Re: Countrylink Fares Increased to Upgrade Service?

[consultancy@spamblock.bigpond.com (greg h)]

On Mon, 19 Jul 1999 08:30:22 +1000, "David Bennetts"
<davibenn@pcug.org.au> wrote:

>Countrylink are to increase fares by an average of $4 to raise money to
>upgrade the service.
>Aren't they putting the cart before the horse, we heard this nonsense as
>justifcation for Cityrail increases.  How are the services to be improved?
>
>If you go into a car dealer to buy a car when the model is nearing the end
>of its production run, and an improved model is coming out, does the dealer
>charge more for the dated product so that they can fund a better model?  Not
>bloody likely, they discount and you pay full price for the improved model
>when it arrives!  So why should we pay more for a deteriorating service in
>the hope that we get a better one at some point in the future!
>
>Countrylink's fare strategy is rather inept,and they could well do looking
>at the airlines for maximising fare returns.  I have managed to get  advance
>purchase discounted seats on trains which are almost full two weeks before
>they ran - why don't they have blackout periods on discounts during busy
>times?  Why are they advertising 50% off deals, when the up to 40% off
>normal advance deals hardly get any publicity?
>
(Monday 19/7/99 afternoon about 1.30pm)
Just heard a spokesperson for Countrylink speaking on ABC radio about
justification for the fare increase - first thing they're gonna do is
repaint Countrylink XPTs.

Wow, that should really improve running to schedule, reduction in
delays, improve track conditions .......
>Just increasing fares with an airy fairy promise of better things to come
>won't help get bums on seats, they'll just lose more to the long distance
>road coach companies, which offer cheaper fares and sometimes faster
>services (eg Canberra).
>
>Regards
>David Bennetts
>Canberra
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