Re: National Rail Corp

["Andrew Honan" <ahonan@zipworld.com.au>]

The sad thing is that there MUST be a different scenario. The major problem
is NSW. They need to get on board and it must come from Bod Carr and Carl
Scully as well as some purpose for the RAC. The ARTC must run the interstate
tracks.
Andrew Honan

Maurie Daly <mauried@commslab.gov.au> wrote in message
mauried.317.37D8E899@commslab.gov.au">news:mauried.317.37D8E899@commslab.gov.au...
> In article <37d8dbab@nap-ns1> "Grahame Ferguson"
<grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au> writes:
> >From: "Grahame Ferguson" <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au>
> >Subject: Re: National Rail Corp
> >Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 19:40:26 +1000
>
>
> >The point that we are all missing is that the creation of the NRC was
> >supposed to be the start of seamless, one stop shop for rail freight to
> >effectively and collectively to compete with road transport.  Instead we
now
> >have a mongrel hybrid of a national rail system.
>
>
> Strictly speaking we dont have a National Rail System at all.
> Keating realized this after the creation of NRC and tried to also create
what
> was then to be called Track Australia to own and administer the National
Track.
> Of course Track Australia never happened and despite multitudinous
meetings
> between the State & The Feds where everyone agreed in principle that a
> National Rail Network was needed and needed to be administered by the one
body
> nothings actually happened.
> When the concept of the creation of ARTC was discussed again all the State
> Transport Ministers agreed it was a good idea and should go ahead ,but
when
> the time came for them to put their money (ie their tracks) where their
mouths
> were,only Victoria agreed,and the rest simply refused to do so , citing an
> incredible array of bullshit reasons.
> ARTC and for that matter the Feds are left in a total bind , in that ARTC
cant
> do its job , ie to be a one stop shop which it was intended to be , and
the
> Feds cant do anything to fix the problem , thanks to our totally stupid
> constitution which gives all the rights regarding rail to the states.
> Westrail is intending to privatise its freight Network including the SG
line
> from Kalgoorlie to Perth.
> The Consortium trying to build the Alice Sp to Darwin line are intending
to
> create their own access regime , which will be totally incompatible with
all
> the rest.
> Whoever buys NRC will still be left with a complete mess as far as
> access,accreditation,etc are concerned.
>
> Both the two previous inquiries,ie the Neville inquiry and the Smorgon
inquiry
> recognised these problems and naturally recommended that massive Rail
Reform
> is needed.
> Its almost certain that the PC inquiry will recommend exactly the same
thing.
> The bind for the Feds is that whilst they can throw money at fixing up the
> rail infrastructure,they cant fix the State caused problems , and the
federal
> Transport Minister has indicated ,rightly so in my view, that there will
be no
> money for Rail infrastructure improvement,unless the States agree to allow
> ARTC to do its job , ie hand over their National Track.
> As theres no chance in hell of this happening , the feds will simply throw
> their hands in the air, sell NRC which gets them out of Rail altogether
and in
> a couple of years will sell ARTC.
> In the meantime we will get more and more heavy trucks on the roads , and
rail
> will lose more and more market share .
> Sorry for this scenerio, but I cant see any fix in the near future.
>
> MD
>
>
>
>