Re: Goodbye Overland

[thalytgv@my-deja.com]

In article <01bf67f0$e1e5a9c0$358817d2@rodsmith>,
  "Roderick Smith" <rodsmith@werple.net.au> wrote:
> The Overland has been killed steadily for 30 years by an
unnecessarily-slow
> schedule with unusable arrival times.
>
> In the notorious 1960s the train was often late despite having a 13
hour
> schedule.  Since the actual running and station stops required only 11
> hours, 2 hours were allowed for crossings.  There were only two
overlength
> freights each way on the route.
>
> In the years since, there has been virtually no schedule improvement
until
> the latest, achieved by eliminating most intermediate stops BUT, a
7.50
> arrival in Melbourne is still too late.  I rode the train with a group
> recently (taking the risk); the train arrived 7 min late, missing the
last
> connection which would have had me at work on time.
>
> The sg route took the long way to Ararat - 30 min slower than the
direct
> route.
>
> Crossing loops were removed and (in SA) intermediate follow-on
signals were
> removed, giving longer sections and reducing the opportunity to
overtake.
>
> Along the way the AN cruise-ship mentality has been taken on by GSR:
> two classes - extortion and squalor.
> I can't afford extortion, and I can't survive squalor and still be
fit to
> work.
>
> This is exactly what USA managements were accused of doing in the
early
> 1960s to eliminate passenger trains completely.
>
> --
> Regards
> Roderick Smith
> Rail News Victoria Editor

Both AN and GSR didn't do enough advertisment for Overland, everytime I
read the "travelling" section from The Age/Australian/Hearld Sun,
always Indian Pacific or Ghan but never Overland. There is a market out
there for Overland if carefully management.


Cheers
James


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