Australian Transport Statistics provides an easy introduction to a diverse range of transport statistics. Topics include employment, GDP, passenger and freight movements, trade, funding, motor vehicles, fatalities and estimated greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the transport industry. Various international comparisons are included and details provided for the road,rail, marine and aviation sectors. Data are gathered from various sources both within the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics and external organisations.

• Australian Transport Statistics–June 2005
  
  stats_001.pdf
  (815.06 KB)

This issue contains an article on Trends in Australian International Sea Trade. It examines Australia's maritime trade 1994–1995 to 2004–2005, including commodity exports and imports, trade regions and port activity.

• Waterline No 39
  
  water_039.pdf
  (753.21 KB)

The Australian Government's AusLink initiative represents a new approach to planning and funding Australia's land transport infrastructure. Under AusLink the Australian Government will fund projects that have the greatest contribution to Australia's long-term economic prosperity, irrespective of the transport mode. AusLink will involve an integrated approach to planning, with three complementary levels of analysis:

1. strategic network assessment;
2. corridor assessments and;
3. detailed project assessments.

Projections of future transport demand are a critical input into these assessments. In order to undertake more informed strategic network assessments, the BTRE has developed two models for projecting future non-urban passenger and freight transport demand: OZPASS non-urban passenger travel forecasting model; and FreightSim inter-regional freight forecasting model. This paper outlines the structure of these models and demonstrates their application to projecting future passenger and freight movements across the non-urban sections of the AusLink National Network. Readers should note that the road traffic projections presented in this paper are based on passenger travel and freight movement data for 1999 and road traffic data for various years between 1993 and 1996. These data sets were the most up-to-date data available to the BTRE when the analysis was undertaken. The BTRE intends to update these projections, using more current passenger and freight movements data, more recent regional population estimates and, in cooperation with the States and Territories, more recent road traffic data, when this data becomes available.

• Demand Projections for Auslink Non-Urban Corridors: Methodology and Projections
  
  wp_066_AusLinkDP_FullReport.pdf
  (5.42 MB)

Freight Measurement and Modelling in Australia aims to summarise the existing state of knowledge on freight in Australia and to present the time series data, analysis and sources which underpin the BTRE's long term freight forecasts. Consistently measured time series data are required to model and forecast freight flows. The report describes the methodologies evolved by the BTRE to do this. It also includes the results of modelling and forecasting undertaken using the derived series. Non-bulk freight is projected to increase by 82 per cent in tonne-kilometre terms between 2003 and 2020 (average 3.6 per cent a year).

The expected rate of growth in gross domestic product and reductions in freight rates are the key drivers of this growth as well as a continuing trend to national distribution by manufacturers, wholesalers and importers. With Treasury projecting some fall-off in the long term economic growth going forward, the non-bulk growth rate is slightly lower than in the recent past. Based on past trends, road's share of national non-bulk freight is projected to increase marginally from 74 per cent to 76 per cent, with the rail share declining from 21 per cent to 17 per cent and sea freight making up the balance (with air freight vanishingly small in tonnekilometre terms, albeit not in value).

These mode share projections, however, do not take account of the potential for rejuvenation of rail on north-south routes, in somewhat the same manner as has already occurred on east-west routes. Capital city freight tonne-kilometres are projected to grow by 3.0 per cent a year between 2003 and 2020 (compared with a 1971–2003 average of 5.0 per cent). While heavy vehicles comprise only 4 per cent of the metropolitan traffic stream, growth of this level implies a slight increase in the heavy vehicle proportion (to 4.2 per cent in 2020).

Rail is expected to remain the largest mode in shipping bulk freight (46 per cent share in 2003, 45 per cent in 2020), followed by sea freight (30 per cent and 29 per cent shares respectively). Rail is well suited for transporting to port Australia's large export tonnages in coal, other minerals and grains. Rail freight has fallen in most other bulk commodities.

• Freight Measurement and Modelling in Australia
  
  report_112.pdf
  (7.78 MB)

The Australian Sea Freight series presents statistics on the movement of Australian freight by sea, as well as information on port activity, fleet structure, and use of coastal permits. This edition focuses on sea freight activity around Australia during 2003–04.

• Australian Sea Freight 2003–2004
  
  ip_056.pdf
  (601.67 KB)

This issue contains two articles, one on the role of the new Maritime Security Identification Card system and the other on Australian International Shipping.

• Waterline No 40
  
  water_040.pdf
  (3.95 MB)

Australian Transport Statistics provides an easy introduction to a diverse range of transport statistics. Topics include employment, GDP, passenger and freight movements, trade, funding, motor vehicles, fatalities and estimated greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the transport industry. Various international comparisons are included and details provided for the road,rail, marine and aviation sectors. Data are gathered from various sources both within the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics and external organisations.

• Australian Transport Statistics 2006
  
  stats_001-ATS2006.pdf
  (572.85 KB)

Paper given to the 29th Australasian Transport Research Forum, 27–29 September 2006, Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast. Authors: David Gargett, Afzal Hossain and David Cosgrove.

• Interstate Freight on States Roads
  
  sp_001_Interstate_Freight.pdf
  (1022.08 KB)

Paper given to the 29th Australian Transport Research Forum conference to be held from 27 to 29 September 2006 in Gold Coast. Authors: Krishna Hamal, Benjamin James, Mark Cregan.

• Port Level Forecasts of Container and Ship Movements in Australia: 2004–05 to 2024–25
  
  sp_002_Port_Forecasts.pdf
  (666.46 KB)

In addition to the usual content on wharf side indicators of productivity, Waterline 41 contains a feature article on a a set of new indicators of productivity improvements focusing on the interface between port terminals and the trucks and trains that deliver containers to and pick up containers from the terminals.

Indicators include number of trucks processed, container turnaround time, rail transported containers as percent of containers processed on the landside of terminal, and indicators on the availability and use of vehicle booking system time slots at port terminals.

The article includes preliminary estimates of the indicators. However these estimates are based on incomplete data and some, for example rail mode share, are unreliable. They are published at this stage to indicate the intended scope of the new indicators and for comment before formal reporting of the indicators starts in 2007.

• Waterline No 41
  
  water_041.pdf
  (3.73 MB)