People too often dismiss railways as big black holes for Government
funding. What they forget is the service that they provide. Who says that
railways should have to show a profit? Railways provide an important
service to the public. Although this is especially true of public transport
in capital cities (ie carrying people), the argument also carries for all
general rail traffic.
Railways remove traffic from the road, especially heavy vehicles - thereby
also making the roads safer for other drivers...and what price can you put
on someone's life? They reduce pollution and are generally a far more
efficient method of transportation than millions of heavy trucks damaging
the roads, clogging up the roads and making the roads pretty dangerous.
These savings are not ones that can easily be accounted for when "Balancing
the budget", so they are often ignored. But they are real savings...and
important ones. However, the trucking industry will never acknowledge these
facts as they are not in its self-interest.
Unless the general public can be convinced of these 'savings', then
government funding for freight railways in Australia will eventually
disappear. And maybe, so will the railways themselves.
ADAM