Yaraka, Winton TGV vans

["Shane Polle" <shanep@amc.aust.com>]

Spoke to the Emerald station master yesterday, he said that passengers where
banned from these trains 1 month ago due to a complaint about the quality of
the passenger compartment. ie no A/C etc.

This complaint was directed to the minister for transport. The reply was that this
service was offered as a favour, as they made no money out of it and the vans
usually required mtce before each trip, ie lights etc. (not much else really). At about 
$30/head for 200 odd km, it must have been the cheapest PT around.

He dosn't believe there is a chance in hell that it will be returned as it was only run
as a friendly guesture for the locals, who didn't use it, but mainly the rail buffs who
where the only ones silly enough to take the trip, of which there was a dozen or
so a year.

In future all trips can be made on the yearly organised tourist trips.

As someone who was planning to make the trip this year, I am pissed off, I will
right to the minster, but I doubt that it will change his mind. As the station master
said, it is one more thing on rail that can no longer be done.

Does anybody know if you can travel with the crew?

Shane