Re: XPT's Reduced

["Rjaygee" <dartmouthmotel@bigpond.com>]

Facing the reality of the situation I believe it would be more efficient if
the State Government pulled the XPT's off interstate and long distance intra
state services and paid a subsidy to the airlines to cart pensioners and
other welfare recipients around. The XPT's could be put to use between
Sydney and Newcastle running a frequent rapid service. They should have done
this in the first place instead of wasting money stringing antiquated 1500V
DC between Gosford and Newcastle.  With the reduction diesel excise it must
be much cheaper to run diesel trains now. The railways were burnt severely
stringing overhead to Lithgow in the 1950's by traffic that failed to
eventuate, they repeated it by stringing more between Gosford and
Newcastle/Sutherland Wollongong and now they seem to be wasting more money
on pork barrelling by running it to Kiama or where ever.
Cheers
Rod Gayford

"Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
gyUA6.142071$lj4.4402935@news6.giganews.com">news:gyUA6.142071$lj4.4402935@news6.giganews.com...
> "Erk" <erk@erkV69.au.com> wrote in message
> 3ad413df@news.iprimus.com.au">news:3ad413df@news.iprimus.com.au...
> >
> > | Well, what would you rather do, pay $55 and be there in just over an
> hour
> > | with polite, helpful staff and a meal thrown in, or pay about the
same,
> be
> > | on a train for 10 hours with surly, rude and arrogant on board crew
and
> > | below standard catering? Even for pensioners using vouchers going to
> > | Brisbane or Melbourne, the amount they have to pay from the border to
> > | BNE/MEL makes the airlines look extremely attractive.
> >
> > Why pay for a crappy meal on an hour's flight as part of the price of
the
> > ticket when you can choose what you want to eat at either end?
>
> You are faced with either eating or rejecting what is on offer with the
> airline. If you reject it, you can eat at the other end.
>
> However, on a 14 hour train journey from Sydney to Brisbane, you do not
have
> that option. If you have not taken food with you, you either do not eat
> (missing out on dinner in the meantime) or you eat what they have on
board.
>
> Either way, I would rather be on a plane for 80 minutes with courteous
staff
> paying $55 rather than be on a trainfor 14 hours with insolent and rude
> staff for the same fare.
>
> Dave
>
>