Re: Rail jobs in danger through competition

["Shane Polle" <shanep@amc.aust.com>]

If QR is going to loose 3500 or so of its work force and still do the same job, carry the same freight etc, 
just because of the introduction of competion. 

Then should these people really have a job now and are they entilttled to it?

Unlike what the unions think, the railways are not welfare. If they do not keep their costs down 
we all suffer and some business will not be able to compete with OS. 

Privatization has turned the railways from lazy, money pits to efficent transport providers, 
look at Tasrail, under ANR it would have closed sooner or later. 
Now they are opening old lines and building new ones.

V/line was closing country lines, cuting services. 

The Ghan was once per week, now twice, 
starting from Mel and Syd and the I/P was struggling on a once a per week service. 

NSW country has seen lines open and increases in freight.

While QR didn't fit into the mould of the southern state railways, it certainly has some room for improvement. 
Dare I say the four letter word, coal. 

I will be the first to admit that I thourgth privatization would have lead to loss of services, but so far it
has been the opposite. We just didn't really know how bad the unions and the Govts were running the
railways. Now we do and in some cases still are, ie Countrylink, Cityrail & TransAdeliade.

Shane