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.

• Relative Efficiencies in the Transportation of Commodities
  
  report_076.pdf
  (3.99 MB)

Paper given to the 31st Australasian Transport Research Forum, 2 October–3 October 2008, Gold Coast. Authors: David Gargett, Afzal Hossain

• Road Freight Estimates by State/Territory
  
  sp_003_Gargett_Hossain.pdf
  (533.54 KB)

Paper given to the 33rd Australasian Transport Research Forum, 29 September–1 October 2010, Canberra. Author: Jack McAuley.

• External Costs of Inter-Capital Freight in Australia
  
  sp_001_McAuley.pdf
  (174.66 KB)

This study attempts a quantitative assessment of Tasmania's transport disabilities relative to the other States and covers interstate shipping to Tasmania, together with closely related topics such as Tasmanian port operations and freight forwarding. Particular note has been taken of the Senate Standing Committee on Primary and Secondary Industry and Trade Committee's views that Tasmania has a 'transport disability' and that any comparisons should take into account its position as a sovereign state.

• An Assessment of Tasmania's Interstate Transport Problems
  
  report_006.pdf
  (6.52 MB)

The rapid development of mining in the Pilbara region of north west Australia has already increased the transport task in the region and is expected to increase it much more. In the past, there has been little land transport to the north west, and the major service has been by sea.

In the fluid situation generated by rapid development, it is important to ask how the freight task should be performed in future, whether the shares carried by the various transport modes should be changed and whether there should be radical changes in the whole transport system to the region. These are the questions that this report sets out to answer.

• Freight Transport to North West Australia, 1975–1990
  
  report_007.pdf
  (11.27 MB)

The study examines the economics of a landbridge based on Fremantle, and also considers Adelaide and Melbourne as terminal ports for the European trades. In addition, the benefits and costs implied by a strategy of alternate calls at Sydney and Melbourne are considered.

• The Economics of an Australian Landbridge
  
  report_015.pdf
  (1.1 MB)

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.

• Darwin and Northern Territory Freight Transport Study
  
  report_032.pdf
  (7.4 MB)

Transport planning and research has placed considerable emphasis on the movement of people but comparatively little on the movement of goods. Such neglect prompted the Commonwealth Bureau of Roads to sponsor a Workshop on Urban Goods Movement in January 1975 as a means of gaining an insight into the topic.

• Urban Goods Movement in Sydney
  
  op_017.pdf
  (4.43 MB)

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.

• Transportation of the Australian Wheat Harvest
  
  report_038.pdf
  (8.8 MB)

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 II, 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.

• Sandy Hollow–Maryvale Railway: Economic Evaluation of Proposed Completion
  
  report_043.pdf
  (4.51 MB)