Re: QR Mainline Upgrade

[Bruce Greening <bgreeni@ibm.net>]

Matthew Nolan wrote:

> QR announced this week a $240 million upgrade of the line between
> Rockhampton to Cairns, it was reported in todays CM. This is to enable
> trains to run at 100 km/h constantly with the removal of 75% of speed
> restriction areas.
>
> According to CEO Vince O'Rourke Qr will become more involved in
> intermodal freight, delivering from door to door, or as he puts it, "a
> more logistics enterprise".
>
> It is interesting that this amount of money is the minimum amount that
> is considered to be required to upgrade the Sydney-Brisbane line in the
> short-term. Further, the $122 million being spent on the diesel tilt
> trains was considered by many to have been better spent in
> infrastructure upgrade.
>
> It seems to be that QR is making a committment to both rollingstock and
> infrastructure, perhaps the only rail system in Australia that can be
> considered to being both. Of course, it helps that QR get to haul 90
> million tonnes plus of coal every year.

Having now left QR I have no inside info on this project, and while we can
only aplaude the expenditure on futher upgrading, the following should be
remembered.

1. The large difference in the prices quoted by the two parties in the
recent election on the cost of the tilt train. This project is obviously to
'hide' the cost by claiming it is for freight traffic...the MLU project
allows 20 TAL @ 100 km/hr., but the tilt train will require upgrading with
concrete sleepers, at least on curves, as the current 1:3 steel does not
provide sufficient lateral restraint.

2. The political need to keep the concrete sleeper factory in Townsville in
production. The real need on the NCL is to rerail as the 41 KG/M rail will
need replacing...the announcement I saw did not make it clear if this was
to be part of the project.

3. The need to continue employment for the gang working on the Mt. Isa line
upgrade.

4. I wonder how much ecconomic analysis was carried out for this project,

--
Bruce L. Greening
bgreeni@ibm.net