Re: Interstate Platform at Seymour

["Grahame Ferguson" <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au>]

Maurie Daly wrote in message ...
>In article <C1dU2.6$Lg2.468878@news0.optus.net.au> >>Subject: Re:
Interstate Platform at Seymour
>>Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 05:55:46 GMT
>
>Yes the real issue is basically who owns the train.
>Its in reality a NSW train that just happens to run in Victoria.
>Back in the days when we had real trains on the SG , ie the SOP,Daylight
and
>Aurora , it was only the SOP that stopped at Benalla & Wang , the SOP being
a
>Victorian owned train.
>Neither of the other two did.
>Its a bit hard to argue that the NSW Govt is obliged to provide s train
>service to country Victoria.
>I must admit Im quite surprised that the XPT still stops at Wang and
Benalla.
>The simplest fix of all is to simply run all the Albury pass trains on SG
with
>then going as far as Wagga,with a guaranteed connection with the XPT ,at
>Wagga or  Albury..
>That way the XPT can run non stop Wagga to Albury and Albury to  Melb .
>Everyone wins , better customer base for all concerned,and more income to
ARTC
>which would provide incentive to upgrade the rest of the Vic SG to 60
>kg/m and raise the speed limit  to 160 km/h for all passes.
>This would need about 4 N sets converted to SG and 4 Ns converted.
>
>Comments ?
>MD
>

Dear Maurie, A few points:
1.Platform Size- Orange East Fork is no more than a half a car length long,
yet the 14 car Indian Pacific stops there.
2. I f you want to run the XPT express- eliminate Moss Vale, Gunning,Yerong
Creek, The Rock, Henty, Uranquinty, Culcairn.  Their combined population
does not even equal Seymour's.
Consider the number of stops that the XPT makes between Wagga and Albury,
compared to making only 2 between Albury and Melbourne(a distance of 317
km).
3. Yes it is a NSW train running in Victoria, and CountryLink have no
obligation to country Victoria, but surely from a marketing point of view it
is better to stop at larger country towns.
4. By just stopping the XPT at Seymour would eliminate the need for any new
rolling stock or gauge conversion.
5. From a cost point of view- eliminate the BG north of Seymour  lay
concrete sleepers with 60kg rail (this would increase train speeds)and then
convert 2 N sets to supplement to become an all stops Melbourne to Albury
train.  Only Euroa and Wodonga would need an SG platform.
6. It still costs nothing to stop the XPT at Seymour.

regards  GF.