Re: Country(link?) - try walking instead

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

Dave Proctor <daproc@spambait.umpires.com> wrote in message
7vo3jf$ihg$1@news1.mpx.com.au">news:7vo3jf$ihg$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
> Switched On <yaropolk@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> eYLT3.194$ky4.5522@nsw.nnrp.telstra.net">news:eYLT3.194$ky4.5522@nsw.nnrp.telstra.net...
>
> > Which brings me to the other problem... why have that stupid
Murwillumbah
> > service which people from Brisbane have to connect via coach with?
>
> Politics - the politicians will not countenance it.

Yes, well, they won't be running the railways too much longer in NSW the way
things are going.

> >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.
>
> Except they do not have the carriages to do so - they have 8 XAM's, and
they
> have 7 sets - so they only have one spare.

Well, they should get some! Whatever happened to those Brisbane Limited
carriages anyway?

> One "potential" problem with replacing NT3/4 with a Brisbane service would
> be the consequently late arrival time back in Sydney off the overnight
> Brisbane train - as this train would have to form NT1 at 1624, the
servicing
> time would be reduced (although the introduction of Train Order Working
> (stop laughing!) north of Casino has the potential to reduce at least 30
> minutes from the timetable, possibly more, enabling a later departure of
> NT1.

TOW huh? So, are you telling me that they have dark territory so close to
the third largest population mass on the continent? Wow! How primitive! But
they could always just buy a DTC system from QR and go from stone-age to
space-age dark territory safe working.

> I wonder how they will actually work  it - assuming it *is* 30 mins, will
> they put back NT2 from Brisbane to depart at 0800, retain the 90 minute
> turnaround (meaning NT1 arrives at 0630) and therefore have a Sydney
> departure of around 1730?

They'll work it so the trains are even later and more uncomfortable, and
then they'll blame the passengers (after having first devised a list of at
least 30 diabolically complex excuses why they are late) :-)

> > This maybe the case now, but it's a sad situation which needs to be
> changed.
>
> Indeed - the level of on board service is actually driving full fare
> passengers away - see my other post in this thread regarding tennis
umpires.

I read it. Not surprised.

> Of course, if they had decent service, we could book the whole sleeping
> car - there are about 40 NSW officials going to the Australian Open.

But you can't do that, it's too commercially-oriented. Besides, you haven't
filled out all the right forms!

> I would like to see pensioners on vouchers placed down the back in
economy,
> make the XBR an economy carriage (turn it around so that the buffet

I've got no probs with the pensioners being right where they are now... in
2nd class between 1st and economy...  :-)

> compartment is at the country end) and then you would have the sleeper and
> the XL for first class - would need to have decent seats fitted, and
provide
> at-seat service (like was originally intended). Proper marketing would
have
> to happen. Oooohwa, waht is that flying past the window...looks like a
pig!

Quick! Get the shotgun.... it's lunch! Probably the only decent lunch you'll
ever get on the XPT!