Your say: Do you think Australia should have a super train?

Recently a super, high-speed train was revealed in Japan but in Australia, there is no chance we’ll have something like this for ages. Do you think there should be a priority put on this? What if you could train from Sydney to Melbourne in a similar amount of time to flying, would you do it?

Australian trains struggle to get over 100km/h, while this Japanese passenger train broke the world record by travelling at 603km/h! That is bloody fast! Keep in mind the average plane speed is 900km/h.

Australia’s XPT, which stands for express passenger train, seems to be a bit of a silly name now! The XPT barely reaches 80km/h on its 11 hour trip from Sydney to Melbourne. Do you think Australian trains go fast enough? Are we falling behind the times in transportation?

Japan’s hi-tech train uses magnets and hovers over the tracks. It aim is to be able to cover more than 400km in one hour. It is not yet operational but will be the link between Osaka and Toyko by the late 2020, which would be an incredible feat. It will cut a three hour journey to one hour. Though it comes at a cost of $76 billion. Do you think the cost is worth it?

Image via News.com.au

It’s important to note that the greater Tokyo area has a population of more than 1.5 times that of all of Australia. Do Australian’s even need this transportation option or a new rail system?

Now that the mining boom is slowing, could this be the perfect opportunity to stimulate Australia’s economy? There would be a large excess of equipment and labour to tackle this job. Even a slightly faster XPT train that travelled at 250km/h would allow for a two hour and 44 minute travel time from Sydney to Melbourne. That’s probably faster than flying when you take into account airport check-in and security protocol!

According to News.com.au, the federal government projected a new rail system would cost $114 billion to link the three cities – Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne – across $1748km. This would also help connect different cities and towns along the way, which could beneficially impact certain regional development.

However, with the addition of Sydney’s second airport, this project idea will likely be put on hold for awhile.

Tell us, do you prefer planes or trains? Would you like Australia to build a faster rail system?