PROGRESS 2050: Toward a prosperous future for all Australians
The ideal public transport model is self-funded and sustainable, such as the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong, KDR Gold Coast, Managing Director, Vivienne King, has told a CEDA forum in Brisbane.
31/08/2012
The ideal public transport model is self-funded and sustainable, such as the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong, KDR Gold Coast, Managing Director, Vivienne King, has told a CEDA forum in Brisbane.
Ms King said it's about creating a demand business model.
"Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong is the only railway that uses this model, costing 54 cents per person per trip," she said.
She said the problem in Queensland is there is a lot of congestion and a lack of funds.
"We need to take people out of cars and put them in transport that works for the wider community and city," she said.
To secure sustainable forward looking transport, long term planning needs to be locked down early and funding processes decided, she said.
In addition, she said when leading a transport development, there needs to be a balance between the operator and the constructor.
You need to bring in an operator early enough to influence the design. I don't see a lot of this in Australia at the moment, she said.
She said when using Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to fund transport infrastructure projects, specifications for both contracts and design must be clear from the start for them to be successful.
Ms King said in Europe the approach was to ensure the specifications are clear and then go to market. However, in Australia the approach seemed to be to go to market and then make sure the specifications are clear, often resulting in delays.
University of Melbourne, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Dr Chris Hale said for Brisbane, financing innovation and policy leadership is needed for rail to be upgraded.
Many inner-urban truck routes are viable for light rail and there needs to be a sustained shift from car to transit, he said.
On 3 October, Infrastructure NSW (INSW) released its 20 year strategy at a CEDA event in Sydney, which includes more 70 recommendations for the 20 years that will add $50 billion and create 100,000 jobs for the State.
Read more Infrastructure February 29, 2012On regional Victoria’s tourism growth potential, Geelong Otway Tourism, Executive Director, Roger Grant said there is great opportunity but we need to address infrastructure gaps to deliver world class tourism product for jobs and economic return.
Read more Infrastructure December 11, 2008Sir Rod Eddington , who also chairs Infrastructure Australia, addressed more than 400 CEDA guests in Melbourne, in a wide-ranging presentation that touched on public transport, infrastructure and the liveability of cities - in his view, all underscored by a carbon-constrained future
Read more