Article: $290m loss on botched rail line

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

$290m loss on botched rail line

$290m loss on botched rail line
December 17, 2012
Adam Carey

WATER damage on the Melbourne-Sydney railway line has contributed to a $290 million write-down this year for the operator of Australia's interstate rail network.

The government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation posted the large impairment loss in its 2012 annual report, despite recording a 24 per cent access revenue boost from managing the 8500-kilometre network.

In its report, the corporation noted the impairment loss, or asset write-down, was due to the poor condition of the Melbourne-Sydney corridor, which has been blighted by severe speed restrictions and safety concerns since the rail line was converted to standard gauge at the turn of the decade.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the safety of the line, which is blamed for damage to V/Line trains due to muddied ballast making a rockier ride.
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A corporation spokeswoman said the impairment loss was ''a standard accounting practice, and reflects the investment we are making in the entire north-south corridor''.

But Victoria's Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the botched $600 million conversion of the line in 2009-10 was costing rail freight operators money and travellers time.

''For V/Line passengers, the speed restrictions limiting trains to 60 or 80 kilometres an hour on parts of the Southern Cross to Albury train trip mean inevitable daily delays,'' Mr Mulder said. ''Rail freight operators' transit times are blowing out and becoming less predictable.''

He called on federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese to assure Victorians he was serious about restoring the line to much better condition.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation is spending $134 million over five years to replace fouled track ballast. It says much of the work will be done by mid-next year, and speed restrictions will be steadily removed.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/290m-loss-on-botched-rail-line-20121216-2bhwj.html

[Set in train]

No wonder the front page of the Sun Herald is about B-doubles to run on the Hume when the Holbrook bypass is complete (the last gap in the dual carriageway).

This is why rail must be upgraded to provide a time and reliability advantage to road.

Aren't there proposals for 130 km/h freight rail?

[somebody]

Aren't there proposals for 130 km/h freight rail?

These ideas have never shown a market in Australia.  Bringing in some curve easing may change things I guess.

[mufreight]

Melbourne to Sydney should be progressively upgraded and realigned to the following standards.
Axle loads to 30 tonne
Alignment to enable 160 kph operation of single stacked intermodial and 120kph operation of double stacked intermodal services.
This would see rail capture better than 80% of all freight over the southern corridor.
A line built to these standards would also make possible sub 6 hour passenger services.
All that it will require is the money and a government to take off its road centric glasses and enough guts to take on the road transport lobby and the affected landholders along the route.
The benefits to the national economy would over a very short time justify the means and would see the construction of the much delayed inland line to a similar standard within a short time.

[SurfRail]

I think the main speed advantages of any new alignment will come about through better engineering.  I don't see a pressing need to specifically design for 160kph, but that may be possible anyway.

[somebody]

I don't see what 160km/h offers freight over 130km/h.  Both give genuine overnight services.  Indeed 130km/h is probably excessive.  <Dons flameproof suit - given who posted that>