Re: XPT's Reduced

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au>]

"Tezza" <tezza2000@dingoblue.net.au> wrote in message
3ad4407d$0$25505$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au">news:3ad4407d$0$25505$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
> "James C." <james_ccj@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> 3ad42b26$0$25468$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au">news:3ad42b26$0$25468$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
> |
> | > 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.
> |
> | Don't forget XPT/Xplorer is not just serving interstate passengers, also
> | they serve small towns along the way. Might be too expensive to subsidy
> | regional airline to Harden, Yass etc.
>
> Why should pensioners get any long distance travel subsidy at all?

That is a different issue entirely, compared to whther Countrylink is the
best vehicle to provide such subsidy.

I think that they should, if only to remedy the situation that *some*
pensioners would experience, where their families are located a fair
distance away. We, as a society, see the need to provide pensioners with
some benefits, and I thik that subsidised travel should be part of that.

I do not think that the State Rail Authority (under whatever marketing name
it happens to use this week) is necessarily the best way to satisfy that
need though.

Dave