Re: Booked out Melb XPTs

["WhaleOilBeefHooked" <daproc@sd5.mailbank.com>]

C. Dewick wrote in message <7o909a$9kd$1@lios.apana.org.au>...
>In <933590240.778422@diddley.primus.com.au> "Michael Walker"
<walker@hotkey.net.au> writes:
>
>>Given the XPTs are loosely based on the British HSTs which are also a
fixed
>>consist (or do they vary them?), how do the British cope with fluctuations
>>in passengers? Do they intersperse the fixed consist services with
variable
>>consist services (ie loco and carriages) or is the volume of services such
>>that any slack can take up fluctuations in passenger numbers?
>
>Countrylink do alter the number of cars on the trains. I saw a 4-car set (6
>if you count the usual 2 power cards) leaving Sydney yard yesterday
morning.
>
>They just don't normally go over 7 passenger cars per train because of the
>limits of the power cars.

Thenormal composition for an XPT is now 4 cars for Dubbo and 6 cars for
elsewhere. The Dubbo XPT has been known to run with 4 cars and one XP power
car, and keep to time. I have been informed that the limitation on inserting
extra cars beyond 7 is (apart from the lack of cars) the capacity of the
buffets. They simply would not be able to stock enough food and drink for an
extra 68 people. The train would lose time on some stretchs, but would catch
up on others sue to recovery time.

DaveP