Re: good news for The Overland

[james_ccj@my-deja.com]

In article <38E351BD.8B27703A@enternet.com.au>,
Chris Brownbill <cbrnbill@enternet.com.au> wrote:
> These Overland figures DO NOT ADD UP!
>
> GSR Claim 72,000 people use the Overland per year, and that 85,000
per year is
> the break-even mark. The shortfall is therefore 13,000 per year.
>
> So lets figure out by how much GSR are short financially then.
Assuming they
> got the extra 13,000 passengers, and every one of them was travelling
the full
> length of the line, and assuming half of those extra 13,000 was a
full fare
> paying adult first class sleeping berth passenger Westbound paying
the top $199
> one-way fare, and the other half first class seat Eastbound (no
sleepers
> Eastbound) paying $99 that would increase GSR's takings by 6,500x$199
+
> $6,500X$99 = $1.94mill. This is clearly exaggerated because nowhere
near all
> the passengers are first class nor full fare paying, nor do all
travellers
> travel the full distance. (If everyone paid full Economy fare of $64
it would
> be only $832,000). This figure is only the gross takings - the nett
retained
> income would be less once you factor in the increased costs of
providing the
> service - even if it is only increased carriage maintenance, fuel
costs,
> cleaning, laundry, ticketing overheads etc.
>
> To plug this shortfall for half a year, the Vic and SA Governments are
> subsidising GSR to the tune of $1,500,000, ie $3,000,000 per year.
1.5m is only for 6 month testing period.

You didn't count the expensive track access charge, loco rental. GSR
also have to fight against tough competition like coach links(basically
advertise all over the radio stations) airlines etc.


> Another angle on this is that at the rate of 4 Overlands per week
each way -
> that gives 8 trips per week or 8x52 = 416 trains per year. That gives
an
> average of 173 passengers per trip. To achieve GSR's claimed break-
even point,
> they need to increase this by a further 31 to 204 per trip.
>
> If however GSRs figures are true, this is heartening because getting
an extra 31
> travellers 8 times a week wouldn't seem to be a particularly tough
task - only a
> modestly full busload. Certainly within a bulls roar, and way better
than the
> bad old days of the chronic loss-making railways of the 1970's with
pitifully
> low cost-recovery rates.
There are other ways to boost patron such as through carriage with
Indian Pacific, some more advertisment to tell people there is such
service(you will be amazed many people don't even know Overland exist).

GSR really need to do more promotion for Overland, Overland never had
as much pubilicity as Indian Pacific or the Ghan.
--
Cheers
James


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