Re: Melbourne maglev

[Chris Brownbill <cbrnbill@enternet.com.au>]

David Bromage wrote:
> 
> Oh dear, Phil Sellars is at it again.
> 
> Having been laughed out of Canberra and floundering in Sydney, Transrapid
> is jumping on the new Victorian government to build a maglev line to the
> airport and Geelong.
> 
> The airport line would cost $1.6 billion.
> 
> So, write to editors, write to MPs, write to anybody. Just don't let it
> happen.
> 

Yes, today's Melbourne Herald-Comic has it as the lead story.  Line from Hoppers
Crossing - City - Airport believe it or not.  Also are wafty suggestions of
services to country areas - Geelong and "Beyond Shepparton" whatever that means.

Notwithstanding the indications of the death of Speedrail pointed out elsewhere
in this group, I hope we're not seeing a tragic repeat of History here.  This
has many parallels with the legendary story of how NSW and Vic ended up with
different rail gauges all those years ago.  Competing promoters of different
technologies (gauges), changes of government and scant regard for eventual
linkage of two proposed lines.  Or maybe its a bit worse - having been told by
the Sydney/Canberra mob to bugger off, maybe Transrapid is now running off to
Vic to get what they wanted in the first place - a toehold on the monopoly
provision of technology for the new Sydney- Canberra- Melbourne service.

Thankfully, in some of the few textual components of the Herald-Comic it seems
the new Vic transport Minister, Peter Batchelor, is taking a sceptical approach.