Re: [Vic] Fast (160km/h) Train to country Vic.

[Richard <richard_snook@primus.com.au>]

Signal Adjuster (who ever!!) ..i hear ya..dont misunderstand ..I do appreciate
the eralities of situations...I think the point is missed that if you only
ever set the bar at mediocrity..that is all youll ever achive!!......to lump
Victoria  (or anywhere) these days with the arbitrary limitation of 160 for
rail travel...cos..thats just enough to get a few potential road deseerters
intersted is to miss the bus entirely.
Did those who introduced planes bring i services that were just a bit better
than existing...no way!!...they totally guzumped the competition....to
introduce rail systems that are only marginally better than road will only
serve to lay down the gauntlet to the road lobbies for better roads (just
watch if that doesnt happen)...No.. you much trump themp completely ...offer a
system that road can never match...then you will change the psyche of the
commuter for ever...not enough population!!!....geez that one gets rolled out
every time in Australia..we dodnt have enough people for this or
that....christ why dont we just give it all away..cos we aint got enough
people for anything.  As any marketing person (with half a brain) will tell
you that often the target audience is the phantom market...it doesnt exist at
present but comes when the product arrives and the desire or requirement to
use it is created.

Now I do concede the reality that even ghost markets have finite sizes and you
cant plan on the basis of a lot of could be / might be's.But you can do the
sums and come up with realistic potentials and that with good risk manangement
offers choices.

It is a wonderful human trait that we can all come up with a 1000 reasons NOT
to do something...its very easy to come up with some very "valid" arguements
not to aspire to anything above 160....
I did not say it would be easy to convince those that need be that the extra
effort is required to build a better than 160 infrastructure.

We dont necesaarily require 200kph tilts on all routes....put the fast ones on
rejuvenated routes that will sustain this technology ..and push the existing
railcars off these routes and into other services.

Mybe concentrate on bringing Ballarat and Bendigo into the fast track world.
If we do it right now...we dont have to come along later and do it all over
again.

Put another way...as it will rquire some years to pay off these
systems...would people at the end of this time period be happy to own
mediocrity?? then!! I doubt it.

In the same way that the Feds shell out to help the national interest with the
"National Roads" projects..they should be putting into rail aswell....real
pipe dreaming huh!!...but it shouldnt be.

>:~)) Richard