The Overland

[ozbob]

Geelong Advertiser --> The Overland train remains in limbo as funding negotiations continue

FUNDING negotiations have delayed the release of next year's Overland train timetable.

While 2016-17 fares for The Ghan and Indian Pacific were released on Monday, passengers will have to wait for details about The Overland, which runs from Melbourne-Geelong-Adelaide.

The train currently stops at North Shore Station four times a week.

Great Southern Rail chief executive Chris Tallent said the new timetable was contingent on the outcome of funding negotiations.

"The Overland currently receives funding from both the Victorian and South Australian Governments to operate the rail service between Melbourne and Adelaide and its continued operation is dependent on that support," Mr Tallent said.

"Discussions with both Governments to extend the current agreement beyond December 31 this year commenced a few months ago and remain ongoing.

"We anticipate an outcome in the coming weeks at which time we can provide a further update."

It comes after the Federal Government cut $9 million in funding that was used to subsidise pensioner fares on The Ghan and Indian Pacific, resulting in cuts to services.

From July 2016, peak period Ghan services will be halved to once a week, the same as off-peak periods.

Trips on the Indian Pacific between Sydney, Adelaide and Perth will also be reduced to once a week, all year round.

At the same time, ticket prices for pensioners and war veterans will rise sharply in response to the federal government's withdrawal of subsidies.

Among the worst fare hikes, the cost of a sleeper berth for a war veteran travelling from Adelaide to Broken Hill will soar from $83 to $969

[verbatim9]

Geelong Advertiser --> The Overland train remains in limbo as funding negotiations continue

FUNDING negotiations have delayed the release of next year's Overland train timetable.

While 2016-17 fares for The Ghan and Indian Pacific were released on Monday, passengers will have to wait for details about The Overland, which runs from Melbourne-Geelong-Adelaide.

The train currently stops at North Shore Station four times a week.

Great Southern Rail chief executive Chris Tallent said the new timetable was contingent on the outcome of funding negotiations.

"The Overland currently receives funding from both the Victorian and South Australian Governments to operate the rail service between Melbourne and Adelaide and its continued operation is dependent on that support," Mr Tallent said.

"Discussions with both Governments to extend the current agreement beyond December 31 this year commenced a few months ago and remain ongoing.

"We anticipate an outcome in the coming weeks at which time we can provide a further update."

It comes after the Federal Government cut $9 million in funding that was used to subsidise pensioner fares on The Ghan and Indian Pacific, resulting in cuts to services.

From July 2016, peak period Ghan services will be halved to once a week, the same as off-peak periods.

Trips on the Indian Pacific between Sydney, Adelaide and Perth will also be reduced to once a week, all year round.

At the same time, ticket prices for pensioners and war veterans will rise sharply in response to the federal government's withdrawal of subsidies.

Among the worst fare hikes, the cost of a sleeper berth for a war veteran travelling from Adelaide to Broken Hill will soar from $83 to $969

I have ridden that train and its all long ride between Mel and ADL without the mod cons of Wi-Fi and modern seats and service. There is cafe cart and power points to recharge phone. I think a modern tilt train DMU and EMU once Electrification has been planned and completed as well as duplication and realignment of track. 6-7 hours is a better respectable travel time by train between those 2 cities

[pandmaster]

The Man in Seat 61 is reporting that the Overland has been axed. Apparently he has a source in the know. I think it is a bit premature and is unconfirmed, though still an interesting development. http://www.seat61.com/Australia.htm#Melbourne-Adelaide

I have ridden that train and its all long ride between Mel and ADL without the mod cons of Wi-Fi and modern seats and service. There is cafe cart and power points to recharge phone. I think a modern tilt train DMU and EMU once Electrification has been planned and completed as well as duplication and realignment of track. 6-7 hours is a better respectable travel time by train between those 2 cities

I would love to see an electric tilting train Melbourne to Adelaide. I think it is a long, long way off though unfortunately. I do not think there is much population along the line between Geelong and Adelaide. Some coach trips take around about the same amount of time and many are longer, so I do not think the train is too bad an option. The frequency is a kiler for me. In the short term: seeing the current service to go daily would be fantastic, though it seems we will be lucky to have any service at all.

[ozbob]

7 News --> SA chips in $1m to keep Overland on track

The South Australian government will provide more than $1 million to keep the Overland passenger train service running between Adelaide and Melbourne for at least the next three years.

Under the funding deal Great Southern Rail will continue to operate two return services each week, Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan says.

"We are a strong supporter of the Overland service and we want to see it continue," Mr Mullighan said.

The state government has supported the service for the past 15 years and currently provides about $300,000 a year.

The Victorian government also provides some funding.

Until Thursday's announcement, Overland services were not guaranteed beyond the end of 2015, and fears were held for its continued operation after GSR moved to cut services for its Ghan and Indian Pacific trains.

From July 2016, the Ghan will only run between Darwin and Adelaide once each week, instead of twice, with the same changes to be made to the Indian Pacific train between Perth and Sydney.

Mr Mullighan said under the terms of new funding GSR had agreed to relocate operational and office staff in other states to Adelaide, and had committed to supporting local contractors for maintenance, capital and operational works.

"About 100,000 people use the Overland, Ghan and Indian Pacific each year and the services play an important role for the South Australian tourism industry," Mr Mullighan said.

[ozbob]

My last trip on the Overland was in 1970 ... just sayin' ...     

[pandmaster]

My last trip on the Overland was in 1970 ... just sayin' ...     

I reckon you should go for another trip soon before it goes. Even if it is saved by Andrews, the writing is on the wall for the service.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/alpsa/status/1033516059893030912

[ozbob]

My last trip on the Overland was in 1970 ... just sayin' ...     

I managed to do a trip on The Overland 8th January 2016 > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11737.msg166431#msg166431

[Stillwater]

What's the rolling stock like?  Its useful life?

[Gazza]

Its useful life?

It reached the end of its useful life when Virgin Blue / Tigerair appeared 

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/9NewsAdel/status/1033638212474826752

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railmaps/status/1059622430484815872

[achiruel]

And this is the problem with long distance rail travel in Australia, we have a few large cities separated by large swathes of almost nothing.

Even between Sydney and Brisbane, which IIRC is the most densely populated intercapital route, most of the people live within ~150 km north of Sydney or ~ 100 km south of Brisbane. The largest cities between Newcastle and Tweed Heads are Maitland at 78k, and it's already served by interurban rail, and Port Macquarie at 48k, which the train doesn't even service. Coffs is 4k, then Ballina around 27k and Grafton about 17k. I was honestly surprised by Grafton being that small, but the facts are clear, the population really isn't there outside the major conurbations.

[ozbob]

IN Daily --> Great Southern Rail to launch Adelaide-Brisbane service

EXCLUSIVE | A new luxury train service between Adelaide and Brisbane is set to launch, InDaily can reveal. Meanwhile, it remains unclear if taxpayer funding for the Overland service to Melbourne will continue.

Great Southern Rail, the company that operates the Ghan and the Indian Pacific, will soon add a new railway journey to its offering to take tourist passengers from Adelaide to Brisbane and back.

InDaily understands the company intends to publicly launch the service – the "Great Southern" – on December 3.

It will involve a three-day northbound journey featuring guided tour stops at the Grampians in Victoria, Canberra and at beaches in New South Wales.

The return journey will include beachside dining in northern New South Wales, a tour of the Hunter Valley and a stop at the Twelve Apostles in Victoria.

InDaily also understand that Great Southern will begin operating in December next year, with eight departures between the beginning of that month and the end of January 2020.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed that: "Great Southern Rail is indeed developing a new multi-day rail holiday", adding that it will "be launched to the public shortly".

Little movement on the Overland

Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether the SA Government will continue subsidising Great Southern's Overland passenger service between Adelaide and Melbourne.

Both the Victorian and South Australian governments have given taxpayer funding to maintain the service for decades.

Earlier this year, the SA Labor Party raised concerns that a lack of guaranteed funding from the Marshall Government beyond 2018-19 threatened the future of the twice-weekly passenger rail service.

At the time, Acting Premier Vickie Chapman declined to say whether or not the Government would continue to subsidise the service – adding that passenger numbers had been falling as a result of cheap airplane travel.

The company says it is still yet to received any assurance of funding from SA.

"The ongoing operation of The Overland remains dependent on support from both SA and Victorian Governments," the spokesperson said.

InDaily has approached the South Australian Government for comment, but has not yet received a response.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/GreatSthnRail/status/1067183790181748738

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Dreadnought1/status/1067334697779228672

[ozbob]

The Overland --> Future of The Overland rail service in doubt after State Government pulls funding

The future of The Overland train service has been thrown into doubt after the State Government axed funding after the end of this year.

Great Southern Rail confirmed on Wednesday evening that unless the service, which operates between Adelaide and Melbourne, finds financial backing before the end of December it will be scrapped.

The decision was based on low passenger numbers across the service as well as doubts about its long term financial viability.

Great Southern Rail managing director Steve Kernaghan said that the Victorian Government had contributed their portion of funding to extend the life of the service for 15 months from August.

"Great Southern Rail has been notified this week that the South Australian Government has decided not to extend its financial support of The Overland beyond this year," Mr Kernaghan said.

"The Overland has consistently required support from both South Australian and Victorian Governments for its long-term commercial viability.

"This support has heavily subsidised significant operational costs to ensure affordability for commuters.

"The Victorian Government recommitted its support to The Overland in August for an additional 15 months.

"Our intention is to advise regular patrons what is happening with the service so they can make informed travel decisions for the future."

Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said it was a "difficult decision" to scrap the tax payer subsidy for the Overland service.

"In challenging fiscal times, the State Government needs to carefully prioritise its funding to maximise benefits for all South Australians," Mr Knoll said.

"This particular service has a relatively low patronage, particularly within regional South Australia, therefore required a taxpayer subsidy to remain viable.

"There are many other transport options for South Australians, tourists and these regional communities including various coach and air services.

"I appreciate this will be disappointing for those who use The Overland however the Marshall Government is prioritising funding towards regional projects that will benefit South Australia, such as the $750 million Regional Roads and Infrastructure Fund."

Great Southern Rail is now searching for new opportunities to extend the service beyond December 2018.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/9NewsAdel/status/1067694331035701248

[achiruel]

Seriously, why are Liberal governments always so f!@#ing dumb when it comes to public transport? Clearly ALP aren't perfect but Liberal/LNP basically don't give a sh*t in most cases and would rather just build roads.

[ozbob]

Save The Overland twitter timeline ...

>> https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveTheOverland?src=hash

[Stillwater]

So, would the plan be that, with the operation of a Brisbane-Adelaide luxury train from December 2019, that train hitches up an economy carriage for the Melbourne-Adelaide leg -- chips and sealed sandwich packs from a dispensing machine down the back?

[achiruel]

Why would a Brisbane to Adelaide train go via Melbourne?

[Stillwater]

The company advises that its Brisbane-Adelaide trip involves a picnic by the sea in northern NSW and an excursion to The Grampians. 

[ozbob]

#FridayFlashback#SaveTheOverland
B CLASS DIESEL No.60 (HAROLD CLAPP) ON OVERLAND TRAIN https://t.co/sUEe2r7veq
Overland train at Eden Hills, 4.25pm, 8 September 1951https://t.co/6BgHKNIxn9 pic.twitter.com/DvUkwqVYN2

— ozbob13 (@ozbob13) November 29, 2018

[ozbob]

Here's a petition (sorry it's change. org but what can you do)https://t.co/SSs4tZe6l2#SaveTheOverland@railmaps @declanmartin75 @Dreadnought1

— Operational Incident (@OperationalInc1) November 29, 2018

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/PeriStrathearn/status/1070856156107628544

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/andrew_lund/status/1070875285795426305

[SurfRail]

The Victorians could pay GSR to just run a shuttle from Ararat to Nhill or Bordertown if it is that worthwhile.  It certainly didn't look that busy when I was last on it a few years back.

Ultimately they should be looking at gauge converting more of the Victorian network, which will mean they can run standard gauge trains all the way from Melbourne to the border via Ballarat.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railmaps/status/1070905849055391744

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1071141439294201857

[ozbob]

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/stepping-in-to-save-the-overland-for-western-victoria/

Stepping In To Save The Overland For Western Victoria

Minister for Public Transport

11 December 2018

The Andrews Labor Government will save the iconic Overland train service between Melbourne and Adelaide, which connects passengers from South Australia, Western Victoria and Geelong on the historical route.

Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne today announced the Government has stepped in to keep a key part of Australia's transport history alive by providing $3.78 million to help fund the route for 2019.

The 131-year-old route was put in jeopardy when the South Australian Government announced it would not be funding the service after December 31.

The 828-kilometre service is operated by Great Southern Rail (GSR), which has been supported by both the Victorian and South Australian Governments since 2000.

The Labor Government has since pledged to ensure the twice-weekly service – which also stops at Murray Bridge, Bordertown, Nhill, Dimboola, Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and North Shore in Geelong – will continue in 2019.

The service first ran as the Adelaide Express in 1887, before becoming the Overland in 1926. It has been operated by GSR since 1997.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne

"We've stepped in because the Overland provides an important connection to South Australia and for people Western Victoria, and because it's an Australian rail treasure."

"Communities from across Western Victoria have told us how important this route is for their travel and to the history of their town – that's why we're continuing our support for this historic service."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railmaps/status/1072395596374380550

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/9NewsMelb/status/1072395291435909120

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AndreaLNicolas/status/1072611492678254592

[ozbob]

The Overland --> Victorian funding to ensure Overland stays running

The Andrews Government will spend $3.78 million to ensure the Overland train service between Melbourne and Adelaide stays open in 2019.

The 131-year-old route, operated by Great Southern Rail, was put in jeopardy when the South Australian Government announced last month it would discontinue its $330,000 annual contribution to the service on December 31.

The train runs between Melbourne and Adelaide, but also acts as a regional rail service for Western Victoria.

Victorian public transport minister Melissa Horne said on Tuesday the state would boost its funding by $200,000 to help make up for South Australia's funding shortfall, so the service can continue to operate.

"We've stepped in because the Overland provides an important connection to South Australia and for people in Western Victoria, and because it's an Australian rail treasure," Horne said.

"Communities from across Western Victoria have told us how important this route is for their travel and to the history of their town – that's why we're continuing our support for this historic service."

Great Southern Rail welcomed the $200,000 addition of new funding by Victoria, but noted it meant it would still absorb $130,000 in new operational costs.

It said it would conduct a formal review of the service's future in early 2019, but ensured passengers the service would run at least to the end of 2019.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1072730457878347776

[#Metro]

Great Southern Rail welcomed the $200,000 addition of new funding by Victoria, but noted it meant it would still absorb $130,000 in new operational costs.

New operational costs? From what?

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1076375253511589888

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1083859831839027200

[ozbob]