Re: A thumbs up to trains

[Tell <telljb@ozemail.com.au>]

Good o'l TrailerRail, pioneered in Oz by the now dead
Australian National and well & truly ignored by State
rail systems in Australia, the very people who should
have embraced the concept.  
How is the Hume and Pacific highways these days.  :(

Yes NRC, the baby of a former Federal Labor government
with NSW & Victorian "participation" have a lot to be
thankful for.!

....Tell
   

>Mark & Roz Creely <mcreely@pnc.com.au> wrote:

> Maurie,
> 
> Hate to point out a glaring omission, what about TrailerRail?
> 
> Customers arrange for trailers to be picked up and dropped off at the terminal.
> 
> They are then made up into a train, then sent from Melbourne, Adelaide and
> Sydney to Perth.
> 
> This is an enormously successful business venture, promoted by you guessed it
> National Rail.
> 
> Sorry to puncture your balloon 8^)
> 
> Regards Mark
> 
> Maurie Daly wrote:
> 
> > On Sat, 7 Apr 2001 08:33:59 +1000, "tony bailey"
> > <mercuryworldtvl@one.net.au> wrote:
> >
> > >"Maurie Daly" <mauried@tpg.com.au> Trains , unfortunately, cant deliver
> > >goods to my corner shop.
> > >>
> > >> MD
> > >
> > >
> > >Maurie -
> > >
> > >No one seems to have said that they should, and, presumably, anyone who did
> > >say it would be silly. But you still persist in adding it to many of your
> > >posts
> >
> > Its not silly Tony.
> > Obviously rail cant physically deliver goods end to end , but they
> > must be able to offer the service .
> > Customers arnt interested in contracting a trucking company to get
> > their containers from their premises to a rail terminal , sending
> > their goods by train and then at the end having to do the reverse.
> > Who pays all the double handling charges ??
> > Rail companies need to operate their own trucking fleets to provide a
> > seamless service , which currently none of them do .
> > Its also not practical to try and break the trucking industry up into
> > small bits and call one "long distance or competing with rail" and
> > another which doesnt compete with rail.
> > Its all the same industry.
> > In Canberra where I live ,road provides 99.9% of all the goods and
> > services to the city.
> > The trucks come every night from Sydney,Melbourne and Wagga and
> > deliver the goods directly to the end customer .
> > It is these trucks that are directly competing with rail.
> > If you get rid of these long distance trucks then there will be no
> > deliveries at all.
> > Apart from fuel, which still comes by train , the rail industry doesnt
> > even make a token effort to deliver goods to Canberra.
> >
> > MD
> >
> > >
> > >What people are concerned about here is longer distance movement. How long
> > >may be a moot point as "Port Link" and associated operations seem to have
> > >proved.
> > >
> > >Having said that of course, there could very easily be a place for electric
> > >powered deliver vehicles running on Trolley Bus overhead or on tram tracks -
> > >they have existed in the past!
> > >
> > >--
> > >Tony Bailey
> > >Mercury World Travel
> > >Mercury Travel Books
> > >mercuryworldtvl@one.net.au
> > >
> > >
> > >