Re: Ararat rail return at a crucial stage

["Les Chandra" <les_chandra@asparagus.hotmail.com>]

You're damn well right that pass services ought to be operated to Stawell,
Horsham and Dimboola.

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.

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.

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

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)

Let's hope it happens.

Les

"Maurie Daly" <mauried@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
3aba9b43.8727597@can-news.tpg.com.au">news:3aba9b43.8727597@can-news.tpg.com.au...
> On Fri, 23 Mar 2001 10:30:41 +1100, David Bromage
> <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote:
>
> >Success for the Ararat passenger trains project is at a crucial in
> >between stage according to Wimmera Mallee Rail Service Association
> >secretary, Mr Phillip Jones.
> >
>
>http://stawell.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&catego
ry=general%20news&story_id=31701
> >(Stawell Times-News)
> >
> >[Interestingly, this was not in the Ararat Advertiser.]
>
> I cant help wonder why its impossible to provide a SG passenger rail
> service to Ararat.
> Is NXP prohibited from running SG passenger trains in Victoria.?
> If there is a good business case to provide trains again to Ararat
> with the additional expenditure of $5 million to re open Ballarat to
> Ararat, then why isnt there an equally good business case to provide
> rail services to Stawell , Horsham and Dimboola, as we used to have .
> Horsham alone is much bigger than is Ararat.
> There seems to be this fixed mentality that its impossible to provide
> country pass trains on SG in Victoria.
> Westrail dont have any problems in running country SG pass trains.(a
> la the prospector)
> If NXP dont want to do it , then why not let GSR or even WCR.
> Guage converting pass carriages isnt a difficult task.
>
> MD
>
>
>