Re: Overland to continue 4 another 2 years

[bscaro@yahoo.com (Ben Scaro)]

> >> If speeds could be significantly increased on the Melbourne - Adelaide (eg a
> >> 4 hour service) then the demand would rise to the point where there would be
> >> no need for a subsidy and instead the private operator would be contributing
> >> revenue by paying tax.
> >> 
> >> Instead public money is spent maintaining a rail service that is too slow to
> >> attract significant demand.
> >> 


I think the initial introduction of an XPT type train for Melb-Adel
has merit- there are XPTs on far sillier routes- such as Syd-BrisVegas
where the condition of the track makes it pointless to have one.

Once an eight hour journey time is offered, and I'd imagine a fair few
people would use it, you'd then have some justification to argue for
more line improvements to slowly take the journey time down to seven,
then perhaps even six hours. Change in Australian railways is always
going to be an incremental thing . . .

I heard a while ago that the STA jumbo 2000 class railcars might have
included an option for a similar design- which would been a
replacement long distance railcar for the Melb-Adel route.  A lashup
of three of them doing 160 km/h in Overland paint would have looked
great.
  
Cheers

Ben