...

In short I think ARTC needs - at very least -  to be given a slightly different charter: to either more aggressively go about recovering it's own costs - or perhaps a charter more focused on maximising ultilisation rather than just providing a level playing field.

• Provide seamless and efficient access to users of the interstate rail network;
• Pursue a growth strategy for interstate rail through improved efficiency and competitiveness;
• Improve interstate rail infrastructure through better asset management and coordination of capital investment;
• Encourage uniformity in access, technical, operating and safe working procedures; and
• Operate the business on commercially sound principles"

I think the best replacement for the XPT would be the trains that Eurostar uses between London and Paris. The government should straighten out the line and use the speady trains, which can travel up to 340km an hour! http://www.paris-tours-service.com/upload/Paris-to-London-Tour.jpg Just paint them with countrylink colours!

I think the best replacement for the XPT would be the trains that Eurostar uses between London and Paris. The government should straighten out the line and use the speady trains, which can travel up to 340km an hour! http://www.paris-tours-service.com/upload/Paris-to-London-Tour.jpg Just paint them with countrylink colours!

I think the best replacement for the XPT would be the trains that Eurostar uses between London and Paris. The government should straighten out the line and use the speady trains, which can travel up to 340km an hour! http://www.paris-tours-service.com/upload/Paris-to-London-Tour.jpg Just paint them with countrylink colours!

What the government also needs to do is increase speeds on the long distance trains, it should only take 8 hours max to Brisbane and 6 hours max Melbourne. Also the government needs to make the line to Brisbane go via lismore, Byron bay and the gold cost line and make a line to Adelaide via Griffith and it should take a max of 13 hours to get to Adelaide, also make a line from Sydney to Eden, and reopen the line to Baradine via Mudgee.

What the government also needs to do is increase speeds on the long distance trains, it should only take 8 hours max to Brisbane and 6 hours max Melbourne.

Also the government needs to make the line to Brisbane go via lismore, Byron bay and the gold cost line and make a line to Adelaide via Griffith and it should take a max of 13 hours to get to Adelaide, also make a line from Sydney to Eden, and reopen the line to Baradine via Mudgee.

Qantas and Virgin do those trips in 1-2 hours. Whats the point of investing all that money to increase it speeds when the plane is still faster after upgrades. Its either Julia or Tony in a couple of months time build the damm HSR or we do nothing and repalce the XPT when they die. You either beat them (the planes) or join them.

When the HSR has a price tag of around a hundred and fourteen billion dollars, and a projected return on investment of less than 1%, I'm forced to conclude that beating the plane is a non-starter.

Would you like to use Points Plus Pay, sir?

agreed. thats why we wait for XPT to die and find a replacement. be it tilting trains, normal trains, coaches, planes or whatever they see fit.

yes please

I think the best replacement for the XPT would be the trains that Eurostar uses between London and Paris. The government should straighten out the line and use the speady trains, which can travel up to 340km an hour! http://www.paris-tours-service.com/upload/Paris-to-London-Tour.jpg Just paint them with countrylink colours!

What the government also needs to do is increase speeds on the long distance trains, it should only take 8 hours max to Brisbane and 6 hours max Melbourne. Also the government needs to make the line to Brisbane go via lismore, Byron bay and the gold cost line and make a line to Adelaide via Griffith and it should take a max of 13 hours to get to Adelaide, also make a line from Sydney to Eden, and reopen the line to Baradine via Mudgee.

Now, if I could just figure out how to photo shop on some Hi-Road rail guide wheels ...

I don't entirely disagree but I think the priority should be lowering grades.

6 or 7 mostly modest deviations on the DOWN should get the ruling grade on the main south from 1:40 to 1:60/1:66, and another 4 (including 2 on the UP) would get it to 1:80.  It's 20-30-km of new track that *should* enable greatly increased tonnage and/or reduced freight rates => more revenue for ARTC and perhaps even funds to look at genuine alignment easing.  In some cases, but not all, this would result is shorter/straighter alignments, at least in the DOWN direction.

On the NCL there are really only 2 1:40 grades: the Cowan Bank and Fassifern (and that's only 1km with a flat approach).    Red Hill @ Coffs is 1:70, Border Loop is 1:75.  There is a new 2-3km 1:50 grade at Lawrence Rd (between Grafton and Casino) that from the looks of things was relatively recently installed I presume as part of a curve easing program.  The Fassifern Bank has already been deviated in the UP direction (adding 5min to everyone's run time) and the logical deviation here is a restoration of the original alignment but with a deeper cut at 1:80.  

None of this will do much harm but not much good for CL type services.

What would help a tiny bit - and something I think is a worthwhile project - is restoration of the Hilltop loop line for PAX services as part of sparking to Mittagong.

The big problem with an 8hrs Syd-Mlb run is conflicts with other services.  That's a lot of potential freight tonnage capacity being sacrificed to shave a few hours off a still large air/ground speed differential.  Getting the Syd-Mlb runtime down to lt or eq 11 hours for PAX and ~12 hours for freighters means CL could reliably operate Syd-Melb with just two dedicated sets, rather than the rotation they have to use now.

I take it that this is without introducing additional sharp curves?

I agree, but if you're going to electrify to Mittagong, is there a reason why you're not extending it to Moss Vale?

As a foamers project on a cold drizzly Sunday afternoon I went through my Curve & Grade diagram and listed all the hills and had a look on Google maps sat.  Ironically, many of the DOWN direction hills are already on deviations that eased grades in the UP direction only.    I expect that given modern earthworks are relatively cheaper than track laying the deviations would be both for the most part shorter and straighter.

Mt Gibralter Tunnel.  Mossy isn't that big a centre anyway.  It's a Railway junction, but Bowral is the centre of the Highlands, and IIRC Mittagong is the biggest pop wide but I could be wrong.

I think when the government designs the new model they need to make it either on LPG or natural Gas, tht way it will be cheaper to run and more eco friendly!

I personally think that the XPT's and Xplorer's should have been given only first class seats, just only have a seat option or a sleeper. when i travel with Countrylink after the Staff come round to mark me off, I go up to first class and sit their!

I personally think that the XPT's and Xplorer's should have been given only first class seats, just only have a seat option or a sleeper. when i travel with Countrylink after the Staff come round to mark me off, I go up to first class and sit their!

Ah, an admitted fare evader. Nice to come onto a railfan forum and brag about fare evading. Nice one. Tallies nicely with your other rubbish posts.

My latest XPT design concept in my war on bogies:  Seating for 240 or 350 for the CountryLink version, complete with DMU "plugin".

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9228074354_2e87bc1933_o.png

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52964239@N08/9225304375/