Re: [Sydney] Ticketing - was Light Rail into the CBD?

["Al" <alpout@optusnet.com.au>]

"David McLoughlin" <davemcl*PISSOFFSPAMMERS*@iprolink.co.nzzzzz> wrote in
message 3B15DD18.1C06@iprolink.co.nzzzzz">news:3B15DD18.1C06@iprolink.co.nzzzzz...
> Al wrote:
> >
> > Bill Bolton wrote:
>
> > > I know where Ballarat is.  That sort of commute is regular thing for
> > > many Sydney workers.
> l
>
> >
> > And the question to ask is why??  Why spend 4 hours a day getting to and
from
> > work?  I've never had a job I've liked that much.
> >
>
> Well they don't. They have fast electric train services, from Newcastle,
> Wollongong and wherever that Blue Mountains line is.

Fast electric train services??? Um, certainly not from Newcastle.. the fastest
train takes just a bit less than 2 1/2 hours to cover the distance.  It's
about the same for the Blue Mountains, having a quick squiz at the timetable
(someone else might know for certain), and just a smidge under 2 hours from
Wollongong.

> The Victorian equivalent would be equally fast electric trains between
> Melbourne and Geelong and Ballarat. But Victorians can only dream. AFAIK
> there are not even definite proposals to electrify the lines, though it
> has been suggested over the years. And the electrification of the line
> to Gippsland was ripped out a few years back.

Geelong is only about 70km from Melbourne, while Wollongong to Central is
82.92km. Newcastle to Central is 160.71km (from the CityRail website),
Melbourne to Ballarat is about 130km.  Lithgow to Central is 155.78km.

So if someone can get from Ballarat to St Kilda Rd in 2 hours, I'd say they're
doing better than someone from NSW to begin with (say Fassifern to Central).

I did once think about living in Ballarat and working in Melbourne, but I was
going to be driving it, and working in Port Melbourne, so it would have only
taken about an hour.  PT would lose out for me there I'm afraid.

Al