Re: $99 one-way airfares : Who needs the XPT

[ben_scaro@my-deja.com]

I did the Syd-Brisbane a year ago and it was fairly full.  I opted for
rail because of my interest in trains and as I hadn't travelled that
line before.  I wouldn't do it again.  Not that the trip was bad.  The
XPT is just is not the right train for such a trip.

I would rather see a 'backpacker' standard one class train of old
coaches hauled by an 81 or something.  It could probably keep the same
time and would have a cheap-and-cheerful flavour.  They could call it
the Socially Undesirable Limited.

Back to the topic, I agree that really cheap fares could kill the inter-
capital XPT services, unless the pensioner market is sufficient to keep
them going. They just don't sem to offer anything special enough to
survive. Unless you count the vegetarian strudel.

Cheers

Ben


>
> Sydney-Melbourne XPT usually running fairly empty between Albury and
> Melbourne but after Albury, the train is always full and not many
people
> travel all the way from Mel to Sydney.
>
> I wondered how's the loading from Brisbane-Sydney XPT?
>
> Cheers
> James
>
> William Miller <backtran@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> 39546a2b$0$16992$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au">news:39546a2b$0$16992$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
> > Those that do not live in Sydney or Melbourne, I would expect.
> >
> > My experience of the XPT is that a large proportion of passengers
are to
> > from itermediate stations.
> >
> > A. Tubbs <atubbs@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
> > 2rR45.2725$Sn2.11355@news-server.bigpond.net.au">news:2rR45.2725$Sn2.11355@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> > > Hi there
> > >
> > > I did a random fare search on the Ansett website
> > >
> > > Here are some examples of cheap airafres ex MEL / SYD
> > >
> > > 05 Sep 00 MEL-SYD O/W $99
> > >
> > > 05 Sep 00 MEL-BNE O/W $143
> > >
> > > 05 Sep 00 SYD-BNE O/W $99
> > >
> > > 05 Sep 00 MEL-ADL O/W $99
> > >
> > > 05 Sep 00 MEL-HOB O/W $99
> > >
> > > Regards
> > >
> > > Anthony Tubbs
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>


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