Re: Reopening NSW branch lines

["M.B. and C.M.McDonald" <michael.and.colleen.mcdonald@xtra.co.nz>]

Barry Campbell wrote in message <36F571FA.49A0A6D6@qimr.edu.au>...
>David Bromage wrote:
>> David Bromage (dbromage@fang.omni.com.au) wrote:
>>
>> Or for that matter, have you ever travelled to Mt Isa by rail?
>>
>Townsville - Mt Isa doesn't require a change of trains. If you wanted to
>go from Brisbane you'd use McCaffertys.
>
Rail's much more comfortable!  But .. it doesn't run every day.
When I did some touring of QR a year ago (almost exactly!), the contrast
couldn't have been much greater :-
Travelled from Brisbane to Mt Isa - didn't make Townsville because of a
derailment north or Maryborough so it was bus from Ayr to Charters Towers.
Only 30 or so passengers on train, of which 16 would have transferred from a
very full Sunlander.
>From Mt Isa caught a flight back to Brisbane (didn't have time to go back by
rail).  The flight was full - can't lay my hands on my notes at the moment,
but capactacity would have been c 150 passengers.
Bus from Longreach to Charleville was enough for me!

Cheers
Mike