satisfactory level of service at minimum total cost. The basic criterion of acceptability was taken as the provision of all weather links between the Northern Territory centres and their major sources of supply. |
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| Report 31: Study of East - West Rail Passenger Services: The 'Indian Pacific' and 'Trans Australian' | July 1977 |
| The Government rail systems in Australia provide a number of intersystem rail passenger services which cater for intra- and interstate travellers. These services are potentially important sources of income for the rail systems concerned. This Report presents the results of a study of the profitability of the East-West rail passenger services specifically covering the Indian Pacific and Trans Australian trains. |
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| Report 30: Mainline Upgrading - Evaluation of a Range of Options for the Adelaide to Serviceton Rail Link | July 1977 |
| In this Report a number of options for the railway line between Adelaide and Serviceton have been evaluated. This work complements that previously undertaken on the Melbourne to Serviceton link. There appears to be little likelihood of congestion on this link sufficient to justify major upgrading within the next twenty years although some minor loop extensions and the introduction of Centralised Traffic Control are justified now. There is no economic justification for any of the Project Peregrine schemes considered for the Adelaide Hills sections. |
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| Report 29: Mainline Upgrading - Evaluation of a Range of Options for the Sydney - Brisbane Rail Link | July 1977 |
| This study is one of a series concerned with the evaluation of upgrading options for inter-capital rail links in Australia. Analysis indicated that the Sydney to Brisbane line is already exhibiting signs of congestion and, given the expected traffic growth, will become seriously congested in the mid-1980s unless upgrading action is taken. The range of upgrading options considered include grade easement, centralised traffic control and crossing loop extensions. |
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| Report 26: Study of Port Pirie Bogie Exchange | February 1977 |
| Because of separate development by the individual States, the Australian railway network contains links of a number of different gauges. For this reason bogie exchange facilities have been established at several locations including two in South Australia, at Port Pirie and Peterborough, where the State broad gauge system meets the interstate standard gauge system. The intention of these exchanges is to allow ready transfer of loaded and unloaded freight wagons from one system to the other. Traffic through the exchange at Port Pirie has increased to the extent that difficulties are being experienced in handling it. |
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| Report 25: Study of Intersystem Railway Freight Rating Practices | February 1976 |
| Government railways in Australia operate in all mainland States and Territories. Interstate movement of freight over the rail network is a potentially important method of transportation within the nation. However, intersystem railway arrangements operate against a background of State railways providing predominantly intrastate freight services. This report presents the results of a study of intersystem railway freight rating practices as they apply to a particular area of New South Wales. |
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| Report 23: The 2CM Freight Wagon Bogie - an Appraisal | January 1976 |
| The operations of a railway system can often be enhanced by the introduction of improved technology. Clearly the benefits of the new technology should more than compensate for its costs. The introduction of the 2CM freight bogie would enhance the operations of the Australian railways, however the question of the value of the benefits in relation to the additional costs has been a vexed one. This report has been prepared with the object of clarifying the economic merits of the 2CM bogie. |
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| Report 18: Assessment of Investment in Urban Public Transport 1977-78 to 1979-80 | July 1975 |
| This is the fourth Report by the BTE on capital investment in urban public transport. It differs from previous Reports produced in that it presents an estimate of economically warranted investment for the period 1977-78 to 1979-80 rather than an evaluation of a specific program of projects put forward by State Authorities. |
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| Report 14: Review of Public Transport Investment Proposals for Australian Capital Cities, 1974-75 | January 1975 |
| This Report surveys proposals provided by the States for investment in urban public transport. As in previous reports, the BTE has limited analysis to benefit cost and financial evaluations. While refraining from direct comment on the administration, planning, pricing and other activities, the BTE has attempted to ensure that the proposals put forward comprise an appropriate program consistant wih long term projections with regard to urban planning and social objectives. |
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| Report 12: Development of a Rail Freight Terminal at Acacia Ridge | February 1974 |
| This is a Report on the proposed terminal facility at Acacia Ridge. It is becoming increasingly apparent that terminal facilities are a key to the efficient operation of the Australian railway system. In many cases, however, the layout and structures do not permit modern. Methods to be employed effectively, so that serious delays occur. As the problems are so serious at Acacia Ridge, this report was compiled in 3 months. |
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| Report 4: Economic Evaluation of Timber and Concrete Sleepers for Three Railway Lines | October 1972 |
| The evaluations presented in this Report have been made to determine the least cost sleeper alternative for each of three railway projects. They are the proposed new railway line from Tarcoola to Alice Springs, the standard gauge connection from Adelaide to Crystal Brook, and the re-sleepering of the Trans-Australian Railway. |
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| Report 1: Economic Evaluation of a Canberra to Yass Rail Link | January 1971 |
| Subsequent growth in Canberra, particularly in the post-war period, and projections suggesting continued rapid growth, prompted the Minister for Shipping and Transport in 1964 to request from the Commonwealth Railways Commissioner a report on the proposed rail link between Canberra and Yass. That report stated that when the considerable savings are taken into account that would accrue to the various instrumentalities and people located in the Australian Capital Territory as the result of lower freight rates and passenger fares consequent upon the direct linking of Canberra with Yass, construction of the Canberra-Yass railway could be justified on economic grounds. In April this year, the Minister for Shipping and Transport requested the Bureau of Transport Economics to carry out a detailed economic evaluation of the link. |
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