Re: Countrylink food and service

[usenet.spam@gunzel.net (Michael)]

Dave Proctor <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in article
<lY6p6.6816$E57.244393@news4.aus1.giganews.com>: 

>Not really - remember that in the UK they have a large business
>clientele who regularly use the railways (something which will NOT
>happen here).

Why will this never happen? People have a "car is better" attitude, and 
will use their car out of convenience, even if public transport is quicker, 
which is often the case for CBD workers travelling to/from places that are 
serviced by public transport. 

As for interstate travel, it is a little more complicated I guess. You can 
fly Melbourne to Sydney in an hour, which hour-for-hour makes it light 
years ahead for convience. However, the train should be able to match the 
convenience, which it half does already, by allowing a passenger to get in 
at night, have dinner, sleep and wake up fresh the next morning in Sydney 
(in theory - forget it on the XPT). 

To make train travel more convenient and pleasurable for your travellers 
you need to make them want to travel. At present, you can fly, get a free 
in-flight meal, free music and television as part of the fare - all at your 
seat. When you catch the train, you need to pay for your meal, you are 
staring either at the window (which at night just reflects back into you) 
or the wall ahead of you. There is no music or television. And you have to 
put up with this for 10 hours.

The train really needs to compete with the airline in convenience and 
comfort. A train has the advantage of being able to offer sleeping 
accomodation for one night, included in the price, and the ability, if 
utilised of taking a car onboard. Since a train can be made as long as you 
want it, almost, you can offer services like a bar, a lounge that 
passengers can go to, to relax, have a drink, and even watch a movie. The 
passenger can then go back to their sleeper, or their seat, and sleep 
comfortably. 

That said, a business person going to Sydney on business could leave work 
at 5pm, wait in a comfortable bar & lounge at Spencer Street while waiting 
for the train, then depart ontime at 7:45 PM. He could then collect his 
free meal and eat it in the dining car at a proper table, then when he is 
finished, collect a complimentary drink from the lounge car and sit down 
for an hour while to watch a video. Said businessman would then go to his 
sleeper compartment and sleep by about 11pm, to wake up around 6am as the 
train passes the outer suburbs of Sydney. He could opt to take a shower and 
be refreshed to leave the train at 7:45am. The same would occur for the 
return trip. If required he could take his own car also.

Alternatively, if the same businessman was to fly, he would be waking up at 
4am the following morning to get a taxi into the airport by 5am to be on a 
6am flight. $40 blown on the taxi, and very tired. His place would arrive 
in Sydney at 7:20, and would then need to blow even more money on a taxi 
(or gamble $12 to catch an Airport link train into Central).

Anyway enough dreaming, it'll never happen again. 

IMO, Countrylink's current management are really not interested in their 
interstate passengers, so despite 4am mornings, huge taxi fares and a 
dislike for flying, next time I go to Sydney I will fly again.

Michael.

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