Re: [VIC] government announcement re rail upgrades

[Yuri <steam5me@dingoblue.net.au>]

On Sat, 4 Mar 2000 17:56:53 +1100, "andrei" <andrei@ausisp.com> wrote,
and I selectively quote:

>Why not just get the government to use the standardisation money to reopen
>the Heywood-SA border line (standardised , of course).  FA will be able to
>afford the short stretch from the border to MtGambier.  Perhaps the SA
>government will contribute something on their side of the border.

You guys keep spending everyone else's money.  FV/FA has shown already
that they want to earn revenue without waiting for "people/government"
to help them and they'll look for an inexpensive way to do this.

For example, why not take a rake of (log/timber/container) wagons and
transfer them to Heywood on the SG.  Lift them and put them on BG
bogies.  Then use MVO-RTL to haul the train from Mt Gambier to Heywood
and tranship onto SG at Heywood.  Like the Sale-Hillside line, it'll
get the line open and earning revenue before they need to spend big
bucks rehabilitating the line.  Yes there's double-handling but at
nowhere near the massive capital cost of regauging the line.  Once the
line is generating a revenue stream, money could be placed into
upgrading the line to take a captive T, all still cheaper than
regauging.

Apparently, the RTL is also supposed to start work soon Koala siding -
Lyndhurst: same deal: get the line earning revenue before you throw
money at it.  FV are turning a profit... they must be doing quite a
few things right.

Yuri
-- 
====================================
Yuri J Sos
Melbourne VIC AUS

Reply to: steam4me at dingoblue.net.au
(change 5 to 4 in headers)
====================================