Re: INDIAN PACIFIC

["Dave Proctor" <thadocta@spambait.dingoblue.net.au>]

Chris Brownbill wrote in message <38C0F5FF.AF541429@enternet.com.au>...
>casey@smartchat.net.au wrote:

>Because the vast majority of Australia's manufacturing is in the East
Coast,
>there is a major imbalance in demand for freight haulage between the East
and
>West coasts.  Ie heaps travels West, not so much travels East.  This means
that
>because there is not a major dumping ground for empty rail wagons or road
trucks
>in the West, many of them must travel back empty or only partly full.
Therefore
>freight operators, (road and rail) often sell West to East freight loading
at
>discount cost rather than run at a complete loss.  Motorail gets caught up
in
>this to the extent that it is a component of the freight market.

What a lot of rot (only the part that MotoRail is part of the freight
market). The rates charged for unaccompanied vehicles is far higher than
that charged by freight operators that it is not viable to use this means to
transport vehicles. (I don't have exact figures, but this is what I was told
by a senior person at AN about 4 years ago, and he did have access to exact
figures).

Dave