Re: The inland rail route

["Nobody" <dweebken@NOSPAM.yahoo.com>]

The Melbourne - Darwin line is part of a scheme to export goods from
Australia's south to Asia avoiding several days of travel from southern
ports. A superhighway of trains meets superfast superferries at Darwin to
run the goods up to Asia. This has the same benefits as the Panama Canal -
exporting of goods without running around a continent to do it.

This should work because the rail link unlike road will have ability to
travel at 200km/h and move a far heavier tonnage. If it ran through Brisbane
the only real benefit would be interstate freight and passenger services, as
QLD has many effective forms of transport to Asia (many ports and a huge
rail system).

Back before the advent of the car engineers built "pioneer" railways to
remote destinations to bring farmers products to cities and ports. These
though lightly trafficed were successful until the advent of the car, after
which many branch lines closed and continue to close.

Melbourne to Darwin will be different because it will be faster. Darwin will
grow and become the centre of trade for Australia with Asia. Havent you
noticed that rail heads usually attract goods? Look at the effect of rail at
Newcastle, Lithgow, Wollongong Albury and many other such towns that simply
would not thrive or exist thanks to the rail industry. Darwin may be only
marginally bigger than Cook in WA, but it can grow.

Brendan

"Barry Campbell" <campblbm@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
4pfk4.12961$3b6.56174@ozemail.com.au">news:4pfk4.12961$3b6.56174@ozemail.com.au...
> During my trip down the Newell Hwy (See thread on train orders in NSW) I
> took note of the potential inland Bris - Mel route.
>
> I see that there is a study being done on part of the dreaded Melbourne to
> Darwin line, namely the bit that runs between Melbourne and Brisbane. This
> is, in my opinion, the only part of the thing that will ever have any
chance
> of getting up and it makes me think that this may be the main aim of the
> proponents.
>
> However, I digress.
>
> The Melbourne to Darwin consortium is investigating a route via
Shepparton,
> but a quick look at the map seems to indicate that using the existing sg
> route as far as Coota would be just as effective and much cheaper. Does
> anyone know why the Shepparton route is being proposed?
>
> Which junctions are pointing the right way? Coota is OK, what about
> Stockinbingal, Parkes, Narromine and Dubbo are all OK but where would it
go
> after that?
>
> I saw a reference in Railway Digest recently about a scheme to use rail to
a
> trucking point (presumably Moree) and the use road transport into
Brisbane.
> Does anyone know the gist of this proposal?
>
> Any thoughts?
>
>
> Barry Campbell
>
>
>