Re: QR going national?

[David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au>]

Michael Walker wrote:
> 
> >But QR does make a profit out of its coastal passenger services and the
> >Kuranda train. I think the Gulflander also makes an operating profit if
> >you ignore the cost of maintaining the isolated track.
> >
> Serious money or 'just makes a small profit if you don't include wages, cost
> of maintenance of right of way or the fuel costs' type accounting that seems
> to be popular at times.

I don't know if it's "serious money", but the Sunlander, Queenslander
and SPirit of the Tropics certainly make an operating profit. The
Kuranda trainmakes quite a big profit over and above the cost of having
the century old cars maintained in Townsville.

> Or in other words is it more worth QRs while to run a coal train or a
> passenger train in terms of profit (ie revenue minus cost)?

It was only a handful of years ago that QR was still prepared to allow
coal trains to subsidise the branch lines and passenger trains to the
extremities of the system (e.g. Quilpie and Dirranbandi).

> To get back to the original point, would QR find it more profitable to spend
> money refurbishing and running a standard (ie not GSPE) loco hauled train
> from Brisbane to Sydney or running a freight train of some kind.

The intention is to run the Queenslander to Sydney on alternate weeks to
the GSPE.

> Or even
> leaving the destinations out of the picture, where would QR be best
> investing money to make profit? Would it be in trying to compete with FC on
> the Hunter Valley coal or Countrylink on Sydney-Brisbane passengers

They'd have to run it the right way to make it work. A twice weekly
100km/h hotel on rails would be profitable, but it won't take any
passengers away from Countrylink. A "real" daily intercapital train
along the lines of the Brisbane Limited would certainly make Countrylink
sit up and take notice.

Cheers
David