I'm a little puzzled by this post as Graham appears to be answering himself by arguing both sides of the case, which, mind you, is an excellent but dying skill nowadays! So its down to both socialist dogma and capitalist dogma - or neither as the case may be? Righto then.

I wasn't aware that Jeffo had done a Greiner with the motorways down there. The 2020s will be a bit of a long time to wait for things that are needed now. I can understand how it might prevent a new line being built, but I don't understand how it affects amplification of the Dandenong line.

In NSW they seemed to manage to get out of Greiner's bind to build the NW rail. I can't recall quite how. DId they pay the motorway company out?

Tony P
---InTramsDownUnder@..., <pf4366@...> wrote :

Nothing to do with 'Socialist Dogma'. In fact if anyone was going to build an airport link, it would be a Labor Government. Airport link restrictions land squarely at the feet of our conservative friend Jeff Kennett who locked us into a contract with the Transurban consortium with a penalty clause that restricts any form of competition to their Tollways until 2024.

It's the same reason the Dandenong line won't get tripled or quadrupled, despite the Billions they're currently spending down there, and that the cross city tunnel won't be fully commissioned until 2026, which also restricts the new 'high capacity' trains to fitting on standard platforms through Flinders Street until then.
On Sunday, December 18, 2016, Graham Hocking <pf4366@... mailto:pf4366@...>; wrote:
Big report today in the Sunday Herald Sun concerning a superannuation investment company wanting to extend the platforms at Southern Cross (Spencer Street) to accommodate longer trains for the expected heavy increase in pax numbers for airport express rail services.

Before you all fall about laughing, and the 'dream team' start sending in their posts concerning the length, type, width, maker, horse power, speed etc., - and above all seating capacity and especially the number of and siting of doors for our design specialist, shall we all remember that today is December 18th, not April 1st? (That's all fools day for the slow on the uptake.

Merry Christmas, and please whatever you do, don't hold your breath and stand around too long waiting for the airport express tram or trains - 'cos it ain't going to happen is it? It is just not in Daniel's Socialist dogma bible, and very probably never will be.

G.

'They' were talking (dreaming?) about an airport fast rail link when i graced Australia with my presence in 1973! Forty three years of political yapping,, - achievement absolutely zero -as usual.