Re: Latest news on Speedrail

["Tezza" <tezza2000@dingoblue.net.au>]

"Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
> "Tezza" <tezza2000@dingoblue.net.au> wrote in message

> > >The operator will be Qantas.
> > > There will be GST on tickets,

Another point I missed was that the Feds don't get the GST, the states do,
so anything the Feds give, isn't offset by GST on train tickets.


> > The same that would've been collected on the Train/plane tickets or
petrol
> > that people would've used anyway. Now that airfares have dropped (if the
> > newcomers don't do a Compass), Speedrail are unlikely to get the numbers
> > they've been bandying about.


> I don't know about that. Business people are very careful about their
> working time. I booked someone (a few years ago, when I was working in
> retail travel) from London to Paris, and I presented the options (3 hours
by
> train, as opposed to 3 hours by plane - centre of London to centre of
Paris)
> and mentioned that there was 3 hours of work time on the train (use of
> laptop, use of mobile, including through the Chunnel, etc) as against a
lot
> of time spent transferring from tube to plane and plane to local train in
> Paris) the overall productive time was far superior using the train from
> London to Paris.

I partially agree. But how many of those 4million car journeys made between
Canberra and Sydney are businessmen? I'd reckon most would be private.

> I believe that the same would be similar from Sydney to Canberra (and
Sydney
> to Melbourne and Canberra to Melbourne).

Sydney to Melboorne, I think would be a better proposition. But then again,
what times are they talking about? 80 minutes just to Canberra, yet
Melboorne's only an hour by plane.

> The productive time would be much greater by rail than it would be by air,
> and that is what would be of interest to the corporate sector, and is what
> would give SpeedRail an advantage.

But they're putting computer and internet access on planes now, so.......