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High-speed Rail In Australia
High-speed rail in Australia has been under investigation since the early 1980s. Every Government of Australia, Federal Government since this time has investigated the feasibility of constructing high-speed rail with speeds above 200 km/h, but to date nothing has ever gone beyond the detailed planning stage. The most commonly suggested route is between Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, which is the world's second- or third-List of busiest passenger air routes, busiest air corridor. Corridor selection history for Australian high-speed rail, Various corridors have been proposed for a potential high-speed line. The distance between them is around 800 km (500 miles), which requires very high speeds to make trains competitive with air travel. The Australian rail speed record of 210 km/h was set by Queensland Rail's Electric Tilt Train during a trial run in 1998. This speed is just above the internationally accepted definition of high-speed rail of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electric Tilt Train
The Electric Tilt Train is the name for two identical high-speed tilting trains operated by Queensland Rail on the North Coast line from Brisbane to Bundaberg and Rockhampton which entered service in November 1998. History In March 1993, Queensland Rail issued a tender for the construction of two electric six-carriage tilting trains. In October 1994, a contract was awarded to Walkers, Maryborough with Hitachi to supply the electrical and tilting equipment. After an extensive program, on 6 November 1998, Australia's first pair of tilting trains entered service on the ''Spirit of Capricorn'' between Brisbane and Rockhampton. With a journey time of seven hours, they shaved over two hours from the schedule operated by InterCity Express sets. In July 1999, a second daily service was introduced between Brisbane and Bundaberg. Using traction equipment based on the JR Shikoku 8000 series trains, the Tilt Train set an Australian train speed record of north of Bundaberg in May 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commonwealth Engineering
Commonwealth Engineering (often shortened to Com-Eng, later Comeng was an Australian engineering company that designed and built railway locomotives, rolling stock and trams. History Smith and Waddington, the predecessor to Commonwealth Engineering, was founded in 1921, in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown, as a body builder for custom motor cars. It went bankrupt in the Depression, and was reformed as Waddingtons Body Works and the main factory was moved to Granville, after a fire in the main workshop. The Government of Australia took control of the company during World War II as the company was in serious financial difficulties but had many government orders in its books. The government purchased a controlling stake in the company in 1946 and changed the name to Commonwealth Engineering. In 1949 a factory was established in Rocklea, Queensland. This was followed in 1952 a plant in Bassendean, Western Australia and in 1954 by another in Dandenong, Victoria. In June 1957, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WAGR WCA/WCE Class
The WAGR WCA class railcars and WCE class trailers were built by Comeng, Granville for the Western Australian Government Railways in 1971 to operate the new '' Prospector'' service between East Perth and Kalgoorlie. At the time of their construction the WCA class units were the longest and fastest diesel railcars in the world. History In 1968 Comeng, Granville were awarded a contract to build built five WCA power cars and three WCE non-powered trailers. The WCAs had a crew compartment at both ends, the WCEs at one end."Future prospects for the Prospector" ''Railway Digest'' October 1997 pages 18-19 They were ordered to operate the new '' The Prospector'' service, on the Eastern Goldfields Railway between East Perth and Kalgoorlie that was in the process of being converted to standard gauge."An inter-city interlude: The original Prospector and AvonLink cars" ''Railway Digest'' May 2005 pages 17-20 Built to take advantage of the generous loading gauge of the new line, they were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the Great Western, termed such vehicles " railmotors" (or "rail motors"). Self-propelled passenger vehicles also capable of hauling a train are, in technical rail usage, more usually called " rail motor coaches" or "motor cars" (not to be confused with the motor cars, otherwise known as automobiles, that operate on roads). The term is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of multiple unit which consist of more than one coach. That is the general usage nowadays in Ireland when referring to any diesel multiple unit (DMU), or in some cases electric multiple unit (EMU). In North America the term "railcar" has a much broader sense and can be used (as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Public Transport Commission
The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, responsibility for rail services transferred to the State Rail Authority and responsibility for bus and ferry services to the Urban Transit Authority. The PTC, composed of five Commissioners appointed by the Governor of New South Wales, was accountable to the Minister for Transport. Structure The PTC was established pursuant to the and led to the abolition of the offices of Commissioner for Railways and Commissioner for Public Transport. The Act facilitated the merger of the Department of Railways and the Department of Government Transport, the latter being the agency that operated government bus services in Sydney and Newcastle. In December 1974, the dissolved the Sydney Harbour Transport Board and ferries were added to PTC's responsibili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Countrylink XPT At Sydney Central Station
CountryLink was a passenger rail and road service brand that operated in regional areas New South Wales, Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne. Originally created as a business unit (or sub-brand) of the State Rail Authority of New South Wales, it later became a subsidiary of RailCorp, a Government of New South Wales entity. CountryLink operated rail services using XPT and Xplorer rolling stock, with connecting coach services operated under contract by private operators. History CountryLink was established in January 1989 under the Transport Administration Act 1988 as a business unit of what was then the State Rail Authority to operate all non-metropolitan long distance passenger services. It inherited a fleet of XPT and locomotive-hauled passenger trains. Following the election of the Greiner State Government in March 1988, consultants Booz Allen Hamilton were commissioned to prepare a report into NSW rail services. On purely economic grounds, the report recommended closing all ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diesel-electric Locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels. Early internal combustion locomotives and railcars used kerosene and gasoline as their fuel. Rudolf Diesel patented his first compression-ignition engine in 1898, and steady improvements to the design of diesel engines reduced their physical size and improved their power-to-weight ratios to a point where one could be mounted in a locomotive. Internal combustion engines only operate efficiently within a limited power band, and while low power gasoline engines could be coupled to mechanical transmissions, the more powerful diesel engines required the development of new forms of transmission. This is because clutches would need to be very large at these power levels and would not fit in a standard -wide locomotive frame, or wear too quick ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships of the First Fleet in Sydney Harbour in 1788, and the founding of the city of Sydney and the colony of New South Wales. 1988 is considered the official bicentenary year of the founding of Australia. Celebrations The Australian Bicentenary was marked by pomp and ceremony across Australia to mark the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney in 1788. The Australian Bicentennial Authority (ABA), pursuant to the Australian Bicentennial Authority Act 1980, was set up to plan, fund and coordinate projects that emphasized the nation's cultural heritage. State Councils were also created to ensure cooperation between the federal and state governments. The result was a national programme of events and celebrations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized organization for accreditation of professional engineering qualifications under the Washington Accord. As of 2022, EA has 115,000 members, which includes 31,000 students. History The organisation began after World War I, following recognition of the need for a single body to represent engineers, rather than the numerous smaller organisations that existed then. The first council meeting was held in 1919, electing Professor William Warren of the University of Sydney as the first President.Lloyd, B E (1968) ''The Education of Professional Engineers in Australia'', APEA Melbourne.Lloyd, B E (1988) "In Search of Identity: Engineering in Australia 1788–1988", Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne On 1 May 1926 the Institutio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Higher-speed Rail
Higher-speed rail (HrSR), also known as high-performance rail, higher-performance rail, semi-high-speed rail or almost-high-speed rail, is the jargon used to describe inter-city passenger rail services that have top speeds of more than conventional rail but are not high enough to be called high-speed rail services. The term is also used by planners to identify the incremental rail improvements to increase train speeds and reduce travel time as alternatives to larger efforts to create or expand the high-speed rail networks. Some countries use the term medium-speed rail, or semi-high speed rail instead. Though the definition of higher-speed rail varies from country to country, most countries refer to rail services operating at speeds up to . The concept is usually viewed as stemming from efforts to upgrade a legacy railway line to high speed railway standards (speeds in excess of ), but usually falling short on the intended speeds. The faster speeds are achieved through various ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sydney–Melbourne Rail Corridor
The Sydney–Melbourne rail corridor is an approximately standard gauge railway corridor that runs between Melbourne (Victoria) and Sydney (New South Wales), the two largest cities in Australia. Freight and passenger services operate along the route, such as the NSW TrainLink XPT passenger service. The XPT offers a day and night service in each direction. The railway corridor consists of NSW's Main Southern railway line from Sydney's Central Station to Albury Station – – together with Victoria's North East railway line – – from Albury station to Melbourne's Southern Cross station (via Tottenham). History In 1883, the Victorian Railways broad gauge line met the New South Wales Government Railways standard gauge line at Albury at a break-of-gauge. The two tracks were separated by a long island platform. It was not until 1962, with the opening of the North East standard gauge line in Victoria, that through services were possible between Melbourne and Sydney. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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