Re: Freight Vic should rail more cement

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

> It wasn't that long ago that Shepparton had a facility to do just that,
with
> the silos only recently been removed. But that was back in the halcyon
days
> of Government owned railways where no-one gave a dam, perhaps now with
> Vinces head on the chopping block Freight Victoria can again look at these
> options of regaining this lost freight . I also believe there is also a
> niche in the fresh milk industry, with  lines going past the Kraft factory
> at Strathmerton, Murray Goulburn Cobram and Nestl'e Tongala, rail
transport
> could interchange  with the various other dairy produce companys
throughout
> Victoria also abutting rail.  Currently I see the  B- Doubles doing this
> work around the state.
>
> Thommo
You are going to see some things return to rail, but you are also going to
see some things go as well.
This New Railway is very Profit Orientated and lots of money is not going to
be thrown at say...opening the Mt Gambia line without solid long term
contracts in place backing up this expenditure, or at least a Government
Grant to fix the track.[fat chance of that]
Freight Victoria will have to endure heavy penalties for lack of
performance, to win such contracts, and will need to keep their staff on
side, if they are going to keep in the black.
Most of us thought that one result of Privatisation would be a majoir loss
of income.
Instead we have not lost money, but we are suffering very long hours, and as
a Driver, I can tell you I have never worked so hard in over 25 years. This
in itself will have to be addessed, because like many others, who have never
used sick leave in all these years I'm
now finding that my health is starting to cause me concern. I have been sent
home from work twice now, once with near pnuemonia and again with Flue, and
Asthma attacks, which are being aggravated by a  weariness I have never
known before. It is very difficult to go off sick, as relief is no longer
available locally, and a replacement Driver would need to come from
Melbourne, some 300 km away, which would mean I would need to know I was
going to be sick at least 20 hours before! Which would also mean that the
local industries would not get their shunts that day, and our two Freight
trains would not be made up, or even run that day.
Rod