Aiden, when I sit on my local station and watch the freight trains
thunder through with a crew of two and three locomotives and 100 plus
flat cars with two containers per flatcar, then I have no doubt that
is the way freight should go.
Especially when I know that it takes probably 200 trucks off Pennant Hills Rd !

Out of loading gauge loads could still be carried by road, but they are quite uncommon.

Bazz, it's not just out of gauge freight that rail's not well suited to. Some vibration sensitive cargo is also better off in the roads. And livestock is unsuited to rail – it's been tried but it was found to be impractical once the high cost of cleaning is factored in.

Cities cannot handle the large numbers of long-haul trucks that have to pass to wharves, holding and redistribution centres. There are other considerations too, for instance dangerous cargoes. It all needs to be thought through again, for example transport nodes outside of the capitals.

We are greatly diminishing the creative input and problem solving, and limiting development, by not privatising.

For any here who are concerned about low income workers, a better rail system would be of enormous benefit to their mobility and training, cheaper too. It is all in the planning, which governments don't seem to be that good at. Privatise policy advising and planning too.

"The use of loaded trailers with train wheels would be more simpler than train wagons. Once at their nearest destination they convert back to on road trailers"

This has been tried and the trailers, to be a success, must be far heavier than normal road vehicles.

The trailer immediately behind the locomotive must have drawgear capable of holding 4,000 tons (tonnes, whatever) and as the trailers cannot be selectively coupled into the train then all the drawgear must be of the same standard, that is the last trailer that is pulling nothing must have 4,000 ton capable drawgear as well.

The roadrailers that were used in the UK & US were actually dedicated
trains, they did not mix & match.
They still would have had the same problem of the forces on the trailers.
Animal transport has disappeared and I have not seen cattle wagons
for years & years.
Country abattoirs are the best arrangement which is what we now have.
I notice that trains often include some refrigerated containers.
The third track now being installed will improve the path of freight
trains through Sydney.

I also note that rail freight has increased and road freight has decreased in the US.

Bazz, as I said, the reason animal transport has disappeared from the rails is that it was found to be much better suited to road. But country abattoirs are often many hundreds of kilometres from where the cattle are, so despite their advantages they're not actually the solution.

It's good to hear refrigerated container trains have made a comeback.

It's a pity the Australian Roadrailer service never had terminals in sensible locations like Pimba.