Re: QR going national?

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <37E06485.2BC029B3@omni.com.au> David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au> writes:
>Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 13:31:50 +1000
>From: David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au>
>Subject: Re: QR going national?

>Michael Walker wrote:
>> I would be a tad surprised. The real money in rail is in freight

>But QR does make a profit out of its coastal passenger services and the
>Kuranda train. I think the Gulflander also makes an operating profit if
>you ignore the cost of maintaining the isolated track. 

>Cheers
>David


Dream on David.
No Govt operators in Australia have ever made profit out of their rail 
services unless they do so by levying monopoly rents.

Here are some costs / revenues for QR

Urban Passenger
		1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Pass revenue	$1.05	$1.14	$1.21	$1.26	$1.38	Units are $ per passenger
Pass costs	$2.99	$3.15	$3.53	$4.51	$4.86

Country Pass	
Pass revenue	7.4	6.76	11.46	11.68	13.72
Pass costs	23.76	25.78	30.68	30.75	33.40	Units are c per pass/km

Freight
Revenue		4.77	4.97	4.72	4.91	4.87
Costs		4.34	4.20	3.94	4.40	4.29	Units are c per ntk.


Source BTCE information paper No 40.
Analysis of the Rail Deficit.

Qrs freight operation makes a slight profit , but only because of the monopoly 
rents on the coal traffic.
Freight revenues of near the 5 c/ntk are simply not a competitive rate .
B doubles get 3.5 to 4 c/ntk.
Even NRC gets 2.5 c/ntk.

Given all this though QRs operation is one of the better ones.
Westrail and the old AN are marginally better with NSW last.

cheers
MD