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>
>I doubt that rail could compete over a given route based solely on the time
>taken to travel from point A to B. I would like to know if the costs of
>such travel is proportionate. That is, I would expect it to cost less to
>take the train (being the slower service) than the plane.
>
>Over the route in question (Melbourne - Adelaide) is this the case?
I would assume that rail probably be cheaper, provided it did not offer
wasteful services such as sleeping cars, club cars and full dining cars.
However, cheapness is not really an issue for most travellers by public
transport. By far the bulk of these travellers are business people who are
time sensitive and rail will never compete there with the limited traffic we
have in Aust.
Barry Campbell