The Overland - How can we fix it?

The Overland is an Australian long-distance passenger train which has operated between Adelaide and Melbourne in various forms since 1887. Once considered an essential passenger service, and running in both directions every single night, today the train is lucky to still run at all - being timetabled to make just two return trips per week. In this video I explore some relatively simple changes which I think could be made to return this train to a useful passenger service, rather than the attempted-tourist novelty it is today. I am not covering major or mega-expensive options that would make this train truly world-class, instead the focus on this video is on achievable short term changes which would bring the train back to a standard that attracts patronage. I make several comparisons to the NSW TrainLink XPT service which operates between Melbourne and Sydney - this train is also far from perfect, but I think forms a good template of what sort of thing can work in a similar environment. It has a regular, predictable timetable - and that's actually the main thing you need to attract passengers.

Want to help support the channel, get early access to new content and exclusive behind the scenes videos? Join me on Patreon:   / taitset  

If you want to see another analysis on this which takes some different angles, check out ‪@AussieWirraway‬'s video on the same topic here:    • The Overland: Why It Sucks And How To...  

Credit must also go to ‪@melbournesparks3828‬, who I have spent many hours with discussing how to fix this train.

At the end of the video I mention the book 'The Overland, a social history' by John Wilson. It's an excellent read and you can get it here: https://www.sarlinesbooks.com.au/book...

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:47 - Frequency
05:04 - Private Operation/Identity Crisis
07:35 - Why does it take so long?
13:18 - Rollingstock
18:30 - Bonus Chapter: The Keswick Conundrum!
21:48 - Conclusion

#railways #australia #transport #trains