Re: Booked out Melb XPTs

[David Langley <del@ancc.com.au>]

Eddie Oliver wrote:

> a) If you believe that, go to New Zealand (unless they have seen the
> light and changed the system) and see the chaos that results from that
> system (and note how long it takes at intermediate stations).

Last year in NZ the southbound Northlander took 45 minutes loading at Hamilton
because the only staff were the train staff - 2 and there were a large number of
passengers waiting. Pity the train controller who having planned the path for this
train along the busy NIMT now had to alter it by 45 minutes. In fact we were
around 70 mins late at times and arrived Wellington around 60 late even though the
train hostess assured us that the driver was a goer.

> (b) Roughly 200 people often get on an XPT at (say) Strathfield. Are you
> going to require all these people to be there long enough in advance to
> go through the 1 minute each, or are you going to have 200 employees
> each serving one person for one minute, or what?

Now try the above NZ example at Strathfield on a busy morning. Words to describe
the ensuing disaster fail me. I agree with Eddie that the NZ style of booking is
at best appalling, at worst ..............

If you book late, you take your chances.

David Langley.