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"Y> So if you claim that we are running at a loss....How come?
"Y> Maybe you are listening to the Oil Companies , or the truckies themselves,
Perhaps because the various State governments have been controlling rail from a political perspective rather than a commercial perspective. I'd agree that in the past few years this has started to change but you don't reverse a culture in a few years. How many inefficient operations are state rail authorities forced to operate when a commercial operator wouldn't touch them?
"Y> I guess you just forget that they are the biggest most influential lobby "Y> Groups in Australia.
Certainly not. Road operators are a much more influential lobby group precisely because they are commercial. It's a much more difficult task for a state authority to lobby their own masters. You comments about TNT support this statement.
"Y> Marinus VanOluffson[ Sorry, mate I got it wrong again didn't I] found more
"Y> Freight for V/Line after National Rail than any one thought possible. Only
"Y> a shocking wheat season stopped a magnificent PROFIT turnaround.....Guess
"Y> what he is gone now!
Interesting, at the Rail 2000 meeting Marinus informed the audience of two things.
1. He trucked the wheat across the SA/Vic border because AN wouldn't allow VLines into SA. (So one could assume that the state rail authorities anti competitive attitude is restricting profitability).
2. He stated he was an unashamed supporter of rail privatisation. (Probably to get rail profitable).
You have yet to convince me that state rail authorities are profitable. Some parts may be..... but I've yet to see and rail authority claim profitablity (except an "Operating Profit")
Regards,
Tom
--- | Fidonet: Tom Jones 3:800/846.526 | Internet: Tom.Jones@sawasdi.apana.org.au