Re: GSR-Adelaide

[Neil Waller <nwaller@denr.sa.gov.au>]

scorpion wrote:
> 
> On the latest news from Adelaide is that GSR have lost their appeal
> against an interim award for staff for on train crew. It seems that GSR
> has to now back pay all the staff under the old award, that is going to
> be big dollars! 

Oh dear, what a pity...

>Strong info has it that GSR has already clocked up a $2M
> loss since they began on Nov 1 and they are on track to clock up up a
> bigger loss than AN did when they were running the show.

Does this mean AN understood what they were doing?

> One could
> understand why when trying to book a ticket to Melb last week I had to
> wait 23 minutes in a phone queue just to book a ticket. I just wonder
> how many callers hang-up and book by bus/plane. Then when I went to pick
> up the ticket I had to stand in another queue at the Booking counter at
> Keswick for another 20-25 minutes because as usual there was only one
> person serving and got stuck with a obvious booking difficulty with
> another passenger, can't complain though at least the air conditioning
> was working this time.

When you operate with less staff than required then this happens.   It
is
called efficiency:  some poor sod works his or her butt off and achieves
miracles but the customers desert you in droves.

(Just try and phone Telstra 13 2200 customer service(????) number for an
example - "For your convenience we have installed this you-beaut
telephone
system" that saves us operator costs and drives you mad because you
don't understand it or you don't know what service you require so you
dial 0 
anyway and wait (at your expense) for an operator to answer.)

> The Overland has its Club Car back on, I wonder
> how long?
> S


The Club Car on the Overland seems to be missing every time I look.
Both the Club Cars are in Adelaide - I saw an NR shunting them at
Keswick
the other evening so the appearance of the Club Car on the Overland
may simply have been to move it from Melbourne to Adelaide.

The load is usually (from rear) Luggage Van, one or more BJ, RBJ, AJ, 2
or
three sleepers (sometimes as few as 1) and a power van (often the PCO
painted in "Explorer" colours)

-- 
Neil Waller	(nwaller@denr.sa.gov.au)
Department of Environment Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs
Telephone:	Oz: (08) 8204 9218; International: (618) 8204 9218
Mail:		GPO Box 1047, ADELAIDE 5001     Australia

Unless explicitly attributed, the opinions expressed are personal
and not those of DEHAA or the South Australian Government.