Re: New Airline and Speedrail?? Go rail

[pcc@ocean.com.au (Les Brown)]

"Ross (Goldie) Goldspink" <goldicom@powerup.com.au> wrote in aus.rail:

>There will be a mid point where rail becomes a less practical option for
>travel compared to air.
>
>Air travel has handicaps - perception of safety and fuel effiiciency
>especially.
>
>Modern high speed rail is more comfortable and quieter.  Any more than 90
>minutes in any airframe is too long and mosly the scenery is lousy - even a
>video looking out the front would be boring.
>
>I believe we will see more rail/airline cooperation as the operations can
>and should be complementary.
>
>I admit my only qualification for my view is 32 years in the aviation
>Industry, 14 hours on the QR tilt train, and about 19 rail trips across
>Australia (including non air conditioned wood coaches circa 1917 - but
>that's another story).
>
I believe there is no competition where there is congestion. 

Any airline to succeed must fly in and out of Sydney which is the most
congested airport in Australia. Now if even with the current two
domestic airlines and umpteen international airlines flying in and out
of Sydney causing delays of up to one hour (a friend of mine related
that his last Melbourne - Sydney flight took over 2 hours) then unless
the Federal Government bites the bullet and builds another airport in
Sydney, there is no room, repeat, no room, for another carrier. 

Heaven knows for sure but I think that another airline would cause
absolute chaos over Sydney unless restrictions on flights were
introduced. My strategy for Qantas would be to back Speedrail as far
as possible and redirect all Canberra flights to rail..

Les Brown