News & Discussion: Regional Transport

[adelaide transport]

I think that if you reckon the State Government is going to chip in for this ,you are sadly mistaken-it will never happen,nor would the Federal Government be interested.

[rev]

Xenophon / SA Best - take note.

He'd probably cut a side deal to shut up about it with the operators.

Besides are we sure there isn't some obscure clause or loophole in the contract that lets them get away with not maintaining the tracks?

We're expecting to have a meeting with Xenophon and SA BEST sometime this week, just waiting to hear back.

We've been through the Lease Agreement ten fold and back to front and upside down. Nothing about the above.

Thanks for clarifying that.
Hopefully your meeting with Nick goes well.

[Heardy_101]

I think that if you reckon the State Government is going to chip in for this ,you are sadly mistaken-it will never happen,nor would the Federal Government be interested.

No one said the State Govt is going to chip in. Quite the opposite. It would be a more ideal scenario than re-privatising the rail but currently no.

Currently our goal is to have GWA made accountable. If that means having to surrender the lines at no cost to anyone but themselves, or be forced to bring the lines back the the standard they were at in 1997 when they first took the Lease of those lines, then all the better.

[Waewick]

I think that if you reckon the State Government is going to chip in for this ,you are sadly mistaken-it will never happen,nor would the Federal Government be interested.

No one said the State Govt is going to chip in. Quite the opposite. It would be a more ideal scenario than re-privatising the rail but currently no.

Currently our goal is to have GWA made accountable. If that means having to surrender the lines at no cost to anyone but themselves, or be forced to bring the lines back the the standard they were at in 1997 when they first took the Lease of those lines, then all the better.

who have you raised this with? interested to see how it plays out and its good to see a legitimate issue being pushed.

[Heardy_101]

I think that if you reckon the State Government is going to chip in for this ,you are sadly mistaken-it will never happen,nor would the Federal Government be interested.

No one said the State Govt is going to chip in. Quite the opposite. It would be a more ideal scenario than re-privatising the rail but currently no.

Currently our goal is to have GWA made accountable. If that means having to surrender the lines at no cost to anyone but themselves, or be forced to bring the lines back the the standard they were at in 1997 when they first took the Lease of those lines, then all the better.

who have you raised this with? interested to see how it plays out and its good to see a legitimate issue being pushed.

Previously for the past several years the current Government. But we got brushed off as it was "GWAs problem" or "GWA are required to maintain the track blah blah blah". Really Chloe Fox/Turbo Tom/Mr Mullighan? That's why we wrote to you!

We have recently spoken to Sunday mail and their journalists have spent the past week in the Mid North. Our media manager has also spoken to the State Liberals and has made contact with SA BEST as well, and we are trying to get in touch with the Labor Party as well. Also ABC 639 and 891 are both interested and we are trying to make inroads with 5AA. We're making fast progress.

Hopefully there is an article in the SM this weekend, we are of the understanding there will be. So hopefully next week the brown proverbial will hit a fan.

[Heardy_101]

Well this is disappointing, no article in the Sunday Mail. This is despite their journalists spending a week in the Mid North talking to us.

Guess the Queen and washed up tennis players must be more read worthy.

[Norman]

Well this is disappointing, no article in the Sunday Mail. This is despite their journalists spending a week in the Mid North talking to us.

Guess the Queen and washed up tennis players must be more read worthy.

Maybe next week? It does take time to check facts, do interviews and write articles if they are doing it properly.

[Heardy_101]

We were told this week but oh well. Media manager is looking into it.

[Goodsy]

have you given the Plains Producer a call? they might run an article

[Heardy_101]

Not as yet but we are looking into it.

The Lincoln times have contacted us though.

[Heardy_101]

Update, the journalist has emailed us to confirm the story is on hold until this week's Sunday Mail.

[Llessur2002]

Just out of interest (as a layperson who knows little about the ins and outs of regional railways) how may of these lines are likely to be economically viable to restore/maintain? Other than the potential for some of them to be reused for future regional passenger services, is there a viable market for freight carriage which could not be more cheaply served by road haulage?

Not coming down on either side of the argument but presumably GWA have judged that maintenance and use of the lines would not be profitable - regardless of their responsibilities to do so.

[rhino]

One of the main arguments against rail freight is double (or triple) handling. Your freight has to be trucked to where it can be loaded onto a train, then trucked from the terminal station to the required location. This can all be handled by a single logistics company, but the client will be charged for it.

On the other hand, bulk freight (minerals and grain, sometimes called rocks and seeds), is better moved by rail, as trans-shipment silos are generally located along railways, and spurs are often built to (larger) mines. Alternatively, in the outback, designated haul roads are built between mine and loading point on the railway. Rocks and seeds make for very heavy loads, which can put a lot of stress on country roads (physical stress, let alone the stress caused to other road users), but this cost is borne by councils, not rail companies or the State Government, or GWA.

So then we need to weigh up - is the cost of maintaining the railway in order to keep the rocks and seeds off the road justified? Eventually, it will be (as population, and thus road usage, increases - freight in the US is a good example of this, where there is a large population it makes more sense)). But is it worth it right now? Rail is not cheap to maintain, will the cost of maintaining it be recovered by rocks and seeds transport?

General freight can also be moved by rail, but the longer the journey, the more it makes sense. Trans-shipment can mean a 24-hour road delivery can take 3 days by rail when distances are short, but for freight transport to Perth and Darwin, rail makes good sense.

When it comes to transporting people, you need considerable population bases and fast trains to make it pay. If the distance is too great and the train is not fast, flying is the usually chosen option, despite the need to get from the airport to the city and vice versa. If the train is not quicker, it is not worth it. There is only a very small percentage of the population who will choose a slow train over flying, on a regular basis.

[Goodsy]

Just out of interest (as a layperson who knows little about the ins and outs of regional railways) how may of these lines are likely to be economically viable to restore/maintain? Other than the potential for some of them to be reused for future regional passenger services, is there a viable market for freight carriage which could not be more cheaply served by road haulage?

Not coming down on either side of the argument but presumably GWA have judged that maintenance and use of the lines would not be profitable - regardless of their responsibilities to do so.

GWA have shareholders who expect a profit. There could still be a profit running trains, but if there's a greater profit closing the tracks and running trucks then they're going to do it. The state government doesn't need the lines to turn a profit(although it's a bonus), they only need them to run at cost. The governments profit can also come from efficiencies gained elsewhere, local councils having to spend less on road maintenance for example

[Heardy_101]

Not coming down on either side of the argument but presumably GWA have judged that maintenance and use of the lines would not be profitable - regardless of their responsibilities to do so.

The argument for that is, despite these obvious costs in unkeeping lines they probably no longer have an interest is, they are legally mandated to keep them in clean and good condition so a train can run in two weeks notice.