Testing the impacts of investing in faster rail

National Faster Rail Program Demand Modelling

When the National Faster Rail Agency wanted to understand the implications of population shifts and land use changes through investment in faster passenger rail corridors, they called on our transport team. Our job? To create a comprehensive demand model and report that would ultimately provide independent validation of project business cases.

Our demand model is independent of the various existing state-agency transport models and uses a range of land use and transport data sets and forecasts. The model uses different land use types and impacts as well as different trip purposes so that both local and inter-regional commuter demands are captured. Land use shifts consider transport, expanding developments tied to new settlements, and opportunities associated with a more mobile and potentially dispersed workforce.

Together with SGS Economics and Planning, we were successful in helping the Agency better understand the impacts of investing in faster rail projects. The result? The Agency’s portfolio minster and the Australian Government now have access to informed advice when it comes to faster rail planning and future investment.