Re: Ararat rail return at a crucial stage

["James C." <james_ccj@optusnetdotcomdotau>]

> GSR hasn't the slightest interest in providing proper regional rail
> services: they are being paid special subsidies to stop their pathetic
> Overland "service" at a few stations 4 times a week.

The subsidy expired November last year, now GSR is on its own. SA and Vic
state government didn't really want to give subsidy to GSR because Overland
compete with "Daylink" service.  GSR eventually persuade both governments to
offer subsidy.

> NX would be interested, but claims it has no rollingstock to spare (what
> happened to all the old Vinelander stock, and for that matter the ex
> joint-stock Overland sitting cars?). It would want a subsidy too.

Old Vinelander store in Newport workshop quietly, Nexp won't do anything
until government Overland joint stocks most of them either gone to GSR/WCR
or ASR.

> WCR wouln't want to convert their nice preserved carriages and steam
trains
> to standard gauge.

Apart from the financial side, they don't have enough sitters, they would
have to use sleepers during the day for such service like what GSR is doing
with Overland first class sleeper.

> The Ararat reopening is significant for several reasons:
>
> * it breaks a drought for introduction of new rail services without too
much
> hard work
> * it can be operated with existing stock (be extending Melbourne- Ballarat
> services)
> * it goes to Ballarat (people from western Victoria don't really want to
go
> to Geelong)

And VLP can plan some sort of Grampian National park day tour like WCR .

Cheers
James