The other figure that doesnt make any sense is the time period involved , 4
years.
This equates to a track laying figure of only 0.6 km/day which would have to
be the worst in the world.
Newport - Geelong was laid at an average of 2 km/day , and figures of 4 km /
day are quite achievable.
In then early days of the building of the Mt Newman Line in Nth WA , 7 km /
day was achieved.
A number of other costs normally related to the building of new lines dont
have to be taken into account for this line , namely the route has been
completely already surveyed, the route is easy by any engineering standards ,
ie no significant tunnels or bridges are needed.
In short , I just wonder whether the figure is deliberately high to make the
line appear uneconomic and where did the figure come from in the first place.
cheers
Maurie Daly