Re: Country(link?) - try walking instead

["Switched On" <yaropolk@hotmail.com>]

Rod Gayford <rjaygee@smartchat.net.au> wrote in message
381E8B55.360A54AF@smartchat.net.au">news:381E8B55.360A54AF@smartchat.net.au...
> Having followed this thread with interest I think I can safely say that
the only
> reason Country Link gets away with such appalling service is that it is
mainly
> passengered by concession fare paying passengers who may whinge about the
> service whilst on the train but do not follow up the complaint. On the Nth
Coast
> service most of the dole recipients are too stoned out of their mind to
remember
> to complain. The majority of passengers in first class are pensioners who
have

Which brings me to the other problem... why have that stupid Murwillumbah
service which people from Brisbane have to connect via coach with? The
coaches are _ALWAYS_ booked out and half the Brisbane passengers have to
wait for the daylight service.  Murwillumbah is a tiny insignificant dot
compared to Brisbane, so where is the market? Why not connect to
Murwillumbah by coach instead and be a bit more realistic? It's not only the
North Coast travellers who are stoned, by the looks of it, but the train
planners too! ;-) If they did a nighttime XPT from BNE, they could add
another two or so sleeper cars and have 'em full to the brim with revenue
customers.

> paid the supplement to travel first class on a concession. The occasional
full
> fare paying first class traveler is probably a rail fan who doesn't mind
the
> service, or if a normal traveler is so appalled he/she never tries the
service
> again. As I said in an earlier posting, these type of clients vote with
their
> feet and go by air.

This maybe the case now, but it's a sad situation which needs to be changed.

> My view is that Country Link has no idea of its market. The only service
they
> are really competing with is the buses. If that is their competition then
really
> compete with them. Get rid of first class and the sleepers, convert them
to
> economy and if necessary push the seats a bit closer to fit more
passengers. Get
> rid of the buffet and replace it with vending machines and only charge $25
to
> Brisbane. Less crew, less overheads and probable profit. I am convinced by
a
> number of postings that the service cannot be improved due to the
primitive
> state of the track on the North Coast.

They shouldn't get rid of sleepers. There are lots of people who travel by
train because of the sleepers (15 hrs to Sydney from Brisbane is no joke in
a CountryLink seat!) What they should do for the economy side is what you
say, but the first class end of the train should be improved. Maybe have
_more_ sleepers and a proper dining car, as well as a buffet. I really think
the Brisbane Limited was a better service all up because it catered for all
levels of passengers.