I could hardly not want it mentioned, considering I've been drawing
attention to TfNSW's blundering procurement and project management
capabilities since the early days of CSELR. This is yet another example, in
this case coming up with a list of variations after the contract is
underway. It's inevitable that there's going to be a cost blowout when the
agency couldn't get its act together in the first place. This is classic
public service bungling, where money doesn't matter because it comes from
taxpayers, the incompetents who caused the damage never suffer any direct
consequence to themselves and it's all forgotten anyway after the current
electoral cycle and the project is up and running. In the end, we're all
grateful we have the public transport improvement and the cost blowouts
quickly fade into history, until the same well-protected bureaucrats do it
again next time. The average Minister isn't going to try to tackle this
issue too hard (with rare exceptions like Dutton with Defence), or they
risk some "Yes Minister" resistance from the swamp.
No, my concern is more the issue of going too far off-topic on this forum
which clearly upsets some of its members. Nobody seriously wants to be
blocked because somebody else doesn't want to hear them. This is why I
raise the aims and objective of the forum and these clearly don't extend to
non-electric trains, as with non-electric buses - apart from my joke about
the CAFs having a pantograph merely to help them through the Sydney system.
I honestly wish that somebody would tidy up and modernise that paragraph of
aims and objectives of the group in order to at least slow down that flood
of extraneous posts, like this one, that we regularly get.
Tony P
(who has himself sinned in the past)
On Monday, 6 February 2023 at 15:20:01 UTC+11a...@... wrote:
> Boo-hoo, someone’s mentioned something I don’t want mentioned, so we need
> to make more “rules” to stop it.
>
> When too much micromanagement is never enough, eh?
>
> Just have your sook and get over it. If there’s anything more tedious than
> panegyrics about press ganging and privatisation, it’s whining about what
> subjects can't be discussed because they challenge YOUR views, attitudes
> and prejudices.
>
> I’m prepared to listen to anyone on just about anything that relates to
> what I regard as the most economical, environmentally sustainable and
> lowest impact (depending on how it’s built) form of public transit, the
> electric light railway, and related modes. I want to see more light rail,
> done better, and to stick with proven, simple, non-patent technology to do
> it.
>
> I’d say anyone who reads my posts knows where I stand, and they’re fully
> entitled to disagree with me if they don’t see it my way. No-one knows
> everything, and an open mind can always learn something new.
>
> If I disagree and have an alternative perspective, or think something is
> absurd, delusional or just wrong, I'll call it out. No-one sees everything
> the same way as everyone else, including what subjects are covered here, so
> there’ll always be disagreement, whether the topic is contemporary or
> historical, that’s how it is.
>
> We’ll just have to live with it.
>
> Tony
>
> On 6 Feb 2023, at 13:26, TP histor...@...> wrote:
>
> Yes, I've read the objectives of the group a number of times in order to
> gain clarity, but there's quite a bit of looseness in them. The words
> "urban transport" can potentially allow discussion way beyond what was
> intended. "Trolleys" is an old-fashioned term that doesn't cover subsequent
> developments.
>
> Tony P
>
> On Monday, 6 February 2023 at 12:36:30 UTC+11heg...@... wrote:
>
>> From the list homepage https://tdu.to:
>>
>> "Trams DownUnder is a Google Groups discussion group/mailing list
>> pertaining to trams, trolleys, light rail and urban transport in Australia
>> and New Zealand. Included are such locations as Melbourne, Bendigo,
>> Ballarat, Sydney, Christchurch and many more. Discussion of historical
>> aspects of present and past operations is especially encouraged. Also
>> included: Australian trams in the United States and elsewhere."
>>
>> I take it that emphasis on the political background is out of place (as
>> is discussion of internal-combustion-powered bus operations per se) but
>> cursory mention of those factors as context for the main focus is OK. For
>> example, someone might offer a summary of pre-electric services on the
>> Glenelg line, to compare what was offered and the level of patronage; but
>> not go into detailed discussion of locomotives and rolling stock.
>>
>> That's how I see it. I hope I'm at least broadly right.
>>
>> Hal Cain
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Feb 6, 2023 at 11:59 AM TP histor...@...> wrote:
>>
>>> Still not really relevant. A completely different, unrelated project.
>>>
>>> Tony P
>>>
>>> On Monday, 6 February 2023 at 11:03:07 UTC+11
>>>mat...@... wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 6/2/23 10:55, TP wrote:
>>>> > Is this part of the core business of this forum or are we using the
>>>> > "pantograph loophole"?
>>>> >
>>>> This is the same transport authority that purchased trams unsuited to
>>>> the job and a traction power system for said trams that is tried to a
>>>> single manufacturer.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "TramsDownUnder" group.
>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
>>> an email totramsdownunde...@....
>>>
>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/c504c6d7-633e-41f6-b913-a5de37c834f6n%40googlegroups.com
>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/c504c6d7-633e-41f6-b913-a5de37c834f6n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
>>> .
>>>
>>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "TramsDownUnder" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email totramsdownunde...@....
>
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/79d5fc32-dd80-421f-b4aa-c5067d3e448dn%40googlegroups.com
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tramsdownunder/79d5fc32-dd80-421f-b4aa-c5067d3e448dn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
> .
>
>
>