Here are two differing views on CountryLink and its fares, the first from me. [The second view is the opposition spokesperson for Transport - Gladys Berejiklian - ed] Any feedback welcome.
As I ride on Rail Corp and CountryLink and see the obvious need for capital upgrades, I ask where is the money coming from.
On a $2-50 seniors card, one can clock up easily $30 worth of train travel for example - Wollongong Musselbrook one way. Or have a day in Sydney from Newcastle with train, ferry and bus travel all included. And the $30 is subsidised too.
And now there is a group enjoying really good subsidies wanting more. And getting the support of the Opposition.
It just does not add up. If we are sincere in our desire for a better rail service it seems to me that we should be prepared to pay no less for it than what we are paying now.
Meantime, if you want moderately fast regional trains that are scheduled to travel up to 160 km/h without going overseas go to Queensland, Victoria or Western Australia. Because you wont find them in New South Wales. Worse, neither of the two major parties in the NSW Parliament appear to even articulate the potential for 160 km/h trains in NSW. Which may be achieved in NSW even with 25 year old XPTs after the track has been upgraded with some straightening - as has been done in Qld, Vic and WA (but is yet to be done in NSW).
P.
LABOR GAGS DEBATE ON COALITION’S BILL TO ABOLISH COUNTRYLINK PENSIONER BOOKING TAX
The Iemma Labor Government has again treated NSW pensioners with contempt by blocking a debate to abolish the CountryLink booking tax in Parliament House today, Shadow Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said.
“In October 2007 I introduced a Bill to abolish the pensioner booking tax, but today the Iemma Government gagged debate,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The latest move by the Iemma Government proves it is embarrassed about forcing pensioners to pay a booking fee when travelling on CountryLink trains.
“The NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition are keen to debate the bill which seeks to assist pensioners who are forced to pay either $10 or 15% of the full adult fare, whichever is the highest, when using “free” travel vouchers to book Countrylink services.
“This is yet another example of the Iemma Government taxing country NSW and pensioners who rely on the service to get them around the state to visit loved ones and to attend appointments.
“The pensioner booking tax has gouged millions from our older residents and service improvements are nowhere to be seen.
“According to the latest figures obtained from the CountryLink website, country trains have only reached the 78% on-time running target in just six out of the 52 weeks to the end of October 2007.
“Poor patronage and on-time running figures highlight the Iemma Government’s continuing neglect of rail services in rural and regional NSW.
“It’s about time Premier Morris Iemma and Transport Minister John Watkins support the Liberal/Nationals bill to abolish the booking tax.
“My colleagues and I will continue to push for robust debate on the bill to abolish the booking tax even though the Iemma Government is trying to gag debate at every turn,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Gladys Berejiklian MP
Member for Willoughby
Tel: 9439 4199
Fax: 9439 9299
All the Opposition is trying to do is buy the pensioners' votes because, as you suggest, they don't have the intelligence to put forward any better arguments about why people should vote for them when seeking better public transport.
The last time we went over to Perth we went by rail. Wonderful trip ... but SLOW. At no time did the train ever exceed 100 km/h, even on the longest, straight stretch in the world!
It's currently treated as just a tourist thing, but with peak oil it's going to have to get serious. It was pretty clear that the three nights trip could be drastically cut by a combination of simple track straightening, faster speeds and progressive track duplication ... oh, and of course, cutting out the long detour to Adelaide. Some new alignment work west of the Blue Mountains would work wonders.
Ditto for the line to Melbourne.
I also think the seniors fare structure could be revised upwards. At the moment it's ridiculously generous.
The Indian Pacific is purely a tourist service, for travellers/backpackers in no hurry to get from A to B (if they were, they'd fly at less than half the price!). The IP originally by-passed Adelaide, which was served by a railcar connection at Peterborough
(which I did on my first IP trip in 1980). I think the Adelaide leg was added to the IP schedule in the mid-1990s.
Funny thing, the ARTC, in their wisdom, coverted the double-track line west of Lithgow to single-track in the 1990's - possibly a progressive downgrading of thewest with most interstate freight going via Melbourne & Adelaide.
The whole east coast interstate line from Brisbane to Melbourne needs straightening - badly! Interstate rail freight will never be competitive while the line is stuck to steam-age curves, bends & gradients that could easily be eliminated. Deviations should be the ARTC's biggest priority.
The difference is not just between NSW and Victoria as below. Queensland reinstated 160 km/h running on both its diesel and electric tilt trains, and the WA Prospector also travels at up to 160 km/h.
Quick query re Canberra, I thought that they were down to two trains per day ? Also does the ACT Govt make any contribution to them? To me, Canberra's intercity transport seems to be dominated by cars using freeways and air transport with a vocal privately owned airport at Canberra.
It is hard to believe but Peter Costello's 2004 budget gave $450m to the ARTC for projects on the North Coast line like "to straighten the track' and in the June 2004 AusLink White paper, rail deviations were mentioned (page 37) as follows "improve transit times and train speeds by building deviations at 14 locations, totalling 121 kilometres, to each curves on the North Coast railway between Newcastle and Sydney ($158 million)"
Just as highways continue to be upgraded, with some new construction on improved alignment, there is a need to improve speed - weight constraints on existing mainlines. The Neville Committee [House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport and Regional Services (2007) The Great Freight Task: Is Australia’s transport network up to the challenge? http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/trs/networks/ report.htm, p 128] noted that "… the greatest need for Australia is the reconstruction and realignment of the main freight networks. This would:
*allow faster speeds and greater axle loads;
*clear the way for longer trains and double stacked containers;
*make it possible to reduce the steepness of grades, straighten lines
and remove loops; and
*allow for the elimination of many level crossings."
It is nearly 4 years since the 2004 Budget. Whilst the ARTC is doing a good job enhancing the track and signals - complete with 2.2m concrete sleepers, it is all on the old 'steam age' alignment, one would have expected by now some solid rail industry support for the 2009-14 AusLink programme to include track straightening between Australia's three largest cities.
I honestly think the State Government just wants CountryLink to die. And a long, quiet, gradual death will ensure it happens without any country voter orpensioner outcry.
This is in contrast to V/Line, which is constructing 22 extra (intermediate) cars for their new regionalV/locity trains as we speak:
Patronage on V/Line regional trains have reached the stage where people are standing in corridors, hence the need for more carriages.
CountryLink will get nowhere while regional centres like Canberra only rate three trains a day - and cutting off Byron Bay from the rail network was stupidity of the highest order (guess who was behind that!?).
Fares and Redevelopment of the Rail System
Here are two differing views on CountryLink and its fares, the first from me. [The second view is the opposition spokesperson for Transport - Gladys Berejiklian - ed] Any feedback welcome.
As I ride on Rail Corp and CountryLink and see the obvious need for capital upgrades, I ask where is the money coming from.
On a $2-50 seniors card, one can clock up easily $30 worth of train travel for example - Wollongong Musselbrook one way. Or have a day in Sydney from Newcastle with train, ferry and bus travel all included. And the $30 is subsidised too.
And now there is a group enjoying really good subsidies wanting more. And getting the support of the Opposition.
It just does not add up. If we are sincere in our desire for a better rail service it seems to me that we should be prepared to pay no less for it than what we are paying now.
Meantime, if you want moderately fast regional trains that are scheduled to travel up to 160 km/h without going overseas go to Queensland, Victoria or Western Australia. Because you wont find them in New South Wales. Worse, neither of the two major parties in the NSW Parliament appear to even articulate the potential for 160 km/h trains in NSW. Which may be achieved in NSW even with 25 year old XPTs after the track has been upgraded with some straightening - as has been done in Qld, Vic and WA (but is yet to be done in NSW).
P.
LABOR GAGS DEBATE ON COALITION’S BILL TO ABOLISH COUNTRYLINK PENSIONER BOOKING TAX
The Iemma Labor Government has again treated NSW pensioners with contempt by blocking a debate to abolish the CountryLink booking tax in Parliament House today, Shadow Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said.
“In October 2007 I introduced a Bill to abolish the pensioner booking tax, but today the Iemma Government gagged debate,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The latest move by the Iemma Government proves it is embarrassed about forcing pensioners to pay a booking fee when travelling on CountryLink trains.
“The NSW Liberal/Nationals Coalition are keen to debate the bill which seeks to assist pensioners who are forced to pay either $10 or 15% of the full adult fare, whichever is the highest, when using “free” travel vouchers to book Countrylink services.
“This is yet another example of the Iemma Government taxing country NSW and pensioners who rely on the service to get them around the state to visit loved ones and to attend appointments.
“The pensioner booking tax has gouged millions from our older residents and service improvements are nowhere to be seen.
“According to the latest figures obtained from the CountryLink website, country trains have only reached the 78% on-time running target in just six out of the 52 weeks to the end of October 2007.
“Poor patronage and on-time running figures highlight the Iemma Government’s continuing neglect of rail services in rural and regional NSW.
“It’s about time Premier Morris Iemma and Transport Minister John Watkins support the Liberal/Nationals bill to abolish the booking tax.
“My colleagues and I will continue to push for robust debate on the bill to abolish the booking tax even though the Iemma Government is trying to gag debate at every turn,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Gladys Berejiklian MP
Member for Willoughby
Tel: 9439 4199
Fax: 9439 9299
Vote Buying
All the Opposition is trying to do is buy the pensioners' votes because, as you suggest, they don't have the intelligence to put forward any better arguments about why people should vote for them when seeking better public transport.
Sad, really.
G.
I Agree
The last time we went over to Perth we went by rail. Wonderful trip ... but SLOW. At no time did the train ever exceed 100 km/h, even on the longest, straight stretch in the world!
It's currently treated as just a tourist thing, but with peak oil it's going to have to get serious. It was pretty clear that the three nights trip could be drastically cut by a combination of simple track straightening, faster speeds and progressive track duplication ... oh, and of course, cutting out the long detour to Adelaide. Some new alignment work west of the Blue Mountains would work wonders.
Ditto for the line to Melbourne.
I also think the seniors fare structure could be revised upwards. At the moment it's ridiculously generous.
FM GG
Time to get serious about rail travel
The Indian Pacific is purely a tourist service, for travellers/backpackers in no hurry to get from A to B (if they were, they'd fly at less than half the price!). The IP originally by-passed Adelaide, which was served by a railcar connection at Peterborough
(which I did on my first IP trip in 1980). I think the Adelaide leg was added to the IP schedule in the mid-1990s.
Funny thing, the ARTC, in their wisdom, coverted the double-track line west of Lithgow to single-track in the 1990's - possibly a progressive downgrading of thewest with most interstate freight going via Melbourne & Adelaide.
The whole east coast interstate line from Brisbane to Melbourne needs straightening - badly! Interstate rail freight will never be competitive while the line is stuck to steam-age curves, bends & gradients that could easily be eliminated. Deviations should be the ARTC's biggest priority.
R.
Timetable says it all
To show how unserious Countrylink is about the Canberra/Sydney corridor have a look at their weird timetable:
Trains depart Sydney at:
06:58 Monday to Saturday
12:10 Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun
18:15 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
That's the sort of higgledy piggely frequency that country branch lines used to get in the 1970's!
G.
Everyone appears to be doing it better than NSW
The difference is not just between NSW and Victoria as below. Queensland reinstated 160 km/h running on both its diesel and electric tilt trains, and the WA Prospector also travels at up to 160 km/h.
Quick query re Canberra, I thought that they were down to two trains per day ? Also does the ACT Govt make any contribution to them? To me, Canberra's intercity transport seems to be dominated by cars using freeways and air transport with a vocal privately owned airport at Canberra.
P.
ARTC
Not sure when the double track line was made single, but ARTC was only set up in 1998. This track has had two 20th century downgrades:
A. deviations when duplicated on a poor horizontal alignment to ease grades.
B. Double to single track without track straightening
P.
Rail Deviations on the radar but not being implemented
It is hard to believe but Peter Costello's 2004 budget gave $450m to the ARTC for projects on the North Coast line like "to straighten the track' and in the June 2004 AusLink White paper, rail deviations were mentioned (page 37) as follows "improve transit times and train speeds by building deviations at 14 locations, totalling 121 kilometres, to each curves on the North Coast railway between Newcastle and Sydney ($158 million)"
Just as highways continue to be upgraded, with some new construction on improved alignment, there is a need to improve speed - weight constraints on existing mainlines. The Neville Committee [House of Representatives Standing Committee on Transport and Regional Services (2007) The Great Freight Task: Is Australia’s transport network up to the challenge? http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/trs/networks/ report.htm, p 128] noted that "… the greatest need for Australia is the reconstruction and realignment of the main freight networks. This would:
*allow faster speeds and greater axle loads;
*clear the way for longer trains and double stacked containers;
*make it possible to reduce the steepness of grades, straighten lines
and remove loops; and
*allow for the elimination of many level crossings."
It is nearly 4 years since the 2004 Budget. Whilst the ARTC is doing a good job enhancing the track and signals - complete with 2.2m concrete sleepers, it is all on the old 'steam age' alignment, one would have expected by now some solid rail industry support for the 2009-14 AusLink programme to include track straightening between Australia's three largest cities.
P.
Killing Country Link
I honestly think the State Government just wants CountryLink to die. And a long, quiet, gradual death will ensure it happens without any country voter orpensioner outcry.
This is in contrast to V/Line, which is constructing 22 extra (intermediate) cars for their new regionalV/locity trains as we speak:
http://www.vicsig.net/?page=news&id=1554
Patronage on V/Line regional trains have reached the stage where people are standing in corridors, hence the need for more carriages.
CountryLink will get nowhere while regional centres like Canberra only rate three trains a day - and cutting off Byron Bay from the rail network was stupidity of the highest order (guess who was behind that!?).
R.