Re: Future for QR Tin sets

[Matthew Nolan <mnolan@uq.net.au>]

David Bromage wrote:
>
> With new diesel railcars you could have a service further west every day.
> That straight, flat double line is really going to waste. I hope QR buys a
> commuter version of the diesel tilt train and upgrades the western line
> for 160km/h running. You can then run sereral services per day to
> Toowoomba. Queensland's two biggest cities are only a bit over 100km
> apart, yet there are only two trains per week.
> 
>
> Cheers
> David

The problem with running passenger services through to Toowoomba at the
present point is the Little Liverpool Range and the Main range. Both of
these present a serious impediment to regular passenger services. QR's
plans are to build a deviation through the Little Liverpool Range, which
would allow regular passenger services to Gatton, and then long term
upgrade the main range by building a deviation that will come out the
other side of Toowoomba. 

Until this is done, even a high speed train would still only take two
and half hours approx. The main range takes 1 & 1/2 hours to climb, and
even a tilt-train would hardly reduce the time here. What QR intends
doing is build the new line and then run fast grain from  Moree in NSW
to Fishermans Island in 6 hours on standard gauge track, I believe.
However, once this is done, regular passenger services could be run to
Toowoomba. I guesstimate that a tarin with a max. speed of 160km/h could
run to Helidon (approx 114km from Roma St) in one hour, there are plenty
of long straight sections, particularly between Laidley and Gatton.

Any more information on QR's intentions for the line to Toowoomba would
be greatly appreciated.

cheers