Re: Slightly OT - Who is going to the [NSW] State of Origin

["Bill McNiven" <wmcniven@gunzel.ozemail.com.au>]

Eric Cartman wrote in message <39151707$1@news.iprimus.com.au>...
>Ooops, I forgot to add that I am going to the SOO on Wednesday night. This
>will be my first visit to Stadium Australia and Olly Park outside normal
>running and Easter Show. Are anymore ausrailers?


On News Limited "football":  I went to the corresponding "first State of
Origin" match at Lang Park (oops!  somethingorther stadium) in 1997.  The
crowd was around 20,000.  It rained.  The "football" was boring.  NSW won.
The Queenslanders were confused when I encouraged their so-called team with
"MAN-LY MAN-LY" shouts.

I will not be inside Stadium Australia on Wednesday night.

As usual, I will be outside Olympic Park station at the eastern end,
watching the trains go by (assuming that they do) around 22:00 - 23:00.

On the train service:  Wednesday's timetable (STN 400) is relaxed, with
trains leaving after the match
i) every five minutes from 22:16 to 00:21 to Central
ii) every five minutes from 22:14 to 00:44 to Blacktown and points west.

Given that around 1,600 passengers is the usual "crush load" from Olympic
Park, this timetable only makes sense if either
i) CityRail expects to carry around 75,000 passengers, or
ii) most of the trains will be empty, but this is an important rehearsal of
a workable timetable for 75,000 passengers later in the year.

Back to the News Limited "football": the "double-header" on Saturday
February 5 was planned to attract a capacity 107,000 crowd at Stadium
Australia.  They ended up giving tickets to Terrorgraph readers.  They got a
crowd around 40,000.  Lots of trains ran empty.

Rgds

Bill

Disclaimer:  I became a South Melboune supporter when St. Kilda moved from
the Junction Oval to Waverley Park.  Later I have been a North Sydney
supporter (except they don't exist at North Sydney now) and a reluctant St.
George supporter (except they don't exist at Kogarah now).