I just had an interesting thought.
What if some senior people in Great Southern Railways actually saw some
of our discussion on the Overland? I don't know that they get a great
deal of feedback from the public and it seems we have a wide
cross-section of people in this newsgroup who either have an interest or
a connection with the railways in some shape or form. How about we start
a thread discussing our views on the current service and on how it might
be improved for patrons. Even simple little ideas (achievable rather
than costing great wads of money) might be of some worth.
If we get enough replies perhaps Roderick b Smith (railnews editor)
might like to do a feature article (I'll volunteer to write it if
necessary) about the Overland and people's suggestions for improvements.
Also the replies could be forwarded to GSR management for their benefit.
Who knows - they may pick up one or two of the ideas?
I must stress that suggestions should be achievable and keep in mind
that GSR probably don't have wads of cash to throw around and being a
commercial company, even if they do they won't want to throw it around
unless they get a profit somewhere along the line (pardon the unintended
pun).
I'll start the ball rolling with a couple of suggestions. I might add
that I have as yet not travelled on the Overland since its sale to GSR
so I am assuming that the service is pretty much the same as when it was
Government owned. Readers please correct me on any changes that have
been made to the service recently.
Suggestions
When in Indonesia recently travelling on the Kerata Api (train) from
Banyuwangi to Yogyakarta (via Surabaya) I noticed some elements of their
service which I thought pretty nifty.
First is that the conductor will come around and serve you in your seat.
At soem point he will come around and provide cushions for a backrest.
They really work and make a big difference to your comfort. A small
charge is made for the rental of the cushion and you give it back at the
end of your journey. I reckon this would make a significant difference
to the Overland in their Economy seat services. As in Indonesia a small
charge could be levied for the cushion.
Secondly the conductors also sell food on the train but you don't go to
a separate car to get it. It is served in your seat. I think the best
adaption of this to Australian conditions would be as used on the
Prospector service - airline style food which is served in your seat and
included in your ticket price. Absolutely brilliant! I realise that this
would push up prices slightly but I think on balance that commuters
would flock to an improved service - it delineates the train service
from the bus service who cannot offer the same standard of service.
Lastly (and the Overland may have this now?) a video service is a
mandatory prerequisite for a modern day train service. Have they
introduced this?
cheers Peter