Re: Victoria Finally Adopts Modern Safeworking

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

In article <37145d94.0@news.bris.corplink.com.au> "MattyQ" <matticue@corplink.com.au> writes:
>From: "MattyQ" <matticue@corplink.com.au>
>Subject: Re: Victoria Finally Adopts Modern Safeworking
>Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 19:15:13 +1000


>Maurie Daly wrote in message ...
>>Actually its not at all hard to do , ie implement ES over radio.
><snip>
>>All of this stuff has to be maintained by someone and its not as cheap as
>>maintaining ES instruments or staff boxes.


>I cannot believe what I am reading here! What does FV intend to do with the
>train service? Stop it completely? They talk about cutting costs, of
>returning to archaic, time wasting safeworking systems such as TS&T or even
>ES. Ridiculous!

>What about the customer? They are the reason trains are run in the first
>place. Any viable business, be it transportation or otherwise, must be in a
>position to offer the best service possible. In terms of rail freight
>haulage, this translates to efficient timetabling, better running
>capabilities, on-time delivery etc. etc.

>From my previous experiances with actually having to send freight via rail
the overriding issue is cost, then cost again , and cost some more.
Other issues are safety of protection of goods and on time delivery.
Transit time , ie the delivery time itself was not important other than 
deliveries being made when expected.
Rail can never compete with road in delivery time because rail cannot deliver 
door to door .
Whilst it is nice to have modern efficient safe working systems that allow 
trains to run fast and efficiently these systems cost money , heaps of it 
and you have got to be able to justify the cost of the modern safeworking 
against a direct and identifiable increase in income because of them.
Govt railways have never had to make any of these economic decisions as they 
have been bankrolled by the taxpayer since their inception,and still are.
Where train densities are low archaic safeworking systems still have a place.

MD