Re: New Tickets for Bayside Trains

["Reuben Farrelly" <reubie@bigpond.AAA.com>]

Interesting views, Michael.

While on the way home from Sunbury Stn tonight, I wondered if it would ever
happen that railway stations would be leased under perhaps a similar
arrangement as the rail systems themselves.  I understand that the
Government has no plans for this at this stage though.

Leasing out of railway stations may in itself be a good thing.  If stations
were leased under 10 or 15 year contracts under terms such as (example):

* 15% of the ticket price as a retainer  (encourages them to sell tickets
and therefore promote railways, perhaps in conjunction with various
operators, run advertising etc).  There would definitely be an incentive for
the stations themselves to ensure that all patrons boarding trains from that
station had valid tickets

* Some sort of subsidy for any structural/infrastructure investment  -
perhaps the Government would meet the operator 1/2 way on any improvement
which was deemed to be of value (after all, after 15 years or so the
Government would get the asset back anyway).  This would encourage operators
to upgrade stations, but spend some of their own money doing it rather than
at present, whereby the Government pays the lot

* The ability to set up other services/shops/improvements to rail stations
to attract patrons and attract extra revenue  (eg, turning a railway station
into something more than just a railway waiting room, adding shops or other
services which themselves make money) by leasing out any unused space

Good candidates for this sort of thing may be Werribee, Sunbury, North
Melbourne and maybe even Hawthorn (which incidentally looks like it has lots
of unused space) - all are near to existing commercial areas.

I realise that the world isn't entirely about making money, but I think the
idea of leasing out railway stations makes far more sense than leasing out
of rail stock.  I certainly see far more potential in a block of land
adjacent to a railway station with a pickup point for passengers than the
rollingstock itself in which there really isn't a lot of potential other
than actually driving it :)

Comments?  Thoughts?

Reuben




Michael <mk@netstra.com.au> wrote in message
8E1AD8E40telstraNews@vic.news.telstra.net">news:8E1AD8E40telstraNews@vic.news.telstra.net...
> Paul,
>
> It has already been said that multi-modal ticketing will not be replaced
> completely. In this case, you will still be able to use your multi-modal
> Metcard on any tram train or bus. It has also been said from the start,
that
> private operators would be allowed to introduce their own ticketing
systems to
> run along side, but not completely replace the current multi modal
ticketing
> system.