ABC: Train use strengthens rail line fight: lobby group

[Red_Rattler]

This may sound political, but isn't, and anyway, isn't political issues part of transport be it trains or not?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/17/2448530.htm

Train use strengthens rail line fight: lobby group
Posted Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:24am AEDT

Lobby group Save Our Rail says new data on rail patronage levels in New South Wales strengthens its case to keep Newcastle's inner-city rail line.

The independent pricing regulator IPART yesterday announced Newcastle's bus fares will increase on average by about 5.5 per cent next year, while rail fares will jump an average of 12 per cent over four years.

IPART also released figures on rail patronage levels, with train passenger journeys increasing 5.2 per cent last financial year.

Save Our Rail president Joan Dawson says the figures add weight to his group's fight to keep Newcastle's heavy rail line.

"It's the sort of trend that we've expected to occur because it's fairly apparent in this present age that rail transport will become more important with climate change predictions and the need to be more ecologically aware," he said.

IPART chief executive officer Jim Cox says he does not expect the upward trend in patronage numbers to slow down soon.

"More people have been using the trains, patronage has been increasing rapidly in recent years," he said.

"It shows that people are coming to trust the service perhaps more than they did a few years ago and my guess is that things like the recent increases in petrol prices, even though they've been reversed to some extent, will encourage people in the outer areas to go on to trains more than they have done in the past."

Newcastle Buses' general manager David Witherdin says the new fare rises are modest, given the level of service being provided.

IPART's data shows Newcastle's bus fares account for about 25 per cent of the total fare revenue in outer metropolitan areas.

Mr Witherdin says he is pleased commuters are embracing local bus services.

"There's been some really pleasing trends there over the last six months in particular for Newcastle buses," he said.

"You know we're actually growing patronage month on month and when you look back over a number of years of declining patronage in Newcastle, to actually turn that around, it's been a really positive thing."

 

[Tokkyu40]

We've had the same thing happening here. When gasoline passed $4.00 a gallon a lot of people discovered that the trains and buses were a lot nicer than they thought when a tank of gas only cost $35.
They also bought a lot of motor scooters. A lot of those are for sale now that the weather has turned colder here and gas fell to $1.50.
Gas consumption is still well below last years demand and public transit has kept many of its customers, especially the more comfortable trains.

Claude

 

[Red_Rattler]

Tokkyu40, I can understand your point about fuel prices especially at $US4 ($AU5.71, £UK2.59 at my latest info) per gallon, but this is about greedy property developers & greedy businesses(1) trying to get the rail land so they can put high rise and large scale buildings on the rail land, as the land is money, money, money to them.

1. And one of the main people that wants the heavy rail to go, is the manager of a certain hobby shop that sells model trains. BUT please their are a few hobby shops, so I ask people NOT to confuse these hobby shops, nor will I name the one in question, and request others NOT to name the hobby shop either.