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Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:35 pm
by Heardy_101
You are welcome anytime, Mr Porter ;-)

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:22 pm
by Busman
Busman wrote:
Heardy_101 wrote:I can't help myself here, and I should know better...but here it goes...

**SA PRESS RELEASE IN THREE WEEKS**

That's all I am going to say. :twisted:
Looking forward to next Saturday!!
ONE DAY TO GO!!!

(Time for you to put up or shut up)

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:23 pm
by Heardy_101
I won't shut up, Mr Busman. Let me assure you of that.

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:25 pm
by Busman
Then you need to back yourself in.

Where's the release you promised?

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:37 pm
by runawaybus
@ Busman, yeah I am awaiting the Press Release or Media Release and I gather there won't be one because even the easy process of releasing a press release I think is never ever going to happen.

SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:41 pm
by Rclasstramcar
Heardy_101 wrote:I'm going to have to deny this- until further notice at least. To be honest I do not know who the investors are involved with, and if I did it would most likely be confidential anyway.
You could always ask & see what what their response is :idea:.

Ben

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:34 am
by HomerSimpson
This joke thread could probably be locked now???

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:23 am
by Heardy_101
Why bother. It would take away freedom of speech and opinion and it wouldn't take much to make another one unless I was personally blocked by the admins, which I don't think there is a reason for them to do that anyway. If they do I'm sure they'll have their reasons but I'm guessing for diplomatic reasons they're staying out of it.

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:46 pm
by Heardy_101
Right. I am *this* close to blowing my fuse on Failpage but on here I'll keep my most of my cool because I have a lot more respect for most people on here than I probably ever will on that head fire truck of a site.

The media release got postponed. Oh wow, I said it! You were probably expecting something like that but I don't care. Nor could I car any less on how you respond to it.

The moderators/admins can lock this thread all they want. Doesn't bother me the slightest. You think I am going to back down? Get shunned away like a certain former PM wanting his job back from the b!tch who stabbed him in the back with a blunt bread knife? Let me think about it for a second here...oh wait, no need because the answer is no. Why should I? Business as usual I say! Why should I back down from ambition because "faceless men" (PUN INTENDED!!) are attacking me? Give me a reason or 100 and maybe I'll consider it!

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:55 pm
by runawaybus
So the media release has been postponed. Postponed until when. And please tell me not I have to wait because something tells me people are having a gutful of your childish mindgames and why are your three different spokespersons all saying different things about this project.

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:32 pm
by Busman
If you are being attacked its because you've come along, full of promises, talked about FACELESS MEN funding this proposal, even created a deadline, which you have failed to keep. I wasn't expecting a media release but I was always going to keep you honest to your promise of one.

Just like Julia and her equally useless predecessor, you've talked big and delivered ZERO.

I'm not saying this by way of attack but more of a fact; It leaves you with little credibility

Here's what I've done on this topic.

A fortnight ago I rang the CEO's of Gen-Wy and Freightliner - the former said he was aware of no plans by another in the rail industry to re-engage these lines, the latter said they certainly have no plans at this stage.

You're un-named, faceless man is a figment of your imagination.

I imagine your response will be to "wait and see". Just like the media release in 3 weeks, perhaps?

I agree, lock the thread.

SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:58 pm
by Rclasstramcar
Mitchell,
People are right to ask for more information. Why would we believe in the idea without seeing a press release? If there's proof something is happening/will happen.

Cheers,
Ben

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:05 pm
by Heardy_101
Busman, I'm not even going to bother to bite to that one.

Ben, I have offered proof however no one has been interested. Not my problem really. However the offer is still on the table, email me and you will have some more information. If not...oh well.

SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:28 pm
by Rclasstramcar
Heardy_101 wrote:Ben, I have offered proof however no one has been interested. Not my problem really. However the offer is still on the table, email me and you will have some more information. If not...oh well.
PM sent.

Ben

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:46 pm
by LowRider
Busman wrote:
A fortnight ago I rang the CEO's of Gen-Wy and Freightliner - the former said he was aware of no plans by another in the rail industry to re-engage these lines, the latter said they certainly have no plans at this stage.
Ok, I'm curious here, you rang the CEO's of Genesee & Wyoming and Freightliner? Alright, fair enough, but usually these type of people don't have the time to talk one on one with just an enthusiast? So did you ACTUALLY talk to a CEO? Or are you just saying that to make a point? Or did you just talk to their PA and get an answer from them? I'm sorry, kind of like this whole idea this thread is a bout, I find it hard to believe unless you are someone very important in the industry, to which you probably wouldn't bother posting on a place like this?

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:37 pm
by runawaybus
In the Public Interest I can give you a copy of the such said letter and somewhat business plan and yes this was on another forum and I was given permission by the person who posted it to post it here:

Dear Sir,

I am one of the investors in this project. I am part of a group of 27 investors (some of whom have there own sub group of investor under their name). We have been together as a group for nearly 20 years with 4 of us from Australia the balance from Europe and North America with 2 from Asia and 1 from South Africa. We invest in a lot of project globally, not just rail or transport related but other fields as well. A few of the investor group are also transport enthusiasts some of us owning various Locos and rolling stock another has 17 aircraft and so on, so we are quite a mixed bunch.

The ones of us who have rail interests like to see what lines can be feasibly reinstated. No we are not trying to turn back time and try to reopen everywhere a railway once ran as times have changed, but look at lines which have merit and need a bit of a push to get open we did look at the SE line to Mt Gambier but this looks like t will go ahead with government support. There was another line in NSW but this was not viable. I agree Passenger service to the Mid North is not Viable, but we are dealing with an Agribusiness specializing in fertilizer and wanting to open up a facility just south of Blyth and another near Farrell's Flat, with the goods being railed in from Victoria. That is why we are looking at reinstating the section from Bowman to the first facility and then re-gauge and upgrade to the other facility, Forecast freight to theses facilities make this a long term viable option. As for the passenger service, if the track is upgraded and we can offer this it is worth doing for the communities as well as potential of people from Adelaide visiting into the regions for the day or two. Initial figures on this show it is borderline viable but the agribusiness is interested in this and is prepared to invest an ongoing contribution if required as a PR exercise, after all it is also there potential customers that may be using the service too

Our staff monitor over 100 of these types of web site globally, and it is surprising after you get past all the gossip and carry on just how much leaked information comes out in these sites, along with some excellent ideas.

I am based in Europe and consider myself to be Australian as I spent my childhood and early adulthood growing up in the Mid North region of SA and I still have my sister and her family living on our family farm not far from Manoora.

When I was first informed of the thread by Mitchell, I decided to reply via PM to see what they had in mind in case it was duplicating something that we have already spent over 12 months on. I was a little surprised after contacting him that he was in his early 20's and grand plans to take over the whole rail network of SA. Thumbs up for enthusiasm and if you want to be an Entrepreneur you always need to think big, although maybe not that big. I know when I was his age I was going to take over the world, well I still haven't taken over the world but I do now own a lot more of it. As enthusiastic as he is when I told him some of our plans it did end up on this website. So I decided to tell him what he could release to this site and with interest I have been watching the replies. We have also kept about a dozen of your members who took the time to reply correctly to Mitchell's initial post informed on some of our plans.

Please respect the fact that we are dealing with various bodies in putting this together, Phase 1 and 2 have been completed and we are now working with the DPTI and others or the next phase and I would be pleased to forward you some of the correspondence we have received from DPTI and other parties along with a excerpt from our business plan for this project.

Railpage Australia™ has been helpful to us via this thread with some excellent contact coming forth from this which has saved us some time. Our group owns several companies which we use for investments and we do not give out our company email addresses to any one but the relevant bodies we are dealing with, and also out of respect to the privacy of some of our investors. Therefore I have been corresponding with persons from this site using one of my private Australian email addresses. I was amused by the hang up many have over an email address, for $10 I could set up any address (david@midnorthrail.com or whatever) and it would not prove a thing.

Please understand that there is some information that we can not release at this stage. I am thinking of holding a webinar on this project at the right moment in time to explain this to all and if permitted on Railpage Australia™, posting the link for members to join in on this webinar.

I must stress we are a self funding investment group and do not seek any investment from any outside source, even to the extent of not seeking government subsidies, however we have been known to accept some government support if their are not too many conditions attached.

Thank You for your time, and I hope this helps clarify a few things

Yours Truly
David von Peters



The other Email.

Australian Rail Project
# 61844

LOCATION

Mid North Region South Australia





Phase 1: COMPLETED

Investigate the initial feasibility of reinstating rail service in the region
(Stages 1 to 14)

Phase 2: COMPLETED

Secure initial funding and future investors for the Australian Rail Project (#61844)
(Stages 1 to 5)

Phase 3:

Implementation of Legal’s, Access and Commencement of works

Stage 1:
Contact the various bodies in relation to access and lease of the areas in question, along with requirements to proceed, including permission for future access to the standard gauge network at Bowmans

Stage 2:
Set up required Australian companies and registered offices and appoint responsible persons and project managers.

Stage 3:
Secure access to areas of interest and sign leases and other relevant documentation and implement all requirements as per directed in stage 1 to enable commencement of works.

Stage 4:
Access site and conduct full inspection and comprehensive engineering report and compare with initial inspection report and budget forecast sheets already completed in Phase 1 Stage 5.

Stage 5:
Negotiate agreements and contracts with various companies and contractors for supply of persons and equipment for works ahead as per schedule outlined in Phase 1 Stage 8 and subject to amendment after inspection conducted in Phase 3 Stage 4.

Stage 6:
First work crew on site commencing on right of ways still containing rail infrastructure, clearing hostile vegetation from the track beds to enable safe working of track maintenance / re-laying crews

Stage 7:
Reinstate level crossing signs and workings, notifications to local communities of returned activity in the rail right of ways and other procedures as requested and required to ensure safe workings of work crews and public safety.

Stage 8:
Once Phase 3 stages 1 to 7 are completed and signed of by the relevant bodies, the project is handed over to the Operations Manager who is to coordinate on going works with the Head Project Manager and Site Project Managers as per the order of works outlined in Phase 4. .

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:20 pm
by Tonsley213
Emm Kay Vee wrote:This is absolute gold :D
Like

SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:08 pm
by Rclasstramcar
You may want to put quotation marks in :twisted:.

Cheers,
Ben

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:48 am
by HomerSimpson
There's no way that email was written by someone over 18. I'm yet to see a serious investor/businessman with such poor English communication skills, I call BS but its still a good laugh I suppose...

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:29 am
by Busman
LowRider wrote:
Busman wrote:
A fortnight ago I rang the CEO's of Gen-Wy and Freightliner - the former said he was aware of no plans by another in the rail industry to re-engage these lines, the latter said they certainly have no plans at this stage.
Ok, I'm curious here, you rang the CEO's of Genesee & Wyoming and Freightliner? Alright, fair enough, but usually these type of people don't have the time to talk one on one with just an enthusiast? So did you ACTUALLY talk to a CEO? Or are you just saying that to make a point? Or did you just talk to their PA and get an answer from them? I'm sorry, kind of like this whole idea this thread is a bout, I find it hard to believe unless you are someone very important in the industry, to which you probably wouldn't bother posting on a place like this?
I'm not important in the industry, while I have an interest in transport personally, I rang them unrelated to my interest in an official capacity related to my employment, details of which I'll next send you in a PM, suffice to say publicly, I'm someone they chose to clear the air with.

Yes, I accessed and spoke directly with the CEO of one and in the second, a person identifying them as a senior officer within the company rang me back on the CEO's behalf.

I put my enquiry and details relating to Heardy's claims to their PA's and referred them to this site.

What people forget, is social media is just as relevant as a newspaper of tv report.

Information on this forum, any forum, is PUBLISHING.

Companies and media trawl through sites regularly looking for feedback and stories respectively, and claims which sound half plausible should be tested and followed through.

If a contributer commits a crime (libel, slander etc) and can be idetified, action can be taken against them by the offended party. (I'm not suggesting that's happened in this thread or any other incidentally) but make the point the information contained in any forum, like Facebook, Twitter, etc, is as equally binding on the contributor as it is to journalists at News Ltd., Ch 10, etc.

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:48 am
by Busman
HomerSimpson wrote:There's no way that email was written by someone over 18.
I agree, but I'll be a tad more generous and say 25.

A quick check of White Pages also indicates there's no-one living near Manoora called von Peters and I see on Rail Page a check with people living decades in the region indicates no-ones heard of them either.

I hope no-one has been asked for or given money towards this.

Are we building towards a scam?

Or is it that April Fool's is approaching?

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:45 am
by HomerSimpson
So what's happening with this whole plan? I was really looking forward to seeing the cardboard railway :(

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 11:24 pm
by Busman
Interestingly, I see in Sunday Mail today a Burra local is calling for the line to Burra be re-opened for passenger services.

He has a thousand strong petition ready to go to state parliament.

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:54 am
by The Inspector
there is also a group on FaceBook for this aswell, altho I am amused by what is going on I am staying diplomatic as altho it sounds like a lot of hog wash we dont know what is or isnt happening.

I await further press releases :P

Re: SA Rail Consortium: Update

Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:36 pm
by Heardy_101
Big update here:

You will need to have read recent posts on RailPage to get more sense out of it. Here's the link: http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11366394-s300.htm

A new SG line to the first new depot near Blyth will be built from the junction at Bowmans via Balaklava (the old Gladstone line), and then when the second depot is ready near Farrell Flat, the BG network will be converted to service this. All freight will be coming from Victoria on the SG network straight to the Facilities, no transshipment depots in Adelaide required hence why there is no yard (or a need of one).

The information that I have received is that about 20% of the sleepers on 2 out of the3 BG lines (Burra and Kapunda) are still suitable for a few more years. They will be replaced with low profile DG concrete sleepers at the rate of 1 in 3 first year, and then full replacement when the Burra line is converted to SG to service the facility near Farrell Flat. This will allow for passenger operations on a Class 2 track speed limited to 100km/h.

The section from Hamley Bridge to Balaklava will have 1 in 4 sleepers replaced due to the fact that this line is only 60lb rail and will give a Class 3 rating on this line with speed restriction on this section, which will be timber until conversion. I know their initial budget of $30M is for sleeper replacement and initial development of the Blyth service. I think the main part of the project has about a $85M budget over 3 years which includes the rebuilding of the Balaklava to Hamley Bridge section with heavy rail. As mentioned above all lines will eventually be converted to SG.