Australia's smallest state capital being plagued with big city traffic problems
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-04/public-transport-and-congestion-hobart-cars/11728076
I like the line, "build it and they will come, or maybe they won't"
Ferries deemed unlikely to be reliable enough and too high cost to start up, but I think this is a narrow view and rail is not a solution for the eastern shore due to its high cost.
The whole LR approach to the former railway is gold plating a simple lower solution and making the worst of both worlds, ie LR slow speeds and higher costs but using the out of the way HR corridor.
Simple solution is look at what works elsewhere, such as Westcoast Rail in Vancouver and Auckland. The feds will throw in money if they think it viable but will not fund 90% of the solution as the Qlder's have found out with CRR. Rail is also not going to be a simple solution for most of Hobart, just one corridor and at $80M/km LR beyond the existing corridor and perhaps an extension into the CBD is never going to be embraced by the limited budget of the Tas govt.
- Reopen line south of Austins Ferry, no need to incur costs of crossing the river for little return.
- Trains operate in peak, in peak direction only, north of Claremont, bus connection out of peak.
- Dual track up to TTMS and a passing loop between TTMS and Claremont for off-peak services. The corridor is wide enough to accommodate a 2nd track most of the way or where it cannot the bike track can be easily relocated.
- Extend line into under the city, ie Auckland Britomart style, tunnel yes, expensive yes, but required to make the service viable. The entrance to the tunnel would be before the Regatta area.
- Trains, start out with DMU only, option to convert to spark or hybrid later for example spark to Claremont only likely viable.
- Station next to ferry terminal at water front and reintroduce ferries to eastern shore. In 1974, they didn't have the traffic of today, people will use PT if it works for them in preference of traffic. Again ferries for some routes in peak only, buses during day across the bridge.