Timings for Adelaide to Melbourne (was GSR's new Brochure)

["peter berrett <pberrett@" <"remove-this-spambait>tbsa.com.au"@inferno.mpx.com.au>]

Roy marshall said

> > > Wednesday. Departs Adelaide 9.40am, Arrives Melbourne 8.40pm
> > > 
> > > Cheers
> > > sat
> > 
> > Hmmm
> > Departs 9.40 A.m Adelaide arrives melbourne 8.40 P.M.
> > 
> > Allowing for the half hour added when you cross the border that makes a
> > trip time of 10 hours 30 minutes.
> > 
> > Sorry It just can't be true.
> > 
> > Somebody's trying to pull our legs. As I understand the state of the
> > track and freight traffic such timings would not be possible on the
> > Adelaide to Melbourne route. 
> > 
> > cheers peter
> > 
> 
> They can't give it a realiastic timetable, that would just make the Overdue
> look bad!


According to Weekly Operational Notice Number 11 issued by Victrack
(referred to in Railway Digest May 1998 p10), of Melbourne to Ararat
track;

178 kilometres limited to 80 km/h max
47 kilometres limited to 50 km/h max
3 kilometres restricted to 40 km/h max 
 
thus time taken to traverse the above would be

178/80 x 1 hour	=   2 hrs 13 minutes
47/50 x 1 hour	=         56 minutes
3/40 x 1 hour	=          4 minutes

Total time	=   3 hrs 13 minutes

(I shan't worry about the two restrictions of 15 km/h for the sake of
simplicity but they are there.)

Now GSR says that the total Melbourne to Adelaide journey will take 10
hrs 30 minutes (allowing for time difference)

Thsi means that the Adelaide to Ararat section should take approx 7
hours and 17 minutes (437 minutes).

Now I do not know the rail length between these two centres but my
Explore Australia shows a road distance of 524 kilometres. Thus the
speed necessary to traverse this distance in 437 minutes is calculated;

time x speed = distance travelled

437/100 x ? = 524

? = 524 x 100/437
  = 119.9 kilometres per hour average speed

Please note that

a) I have not counted the two speed 15 km/h speed restrictions
b) I have not counted speed restrictions due to the Adelaide hills
c) I have not counted delays as passing loops waiting for freight trains
d) I have not counted any slower speeds due to curves etc on the SA end
of the line.

Interstingly p6 suggests that ideally the line should be talking trains
at 110 km/hour which I suspect may be the speed limit on the Adelaide
side of the border. 

In light of the above I think GSR had better go back and do its sums
again. I hope whosoever calculated the above isn't heavily dependant on
performance pay.

cheers Peter