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

["Hubert Lam" <hubert@imap4.com>]

Daily Terrorgraph does it again.

First of all on their front page, it's the biggest incorrect usage of the word: "whose". It says
"Whose trains are worse?"

When it should read "Who's trains are worse?"

Obviously it shows that this junk of a paper has a reading age of about 5.

Then it forgets that CityRail does not carry 730,000 passengers per day, but rather it's 730,000
journeys made by all the people per day. I doubt that one fourth of Sydney's population travels on
trains each day!

Most of all, for yesterday, many trains were late due to the inclement weather. I saw the 2.54pm
Burwood to Richmond train (Strathfield, Lidcombe then all to Richmond) being transposed to run
Strathfield, Blacktown then all to Richmond. And basically who cares if the train's 35 seconds late
into the station?

Seriously, when it sold for 20c last year, I feel that even that was overpriced.

"The Railway Rasputin II" <bob@fastlink.com.au> wrote in message
38D962AC.E7FA87C1@fastlink.com.au">news:38D962AC.E7FA87C1@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.