Re: Feedback needed

[Glenn at TIG <grjb@ihug.com.au>]

Dave Proctor wrote:

> > Well, yes, I suppose the connection would be "guaranteed" because ST-4
> Melbourne
> > Daylight
> > forms NT-3 Murwillumbah Overnight. Its good to see that the timetable is
> > operationally convenient and not passenger oriented. Passengers tend to
> have an
> > aversion to departing stations late at night. You are following in the
> railways
> > footsteps David! Remember ST16 on its final timetable because ST-4 was
> > introduced? 0600 ex Albury! And why? Because it had to go to Meeks Road
> for a
> > service before forming NT-1 at 1624. And why does NT-1 leave before 16:30?
> So it
> > can get back to Sydney the following night at a respectable hour.
> >
> > Timetables should be written with the passengers interest in mind, and not
> > because it conveniently fits together operationally.
>
> If the government would provide funds to purchase additional rolling stock,
> this would be possible.
>
> As for the North Coast timetable, NT1 provides convenient arrival times up
> to as far as Kempsey (around midnight is not overly inconvenient) - whilst
> NT3 provides convenient times from Kempsey north - the whole line is served
> by two trains per day at convenient times.
>

But you seem to be missing the point that the name of the train is the BRISBANE
XPT and the train should run at a time to suit BRISBANE. How many other states
in  Australia can you think of that run an overnight train that dumps their
passengers on a platform at (currently) 5am? I suppose the passengers could pray
that the XP's do blow up, at least would arrive in daylight! The original
schedule that never made the light of day but was on computer for a short time
in late 1989 had the following schedule:-

NT17 Sydney 1655 - 0605 Brisbane
NT-6 Brisbane 0740 - 2115 Sydney.....
...please refer to http://www.railpage.org.au/xpt/proposed.html for the
timetable I provided to David Bromage for Railpage. So realistically this could
be...

NT-1 Sydney 1730 - 0640 Brisbane (35 minutes later than above)
NT-2 Brisbane 0810 - 2145 Sydney (30 minutes later than above)

Convenient departure from Sydney, convenience of the David Proctor Mid North
Coast XPT and convenient for the interstate traveller.

Glenn