Re: 422s - Have they been Sold?

["Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au>]

Is Singapore that major a market to Australia?

Anyway Perth is a much cheaper option, the railway already exists, the port
exists, the traffic has to be landed somewhere in Australia!!

Why put the national economy deeper in the red to build a railway that will
never pay for itself, god knows! the current operators on the Melbourne -
Perth route are price cutting trying to pinch the small amount of bussiness
from each other.

If we weren't talking about a railway here, (because we are obviously
railfans) we wouldn't countinence this proposal, lets get real. The Alice
Darwin Railway will never (I know one should never use never) be built. Its
something the Libs bring up every other Federal Election (and N.T and Sth
Aussie state election) to shore up their vote. Remember, it was Malcolm who
closed the NAR, (not all that surprisingly), with a promise to build an
Alice to Darwin Railway, (I still have the video that the ABC produced on
This Day To Night), the same old furthies are being bounced around for
another generation of voters in the N.T & S.A.

Bob.


Michael McDonald <michael.and.colleen.mcdonald@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
7qkhgo$7875i$1@titan.xtra.co.nz">news:7qkhgo$7875i$1@titan.xtra.co.nz...
> I thought the whole point of the proposal was to tap the shipping from
> Singapore, the major shipping for the region.
>
> Exnarc wrote in message <7qgf35$2qg5$1@otis.netspace.net.au>...
> >
> >Michael McDonald <michael.and.colleen.mcdonald@xtra.co.nz> wrote in
message
> >7qfvc2$75n1c$1@titan.xtra.co.nz">news:7qfvc2$75n1c$1@titan.xtra.co.nz...
> >> You may be a bit pessimistic there with regard to the Darwin line.  The
> >> weekend "Auckland Metroport" trains in NZ may give you an idea of what
> >could
> >> happen if Darwin becomes a major port for containers bound to/for South
> >> Eastern Australia.  Even though the NZ operation is relatively small,
the
> >> extra rail traffic generated is noticeable.  How many tonnes do you
> reckon
> >> could be carried in such an operation?  I don't know what the figures
are
> >> for the metroport trains - it may equate to about 10,000 tonne each way
> >> during the period, from just two ships calling at the port.
> >>
> ><snip>
> >>
> >> Cheers
> >> Michael
> >>
> >
> >It would be OK if Darwin was on a shipping route, but its not, the
nearest
> >port to our major Asian customers (Japan, China etc). is Brisbane, why
> would
> >and how could a 100,000+ Container Ship negotiate its was through this
maze
> >of islands to get to Darwin when they can sail straight to Perth or
> >Brisbane?
> >
> >Darwin isn't a deep sea harbour, I assume (I don't know for sure) that
the
> >harbour would be tidal and to accommidate such large ships surely it
would
> >need to be dredged regulaly?
> >
> >If this is the case would the potentual traffic justify the cost of
> building
> >the line?
> >
> >Bob.
>
>
>