Railways in Australia

[Aussie_Rail]

G'day all!

Just wondering if there is anyone here who has travelled on any of the trains here? What was your thought on them compared to the trains you have back home?

Ryan

 

[cityrail-m-train]

Well from another Australian's perspective, the trains here in sydney are crap, you don't get any seats and even standing is now considered a luxury. Can't wait till the new Oscars come in.

 

[Doorslammer]

Boring as bat**** seems to be a new catchphrase for me.

 

[P156KWJ]

apparently you're stuck with connex over there? Is that true? I feel so sorry for you if it is! When Connex was over here and managed the tunnel-baan in Stockholm, they couldn't run a bath, let alone a complicated suburban network!

 

[Dennis]

G'day all!

Just wondering if there is anyone here who has travelled on any of the trains here? What was your thought on them compared to the trains you have back home?

Ryan

I'm sure there would be a few XPT fans on here; our HST's are all being silenced :cry:

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Yes, in Melbourne we have Connex running our trains. They are pretty bad, but they try to make things better. A few months back there were protests to have stripped of their contract to run our trains, which at the moment is up for renewal or and a tender has been opened for interested parties, of which SNCF and a Singaporean company expressed interest.

Depending on what one mentioned 'boring as bat****' then I guess you could be right, but its better than having nothing I guess.

XPT services from Melbourne to Sydney, Sydney to Brisbane and Sydney to Griffith are operated by Country Link in New South Wales. The trains they use are based on a 1980's UK version and only travel at 110km/ph.

Where here in Victoria we have these relatively new V'locity trains which were bought as part of Victoria's 'Regional Fast Rail' project and they travel at 160km/ph.

I'd like to see a TGV type service running between Melbourne and Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide, but I won't hold my breath for that.

 

[Doorslammer]

Depending on what one mentioned 'boring as bat****' then I guess you could be right, but its better than having nothing I guess.

I used it in the context of Perth's exciting adventures of rail travel (suburban electrics with the freightlines to elsewhere). Not a lot here that I can say pleases the eye. Although I may have mentioned somewhere else that the Prospector and AvonLink/Australind units are nice. The old Prospector units just looked like eyesores when they were starting to be ending their career.

 

[5872]

I still prefer 43056 with 43206 on NXEC :grin:

 

[cityrail-m-train]

I'd like to see a TGV type service running between Melbourne and Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide, but I won't hold my breath for that.

Ryan.

Apparently they proposed a TGV style service running between canberra and sydney nicknamed 'speedrail' but unfourtunatly it didn't go ahead becuase of budget blowouts.

 

[P156KWJ]

I still prefer 43056 with 43206 on NXEC :grin:

nahh, 43007 on XC

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Apparently they proposed a TGV style service running between canberra and sydney nicknamed 'speedrail' but unfourtunatly it didn't go ahead becuase of budget blowouts.

Interesting. I recall details of a 'HST' linking Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney via Bairnsdale and the Great Dividing Ranges with journey times of around 3 hours each way.

Ryan.

 

[cityrail-m-train]

They've also been talking about axing the XPT service and replacing them with coaches.

Shame if they actually stopped the service, it was a true symbol for Sydney.

 

[Callufrax]

They've also been talking about axing the XPT service and replacing them with coaches.

Shame if they actually stopped the service, it was a true symbol for Sydney.

After the money that's been spent on refreshing the XPT fleet, I can't really see them being withdrawn and replaced by coaches. Some Xplorer services, though, well that could be different. But some of those should be upgraded as well, particularly the service out to Broken Hill - An Xplorer is hardly suitable rolling stock for that run!

 

[rustynswrail]

XPT services from Melbourne to Sydney, Sydney to Brisbane and Sydney to Griffith are operated by Country Link in New South Wales.

The Griffith service is an Explorer railcar, as is the Canberra, Broken Hill, Moree and Armidale services. The XPT is Sydney to Melbourne, Sydney to Brisbane and Sydney to Dubbo. And return of course.

Countrylink is also the largest road coach opertor in the country, rather sad when it is supposed to be a rail operator, but that's politics!

R

 

[D841]

G'day all!

Just wondering if there is anyone here who has travelled on any of the trains here? What was your thought on them compared to the trains you have back home?

Well - let's see.

In 2 trips to Oz, not specifically for trains, I've done:

in 1998/99

Adelaide - Sydney on the Indian Pacific
Cairns - Maryborough West on the Sunlander
Maryborough West - Brisbane on the tilt train
Brisbane - Sydney on the XPT
Adelaide broad gauge suburban and Brisbane narrow gauge suburban trains
Puffing Billy steam railway, Victoria
Melbourne suburban services

in 2005

Victor Harbour Cockle Train (broad gauge steam to and from Goolwa)
Victor Harbour - Granite Island Horse Tramway (one of only 2 in the world, allegedly)

On the first trip, I was spoiling myself with 1st class travel, mostly, so I enjoyed being pampered a bit on the Indian Pacific. I wasn't impressed with the puritan attitude towards alcohol on all the trains, though. The Sunlander was a minor disappointment. When I booked (in Sydney), I thought I had booked on the Queenslander, with inclusive meals, etc., but it turned out that it wasn't running that month so I ended up paying extra for pretty mediocre food on the train. The tilt train was something else! 160 km/h on 3'6" track is pretty spectacular, and I travelled 1st class, with a forward view of the track, and a very nice lunch!

I did the XPT trip in 2nd class, having been assured by the booking clerk in Sydney that 1st class wasn't worth paying for! Given the company I had to keep in 2nd [1], I was sorry I hadn't paid the difference. It was a really interesting trip, though, and I'm glad I did it. The XPT is a lot different to our HSTs here, because the accommodation all converts from sleeping to daytime use and vice versa. Our HSTs have never had sleeping accommodation, although there are loco-hauled MkIII sleeping cars (similar coaches).

I also enjoyed the forward view on the Adelaide suburban units. Forward views used to be quite normal in the UK, on 1st generation dmus, but the 2nd generation stuff is all built with the driver's cab in front of a solid wall, and forward views are no longer possible.

On the second trip, I was visiting friends near Adelaide. Apart from the above, I visited the Port Dock railway museum in Adelaide itself, and the broad gauge museum at Mount Barker (?), where I found out that Prince Charles is a steam fan. On both trips to Adelaide, I rode the old trams on the Glenelg line and I'm pleased I've got plenty of video of them, given the modern trams which have been / are being introduced since my last visit. The broad gauge steam trip to Goolwa was good fun, too. I considered doing the Indian Pacific over the Nullarbor to Perth on this trip, but the horrendous prices being quoted for it decided me against it. Is it still operated by Serco?

[1] I'm using the abbreviations 1st and 2nd class, but I have a feeling they are actually called something different.

 

[flymo]

Only been on a couple of the trains in and around Sydney, both times in the last 10 months or so. Stayed with friends in Gosford recently and took the train into Sydney to head home. To be honest I didn't think the trains were too bad although that blinking awful green colour on the seats could do with a change. We got the train that started from Gosford as the one from Newcastle {or was it Wyong?} was a bit late. We had a few bags with us which weren't easy to store but we managed OK.
The trains heading out to the airport I found OK but a bit basic, still they seemed Ok and ran to time. All in all a comfortable 90-odd minute journey for about 20 Aussie dollars. The expensive bit was the little bit from Sydney to the Airport, the long bit from Gosford was cheap as anything.
On another note, last year driving back to Sydney from Brisbane I drove back along some of the New England Highway. This bit (somewhere between Tenterfield and Guyra) followed the course of a railway, or did the railway follow the road, and found it quite interesting. I guess that the trains are not running there anymore judging by the track but very picturesque none the less.

Got a few pics of the area around Guyra and Llangothlin.

Guyra Approach

South of Glen Innes

Guyra Station

Llangothlin

 

[mumrar]

Llangothlin

Blimey, I thought that was in Mid-Wales! Seriously, it just looks like a phonetic version of the same.

 

[flymo]

Blimey, I thought that was in Mid-Wales!

It is in Wales (well New South Wales anyway).

 

[rustynswrail]

Blimey, I thought that was in Mid-Wales! Seriously, it just looks like a phonetic version of the same.

Us colonials borrowed a few place names from the mother country, eg; Perth, Penrith, Liverpool, Newcastle, Gosford as opposed to Gosforth but close enough.

R

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Us colonials borrowed a few place names from the mother country, eg; Perth, Penrith, Liverpool, Newcastle, Gosford as opposed to Gosforth but close enough.

R

And the rest, Doncaster, Hampton, Cranbourne, Berwick to name a few, there are actually so many though.

Anyway, Adelaide, South Australia is where its all happening now days, their suburban network is being electrified and they are getting some Alstom trams from Madrid as well as a few new flexity trams on top of the ones they have now.


AR

 

[flymo]

Just got back from 2 weeks in Perth and I was quite impressed with the local rail network there. I liked the look of the local lines north to Clarkson, south to Mandurah and west to Freo (didn't see the others). New looking rolling stock and electrified lines, it looks like there has been a lot of money spent there on railways in recent years.

 

[Aussie_Rail]

They spent a lot of money building the new line down to Mandurah, I think its 70km of double, electrified track which is a pretty good investment for Perth.

It will be a while before any of the other states build anything rail related to match that one. Mind you though Western Australia are probably the richest state in Australia, they have unbelievable amounts of mining going on there and recently they were the only Liberal governed State (all the other states are Labor) to release a surplus budget in the hundreds of millions, everywhere else was a deficit.

So I expect there might be some more similar sized development going on over there soon then.

 

[peterinsurrey]

I'm an ex Sydneysider, and have lived here for 3 years. The best journeys out of Sydney are the South Coast Line, The Blue Mountains Line, and the Central Coast Line. All are 'Intercity' services (really Interurban), and the trains are some of the most comfortable around, and that includes recent uk/european stock. Although I'm not talking about the modern stock that is increasing being used on the South Coast & Central Coast. The 'V' Sets are the ones with the 'awful' green seats, which are reversible, and have more padding & are much more comfortable than what you find on a 1st Class train of comparable distance here. The later series of trains had orange seats with fabric inserts, and gold tinted windows which kept the heat out & the air conditioning working efficiently. Unfortunately, all have lost their gold windows, and orange seating, so now have the green vinyl coverings, but just as comfortable. You do feel the sun a bit more through the windows now. There is no first class on CityRail, and the interurbans also stop to pickup in the suburban areas. I used to wait for these on my way to work & change at Central instead of using the plastic Tangaras direct. But you'll appreciate them on a 40 degree day.

The main problem with CityRail is government. Privatisation won't help, just like it didn't help in the UK. The standard of service would drop to embarrassing levels.

 

[90019]

I remember travelling on a Tangara last christmas in Sydney; I was sitting on the top deck, and the windows being curved felt really strange, and I had to avoid looking near the bit where they curved.
I think I also was briefly on a K set, but I'm not too sure about that.
Of my somewhat brief experience, I did enjoy the CityRail network, but there was one thing I noticed and thought was a bit odd, I think it was either the L, R, S, K or C sets (I'm not sure my memory's rather patchy, but it was in the centre of Sydney if that helps), they never seemed to be properly formed, but it seemed to be a random mix of driving cars and trailers.

 

[Aussie_Rail]

I'm an ex Sydneysider, and have lived here for 3 years. The best journeys out of Sydney are the South Coast Line, The Blue Mountains Line, and the Central Coast Line. All are 'Intercity' services (really Interurban), and the trains are some of the most comfortable around, and that includes recent uk/european stock. Although I'm not talking about the modern stock that is increasing being used on the South Coast & Central Coast. The 'V' Sets are the ones with the 'awful' green seats, which are reversible, and have more padding & are much more comfortable than what you find on a 1st Class train of comparable distance here. The later series of trains had orange seats with fabric inserts, and gold tinted windows which kept the heat out & the air conditioning working efficiently. Unfortunately, all have lost their gold windows, and orange seating, so now have the green vinyl coverings, but just as comfortable. You do feel the sun a bit more through the windows now. There is no first class on CityRail, and the interurbans also stop to pickup in the suburban areas. I used to wait for these on my way to work & change at Central instead of using the plastic Tangaras direct. But you'll appreciate them on a 40 degree day.

The main problem with CityRail is government. Privatisation won't help, just like it didn't help in the UK. The standard of service would drop to embarrassing levels.

Yes, Government is what holds them back, the same could be said in Melbourne, both cities have some great potential in terms of public transport and better efficiency with trains, but the Government hold them back by not doing enough, and when they do lift their finger its not enough or really half-assed.

And privatising would be even worse, they still call for Melbourne's network to be Government run again and its been privatised for over 10 years!

 

[Callufrax]

Of my somewhat brief experience, I did enjoy the CityRail network, but there was one thing I noticed and thought was a bit odd, I think it was either the L, R, S, K or C sets (I'm not sure my memory's rather patchy, but it was in the centre of Sydney if that helps), they never seemed to be properly formed, but it seemed to be a random mix of driving cars and trailers.

Yup. The S, R, and L sets are a random mixture of Comeng-built and Goninan-built stock. It's only been since the introduction of the K sets that they've been less random - and even then, they were a mix of first (with forced air ventilation, initially) and second (fully air-conditioned) series carriages. The C 'chopper' sets were the first truly non-mixed sets.

Also, many S, R, and L motor cars have been converted to trailers.

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Yup. The S, R, and L sets are a random mixture of Comeng-built and Goninan-built stock. It's only been since the introduction of the K sets that they've been less random - and even then, they were a mix of first (with forced air ventilation, initially) and second (fully air-conditioned) series carriages. The C 'chopper' sets were the first truly non-mixed sets.

Also, many S, R, and L motor cars have been converted to trailers.

They also did that with the old Hitachi trains in Melbourne, some of the sets still running have an Motor car converted for use as a trailer car.