Re: XPT to Adelaide - Whyalla!

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <34868D61.DE0EB17C@ozemail.com.au> David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au> writes:
>From: David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au>
>Subject: Re: XPT to Adelaide -  Whyalla!
>Date: Thu, 04 Dec 1997 22:00:49 +1100

>Maurie Daly wrote:

>> Passenger trains dont make any money if they arnt carrying passengers.

>More to the point:  They aren't losing any money either.

Depends on how the train was purchased in the first place.
If we follow the current economic mentality of buying rollingstock and 
locomotives on leasing plans and power by the hour, then a train costs 
you money simply for the priveledge of owning it ,ie it costs to just 
have the train sitting around doing nothing.
Granted the current fleet of XPTs were not  bought this way,but all the latest 
purchases like the 82s,90s NRs ,ELs ANs etc all cost money 24 hours a day 7 
days a week irrespective of whether they are hauling anything or not.
It makes no economic sense to have a 5 million dollar train like an XPT 
sitting in a yard all day doing nothing.
The airlines go to great  extremes to keep all their fleet in the air at all 
times simply because of the amounts of money tied up in owning a plane.
Private bus companies like Greyhound and Pioneer do the same.
You cant afford to have expensive capital cost items like trains or planes 
sitting around all day doing nothing.


cheers
MD

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Maurie Daly
Department of Communications Lab.
Canberra
Australia
mauried@commslab.gov.au
ph 6 2791331
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