Re: $550m to speed up Vic rail services

[lbrown2@bigpond.com (Brown Family)]

On Thu, 07 Sep 2000 00:50:24 GMT, Vaughan Williams
<ender2000@my-deja.com> wrote:


>Thats right. The benefit of a shorter travel time for the Bendigonians
>needs to be traded off against the benefit of a fast train for
>Castlemaine, for example.
>
I think you'll find traffic patterns somewhat different to what you
might assume.

The improvement in rail-service delivery is not aimed at bringing
Bendigonads to Melbourne, but Melbournians to Bendigo, ditto to
Ballarat, ditto to Traralgon. The government is on a decentralisation
thing (again!) and sees rail as a key in making this happen. 

Bendigo also attracts a lot of commuters and shoppers from
Castlemaine.

Since there is developing industry and important educational centres
in these places, making them easily accessible to Melbourne is an
important factor in making it economically viable.

I think Seymour was missed because there is no industry and no
educational institutions along the way. Albury and Shepparton are too
far to make it worth the while - at the moment.

There is no doubt that the massive increase in the cost of petrol is
going to make all this far more attractive. I think I read somewhere
where already in the last 12 months, V-line pass has had a 12%
increase in passenger numbers - how much more so could we expect if
the service delivery improves and when petrol begins to cost the
expected $1.10-1.15 a litre?

For those of us who have watched rail services deteriorate steadily
over the last 30-40 years, we are living in very interesting times.

And no sign of livestock trains to Mansfield!!

Les Brown