(NSW) How good are our trains?

["Lourie Smit" <lsmit@ozemail.com.au>]

The following letter appeared in today's Daily Telegraph:-
"An English visitor once remarked to me, oddly enough in a monorail car,
that he was tremendously impressed with our trains. He found them fast,
regular and on time.
Obviously CityRail was enjoying a purple patch at the time. Although,
compared with UK trains, ours are superior, there's the catch.
 By wolrd standards, English transport is lowly rated, so the compariosn
woth ours is nothing to be proud of. What about the trains in France,
Germany, Russia, the US, Switzerland, Italy? How do we arte alongside them?
The answer is taht we rate poorly. In Germany, you can buy your tickets on
board the train from a passing conductor. In the Frankfurt and Stuttgart
areas this conductor also asks whether you would like a beer, coffeee or
sandwich - and takes your order. In New York, the commuter trains have
comfortable bars and lounges. We are also far behind China where tray
tables, refreshments, reliability, cleanliness and pleasant service are
standard.
One example is the two-hour trip between Shanghai and Hangzhou. Arrival and
departure countdowns are shown on an elctric signboard and passengers are
escorted to their carriage by an attendant.
Will Javitts, Manly"