Re: Out of Gauge Suburban EMU's in Sydney (Was DOO In Sydney)

["Kosh Naranek" <richardcremovethis@tpg.com.au>]

Graeme your precis is quite to the point about people getting the vision
they need to see past the way things used to be done.

I fear the Airport Railway will be just like the Eastern Suburbs and lines
before - just another part of the NSW govt railways, not using the
opportunity to turn over new leaves in service standards, customer service
attitudes, engineering design and reliability and so on. If these last 2
lines had been built as metros maybe we would have seen new standards apply.

As for whether the Perth example is like a "big" system - who knows one day
it will be -  at least as big as Brisbane. But it sure as hell won't be
Adelaide - it and Melbourne are already on the road to oblivion. Adelaide
people will be visiting Newcastle in 10 years time and saying - geez I wish
we had as many lines as you do...
Graeme <gvrail@thatsent.com.au> wrote in message
3827cec0$0$5369@motown.iinet.net.au">news:3827cec0$0$5369@motown.iinet.net.au...
> Now that you've chosen to put things on adult interactive level, I
> wholeheartedly agree that there are many differences between the two
systems
> and nothing as far as transit is concerned can be lifted out of one area
and
> directly placed into another.
>
> Secondly I am not an economic rationalist and believe very strongly that
not
> everything in our society should be looked at in dollar terms.  In Perth
> when I was on the rail electrification project as a senior manager, the
> Labour Government issued an ultimatum.  We were required in the first
> instance to develop a rail electrification plan whereby the operating
costs
> had to match those of a busway.  We did that but we also astutely costed
> options.  No different to buying a car.  You want extras we'll give you
> extras but you pay.  From our bare bones plan we progressively built up
the
> standard of trains, stations and facilities that are the equal of anywhere
> in the country and 8 years down the track we still have rail industry
people
> arriving to check the system out.
>
> I'm delighted as our traffic grows to say that we have increased staff
year
> after year in areas such as customer service, security and drivers.
Former
> train guards now move on and off trains providing services for people with
> disabilities, the elderly and so on.  To a tee they say they would never
> want to go back to being a fixture on a train like they were before.
There
> was resisted because in the past no train could run without a guard and
that
> in their eyes meant job security.
>
> In 8 years with more customer service people than there ever were guards
> they have got closer to their customers than they ever did in the past.
> That's no advert it is just fact.  In regard to congestion on platforms we
> have situations even in Perth where their can be several thousand people
on
> platforms especially on the northern suburbs line.  Visibility does not
seem
> to be impaired to the driver, because his view is carefully limited to an
> area along the length of his train and not some sort of landscape view.
As
> doors are about to close there is both a warning gone as well as an audio
> announcement that are interlinked to  the operation of the doors.
>
> Even with very high percentages of casual travellers compared to Sydney
> where there is a very high level of regular customers, people quickly
learn
> to use the system and understand the door operating system.  One last
note.
> The delegations of people from City Rail were here for days studying our
> system not minutes.  In regard to my knowledge of the Sydney network, it
> might surprise you to know that I know it quite well. I was asked at one
> stage to spend time riding the network and provide feedback on a range of
> operational, design, and customer service aspects.
>
> --
> Graeme Vellacott
> PO Box 322
> CANNINGTON 6987
> AUSTRALIA
> Email:   gvrail@thatsent.com.au
> Ph/Fax: +61 8 9451 5630
> John <johnst@aics.net.au> wrote in message
382757ef@pink.one.net.au">news:382757ef@pink.one.net.au...
> >
> > Graeme <gvrail@thatsent.com.au> wrote in message
> > 3826ca80$0$5359@motown.iinet.net.au">news:3826ca80$0$5359@motown.iinet.net.au...
> > > Very sad that sort of response.  Had we not done the things we did in
> > Perth
> > > such as driver only operation then we would have had a busway network
by
> > > now.  It's not about economic rationalism, it's about survival and
> > > delivering quality transport services cost effectively.  Driver only
> > > operation has worked successfully all over the world and why there
> should
> > be
> > > resistance to establishing it in Sydney is beyond me unless you live
in
> > the
> > > dinosaur age and think that the taxpayer should just go on incurring
the
> > > horrific debts that inefficiently run public utilities can amass that
at
> > the
> > > end of the day simply end up being axed anyway!!!
> > >
> > > --
> >
> >
> > Yep, your an economical rationalist and I'm sure John Howard and Peter
> Reith
> > would be proud of you!
> > By the sounds of it you have no idea how complex the rail system is in
> > Sydney. Sure, there would be ways of instigating DDO here but at this
time
> > we are seeing the unnecessary axing of so many station staff jobs so the
> > only staff member a passenger sees when on a platform now is the guard.
> This
> > applies on junction stations and other major stations where every train
> > arriving has a different stopping pattern and destination. Not only this
> but
> > the helping of little old ladies, blind people etc etc etc on and off
> trains
> > at under staffed stations. The majority of guards in Sydney provide a
> > terrific service to the travelling public ( of course there are those
who
> > don't unfortunately, who need to be weeded out for the sake of
efficiency
> > and service). Train crewing in Sydney is quite efficient and there
> > negotiations under way to make it even more so.
> > I don't want to sound abrupt to you but I'm one of those people who are
> > saddened by the reduction of "people" contact in our everyday lives due
to
> > new technology. Call me strange if you like but I even prefer to
override
> > the computerised voice prompts when I ring a lot of companies because I
> > would much prefer to conduct business with a fellow human being than a
> > computer!
> >
> > Regards
> > John.
> >
> >
>
>




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