Re: Booked out Melb XPTs

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

Eddie Oliver wrote in message <379508AF.FD53A19@efs.mq.edu.au>...

>Absolutely not. Passengers like the security of knowing exactly where
>they are going to be,

Rubbish - if anything, it would reassure passengers that groups will be
sitting together. I have seen it happen where a group of three, on a heavily
booked service, are sitting in Car E seats 14 and 67 and car G seat 34. At
least allocating it all out prior to departure will prevent this from
happening.

>and more significantly, the
>allocation-prior-to-departure process either (a) delays the train and
>creates pressures for the passengers, as in the appalling system
>operated by TranzRail in New Zealand, or (b) requires passengers to
>attend at their joining point earlier than would otherwise be required.

Not really. All they have to do is send out a computer printout of all the
passengers in alphabetical order (not THAT hard to do) and it would take
barely a minute for someone to find a seat. We are not talking full check in
procedures here (a la coach and plane).

DaveP