$49 -- CountryLink Weekend Train Travel in June, up to 50% OFF*

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  urandack on 26/05/2010 - 16:36

  Sydney to Melbourne by train takes almost as long as by coach.

  • 

    daydream on 26/05/2010 - 16:51

    Pretty sad state of affairs in the 21st century… Maybe they are still coal powered ;-)

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      [Deactivated] on 26/05/2010 - 17:02

      Indeed — some train routes are now slower than they were in the 19th century due to various impositions of speed limits over the years for reasons of safety.

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        CyberMurning on 26/05/2010 - 17:35

        then whats the point of having slow train i think better demolish them completely. is countrylink making money or gov (read: our tax money) help them ?

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          me me me on 26/05/2010 - 18:07

          @CyberMurning: Why does everything have to be fast? If you want fast then catch a plane; if you want to look at the scenery, be able to walk around while travelling and enjoy the JOURNEY then train travel is still king.

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            [Deactivated] on 26/05/2010 - 18:22

            @me me me: Tell that to the people have to spend 5+ hours day in day out on the same slow train watching the same gumtrees roll past! Most people on CountryLink aren't tourists. :)

            Also, have you ever taken a high-speed train (in Europe or Japan, for instance)? Going fast doesn't preclude the ability to enjoy the scenery or stop at stations to walk around.

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              me me me on 26/05/2010 - 19:19

              @[Deactivated]: "Tell that to the people have to spend 5+ hours day in day out on the same slow train watching the same gumtrees roll past! Most people on CountryLink aren’t tourists. :)"

              Train drivers?

              And yes, I have travelled on fast trains OS. So?

        • 

          [Deactivated] on 26/05/2010 - 18:21

          +1

          @CyberMurning: No, CountryLink doesn't make money, but neither does any form of public transport in Sydney (or in the vast majority of cases around the world). The general trend of the past few decades has been to cancel or scale back many CountryLink services. There remain quite a few vital routes, though, and I don't think you'll be seeing the wholesale demolition of the CountryLink network anytime soon.

          I also don't think "making money" should be the only criteria in judging the worth of a public transport network — you have to consider the social, economic and environmental benefits to the community as a whole.

        • 

          lbft on 26/05/2010 - 18:27

          +1

          @CyberMurning: CountryLink runs at a significant loss…but they also provide a crucial service.

          The train routes aren't just about getting from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane or Canberra, they're about servicing the places along the way, many of which will never have an airport with daily passenger services to/from Sydney.

          Not everyone can fly. Beyond the common fear of flying there's also various medical conditions that mean someone can't fly (e.g. some ear problems). Pregnant women shouldn't fly after a certain point and AFAIK they're OK to travel by train for basically the whole time. Trains are a much more pleasant experience than coach trips and they can better accommodate people with conditions meaning they can't fit in a cramped coach seat (e.g. being on crutches or in a wheelchair, arthritis, etc.) and you can get up and walk around - a medical requirement for some people, and nice for everyone else.

          You can book a sleeping cabin on the overnight XPT services, something that you can't on a coach.

          Some tracks are used for a lot of things other than CountryLink trains (CityRail trains, the Indian Pacific and most importantly goods trains).

          My understanding is that diesel trains are more efficient in their fuel consumption than buses carrying the same amount of passengers and baggage too.

          Not to mention that the hassles and delays and waits and intrusive searches and costs of airports are missing.

          Also, the scenery is pretty cool :)

          I've travelled by coach and by XPT (never been on an Xplorer) and the train wins by a very long way. The only issue in my mind is that Countrylink tickets are way more expensive than they should be to be competitive. I suppose that comes from having too few passengers and having to cover a lot of ground. Even on special the train tickets struggle to be competitive (although at $49 they compare OK if you add in the cost of an airport bus).

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            WaywardOne on 27/05/2010 - 13:36

            @lbft: Yeah I think the prices are set the way they are as they take a huge loss from anyone on government support (pension etc). Also as you correctly pointed out — it services more types of people and some rural regions. They don't exactly need to be price competitive for people with no alternative.

            And it does provide a service. If you have a family; what are the chances you can all afford to travel by air? It would be far cheaper (especially for low income earners) to take the train to visit relatives etc.