Re: RIP ASW?

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

In article <379F0B01.CAC359A4@efs.mq.edu.au> Eddie Oliver <eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au> writes:
>From: Eddie Oliver <eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au>
>Subject: Re: RIP ASW?
>Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 23:52:01 +1000

>David Langley wrote:
>> 
>> Maurie Daly wrote:
>> 
>> > There are a number of other major problems in the ballarat route.
>> > The first one is getting the SG line across the BG tracks at Sunshine.
>> > A simple grade crossing introduces a heap of train control / access / whose
>> > trains get priority arguments between the various operators .
>> 
>> I find this very hard to believe. This is one of those problems that can be
>> solved by having one authority being responsible for the train control
>> operations. Then the problem of your train or mine does not arise, each train
>is
>> treated on its merits.

>Surely there is plenty of room at Sunshine to build a flyover, anyway?

>Whenever a problem as trivial as that one is advanced as a reason not to
>do something, you can be sure that either there are political motives or
>there are bureaucrats who are simply finding an excuse to avoid doing
>anything at all.

>Eddie Oliver


Grade crossings where one organizations line crosses someone elses are never 
trivial.
The two most obvious examples are the SG crossings at Goodwood and Y junction
in Adelaide where STA trains always get priority over SG , irrespective of the 
rights and wrongs of whose train it is, and the other obvious example is the 
shared access into Roma St in Qld where NG trains always win over SG 
trains.
These access issues only affect Rail Operators, Politicians and Rail 
Beaurecrats dont give a stuff.


The entire budget for One Nation project was only $140 M and it wasnt enuf for 
the original project, no way of funding a flyover at Sunshine even if it could 
be built.

If the concern about the Cressy Route is the loss of pass services to Ararat 
and beyond , there is no reason why the new owners of VLP cant run a SG pass
service to Dimboola as used to be the case .
I used to travel on this train quite a bit , and as Rod pointed out the number 
of passengers getting on at Ballarat for points west was normally stuff all.
The majority of passengers on this train either went from Melb to Ballarat, ie 
used the train as simply a Ballarat Train or went from Melb onto either 
Stawell or Horsham, with a handful going to Ararat or Dimboola. 
The most popular trains were the friday night down and the up Sunday 
evening excursion.
Obviously VLP would need a couple of SG car sets to run such 
a train but theres a heap of spare carriages sitting at Keswick owned by GSR 
doing nothingwhich Im sure they would lease to VLP. (guage converting 
sprinters would be the other option.)


MD