Wisconcin wants in,still!

["Rod" <berlina@bigpond.com>]

   Following are parts of yesterdays Age Article.

Would like Mark  Bau [and others] to comment please!  Is this just sour
grapes, or could they......


     Australian Transport Network, the consortium that lost the bid  to buy
V/line Freight,
    has signalled a drive to compete for business in Victoria's rail freight
market........consortium that lost the bid  to buy

    ATN would be able to offer lower prices than Freight Victoria, which he
said was
    hamstrung by the high price, $163 million, it  had paid for VLine
Freight. ATN's bid had been
    $120 million.

[this  sounds right, Mark Reardon said that Wiscon expected to win with a
lower price, based on their proven ability to
make  it work, and the others under-capitalisation which would make it
impossible for them to make the necessary improvements{ this happened in
South Australia}]

     initial revenue target of $20 million, and was not interested in minor
lines.

[ This was the Unions fear, we could see V/Line IntraState traffic
sacrificed for the lucrative Inter-State lines]

     Mr Crispin said equipment was
     not a problem; ATN could get broad gauge locomotives and wagons from
the US, and could
     convert standard locomotives to broad gauge if necessary.

[I presume the first 'broad' was a typo, and so I wonder what Locomotives
they could find in the USA, that could run on
our East Coast Tracks? The old AN did import a lot of flat cars from US a
few years ago on one of Toyota's Car Carrying Ships returning empty to
Japan! ]

     Mr Crispin said ATN had a strategy for Australia as a whole ``Victoria
is a key part of
     that strategy,''

[ I am wondering if this is all a smoke screen and..... Wiscon will go in
boots and all to win National Rail, which would allow them to do all this
easily, and this is why they did not 'up' their price for V/Line when they
had the chance]

Rod :o)

ps. Talk about Dynon.......Will Paul Moore's Great Northern, and or Austrack
be used to start Wiscon off in Victoria!

Paul deserves a reward for all the hard work he has put into Great Northern,
and as he would not want out of the Company, under these circumstances,
Wiscon could benefit a lot from his experience and expertise.