Re: [MEDIA] Alice-Darwin rail will hit truckies, says commentator

["Adam Dunning" <adamdunning@start.com.au>]

"Bill McNiven" <wmcniven@gunzel.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
xzSw6.151$SK5.4873@ozemail.com.au">news:xzSw6.151$SK5.4873@ozemail.com.au...
> Peter Homann <"peter.homann"@@prr.org.au> wrote in message
> 9a0hq8$2l4@nntpa.cb.lucent.com">news:9a0hq8$2l4@nntpa.cb.lucent.com...
> | "An economic commentator says the Alice Springs trucking industry will
> | be unable to compete with the heavily-subsidised Alice Springs-Darwin
> | railway."
> | http://www.abc.net.au/news/regionals/port/regport-30mar2001-3.htm
> |
> Surely, if road transport was truly competitive for long hauls in Central
> Australia, there wouldn't be an Alice Springs trucking industry.

Alot of the Alice Springs trucking industry works out to areas where the
rail does not and will not go.  In a recent Article in (IIRC) Truck & Bus,
Alan Scott, (founder and owner of Scotts Corporation which is one of the
major haulers between Adelaide/Port Augusta/Alice Springs and Darwin)
believed that the new Alice-Darwin railroad would not loose him much work.
How he expects to keep it, I don't know, but he has been in transport alot
longer than me.
>
> There would be a Port Pirie or Adelaide trucking industry running through
> loads to Darwin and there wouldn't be a Tarcoola - Alice Springs railway.

See Below
>
> Or am I missing something?

Yeah, possibly the military value of having the top end connected to the
rest of the nation.  Possibly gives our military quicker access to Darwin if
ever any threat of war came from Asia.  At the same time though, it gives
any ionvading force a benefit in being able to move their own equipment
arround quickly.
>
> Rgds
>
> Bill

Adam
>
>