The Australian Government in undertaking a series of significant corridor strategies under the AusLink policy. One of the most significant of these is the North South Rail Corridor Study that investigated alternatives to improve rail freight services between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane along the east coast of Australia. The study assessed the viability of potential upgrades to the existing congested rail route as well as new inland route options. The study was significant in the scale of the task, involving stakeholder consultation, analysis of existing freight market, development of a demand model, development of route options, consideration of terminals and ports, environmental assessments, financial and economic analysis. While the study was significant on a number of fronts, including the development and use of a comprehensive GIS database for route development and design, perhaps the most significant advancement in knowledge was the development of an optimisation model that used dynamic programming techniques allowing the study to assess the viability of over 130 projects, covering more than 2,600 kilometres of track and to determine the optimal outcome for specified criteria. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E216297.
Samenvatting