mr mover

come on PB you know ozzies treat trains as cute tourist things , you want to go any were in this country you fly. the INDIAN-PACIFIC, {perth -syd], THE GHAN, [adelaide-alice}the OVERLANDER, [adelaide-melb], even the new train from Adelaide to Darwin , when the line opens later this year are always booked out by Tourists. Trains in this country are freight carriers, the average freight train here , would carry 3times the weight of its European equivalant ........Amazulu , you being a rail man could prehaps verify this,, i was in SUD AF in 82 and they still ran really big coal burners , a sight to see ......... MM

Badge

I have done the 3 day Perth - Sydney "IP" TWICE!!!! (including stopovers at Kalgoorlie).

ie. There AND back twice......it does crawl at times - but thats not the point. It's not a high speed train just a cargo train which takes passengers as well.

It is booked out mainly by backpackers on 350 dollar 6 month passes and retirees taking their cars over who pay for first class.
The bizaare experience is stopping at Cook on the Nullabor - a gost town.

I have also done the GHAN from Alice to Adelaide.
It goes all the way to Darwin from Alice from 2004.

badgers

lynnj

Badgers

Did you keep your anorack on all the time or did the heat force you to take it off?


Lynn

mr mover

yu bin drin,kin badge ?............. mm

hevs

Rail speed restrictions have been put in place as UK temperatures edge towards record levels.

Network Rail imposed the restrictions on many of Britain's busiest lines, amid fears of rails buckling in temperatures of up to 33C.
The speed restrictions will bring trains which normally travel at up to 110 miles an hour, down to 60


Now thats quality isn't it. First there was leaves on the line, the wrong kind of snow. And now introducing for those special British summer days "too hot"

Meridian

Britain is getting hotter and hotter. It seems like everybody is spending their summer holidays in England, beautiful England (to quote Peter Kay).

And by the way, the chain tunnel speed links are being done on time and under budget.

gOD

It does make you wonder doesn't it. How do trains run in really hot places? How do trains run in really leafy places? What about really snowy places?

I have suggested to my MP and rain company that they send staff on training courses to places like India and Siberia to see how a modern system runs. Doesn't look like they have taken up my idea yet

Amazulu

Yes, a factfinding mission to "Third World" countries like India or China where the trains run in extreme heat. I work in the industry & the argument used is that it is too expensive & "over engineered" to have a system that works properly in all temperatures, what a load of bollocks. Can anyone tell us what it is like in Australia ?.

Amazulu

CTRL is a prestigious politically motivated project that has had the necessary funding, anyway a lot of the technology for it comes from France & Germany.

pommie bastard

You lot are slow , how does the train network con more cash from the Goverment , lets see take the piss ?

Kiwipaul

I've never heard of any speed restrictions in Australia, but saying that we don't have that many high speed trains, most seem to average about 60/70kph. But the system here is still nationalised, in NZ where they privatized about 10 years ago the company asset stripped it did min maintenance and now they have all sorts of problems in hot weather (speed restrictions of 40kph).

I think the gov has just agreed to spend $NZ200 to repair the track infrastructure. Sound like BR dosn't it.

Amazulu

A lot of the budget in the rail industry is being diverted from capital projects to maintenance due to the Hatfield & Potters Bar accidents, the network is knackered & patching it up to keep it running is costing a fortune (about 4 billion), therefore projects to improve the system are being delayed or cancelled.

pommie bastard

Try Perth to Kal half that speed would be flat out , you dream on.