I think what they're saying is fair enough: Who pays for them to wait five hours for a COVID19 test?

I think what they're saying is fair enough: Who pays for them to wait five hours for a COVID19 test?

As opposed to people waiting 5 hours for a covid test in their car?

There are people in Sydney who are being tested daily before they can attend work as an essential worker. The truck drivers should stop whinging it is inconvenient for everyone at the moment.

Someone should set up an intermodal at Serviceton or just send the lot by rail all the way through...

Someone should set up an intermodal at Serviceton or just send the lot by rail all the way through...

Would be a great opportunity for Rail to shine. Traffic has been up since covid on some routes but I suspect that there is little to no spare motive power or rollingstock to get the freight task moving on rail

Too many years of decline and therefore not enough investment. If only "they" hadn't.......

Someone should set up an intermodal at Serviceton or just send the lot by rail all the way through...

Would be a great opportunity for Rail to shine. Traffic has been up since covid on some routes but I suspect that there is little to no spare motive power or rollingstock to get the freight task moving on rail

Too many years of decline and therefore not enough investment. If only "they" hadn't.......

You may well be right BG but if what you surmise is true that there is no rolling stock or locomotives available to cater for any additional traffic it is a damning indictment upon the rail industry as a whole.

an indictment on not only the industry but on all levels of government in Australia, aside from the trucking industry, the only people who could possibly think that having huge fleets of trucks running around the nation instead of a better rail system and trucks doing the first and last mile tasks

an indictment on not only the industry but on all levels of government in Australia, aside from the trucking industry, the only people who could possibly think that having huge fleets of trucks running around the nation instead of a better rail system and trucks doing the first and last mile tasks

But haven't you heard by now? Trucks bring 'efficiency' to the freight task.

Someone should set up an intermodal at Serviceton or just send the lot by rail all the way through...

Would be a great opportunity for Rail to shine. Traffic has been up since covid on some routes but I suspect that there is little to no spare motive power or rollingstock to get the freight task moving on rail

Too many years of decline and therefore not enough investment. If only "they" hadn't.......

You may well be right BG but if what you surmise is true that there is no rolling stock or locomotives available to cater for any additional traffic it is a damning indictment upon the rail industry as a whole.

Gone are the days of running a train of KMQs Melbourne to Adelaide or diverting the Broken Hill - Port Pirie ore train via Melbourne at a day or two notice to meet customer needs.

I always preferred to be short of rolling stock rather than a surplus as with some fancy moves and the old world intersystem cooperation one could usually 'have ones cake and eat it too'.

Sorry, I forgot that was in the olden days rail when there was the will and a way.

No need to worry, however, as road will rise to the challenge ....................

Someone should set up an intermodal at Serviceton or just send the lot by rail all the way through...

Would be a great opportunity for Rail to shine. Traffic has been up since covid on some routes but I suspect that there is little to no spare motive power or rollingstock to get the freight task moving on rail

Too many years of decline and therefore not enough investment. If only "they" hadn't.......

You may well be right BG but if what you surmise is true that there is no rolling stock or locomotives available to cater for any additional traffic it is a damning indictment upon the rail industry as a whole.

Gone are the days of running a train of KMQs Melbourne to Adelaide or diverting the Broken Hill - Port Pirie ore train via Melbourne at a day or two notice to meet customer needs.

I always preferred to be short of rolling stock rather than a surplus as with some fancy moves and the old world intersystem cooperation one could usually 'have ones cake and eat it too'.

Sorry, I forgot that was in the olden days rail when there was the will and a way.

No need to worry, however, as road will rise to the challenge ....................

....and interstate rail lost a million dollars of taxpayers money a day.

The only time the Pirie ore train was diverted via Melbourne was during the 1995 standardisation project and that wasn't done on a day or two's notice.

....and interstate rail lost a million dollars of taxpayers money a day.

The only time the Pirie ore train was diverted via Melbourne was during the 1995 standardisation project and that wasn't done on a day or two's notice.

....and interstate rail lost a million dollars of taxpayers money a day.

The only time the Pirie ore train was diverted via Melbourne was during the 1995 standardisation project and that wasn't done on a day or two's notice.

Thanks Bing.

Yes, that diversion was in the days of NR and was due to washaways on the Peterborough Division IIRC. Nevertheless, it did highlight one of the benefits of SG. There was a bit of a 'hoo-haa' at the time as to whether the ore wagons were accredited to run in Victoria. They were!

I have a vague recollection that a part ore rake also came via Victoria on one occasion but I am unsure of this. There were other diversions of WA traffic from NSW prior to NR via the bogie exchanges. They were hard work and a credit to all concerned.

I don't know how true it was but NR was supposed to be at more or less break-even when sold to Toll and Patrick. Might have been accounting licence, (otherwise known as spin).

....and interstate rail lost a million dollars of taxpayers money a day.

The only time the Pirie ore train was diverted via Melbourne was during the 1995 standardisation project and that wasn't done on a day or two's notice.
Interstate Rail lost $millions?

In 2021 this is really in my opinion not the way to look at critical transport infrastructure and associated services. Road transport loses $billions per annum (not including carbon emissions etc which should be priced) and taxpayers are picking up the bill. Those subsidies would be I feel smaller on rail transport as a mode in the supply chain.

If I were asked as a taxpayer would I prefer to subsidise some rail or a lot of trucks I would say rail as I know if it better for the environment.  The days are over for saying rail "looses money" in isolation of burgeoning road transport costs.

Different arguments......

Some of us have been arguing since the late 80s for governments to accept the hidden costs (losses) of road transport, so your suggestion is nothing new.

However this in itself does not justify the covering up of losses driven by gross inefficiencies, of which there were many in the years leading up to the formation of National Rail