Predictions about the future are notoriously unreliable. Step back to the 1960-70's and look at what was being predicted for this century.

The Labor Party Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised that by 1988, the Hume Highway would be dual lane from Melbourne to Sydney, sadly it took at least another 20 years for that to become a reality.

Had not some far sighted men, taken the initiative the Snowy Mountain scheme would never have got off the ground. Sure it is not the magic bullet, yet it has helped with water supply and hydro electricity. Not to mention tourism.

I must declare that I no industrial or pecuniary interests in rail or road.

Infrastructure is expensive, and poorly maintained infrastructure is extremely expensive, when the bean counters go on cost saving exercises, this creates all sorts of disasters, from plane crashes, to the victorian bush fires and the gas explosion that robbed victorians of their gas supply for a fair while.

Part 2

The Sydney, Melbourne rail line is poorly maintained and there are sections of track where the trains are not allowed to exceed speed limits like 60 ks per hour. So in effect it is not efficient.

As rail lines have closed down, this has pushed the freight onto trucks and with the subsequent rise in heavy vehicles there is also a rise in heavy vehicles accidents and fatalities.

Heavy vehicles do cause damage to roads, just drive along a road with wheel ruts, that fill with water when it rains.

Personally I believe that in the future, that it is highly likely that rail ways will again become important for the movement of people and freight and building this future railway looks to a promising future, sure it may be a financial liability in direct costs, but if it manages to reduce the road toll for truckies then it is a positive step in the right direction.

It is possible that the route may be able to make use of existing rail corridors that only see the tracks used once or twice a year to shift grain.