Reply With Quote[QUOTE=bob10;2347641]Everything goes by rail, Bob
Bob,
Yep, the Yanks get it, the Canadians get it, the Europeans not only get it, but they've perfected it, the Chinese sure get it, and the Indians have got it since they were a colony of England.
But sadly, here in Australia, a so called first world power, we simply DON'T get it.
For us, everything has to go by truck (well just about everything).
It costs the economy billions in road repairs, fuel usage, congestion, road trauma etc.
Maybe it's the legacy of having three gauges (how mind bogglingly stupid was that!). Maybe it's the memory of how appallingly badly some of our government railways were run. Maybe it's the fact that we're now so urbanised that we can't see the value of rail in boosting rural economies and regional centres.
We actually CAN run super efficient rail systems. The Pilbara iron ore railways are world leading in technology and performance. I suspect some of our coal lines are also pretty efficient.
Here's a thought..... If we invested in a very fast passenger rail link from Melbourne to Canberra to Sydney to Brisbane, then the second airport would not be required at Sydney. Heaps of money saved, lots of fuel saved, and point to point travel times just about the same as going by air,when you consider check in times, travel time to and from airports etc.
Oh and a much more pleasant travel experience!
When will we (and our politicians), really get it? Past pollie Tim Fischer was a voice in the wilderness I'm afraid when it came to advocating for rail. HE got it!!
Alan
Originally Posted by bob10
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