Re: Goodbye Overland

["Lachlan Smith" <lsmith@senet.com.au>]

arthur marsh <marsh@ties.itu.int> wrote in message
Pine.OSF.4.05.10001300718420.2414-100000@ties.itu.ch">news:Pine.OSF.4.05.10001300718420.2414-100000@ties.itu.ch...
>
> On Fri, 28 Jan 2000 thalytgv@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> > All 3 sectors of "AN" weren't a good deal at all! old locos,
> > unprofitable branches with old equipments, lousy tracks, poor patron
> > passenger trains with middle of no where stops (Conamia/Keswick).
>
> I hated the move to Keswick - but the previously AN track now under ARTC
> control was hardly "lousy" - all concrete sleepers and continuous welds.
>
> Too often people bad mouth the track condition between Adelaide and
> Melbourne when even at the time of the AN sale, Tailem Bend to the SA-Vic
> border was as good as any interstate track, and badmouthed the condition
> of the Adelaide to Sydney via Broken Hill route even though the
> AN-maintained section was in similarly high standard.
>
> > GSR still have chances to save the train, better advertisment(Most
> > people don't know Overland exist!).
>
> I'd like a return to 7 nightly services per week, with guaranteed arrival
> times and connections with the Sydney - Melbourne XPT. An all-rail daylink
> service running 7 days per week would be good also.
>
> > Plus recent booming SA tourist industry might give the train a chance
> > to survive.
> >
> > Extra daylight schedule might help utility the equipment, Similar to
> > what country link did with their XPT, short turning time and maximise
> > running time.
> >
> > Or do what Amtrak did with their  "Mail express train"(passenger train
> > hauls mail/fast courier frieght), 10 and half hours is very attractive
> > for courier mail operators.
> >
> > Hopefully get the train into North Terrance
>
> One could make platforms 8 and 9 dual gauge. Running locos around the
> passenger carriages and motorail might be difficult within the present
> confines of North Terrace though.

I really don't see why it would be so impractical/expensive to build a SG
link to North Terrace. Adding a 3rd track to the existing lines into 8 & 9
would be very simple and would only cost about $1 million. The existing
platform (island finger) could easily accommodate a XPT style train.
Besides, to extend it by ~100m would also be quite simple and cheap, no more
than $1 million, including the minor necessary track realignments. If anyone
has a problem with long trains crossing all the other tracks, 2 short
underpasses (1 from Nth, 1 from Sth) could be built near the goal loop for a
modest sum. There is plenty of room west of the bridge for a motorail
facility. For car maintenance, trains could be towed over to Keswick in
about 10 minutes.
Whats that? $10 million at the most. Chicken feed.
So much for Aunty Di's $20 million estimate (or whatever it was).

Lachlan Smith
ADELAIDE
Nothing the Government does surprises me.