Re: Airport rail goes bust

["Tezza" <tezza2000@dingoblue.net.au>]

"Chris Downs"
> Tezza

> > Travellers will only ever make up part of the numbers, and to one person,
> $10 is OK, but for a family it is extortionate. For regular users, that is
the
> > local workers, to use it, Cityrail will have to take over the stations and
> > charge normal prices.
>
> The price differential on 7 day rail passes and other periodicals is far
less
> than that for single trips to AL stations.  Using the example of East Hills
> from above:
> 7 day rail pass East Hills to Redfern is $27.00
> 7 day rail pass East Hills to Green Square is $38.50
> (7 day rail pass East Hills to Domestic is $37.50 vs $26.00 EH to Sydenham)
> The premium on periodicals at ALC stations ($11.50 for a 7 day rail pass) is
> the same for all four stations (no premium premium for International or
> Domestic stations applies).  This is about a 43% increase over a ticket to a
> CityRail station at an equivalent distance.
>
> I doubt the extra $11.50/week really need have much impact on commuter
> patronage levels at Domestic or the other AL stations.

That extra $11.50 per week is enough to keep people in their cars, especially
if sharing. As can be seen by the piss-poor numbers using the stations.


> At ten trips/7 days (between East Hills & Domestic) $37.50  for about 190km
is
> 20c/km {vs about 14c/km to Sydenham; an equivalent CityRail station in terms
> of distance}.  Whilst the AL station cost is 43% more, both costs are more
> than competitive with the cost of a single person using a motor vehicle to
> make the same journey (fuel + other costs; the ATO' lowest business
deduction
> rate, for a 1600cc motor vehicle, is 45c/km).

Which is way over what the normal person considers it costs them. They're
paying most of the costs whether they use their car or not, so all they have
to worry about is the petrol cost, then weigh up the convienience.


> The AL fares should not be a particularly large disincentive to use the
train.

Yet they have been and continue to be.


> However if a commuter perceives that the fares are much too high (without
> considering the actual cost) there is a largely artificial barrier.


Or a real barrier if they do consider the actual cost.


> A marketing campaign highlighting the rail cost vs a car may be an effective
> remedy.

Hopefully not the bullshit one the M5 used years ago.


> The situation is hardly indicative of a need for CityRail to run the
stations
> to attract commuters.  A little more marketing may go a long way (how about
> some bill boards around the airport detailing the AL's cost benefits?).

How about they just go broke and solve all the problems.