Re: Melbourne-Darwin line on schedule

["Andrew Honan" <ahonan@zipworld.com.au>]

The beauty of the VFT was that the Bureau of Transport Economics ran the
Cost-Benefit analysis over the numbers, because it would involve substantial
public money. Thanks goodness there was an independent voice in Peter Nixon
and BTE.

Question: Why hasn't BTE and treasury done the same for Alice Springs -
Darwin??

I don't think we have seen the end of public money ofr AP-Darwin

Andrew Honan



"Maurie Daly" <mauried@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
3a931aed.12734260@can-news.tpg.com.au">news:3a931aed.12734260@can-news.tpg.com.au...
> 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
>