Darwin Rail Link to be sold

Shacks · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:04 pm

I never said that I take it seriously. Personally I think it is more a wish that the line does not close than an expressio of intrest to purchase.
As I said at the end of my post, this is not the name that ws mentioned to me as having had made an offer.

Shacks

Also see http://glenschackier.fotopic.net and http://shacksbmx.fotopic.net/

emdrules · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:04 pm

Noticed in Tuesdays Australian 1/7/08 that Toll Holdings could bid for the Darwin Line. That's all the Territory needs, Pathetic National running the trains. That will guarantee more freight back to road. The trains that they were running to Alice Springs were not the size they were in AN's days.
Of course it's typical, someone else does the hard work and they try and buy it cheap. Come on QR National, show your cash.

Shacks · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:18 pm

Toll is not the company that was mentioned to me either, but I have been told they showed an expression of inrest.

Shacks

Also see http://glenschackier.fotopic.net and http://shacksbmx.fotopic.net/

awsgc24 · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:05 pm

DalyWaters · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:25 am

Hard to work out what Paul Little is up to. He has been quoted many times over past years as saying that the Darwin line was the biggest waste of money that has occured in Australia (or similar). Now he's interested in buying it!!

Something odd is going on. Toll (run by Paul Little) is a seperate company from Pacific National which is owned by Asciano (run by Mark Rowsthorn). The two worked side by side for many years building Toll. When the ACCC forced a division after the purchase of Patrick, tthey formed the two companies.

Rowsthorn was given the difficult to manage rail and port Asciano. It is loaded to the hilt with debt and will probably struggle now for many years, if it survives.

Little took Toll which is well cashed up and has the very profitable trucks and logistics. He is still on a spending spree and has indicated that he would be interested in taking over some of Queenslands freight and maybe even ARG/Interail if it was for sale. He is ready to compete head to head against his old mate, maybe thinking he can do a better job of rail.

The conspiracy theory way of looking at it all would be for Toll to take on freightlink and ARG and whatever then claim its a basketcase and go cap in hand to the ACCC pleading that the only way to keep these businesses running and the employees in jobs, would be to merge Toll and Asciano. That would make a serious near monopoly.

Its easy to see this as extreme, until you look at Little's track record.

ParkesHub · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:03 pm

Oh well, Freightlink was nice while it lasted!

Scott and Toll Offer

Shacks · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:24 pm

That is only 1 of the 4 offers recived and I belive it is not the best.

Shacks

Also see http://glenschackier.fotopic.net and http://shacksbmx.fotopic.net/

ParkesHub · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:39 pm

bingley hall · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:46 pm

SCT is one, GWA is another.

Bing

Life is just a bowl of All Bran...you wake up every morning and it's there

Shacks · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:46 pm

Plenty of whispers.
None that I can say but.

Shacks

Also see http://glenschackier.fotopic.net and http://shacksbmx.fotopic.net/

ParkesHub · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:18 pm

bingley hall · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:14 pm

Hendo · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:53 pm

Geez,

Some here must be terribly well connected, all the inside info on the Freightlink sale, a wonder you aren't multi-millionaires! Do we have to sick ASIC in to you for insider trading?

hendo

bingley hall · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:36 pm

Hendo · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:36 pm

Byng,

Your suggestions can understand and at least you have applied logic to your comments. Others who talk about whispers and imply therefore they are somehow on the inside track are ...............ers. Any business analyst or those with any interest could give you a list of those who may be in the running:

Asciano could probably be cut out of the running (I am not an analyst, nor n "insider") they were run down enough by Toll and they seem to be in some trouble with the share market.

GWA sure, but do they want to get burnt again or have they learnt enough from ARG and so forth to now sally forth properly on the SG, or will they stay only on NG systems?

SCT, in some respects a big leap for them, do they have a strong road business going to the Territory? If not, may be quite attractive to drive competition and get a good market share, particulary if they were to think of running express LCL, produce, removalists loads and so forth on say every second day, in addition to the normal container services.

Coote Industrial, do they have the resources and experience to make such a large committment? Do they have loco's that would consistently make the trips?

Freightliner UK, been talk for months/years, but hardly likely given they seem to prefer bulk traffic and don't have any real presence (experience) here now.

RailAmerica, Freight Australia all over again?

A Singaporean or Chinese soveriegn wealth fund sponsored conglomerate? Haven't the Singaporeans done enough damage with their mendacious games with Optus and Ansett, AirNZ, Virgin Blue. One would have to cry national interest if they got involved.

El Zorro, SSR and so on!!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers,Hendo