Agree, Dave, where possible. BUT, railways have their limit. As Brinor points out, not everyone is served by a railway, and you will find some of our railway systems wouldnt stand the extra traffic. Our East-West line is in the main a single line with crossing points at frequent intervals to allow trains going in the opposite direction to pass. Recently I followed this line's access road to get from A to B for hundreds of kilometres. The number of freight trains lumbering along in either direction and parked at sidings waiting to cross was amazing. I cant imagine fitting in extra trains between them..........without considerable extra infrastructure. To increase train lengths, they would have to extend "crossing loops" and build more of them..... The Perth- Kalgoorlie passenger "Prospector" train can be held up for up to 2 hours at a siding to avoid disrupting the flow of freight trains - passenger trains dont generate money, freight does, so passenger traffic gives way to freight. So nothing much will happen there till they have 2 lines, one going each way. Mingling with these freight trains going East-West are the "local" traffic : the iron ore trains from Koolyanobbing to Esperance,wheat trains(in season), etc.
So in the meantime we HAVE to have the roadtrains and B-doubles running across the country. You are right, but someone will have to have the "balls" to spend $squillions to achiece total rail efficiency.
