Re: Time for a Lecture

[David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au>]

tony bailey wrote:

> I realise that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE on this newsgroup will admit to travelling
> by Countrylink service, so forgive me if some of the things I say are a bit
> basic.

I travel by CountryLink.

> You might be surprised at the number of people who opt for the day train -as
> well as opt for the coach to train connection at Casino from the Gold Coast
> in the morning.
>

I catch the Murwillumbah XPT Northbound and the Brisbane XPT Southbound.  The
XAM sleepers are WOEFUL.  The dreadful noise from the bogies has to be heard to
be believed.  They are certainly not worth $95 a night extra on top of the First
class fare.  This is why I travel daylight both ways.  My first experience with
an overnight XPT was NT-1 sitting backwards in economy across a table from an
extremely obese woman with a screaming kid who spent the night jumping on the
table.  I now check the TRAINS computer thoroughly to select the best seat for
me.  I often go economy no alcohol, as this is usually the quiestest car, and
the last to book.  If I am travelling daylight, I will try to get a window seat
in the middle of Car A, definately not anywhere near the bogies - same goes for
car B, in the off chance that it may be a new XL.

> The point of this is that I generate additional revenue by selling people on
> the FACT of two possible train connections to Queensland each day.
>
> Some of you have been getting carried away by the termination of one XPT at
> Murwillumbah - do you think that if the line extended to Southport, that the
> XPT service would turn around at Murwillumbah?
>
> To the members of the travelling public, and to anyone selling tickets,
> there ARE two XPT services a day to Queensland - not one.
>
> All of  the ANOOOTNWATTBCS's reading this know there is only one XPT to
> Queensland a day - but somehow the travelling public think there are two!
>
> EXTRA coach services-
>
> (this is getting right off topic - but you should like this story)
> This should also appeal to those people who think that free enterprise road
> services are wonderful and can not do anything wrong, and NEVER EVER put
> public safety after the possibility of making a quid (no sir, not us!)
>
> I had a client who travelled by coach to Coffs Harbour every long weekend -
> he complained about how uncomfortable it was. but continued to travel by
> coach every long weekend until last Easter.
>
> I was surprised when immediately after Easter, he came in and booked by
> train to Coffs Harbour for Anzac Day - I asked him what was wrong with his
> regular coach service
>
> He told me that he was on one of those wonderful extra services on "Black
> Thursday" and the windscreen wipers were not working. If you are a
> Sydneysider, do you remember the Easter weather? If you are not a
> Sydneysider - consider wet, wet, wet.! The coach left on time and headed up
> the highway in the downpour, with absolutely no visibility from the front
> and did not pause except at Bulahdelah Mountain where the relief driver
> actually attempted to clean the windscreen in the downpour.
>
> Would you have even travelled on that coach?
>
> Tony Bailey



--
David Johnson
CityRail Guard
trainman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/