NSW Govt absorbs RailCorp (1 Viewer)

[Kwayera]

Well, this is interesting..

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24464523-29277,00.html

RAILCORP will be scrapped and New South Wales train services returned to direct control of the State Government in a move Premier Nathan Rees says will improve services.
Mr Rees will formally announce the move today, saying it comes after RailCorp continually ignored the State Government's commitments to the electorate.

Legislation will go before Parliament when it returns later this month to remove the corporation's commercial board.

RailCorp will return to being a statutory authority under the direct control of the state's transport minister.

Mr Rees said the decision was about taking control of a service which impacted on people daily.

He said the experiment to create RailCorp back in 2004 had not worked.

"Some millions of people travel on our rail system, and since 2004 it's been managed by a board at arm's length from Government," he told ABC Radio.

"And what we're saying is that experiment has failed, that it's been unwieldy."

RailCorp was announced by former transport minister Michael Costa in 2003 as part of an amalgamation of several distinct rail authorities.

Mr Costa, and then newly-appointed chief executive Vince Graham, decided on a market-style corporate model for RailCorp, in a move to carry out essential but not necessarily popular reform.

The changes were enacted in January 2004.

Mr Rees said under the corporate structure, transport ministers were held to public account, but they did not have any day-to-day control over the network.

He cited the recent trackwork carried out on train lines over the long weekend which coincided with the NRL grand final and a major race meeting at Randwick Racecourse.

"That to me is unfathomable and the answers we were getting from RailCorp on that were simply not satisfactory," Mr Rees said.

He said public transport and road congestion was the top issue for Sydneysiders and would be a priority in next month's mini-budget.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

Who cares.

It won't make the trains any better.

 

[chicky_pie]

Lets compare Railcorp with Europe's train service, it's like comparing modern technology to something back in the 1820's. Our trains is THAT SHIT.

 

[Trefoil]

Who cares.

It won't make the trains any worse - and maybe a shake up like this will actually make them better.

 

[Kwayera]

I didn't say it would change anything, I just thought it was interesting

 

[Azamakumar]

Lets compare Railcorp with Europe's train service, it's like comparing modern technology to something back in the 1820's. Our trains is THAT SHIT.

So is your grasp of the english language.

 

[Trefoil]

I didn't say it would change anything, I just thought it was interesting

It is, yeah. It will be interesting to see if it improves services, though.

What areas does RailCorp administer? All of NSW?

 

[Kwayera]

Hmm, I think so - Countrylink rents track/station use from RailCorp, as I understand it, and I've no idea about the freight lines and services (except for private tracks built from coal mines to ports).

 

[spiny norman]

Good. RailCorp has been terrible. If everyone here weren't so quick to claim Rees is as bad as Iemma I assume they'd be saying the same (aside for the free market absolutist wankers).

 

[jb_nc]

Good. RailCorp has been terrible. If everyone here weren't so quick to claim Rees is as bad as Iemma I assume they'd be saying the same (aside for the free market absolutist wankers).

hey remember when nathan rees funded a v8 race in homebush to the tune of $30million when everyone said it would make a loss and the state is several hundred million dollars in debt and needs new infrastructure

 

[chicky_pie]

So is your grasp of the english language.

Well what do u expect from a person with a low IQ?

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

hey remember when nathan rees funded a v8 race in homebush to the tune of $30million when everyone said it would make a loss and the state is several hundred million dollars in debt and needs new infrastructure

not everyone said that mang

i reckon bringing an A1 Grand Prix race to The Rocks is a far better idea. Nebz for prez!

 

[aussie-boy]

this is good, because managers are going to get fired (they are no longer protected by the corporatised railcorp board; and the NSW gov really has nothing to lose seeing as it will lose in 2010)

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

You have the [near] words "gov" and "party" mixed up there, you dero.

 

[dood09]

lol at nsw trains

just lol.

 

[jb_nc]

In general:

If a Union agrees with some process or action, it is therefore a bad action for the good of the public.

 

[Trefoil]

In general:

If a Union agrees with some process or action, it is therefore a bad action for the good of the public.

Not really, no.

 

[jb_nc]

Not really, no.

Yup really, yes.

 

[banco55]

this is good, because managers are going to get fired (they are no longer protected by the corporatised railcorp board; and the NSW gov really has nothing to lose seeing as it will lose in 2010)

I would have said the opposite. If they are going to lose anyway they might as well keep the union clowns on side so they'll continue donating to them when they are in opposition.

 

[zstar]

Government and improved services.

Oxymoron of the century