Re: How many NR locos are now written of?

[telljb@ozemail.com.au (< Tell >)]

steam4me@enternet.com.au (Yuri J Sos) wrote:
>
>Between 1975 & 1998, the Federal Government spent $34.5 billion on
>roads and $1.8 billion on rail.

I have not seen it Yuri, but I would bet the fact sheet
DOES NOT say, that the combined railway losses from
1980 to 1997 = 25.85 billion!!  These are Bureau of
Transport figures.  This does not include the 10 years
going back to 1975.
When you lose money like that, it is kinda hard to
justify spending billions more upgrading.?

>The Federal Government is investing $250 million in the complete
>interstate rail network in the next 4 years.  This contrasts with $4
>billion to be spent on upgrading Sydney - Brisbane to a multi-lane
>freeway.

I don't disagree that the ratio of Federal spending in
favour of roads V rail is appalling, but this fatuous
argument raised by many, that all this spending is for
truckies is really over the top, there are millions of
motorists using these roads.  The motorist and the
truckies pay extraordinary amounts of tax for the
"pleasure" of using these roads, far more than rail
pays in duties, sales taxes, etc.

Cheers

----Terry Burton