Re: Prspector News Release

["Ben Staples" <BenKim@bigpond.com>]

Maurie Daly wrote in message ...

>The RAC is nothing like the RTA.
>For a start the RTA has an open access regime where the costs and charges
>levied on all road users are open to the public .
>The RTA in NSW and indeed the equivalent is all other states have common
sets
>of rules and conditions which relate to long distance interstate road
>transport.
>On the other hand the RAC is a secretive organization , who wont release
any
>of their charges or conditions.
>There is no cooperation at all between rail access authorities in other
states
>.I never suggested for a moment that all NSW track be given to the feds,
and
>indeed this isnt happening anywhere.
>All thats happening is that the PTC are leasing their interstate track to
the
>ARTC for 15 years, which means that in part we can reduce slightly and only
>slightly the myriad of conflicting rules & regulations that apply to rail
and
>not to road.
>As NSW & WA refused to cooperate , we continue to see more and more state
>specific rules & regulations being introduced on interstate lines, which
does
>nothing but drive up the costs for the interstate rail operator , whereas
the
>interstate road operator has common rules & regulations throughout the
country.
>If NSW & WA had done the same thing , we would have a single SG line from
>Brisbane to Perth all operated by the one crowd, hopefully with common
>signalling & safeworking systems and common driver accredidation.
>No chance in hell of this ever happening now.
>
>MD
>
>
I'm sorry if I was ambiguous in my post. I know that the RAC is nothing like
the RTA at the moment, I was trying to point out the opportunities of the
recent split of the SRA. Now, for the first time in NSW, rail operators are
seperate from rail infrastructure providers, just like the situation in the
raod industry. The Australian road authorities didn't suddenly unify on
formation, it took quite a while. With the RAC we now have that chance. What
chance would there of been of nation wide standardisation if the SRA still
had its hands on the
controls. None!!! And worse, just think if David Hill was in charge, no
freight trains during the Olympics??

Ben Staples