Re: Melbourne-Darwin line on schedule

[mauried@tpg.com.au (Maurie Daly)]

On Tue, 20 Feb 2001 22:58:56 GMT, dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David
Bromage) wrote:

>Tell (telljb@ozemail.com.au) wrote:
>> I guess the original HST Gas Turbine loco's wont be
>> part of this 10 billion "on schedule" project. :)
>
>The project was revised a long time ago. It's conventional speeds, but on
>much better track. They're talking something like 24 hours Melbourne -
>Brisbane with sustained 110km/h running.
>
>> Now its back to a Melbourne - Darwin line.!
>
>Melbourne - Brisbane was always to be the first stage of Melbourne -
>Darwin. The feasibility study found that Brisbane was viable in its own
>right.
>
>Cheers
>David


The problem with these so called feasability studies is that they are
always done by the people who are pushing the project in the first
place.
The financial viability of privately financed railway lines requires
projections to be made on the future useage of the line after its
built,and its usually the case that assumptions are made to support
the original case.
Quite often its assumed that because there is a hi speed railway
between A and B then traffic will automatically use it.
The Sydney - Canberra VFT was financially viable according to all of
the consortiums analyses,but they still needed Govt assistance to make
it work.

MD