Re: [NSW] Who's got the worst trains

[The Railway Rasputin II <bob@fastlink.com.au>]

Isn't it about time Mr Scully actually got out and had a real look at
what is going on? Instead of being told what his minders think is going
on.

rgds


Gnome 412 wrote:
> 
> from http://news.com.au today ...
> 
> 23mar00
> 
> CITYRAIL trains are moving 54,000 passengers a day more than they were five
> years ago in 123 fewer carriages.
> 
> The Daily Telegraph has discovered that overcrowding has worsened
> considerably on Sydney's trains – especially during peak hours on inner city
> sections – because of a shortage of rolling stock.
> Each carriage on the network now carries almost 500 passengers a day on
> average, compared to just over 400 in 1995.
> 
> State Rail has applied to increase fares by 12.2 per cent this year despite
> growing commuter anger about overcrowding, dirty trains, safety and
> reliability.
> 
> In other developments revealed yesterday:
> 
> A check of more than 100 trains by The Daily Telegraph found barely a fifth
> were running on time.
> 
> The Australian Services Union said nearly 300 complaints were being made
> about train services daily.
> 
> Transport Minister Carl Scully said CityRail should do better. "I am
> disappointed with the performance of CityRail," the minister said.
> 
> State Transit Authority announced it wants to increase bus fares by 12.6 per
> cent and ferry fares by 13.5 per cent.
> 
> The West Australian and South Australian Governments said their GST- related
> fare increases would be much smaller than those in NSW.
> 
> An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has found there were 1503 passenger
> carriages on the CityRail network on June 30 last year carrying 741,000
> passengers a day, an average of 493 passengers for each carriage.
> 
> In 1995, however, there were 1676 carriages carrying 683,561 passengers a
> day, an average of 408 passengers for each carriage.
> 
> By comparison Indian Railways, notorious for overcrowding, carries 11
> million passengers a day in 39,104 carriages, an average of just 281
> passengers for each carriage.
> 
> A State Rail spokesman confirmed the figures last night. He said short-term
> maintenance was making the problem even worse.
> 
> Of the 1503 carriages, 60 are out of service at either Goninan's rail yard
> in Newcastle or Maintrain at Auburn with refurbishments and upgrades for the
> Olympics.
> 
> These 60 carriages being taken off the tracks has meant about 10 train sets,
> regularly eight carriages in size, are down to six carriages.
> 
> "We have accelerated a maintenance program to get their carriages ready for
> the Games," the spokesman said.
> 
> The number of carriages has reduced with the retirement of the last of the
> so- called red rattlers in the mid-1990s.
> 
> During the same period passenger journeys have risen sharply from 249.5
> million in 1995 to 270.5 million to June 30 last year.
> 
> State Rail said there had been a fresh surge in passenger numbers in recent
> months that could only worsen overcrowding problems.
> 
> There is no solution in sight in the short term to the shortage, despite the
> added pressures of the new airport line and the Olympics.
> 
> Only when the first batch of 81 Millennium trains is delivered in May next
> year will there be an improvement. These trains, when first announced by
> former Transport Minister Brian Langton, were due to be in service this
> year.
> 
> The first batch of 81 will not be a net addition to CityRail's fleet,
> however, as there are plans to retire 56 outdated 1960s carriages at the
> same time.
> 
> Transport Minister Carl Scully said yesterday that improved maintenance
> turnaround times meant CityRail was effectively creating more services with
> less carriages.