Re: Road Cost Recovery.

[bill@underpantscollective.com.au (Bill Evans)]

On Wed, 20 May 1998 04:29:36 GMT, telljb@OZ.ozemail.com.au (Tell)
wrote:

+bill@underpantscollective.com.au (Bill Evans) wrote:
+>May I be so presumtious as to suggest that there is a third
+>alternative. How about corpratisation? Westrail has been corpratised
+>and last year returned a nett operating profit. I believe this was the
+>first time in it's history, and despite being sadled with the full
+>costs of perway construction and maintenace costs.
+
+Please, corporatisation is another pea and thimble
+trick used by governments.  I have seen enough.
+Westrail and their government are no exceptions.  
+
+>Simple! Remove perway construction and maintenance costs from the
+>railways' operating budgets and fund them from general revenue, like
+>roads, then charge the railways the same fees and taxes road transport
+>pays. This one simple administrative change would reduce rail freight
+>charges by at least 30%, and overnight all the long haul trucks just
+>disappear.
+
+And give the money to the states I presume.  
+Heh Heh ......you don't really think they will spend
+all of it on the national trackwork do you.?  

Ever heard of "tied grants"? A large portion of the funds given by the
federal govt to the states is in this form, and can only be spent in
the manner specified. Track construction & maintenance should be
federally funded, like roads are.

+The present bunch of state and federal rail admins
+could not organise a chook raffle.

I can't speak for other authorities, but I believe Westrail is very
well run and administered over all. Like most, if not all, of our rail
systems, the track is in dire need of some major reconstruction, and
standardisation is long overdue, but the operation side is very
efficient. Their loco fleet, for example, is about as modern as you
could get, with the bulk of loco's less than 2 years old, and state of
the art. The entire fleet was designed and built here in Perth.

+Long haul trucks disappear overnight, you are joking.

As an Alice resident, you would undoubtedly be aware that a
considerable proportion of the freight bound for Darwin already
travels by rail to Alice because it is cheaper. Cut 30% from freight
rates and how much of what now comes by road do you think will stay on
the road?
+
+>Power cars to keep reefers running would also be a help.
+
+Funny you should mention that, Australian National used
+power cars for refigerator containers years ago.!

I know, and always wondered why they abandonned them. Is "snow
shooting" really that much cheaper? Road transport don't snow shoot
except for containers which don't have diesel power for the frige
unit.
+

Bill Evans

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