BY OLI GOELDNER
Experts are pointing out supposed holes in the plans for the Newcastle to Sydney High Speed Rail project, as the tender process continues.
On Tuesday, hundreds of national and international industry representatives met in Newcastle to discuss the project's next steps.
Two tender packages were released following the industry briefing.
The first will facilitate the design and construction of about 35 kilometres of twin tunnels, associated rail works and an underground railway station on the Central Coast.
The second is looking into the supply of high speed trains, rail system design, rail depot construction and the commissioning of all relevant systems for the Newcastle to Sydney route.
High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) CEO Tim Parker said it's a crucial step to progressing the project.
"By doing this work up front, we'll be able to give government more certainty on the costs, the benefits and also make sure that we're construction ready," he said.
"So, if the government says go, we can start construction immediately from that point."
However, strategic planner and construction manager Graham R. McDonald has flagged several concerns with the project's current plans.
"The absence of a strategic plan means that HSRA lacks a long term vision for the development of a high-speed rail network on the East Coast," Mr McDonald explained.
"Without integrated planning, HSRA decisions are inevitably arbitrary, biased and ill-conceived."
Mr McDonald has been following the project since it's inception in 2023, and he believes the planned corridor's heavy reliance on tunnelling will significantly impact its overall speed.
Approximately 115 kilometres or 60 per cent of the planned track consists of tunnels, which would impose operational speed restrictions of around 160 km/h due to safety requirements.
The lowered speed is only half of the promised full-speed of the trains, set at 320 km/h, meaning a reduction in travel time benefits of around 50 per cent.
Mr Parker said they're focused on meeting the proposed travel time.
"The speed in the tunnel is around 200 km/h," he said.
"That's twice as fast as Sydney Metro and faster than any train in Australia at the moment.
"But, everyone focuses on top speed.
"What you have to focus on is travel time -- one hour.
"If people could get from Newcastle to Sydney in one hour, I think we're going to take a lot of cars off the road."
