Re: QR going national?

["Switched On" <yaropolk@hotmail.com>]

James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
38071252.906622E2@ozemail.com.au">news:38071252.906622E2@ozemail.com.au...

<SNIP>
>     Now lets put all of this into perspective. Victoria is only a fraction
of the
> size of Queensland. Therefore the freight opportunities for rail are less
and the
> route kilometres for the rail system are going to be lower than
Queensland.

Freight opportunities don't depend on physical size. Victoria is _still_ the
industrial manufacturing powerhouse of the country. It still has a heck of a
lot going for it. Most of our cars are built in Victoria, as is just about
everything else. Food products, electrical goods, you name it. And to make
matters better, Victoria is still the importation centre of the country.
Nearly all of our packaged foods, clothes and other items come through
Melbourne. There's heaps of freight there to be shipped to other capitals,
don't you worry! The problem is convincing these companies that rail is
better than road transport, and that takes work and patience - not splitting
up the company into a million and one fragments.

> Victoria's rail system has been through a transition period for the last
few years,

It's a funny sort of transition, though. It seemed to me to be an attitude
that "if the public think us public servants can't run this railway
properly, then we're taking our bat and ball and going home, but not before
stuffing the system up well and good."

> Richo wrote:
>
> > Who needs to boast about it - and why should boasting about it be
restricted
> > to Queenslanders. I live in Victoria - what do I have to boast about
about
> > this state's railways?:

Victorian trains are still pretty good. The sprinter service is excellent,
and the deisel-hauled loco passenger trains between Melbourne and Geelong
are pretty fast too. There's much to be proud of in Victoria. It is a
wonderful state.

> > a railway a pale shadow of itself 20 years ago, much less route
kilometres,
> > main line track speeds no higher than the 1930s (unlike Qld), less
> > electrification than 20 years ago (unlike Qld) newest suburban trains
dating
> > from 1981 (unlike Qld) system split into 2 gauges (unlike Qld, where QR
> > makes no pretence of operating on standard gauge) no new motive power

Well, we do have Standard Guage going to our port at Fisherman Island, and
also to Roma St for the that wild and crazy XPT... you know, the train which
falls apart all the time.... like the time I caught it to Melbourne and a
light fitting fell on an old lady from the ceiling and cut one of her veins
on her leg which bled profusely for some hours while we chugged along at
80kph in 40 degree heat when we could have been doing 160... what a hellish
ride that was, and of course, we weren't customers, but scum (according to
the attendants.)

But you are right, we aren't that interested in SG to any parts of regional
Qld... it's a waste of money when we already have perfectly good existing
track which is in a high state of repair.