Re: Ararat BG connections

["Rod" <berlina@bigpond.com>]

Ben Staples <98711576@student.hawkesbury.uws.edu.au> wrote in message
<7c56oj$pok@ob1.uws.EDU.AU>...
>
>Maurie Daly wrote in message ...
>
>**SNIP**
>
>>Besides ,just how much of the BG bit of Ararat yard is left,and how is the
>>freight going to get to Ararat in the first place (by truck, Im sure the
>>locals would love that)
>>FV already have to run SG grain trains thru Ararat to Portland or Geelong
>if
>>they build a SG connection,to the grain loops.
>>The incremental costs of adding extra loading at Ararat bound for Melb via
>>Geelong would be far less than running dedicated BG freights.
>>Geelong needs some SG loading facilities as well.
>
>Why don't they just standard gauge the whole of Victoria and be done with
>it. I was reading in the paper that an economic study was done and
>recommended this to take place for a cost of $120 million. About the
>proceeds of the VLF sell off.
>
>Ben Staples
The responsibility for this for the next 15 years at least is now with
Freight Victoria, and after paying 163 million are not in the position to
spend much more, particularly as they are intent on winning V/Line Pass as
well.

When asked about this track, Marinus said why do anything with it?  We dont
use it, and we dont need it.
What advantage would we get from wasting this money?
I would have liked to have said, by converting it to SG, and on to Geelong,
we would avoid the goat track and save some hour and half, many gallons of
fuel and probably make a fortune out of track access fees, because NR and GW
would probably run that way too.
Rod