CountryLink Totally Explained

Everything about Countrylink totally explained

CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and from New South Wales into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity. CountryLink operates a skeletal rail service using two types of rollingstock- the XPT and the Xplorer, and contracts out connecting bus services to private operators.

History

CountyLink was formed as a business unit of the State Rail Authority in 1989 to operate all non-metropolitan long distance passenger services. It inherited a fleet of XPT and locomotive hauled passenger trains. This was following the election of the Greiner State Government in 1988 and the publication of the Booz- Allen Hamilton report into NSW rail services. This report recommended closing all country passenger services as they were considered economically unviable, however this was politically not feasible.
The reports fall-back position was that NSW move to an all XPT fleet, a move which was initially implemented but never fully introduced. Many locomotive hauled long distance trains, such as the Brisbane Limited and the Pacific Coast MotoRail were withdrawn and replaced by XPT services at about this time. In 1993, CountryLink introduced its first and only new passenger stock- the Xplorer railcar, to replace the Northern Tablelands XPT to Tamworth and locomotive hauled services to Canberra. In 1996, political pressure forced the government to reintroduce passenger services to Griffith, initially as a weekly locomotive hauled service and later a weekly Xplorer service. A weekly service to Broken Hill was also reintroduced at about the same time.
In 2004, with the formation of RailCorp, CountryLink became an operating brand of the new corporation.

Network

Rail Infrastructure Corporation in country NSW, RailCorp in greater metropolitan NSW and the Australian Rail Track Corporation in Queensland and Victoria. The hub of its operation is Sydney's Central railway station. The CountryLink ticket office is located on platform one and along with the Sydney Coach Terminal it's one of the city's main commuter and long-distance transport hubs.

North Coast region

The North Coast region covers the Central Coast, North Coast and Northern Rivers regions, and South-East Queensland. Accordingly the Government of Queensland makes a contribution to the provision of these services. North Coast region services appear on the network map in red. Services run along the Main North and North Coast lines from Sydney to Roma Street station in Brisbane. XPT trains serve:

Brisbane, Queensland
Broadmeadow, New South Wales
Casino, New South Wales
Grafton, New South Wales
Taree, New South Wales Connecting buses serve coastal destinations including Alstonville, Byron Bay, Lennox Head, Lismore, Murwillumbah, Port Macquarie, Robina, Surfers Paradise, Tuncurry and Tweed Heads.

North Western region

The North Western region covers the state's North West, Northern Tablelands and Hunter regions. North Western region services appear on the network map in orange. Services run from Sydney to the junction at Werris Creek. Two branch lines are in operation, to Moree and Armidale. Xplorer trains serve:

Armidale, New South Wales

Moree, New South Wales

Narrabri, New South Wales

Tamworth, New South Wales Connecting buses serve smaller destinations including: Burren Junction, Inverell, Tenterfield, Walcha and Wee Waa.

Southern region

The Southern region covers the Illawarra, South Coast, Snowy Mountains, South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands, Riverina and Sunraysia regions plus the Australian Capital Territory and parts of Victoria. Accordingly the Government of Victoria (though not the ACT Government) makes a contribution to the provision of these services. Southern region services appear on the network map in green. Services run on the Main South line between Sydney and Albury, continuing on the North East line to Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, with a branch at Goulburn serving Canberra and a branch at Junee serving Griffith. XPT trains serve:

Melbourne, Victoria Xplorer trains serve:

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Griffith, New South Wales Connecting buses serve smaller destinations including: Bombala, Echuca, Eden, Griffith, Jindabyne, Mildura, Queanbeyan, Tumbarumba and Wollongong. Southern region services, which cover destinations in the Snowy Mountains, run to an amended timetable in the summer months.

Western region

The Western region covers the Central Tablelands and Western regions. Western region services appear on the network map in yellow. Services run on the Main Western line between Sydney and Dubbo, and the Broken Hill line to Broken Hill. XPT trains serve:

Bathurst, New South Wales

Dubbo, New South Wales

Orange, New South Wales Xplorer trains serve:

Broken Hill, New South Wales

Parkes, New South Wales Connecting buses serve smaller destinations including: Baradine, Bourke, Brewarrina, Condobolin, Coonabarabran, Grenfell, Gulgong, Lightning Ridge, Nyngan and Oberon.

Rolling stock

XPT and the Xplorer. The XPT fleet is maintained at a purpose-built facility in the Sydney suburb of Sydenham. Xplorer Railcars are maintained at Eveleigh, next to the facilities used to maintain Cityrail's Millennium train. It is anticipated that a significant investment in new rolling stock—around $855 million—will be required in the next decade if CountryLink is to continue as a provider of services by rail.

Onboard facilities

The XPT fleet was based on the InterCity125 developed in the UK in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Most of this fleet has now been replaced by more modern trains such as the British Rail Class 221. These trains have power points for mobile phones and laptops which XPTs do not. “The only power supply available to passengers is for the use of electric shavers. Electric shaver power points are provided in your sleeping berth and in the men's toilets. Please don't use these power points for laptop computers or any other electrical devices as the power supply on CountryLink trains is subject to surges.” (External Link

) Passengers on British trains may take animals free of charge. (External Link

) CountryLink will only allow assistance animals.
There is a marked difference between the XPT and British inter-city trains with regard to other onboard facilities. For example Virgin Trains, in addition to at-seat mobile-charging points and laptop power points, offer large disabled toilets, baby change facilities and priority seating for those with mobility problems.(External Link

). At stations they offer First Class passengers Wireless Broadband Internet access, free refreshments and even showers (at Euston only). (External Link

)

Current issues

Ministerial Inquiry On 9 December 2003, the Minister for Transport Services released Professor Tom Parry's Final Report of the Ministerial Inquiry into Sustainable Transport. Known as the "Parry Report" it recommended refocusing Countrylink, and to adjust fare structures.
   "CountryLink currently operates a number of train services that move relatively small numbers of passengers," the inquiry has concluded, noting that the high cost of maintenance and the need to replace rolling stock "makes these services very expensive ... they're expected to become even more expensive in the future." At the time of the report operating expenditure is around five times as much as revenue gained through ticket sales.
   The low numbers of passengers are due largely to the high prices CountryLink charges for tickets. This is due to the government view of the service not as an essential part of regional transport infrastructure, but as a cost against their budget that must be reduced wherever possible. The Inquiry doesn't appear to attempt any calculation of the economic benefits produced by enhanced urban-regional and inter-regional transport links.
   The Inquiry also noted that in 2002-03, CountryLink incurred $29.9 million in costs associated with advertising, booking and selling tickets, against $43.5 million in fare revenue. "This is more than two thirds of the revenue received from passengers and is excessive," the Inquiry report stated.
   The Inquiry made eight specific recommendations for "refocusing CountryLink":Ticket prices increased on 1 November.
   Transport minister John Watkins told the Sydney Morning Herald that "To protect commuters who want a continued rail option, the Government has made a number of changes to booking options in an effort to secure CountryLink's future and boost patronage." Mr Watkins also said in front of news crew that the refurbishment of the XPTs would also encourage more people to use the trains. However the Opposition questioned how price increases would increase patronage.

Outdated Infrastructure

Rural NSW suffers from outdated and poorly maintained track. Much of the rail system used by CountryLink was constructed in the late 1800s and essentially the same track alignment remains more than 100 years after it was first laid down. Replacement of essential works such as bridges has been delayed for very long periods of time. According to a survey by the National Trust (External Link

) there are a number of iron lattice truss girder bridges still in use in country NSW. The oldest of these crosses the Macquarie River at Bathurst. It was constructed in 1876. Plans were made to replace it in 1912 and again in 1985 but neither came to fruition. The Rail Infrastructure Corporation inspected the bridge in May 2003 and recommended that it be replaced within 5 to 10 years.(External Link

) There are speed restrictions of 10 km (freight) and 30 km (passenger) per hour for trains crossing the bridge.
Auslink, the government body which provides a planning framework and funding for the Australian Government's investment in land transport infrastructure, in its 2006 report Sydney Dubbo Corridor Strategy, determined that one of its short term priorities would be to "Address inefficiencies in sections of railway track including sections with poor condition bridges, track and tunnels and outdated signalling systems." (External Link

) The Parry Report, referred to above, didn't make any reference to improved under-rail infrastructure in rural NSW which would assist CountryLink to overcome its immediate challenges.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Countrylink'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://countrylink.totallyexplained.com">CountryLink Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.