Re: fast trains

[pcc@ocean.com.au (Brown Family)]

On Wed, 08 Mar 2000 07:03:21 GMT, Vaughan Williams
<ender2000@my-deja.com> wrote:


>* New government were elected promising to develop "fast rail links" to
>the regional centres and committing a total of 80 million to "kick
>start" the project (it should be enough to build it, forget "kick
>starting" and "partnership with the private sector"). They specified
>desired travel times for Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, while promising
>a sum of money to fix up the Traralgon line.
>
What?? 80 Million will barely cover the consultant's fees, EIS, and
lunch. 

The only way you can improve times is to straighten out the curves in
the track. Melb-Bendigo is relatively o.k. (thank you I.K. Brunel).
Melbourne-Ballarat, however, has a rather large impediment for which
the only method of solving is tunnelling or some very, very deep
cuttings. Then there is the odd deviation to avoid other spots. Big
bucks here pal. My estimation? 600-1,000 Million for everything,
Traralgon, EIS's and lunches included. Bribes by the contractors to
the unions NOT included.

>* Some councils have been ranting about TGV and tilt trains and the
>usual expensive numbers. We hope this isn't what the government has in
>mind.
>
>* To get Ballarats trip time down to an hour would require some work on
>the line, mainly straightening some curves (especially that one where
>the line wanders off to Bungaree, and the one just past the Marsh).
>
And all for $80,00,000? I suppose you expect the workers to do it for
$1.50 an hour?

>* For the other lines all they really need to do is sit and wait for
>the new railcars already paid for to arrive to achieve the desired
>travel times.
>
>* It should also be possible to get the trains to move faster through
>the suburbs
>
Only on Sundays and between 12:00 am and 05:00 am, Monday-Saturday.

>* In our view frequency of service is more important that actual travel
>time, provided travel times are comparable or superior to times by car
>(which the targets set are)
>
Well your view seems at odds with some formula tghat states that for
every 5 kph you raise your speed you get x% extra passengers -
everything else being equal. Frequency is good, but not when its
slower and less comfortable than other forms of transport.

Les Brown
See you in the loop