Article: Comeback for Kennett-era transport chief

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Comeback for Kennett-era transport chief

Comeback for Kennett-era transport chief
Clay Lucas
August 24, 2011
Ian dobbs


THE Kennett government's head of public transport has been brought back to run Premier Ted Baillieu's long-promised Public Transport Development Authority.

British transport executive Ian Dobbs ran the Kennett government's Public Transport Corporation from 1993 to 1998, and was responsible for preparing Melbourne's publicly run train and tram systems for privatisation in 1999.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder yesterday confirmed Mr Dobbs would be a key part of the new public transport authority, and responsible for its ''preliminary planning''.

Mr Dobbs is widely understood to be the interim chief executive of the new authority.

Unions warned yesterday Mr Dobbs had been responsible for the loss of thousands of jobs in the public transport sector in the 1990s, while Labor branded his appointment a throwback to a past era.

Trevor Dobbyn, state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, said Mr Dobbs's time in Victoria was well remembered by the union movement.

''He was one of Kennett's key henchmen, who cut back thousands of jobs and services too numerous to mention in the 1990s, the effects of which are still felt today. Let's hope he has evolved since then.''

Labor's public transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said his appointment was proof the government had few new ideas, despite its rhetoric on taking office.

''The Liberals said they would build a network for the future, so why have they reached back into the past and appointed someone from the Kennett era?'' she said.

Mr Mulder, however, said Mr Dobbs's extensive industry experience in Victoria and overseas, in the public and private sectors of the transport industry, made him an ideal appointment.

Mr Dobbs joined British Rail in 1977, and worked in rail in Britain until he was headhunted by the Kennett government in 1993.

He later became the chief executive of British transport giant Stagecoach, from 2005 until his removal in early 2009.

It is understood legislation to set up the new public transport authority he will head will not be in place until the final sitting week of the state Parliament, in December, months later than originally envisaged.

The authority - which, among its other tasks, will plan and run studies for new rail lines to Avalon, Melbourne Airport, Rowville and Doncaster - is not expected to begin its work until early next year.

Instrumental in Mr Dobbs's return to the state's public transport system was another Kennett-era survivor, John Wilson, who has been the Baillieu government's key consultant in developing how the new transport authority will work.

Mr Wilson was the former managing director of Yarra Trams, before it was privatised in 1999.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/comeback-for-kennettera-transport-chief-20110823-1j8hu.html

History repeating?   When will they ever learn ...

[SurfRail]

Can we have a moratorium on importing British executives to run our train networks?  I don't know what metric they are using to measure their success, but it mustn't be set very high.

[somebody]

Can we have a moratorium on importing British executives to run our train networks?  I don't know what metric they are using to measure their success, but it mustn't be set very high.

If he was there before in the 90s, wasn't that a period of patronage stagnation on the Melbourne train network?

Supposedly, the Brits are running CityRail also, and came up with the "wonderful" idea of improving reliability by slowing down the timetable.

Based on what I know, I can only support SurfRail.

[Fares_Fair]

+1
They certainly haven't improved things from a customer service point of view.
Their arrogance displayed by their refusal to attend CRG meetings when invited to do so!
The latest excuse being that they intend setting up their own CRG type meetings.

I told a TransLink executive (politely) that they were reviled for their sending political propaganda extolling the Go card when the questions put to them for a response were ignored.
Harsh words I know, but it summed up the feelings of 'customer's at that time. (Dec. 2010)

They have tried to be more responsive with more appropriate answers since then.
E.g. they acknowledged that not everyone would be better off under the new timetable changes
recently announced for the Sunshine Coast.
I hope the government finds someone who understands Queenslanders public transport needs.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.