Re: [Vic] Bracks puts rural rail services back on track in $32m project

[fjones@pipeline.com.au (Frank Jones)]

On Mon, 14 May 2001 10:02:48 +1000, David Bromage
<dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote:

>DL wrote:
>> Under government plans, lines would be restored to allow trains to travel at
>> up to 130kmh. The first of the restored passenger services - to Ararat and
>> Bairnsdale - are expected to start in mid-2003.
>
>Bairnsdale can be restored sooner than that. No new rollingstock is not
>required. since the Gippslander sits at Sale for 3 hours.
> 

One report quoted restoration cost of $14M for Bairnsdale (68km -
currently operational) versus only $5.4M for Ararat (92km - currently
out of use) and only $5.6M for Leongatha (81 km - largely out of use
and pretty well stuffed - down to 15km/h in places in its latter
days).

Note that Sale-Bairnsdale is somewhat shorter than the other two lines
and is the only one actually operational, yet is nearly 3 times the
cost.

Might this imply that the bridge at Stratford is to undergo a major
rebuild? If so this might explain why they don't expect Bairnsdale to
be restored any sooner.