Re: Ararat seeks public's view of planned rail restart

[David Langley <del@ancc.com.au>]

Mark, things have changed a lot since you left Ararat. People up there
now regret their loss and the provision of a sprinter service would be a
very useful add-on to the potential sg service if the suggestion of
filling in the Overland gaps with a local service was implemented.
Connection could be maintained at Ararat. The bg line would be (maybe)
extended into what is now the good yard area and possibly to a platform
built over near the goods shed but where doesn't really matter. The
provision of buses west of Ballarat saw a large number of people desert
the train/bus service for their cars because like people on the north
east (when the day Albury was replaced by a bus), they say that if I
have to go by road then I will drive. The day Albury went from a train
with about two FULL bus loads to two bases with about 10 in each not 48.
At the same time the midday trains started to be heavily loaded trains
and when the sprinter returned rail passenger trains to this service,
they too were very well patronised. Give the people of the west another
go, I think that they might have learnt their lesson.

To further the cause for passenger train extensions, I think Maryborough
is one large town that deserves a rail service to Melbourne and the
easiest way currently would be to extend an evening train to Maryborough
to return next mnorning, then take it from there as the people start to
travel by train again.

Mark Bau wrote:
> 
> I don't get it, if you live in Ararat and want to go to Melbourne there is
> the Overland, (I assume it still takes passengers at Ararat)

If you're lucky.

> 
> Why do they have their hearts set on the BG when they have a perfectly good
> SG line to Melbourne. 

But not as fast by a long shot.

I can't imagine there would be very much loading
> between Ararat and Ballarat, at least there wasn't when I was a fireman at
> Ararat. There is no industry on this line, why on earth reopen it?
> 
> They should be lobbying for a more user friendly timetabled SG train

Which is of no use for people who wish to go to Ballarat from not just
Ararat but further west. Now that fuel prices are skyrocketing (fancy
paying somewhere between 93 and 98 cents per litre for petrol and around
44 cents per litre for LPG) it would not take very long for people to
return to the comfort of rail travel even with a change of trains at
Ararat provided it was made convenient.

> 
> Mark