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.

• Australian Rail Freight Movements 1979–80
  
  ip_008.pdf
  (6.68 MB)

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.

• Evaluation of Standard Gauge Rail Connections to Selected Ports
  
  report_054.pdf
  (10.45 MB)

This Paper was commissioned by the Bureau of Transport Economics to expand the Bureau's understanding of the nature and extent of subsidies in Australian transportation. The Paper looks at public transport in Australian cities and some of the methodologies which can be used in the evaluation of benefits and costs arising from changes in fare structures or from changes in service levels. The methodologies and data used were based on publicly available sources with minimum use being made of confidential data or analysis. However, the assumptions underlying this study reflect the author's views and are not necessarily those of the Bureau of Transport Economics.

• Benefits of Urban Public Transport Subsidies in Australia
  
  op_071.pdf
  (5.17 MB)

The Royal Commission into Grain Storage, Handling and Transport, was established on 13 October 1986. One of the objectives of the Commission is to investigate the efficiency with which grain is transported in Australia. To this end the Commission sought submissions from interested parties. The Federal Bureau of Transport Economics (BTE) has prepared this Paper in response to that request.

• Competition and Regulation in Grain Transport: Submission to Royal Commission, May 1987
  
  op_082.pdf
  (9.91 MB)

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.

• Tasmanian Industry Outlook: Implications for Tasrail
  
  ip_024.pdf
  (4.69 MB)

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 Tasmanian Rail System: An Assessment of Costs and Benefits
  
  report_062.pdf
  (11.36 MB)

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.

• AN-Westrail Integration: An Assessment of Options
  
  report_063.pdf
  (8.27 MB)

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.

• Railway Legislation and Rate Contracts in Canada and Australia
  
  ip_028.pdf
  (10.78 MB)

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.

• A Comparison of Overseas Railway Systems: Their Policy Trends and Performance
  
  ip_030.pdf
  (4.13 MB)

This paper contains revision of some data for earlier years as well as statistics for 1985–86 and 1986–87. The paper presents a broad analysis of expenditure and revenue statistics, indicating the major trends in, and patterns of, road expenditure for each level of government in each State.

• Australian Road Financing Statistics 1977–78 to 1986–87
  
  ip_033.pdf
  (10.26 MB)