THIS letter is in support of the recent press release from the City of Swan Hill and the need to maintain a buffet car on our Swan Hill service.
I travel from Kerang and as your would be aware, the service takes just on four hours to reach Southern Cross.
On the night service, from Southern Cross, due to my age, I prefer to travel in car B, where the buffet if located, not only for the service but having a transport official in the car is just so reassuring.
I have viewed the standard gauge service to Albury, and offer some improvement of what may or may not be proposed for the Swan Hill line.
Let me first state that I prefer to be hauled by locomotive and travel in noise-free carriages for long distance.
So please consider a XPT type train for this service, with four carriages, a buffet that is accessible to all passengers, loco at each end and noise-free travel for long distance.
You may lose a few seats by having a buffet on the train, but simple modifications could reduce the space required, like simply having an automated hot and cold drinks service external to buffet in vending machines.
Please re-design your consist of carriages for all of us travelling distance.
I finish by stating we need a good train, and I don’t like the idea of sitting on top of a polluting diesel engine for about four hours.
Take us to a new beginning in Victoria.
Bruce Davey
Kerang
