Re: Rail unions support Glenbrook inquiry recommendation

[covim@anthrax.donington.org.au ()]

It's easy to blame the unions for all the trouble and sometimes 
you would be right but what about the lack of a long range plan
and making the right decisions(or any decisions) on levels of
investment etc. We have cronic traffic problems the only way
they can be solved is with public transport. That said no one
in government is willing to take the decisions requirred or even
look at the problem.

Does anyone know how big fare revenue is? I wonder what happens
if you make public transport free,or reduce the price of a ticket
substantially, run frequent services both bus and train so people
don't even worry about timetable. If we miss this one we'll just
get the next attitude. Turn up at the station when we are ready
etc. Then deciding to drive is a much bigger decision on cost alone.

I wonder if you could do a similar thing for freight. It certainly
would make a big difference in the heavy traffic on our roads. By
making transport such a low cost item it would make business a lot
more efficient in this state as well as possibly having an effect
revitalising the bush.

Anyway competition has done wonders for telecoms and in other areas
i just don't see how you can do it effectively with rail. All you
seem to do is have a heap of monopolies. One person owns each bit of 
track and no one can compete. Anyone know of any country successfully
running a privatised rail system? Maybe the govenment can own the track
and the same as the roads and anyone can run trains maybe based on
how the airlines work. Would they then be prepared to make the level
of investment in infrustructure?? Maybe then you would suddenly have
have a group of vested intrest lobby groups, the new rail operators,
to hassle the government.

In article <3A039A81.1E77C5C7@attglobal.net>, Bruce Greening wrote:
>
>
>David Bromage wrote:
>
>> Rail unions say they are generally supportive of a proposal to overhaul
>> the management of the rail network, recommended by the head of the
>> Glenbrook rail disaster inquiry.
>>
>> http://www.abc.net.au/news/state/nsw/archive/metnsw-2nov2000-10.htm
>
>Why shouldn't they? They have now assured that the feather bedding, the
>inefficiencies, and all the existing problems will continue to exist. All
>threat of competition in Infrastructure has been removed and it will
>'business as usual' for the unions. The fact that NSW will continue to have
>an outmoded railway, operating on 19th century technologies does not
>concern them in the least. The road transport industry will be laughing as
>they place bigger, heavier trucks on the road.
>
>--
>Bruce L. Greening
>bgreeni@ibm.net
>
>