Re: Alice Springs to Darwin line, but wait, there is more.!

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

In article <3803b502@dnews.tpgi.com.au> "Richo" <richardc@tpg.com.au> writes:
>From: "Richo" <richardc@tpg.com.au>
>Subject: Re: Alice Springs to Darwin line, but wait, there is more.!
>Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 08:28:43 +1000

>I can understand the WA govts frustration - they are being asked to hand
>over the jewel in the crown of a private operation to a free-for-all of
>companies competing with each other - competing the price of rail transport
>between Perth and Kalgoorlie down - leaving no capacity for the operation to
>pay a decent return to improve the infrastructure. This NCP rubbish has left
>us in this situation. If private operation needs to be pursued (and it does)
>then Tasmania, NZ (ironically small systems), QR and hopefully Westrail
>light the road ahead. The decision about what is the best track standard
>needs to be made by those running the trains - they will know whether they
>want fast or slow, light or heavy, curvy or straight. What is the sort of
>track required between say Port Pirie and Broken Hill - fast but light is OK
>(GSR), heavy but slow is OK (NRC for ore cartage), fast and heavy (operators
>of premium freight services)- light and slow is OK (ASR running a wheat
>train very slowly over the network) - fast and heavy is obviously the
>compromise but means most parties are paying for something they didn't need.


Not really.
WA could simply do what the Vic Govt have done , ie lease the SG track to ARTC 
at a commercial rate , that way the WA Govt itself doesnt lose anything except 
the right to sell the SG to a private operator.
At some point there needs to be some consideration given to the concept of the
National benefit , versus the benefit of the State.
This problem of States rights and the benefit of the State outweighing 
everything else is in the main part why rail is in such a mess.
We have the idiotic guage problem thanks to States rights.
Unfortunately , its unlikely that the above will happen simply because State 
Govts use their railways as indirect forms of revenue raising and leasing 
assetts to other Govt organizations removes this source of revenue.

As far as mass / distance charging goes for trucks , its just about impossible 
to measure,(you can measure distance , but not GTKs) and you cant quarantine 
the effect just to long distance trucking.
Any increase in taxation for the trucking industry will in the end be paid for 
by the whole trucking industry, including the truckies who deliver goods 
from Rail terminals to end customers, and to truckies who deliver food to 
local shops, ie we, the taxpayer will ultimately pay in the form of higher 
prices .

The real issue is the cost of running trains and why access charges are so high
and more importantly why we need such a large number of Govt organizations
involved in running rail in this country.
Whilst some of the problems are historical , it doesnt mean that we have to 
keep the problems.

MD