Indian Pacific/Ghan schedules

["David Proctor" <daproc.spambait@umpires.com>]

David Bromage wrote in message <74vonu$pn$10@news.mel.aone.net.au>...

>On the subject of the IP and USA practice, I've advocated for a long time
>that the IP should have through cars from Perth to Melbourne. This gives
>an excuse for 2 more day trains between Melbourne and Adelaide.

On this matter, I recently made a trip to Perth in Holiday Class (not too
bad) and returned in Coach Class (never again - I will fly first) as Holiday
Class was full. I encountered four crews and heard the same story from three
of them.

It seems as though GSR is planning on introducing a third IP - from
Melbourne to Perth leaving on Sundays. The SYD-PER IP's would leave on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. This gives the following arrangements:

SYD-ADL Su (Ghan), Tu (IP), Th (IP)
MEL-ADL Su (IP), We (Ghan)

ADL-PER Mo, We, Fr
ADL-ASP Mo, Th

The advantage to this is that the Sunday IP from Melbourne and the Sunday
Ghan from Sydney would be in Adelaide at the same time, allowing passengers
to transfer between the two - effectively providing a third IP from SYD to
PER.

David Proctor
daproc.spambait@umpires.com