Fast Train Project – Rockhampton linking with Gladstone

[petey3801]

Mr Gambling's proposal is for Queensland Rail to provide an engine, six carriages and staff, while he would undertake to sell the tickets and take the financial risk.

"The frustrating thing for me is that feasibility is not an issue. I fear all this prevarication will see the opportunity lost," he said. Capricorn Enterprise chief executive Mary Carroll said she was dismayed by some of the negative reaction to the recent feasibility report.

If he's willing to take on the financial risk for the project, then why not give it a try and see how it goes? The public really hasn't got much to lose from it and everything to gain...

[HappyTrainGuy]

This is just me but there shouldn't be a MR about using a translink fare system for something in Rockhampton based on a short inturban pt system for a long distance interburban train.

How do you know it would generate an extra $400,000 for TravelTrain? Have you taken into account the result of any passengers not being able to do the longer commute because someone has paid a heavily subsidised $12 for a seat to go a short distance? What about school/group bookings? TravelTrain packages? What about holiday season when people can easily fill a TT for a long trip? Should those that are willing to pay full price lose their seats. TT's are a long distance passenger/tourist train. Not short/interburban services that we have here. Sure there is nothing stopping you from making short trips on them but expect to pay a bit more than someone using public transport on a system that is based around more than 1 long distance service each way. The current TTs already have restrictions on how long 1 passenger can occupy a seat. Caboolture doesn't accept boardings to the City/drop offs from the City. Same with Landsborough and Nambour. If no one is on the intinerary for a stop it gets bypassed. Why not send a 3 car IMU up there. Even better why not run a special bus service. Its about $40 for a Greyhound ticket. $30 for a TiltTrain ticket. And you want to more than half that based on observations of a long distance train? I don't see the TTs being a viable option especially if you make them translink fare cheap. So you might fill seats Rocky-Gladstone but you end up losing money on the people forking out extra money for Rocky-Gladstone and beyond. Clem7 used a similar method at making more money. They had more cars using the tunnel but weren't making as much. They jacked up the prices, lost a few thousand daily trips, made a couple extra thousand as a result.

Best short term option would be running a bus service. If demand for it exists or if that picks up demand by all means trial a IMU for 6-12 months and stay away from using the TiltTrains as a means to provide it.

[HappyTrainGuy]

The Government has the whole IMU fleet at its disposal (if you got the money you can rent a train. Similar to what QRN has frequently been doing by renting ICE trains for driver training). Only problem is the lack of ATP but there are contracts in place for the instillation of ATP on the 100/120 series and option for instilation of the 160 series.