Re: BHP nailed down to National tracks - "The Age" Article

["David & Jan Winter" <winterd@icenet.com.au>]

Les Brown wrote in message <36d3f69b.17856641@news.ocean.com.au>...
>mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly) wrote in aus.rail:
>
<Snip>

>Whilst carving up the total railway pie might mean that some carry
>less and others carry more, what is really needed is a larger pie.
>National Rail is now seriously competing against recently permitted
>heavier axle-load road freight. Every tonne added to the road freight
>axle-load takes freight away from rail and NatRail is more exposed to
>road-freight competition than any other rail operator in the country.
>Making a loss might actually be needed in the short term in order to
>gain market share and political clout (crying foul can help) and force
>governments to rethink their road transportation policies
>
>I think that NatRail will eventually make a profit, but they will only
>do so by attracting more freight to rail and that may be only when
>they are privatised and totally divorced from the ministerial masters.
>You can't bite the hand that feeds you.
>
>Les Brown

FYI: double-bottom road trains (ie, longer than "LONG VEHICLES") up to 36.5m
have been cleared to enter Perth via Bedfordale Hill (Albany Hwy). The only
concession Armadale City Council got from the National Party transport
juggernaut was a delay until the road duplication (to dual carriageway) and
runaway arrester bed works were complete in a few months. The primary
schools at the bottom of the hill get an underpass. But there's still TCLs
at the base of the hill (no flyover planned that we know of).

If I understand correctly, this will mean that double-bottoms could run via
Lake Grace all the way into Perth, taking a load off Great Eastern Hwy at
Northam.

Why do I mention all this - well east-west road freight still has to break
up the road trains east of Northam, but a direct route is about to open.

Should increase pressure for sealing of the Lake King - Norseman road.

All this will increase competitive pressure on NR and SCT and TOLL.

The only reason the Libs tolerate the obvious electoral implications is that
the road train concessions in the metro area and approaches must be a quid
pro quo for selling off Westrail (a Lib core theology).

DW