Re: To :Great Southern Rail Management.

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

>Ahh, now you have hit on something. Are they interested in the first class
>passengers? I suspect not. As for the station facilities, I would expect that
>GSRs commitment to the township of Peterborough is more than it gets back from
>the few travelers. I'm surprised that some of these station buildings still
>exist. Who owns them and who is responsible for their maintenance? When the
>owners realize their potential liabilities they may well send in the bulldozers.
>In NSW under the former David Hill regime , dozens of disused station were
>demolished to remove any potential liability that may have existed .

Bobs hit the nail on the head.
GSR are after all a private company who exist principly to make money for 
their shareholders first,and to provide a rail service second,not the other 
way around.
GSR would want to spend money only in areas where they can see that more 
revenue will be returned than outlayed.
The real issue here is not so much about what GSR should and shouldnt do,but 
the whole issue of the effects of Corporatization and privatization of what 
used to be Government provided services which are now provided by the private 
sector.
This doesnt just affect rail transport , but also other areas like 
Telecommunications (especially if the rest of Telstra is sold ) and the 
electricity supply industry to name a few.
If all these corporatized / privatized industries exist mainly to make money 
for their shareholders first , and only secondly to provide services,then we 
will see lots more Peterboroughs as providers dump marginal services in return 
for high return ones.
An interesting scenerio will be if GSR fold , and no private buyer can be 
found to replace them.
Will the Government return to running the IP,Ghan and Overland or will these 
trains quietly fade away?

Incidentaly , when I travelled thru Tailem Bend it was pretty obvious that 
nothing had run on the Loxton / Pinnaroo lines for a long time.
So long in fact that the home arrival signals , which are color light 
searchlights had fabric covering over the lenses,not a good sign.
Also noticed DL39 on as ASR wheat train with a heap of GMs & CLP.
The AN signs on the DL had been painted out.
Has ASR bought some of the DLs.

cheers
MD