BTRE has recently completed estimates of passenger movements by various modes (i.e. air, car, coach and rail) between major Australian cities (covering ten main routes) from 1970–71 to 2003–04 and predicted passenger flows up to 2030–31.

• Passenger Movements between Australian Cities, 1970–71 to 2030–31
  
  is_026.pdf
  (5.09 MB)

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.

Following the growth in private train operations since the mid-1990s and the privatisation of National Rail in 2002, rail freight activity data became increasingly scarce. The lack of data can be a challenge for the BTRE in providing the government with timely and accurate information about trends in Australian freight transport. The rail industry has recognised this deficiency: the Australasian Railway Association and its members are working with the BTRE to produce the first public report on the performance of the Defined Interstate Rail Network and to supply data for AusLink planning.

In the meantime, the BTRE has investigated other potential data sources, including information from railway enthusiasts. This paper presents an analysis of one such source of rail data that is reported online, from video-taped observations made and collated by Graham Elliott at Gheringhap Loop, Victoria, on the mainline between Adelaide and Melbourne. The paper provides a short review of the reliability of the data, makes observations about trends in freight activity from the data set, and draws some conclusions about the value of the data collection method.

• Filling a gap in rail data: an investigation of the Gheringhap Loop train sightings
  
  ip_057.pdf
  (465.23 KB)

Paper presented to European Conference of Ministers of Transport "Workshop on Competitive Tendering for Rail Services" held in Paris on 12 January 2006. Paper to be published in forthcoming ECMT Workshop Proceedings. Author: Peter Kain.

• The pitfalls in competitive tendering: addressing the risks revealed by experience in Australia and Britain
  
  sp_002_pittfalls_in_competitve_tendering.pdf
  (1.22 MB)

This Information Sheet provides indexed trends in average interstate non-bulk freight rates, from 1964–65 to 2007–08, updating the freight rate indexes previously published in Freight Rates in Australia, Information Sheet 19 (BTRE 2002). The estimates show that, following generally declining real freight rates over the previous two decades, real freight rates for road, rail and long-distance coastal shipping have risen since 2000–01 (Table 1 provides nominal and real indexed freight rate series and Figures 1 to 4 illustrate indexed trends in real freight rates). Recent increases in crude oil prices, and flow through to diesel fuel prices, have been an important contributing factor in recent freight rate increases for road, rail and coastal shipping.

• Freight Rates in Australia 1964–65 to 2007–08
  
  is_028.pdf
  (358.72 KB)

Up until the early 1960s, railways dominated all but the shortest land-based freight task. Since then, vast improvements in road vehicle productivity and road infrastructure quality, the gradual removal of regulations restricting road freight carriage and the exponential growth in interstate trade has broadened the range of freight tasks for which road is better suited than rail.

• Road and rail freight: competitors or complements?
  
  is_034.pdf
  (1003.02 KB)

This statistical report is the third in this series and is a result of collaboration between the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE).

• Rail Freight Performance Indicators 2007–08–Statistical Report
  
  stats_004.pdf
  (2.4 MB)

This paper discusses high-speed train services. The paper sets out what is meant by 'high-speed', explains the objective of introducing services and sets out where they have been introduced. The paper also considers funding experiences and Australian high-speed train proposals.

• Brief–A profile of high-speed railways
  
  other_001_a_profile_of_high-speed_railways.pdf
  (1.12 MB)

This report provides estimates and forecasts of interstate freight moving between 56 state-to-state origin-destination pairs, for example, South Australia-Queensland.

• Interstate freight in Australia
  
  report_120.pdf
  (4.74 MB)

In 2002, the ATC approved a set of six targets and indicators to measure improvements over time in performance of the interstate rail track. Early reports against the indicators were derived entirely from track managers' (below rail) datasets. An ARA survey of train operators (above rail)reporting on key performance indicators showed that results from track managers' datasets were, for some indicators, inconsistent with results based on rail operators' data. There are distinct reporting methodologies between above and below rail.

• Australian rail freight performance indicators 2005–06
  
  ip_059.pdf
  (2.49 MB)

Results for 2006–07 are reported against a set of 11 railway indicators. These are in three groups: three train indicators, four track indicators and four market indicators.

• Australian intercapital rail freight performance indicators 2006–07
  
  ip_062.pdf
  (2.19 MB)