Re: Whats happening with the VFT.

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

In article <834vdk$g43$1@news1.mpx.com.au> "Rod" <comtrain@mpx.com.au> writes:
>From: "Rod" <comtrain@mpx.com.au>
>Subject: Re: Whats happening with the VFT.
>Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 19:36:51 +1100


>Maurie Daly <mauried@commslab.gov.au> wrote in message
>mauried.496.3855740E@commslab.gov.au">news:mauried.496.3855740E@commslab.gov.au...
>> Heard on the news this morning that the Feds are still debating whether
>the
>> VFT will go ahead or not.
>> What the hell is left to debate.
>> Dont we have a successful bidder .
>> Obviously the future of the project may be dependant on the successful
>bidder
>> raising the necessary finance , if indeed they can , but surely the Govt
>has
>> by now agreed that the project will proceed.
>>
>> One hopes that we arnt seeing a re-run of the failed original VFT project.
>>
>> MD
>>
>I have heard whispers that the Liberals will use the cost of Timor
>Operations as a means of cancelling this project! It seems that the Oil
>lobby /Road Transport Lobby is working very hard to scuttle this and any
>other rail project.  They are scared shitless that  the Economics of a high
>speed, moden rail transport system might force them off the roads and save
>millions of litres of scarce fossil fuels [read  reduce iol coy profits]
>Timor is a pretty interesting, cost Was 2.5 billion in the first year,
>yesterday newspapers quoted our poor little Johnny as saying $1 billion a
>year. Taxes have already been levied to cover a supposed shortfall!
>Guess Mr and Mrs Public are to be clobbered again, so what else is new?
>Rod


You would have to wonder whether the AP to Darwin proposal is also dependant on
tax concessions to be viable.
Given that the consortium have initially estimated that only 1 train per day 
will use the line one would think that they will need all the concessions that 
they can get.
I wonder just how much money has now been spent on feasability studies , 
consultancies etc for all these large rail projects.

MD