Train pain: when the trip home from Sydney takes longer than the leg to WA

The Advertiser

23-05-2025

I'm the daughter of a railwayman and a dedicated train lover, but that wore thin last Thursday night when it took longer to travel home from Central to Cockle Creek than from southwest Western Australia.
After our 4.5 hour flight, which took five hours if you include security, we arrived at Central to experience an outage, albeit unscheduled. The ABC reported later it was over at 5.30pm.
However, leaving Central for Hornsby at 10.15pm we afterward proceeded to leapfrog home on a series of train replacement buses of descending degrees of comfort and reliability. At 4.10am on Friday we got off a bus at Cockle Creek station. The taxi controllers could not provide any help at that time, so we walked through rainy Boolaroo with our luggage until one of us set out to fetch a garaged car from Speers Point and end the six-hour saga. Although we were the final passengers aboard, the bus driver was not permitted to let us off at the Five Islands Road junction, which would have shortened the walk home.
This is not the first time we have had a delay getting home from Sydney after dark, but what a less-than-happy ending to a lovely cruise/ drive holiday.
GREG Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5), I read your opinion as if I had written it myself. Like you, I have been a Knights supporter from day one. I even got two tattoos to prove it.
I am 81 now and do not go to the games, but until this year I watched every Knights game. I made a decision to keep up my membership for both the NRL and NRLW, and have done so, but I have not watched or listened to any Knights games this year, although I will be listening to the Knights Women's team when their season starts.We continually lose young players to other clubs. I know we cannot retain every player coming through. But maybe one day. Now to Mr Dylan Brown and his bloody expensive contract. Who the hell got involved with that contract? I have mates who, like me, switched footy teams 37 years ago to follow the Knights. They are down in the dumps with Wests and the leadership groups that make up the Newcastle Knights. C'mon all you Knights supporters, get on the phone or email the Knights and let them know just how you feel.
Wal Remington, Mount Hutton
FOR those who are appalled at the destruction of Gaza and continual slaughter and starvation of its people by Israel, the hardest and most painful thing is to be branded antisemitic ("Israel pounds Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving", Herald, 16/5).
This accusation rubs salt into wounds that already exist by witnessing the genocide of a race of people The horror felt by the systematic slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust must also cause justifiable outrage and anger at what is happening now to a nation of people in the Middle East.
Two world-prominent American Jews, Ben Cohen who is co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Senator Bernie Sanders, continually make their voices of protest heard within US government circles. This is heartening, but the silence and inaction of world governments and people in high places is staggering.
I WAS surprised to read in the opinion piece "Digging the states in even deeper" (Opinion, 17/5), that Australian states and territories are set to earn about $73 billion in mining royalties between 2024/25 and 2027/28. The authors also claimed that these royalties account for almost (less than) 5% of total general government revenue across all states and territories.
It's not much, is it? Given the super profits that the mining companies have made for many years, I think it is time that they return a fair share to all the people of Australia. It is not an ideology to expect them to contribute to the society that allows them access to mine these resources. I am sure these international mining companies could afford to pay triple or quadruple what is currently being collected without a dent in their super profits. It is about time that they met their social obligations and paid more.
SUSSAN Ley wants to make the Liberals electable again by having "a Liberal Party that reflects modern Australia and that ... meets the people where they are". It will be an impossible task because "the people" of modern Australia have seen past the incessant smokescreen, culture wars of the Coalition and voted for action on fast-tracking of renewables, the acceptance of science as a guide to policy, no nuclear, no Trump-style ideology, proper living wages and fair industrial relations policy, a well-funded health system, protection of our public servants and support of our trusted institutions like the CSIRO, the ABC and our public schools. The impossible part for Sussan is that all the areas that the electorate desires and supports are the antithesis of conservative ideology. Good luck turning that ship.
THERE is still a lot of talk about the replacement of the basketball stadium. I wonder if any thought has been given to relocating the stadium to the Link Road out of Newcastle, to the left or right of the first roundabout? It would be a good location for access and seems high enough to avoid drainage issues. It would be more readily accessible to players coming from the south and north for competitions.
I DON'T know if Carl Stevenson ("Don't write nuclear off too soon", Letters, 16/5), noticed a little thing called an election, but the Liberal party can say whatever they want about nuclear power. It's like the coalition now - entirely irrelevant.
WELL written, Greg Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5). I would encourage all who may be interested in this article to read it. Although I have never claimed to be an expert of the game (far from it actually), it appears to be blatantly obvious to me that something is radically wrong with the current culture of the club. The Knights of old were really something and gave fans every reason to get excited and proud each time they played. I do realise that the game has certainly changed since those days, but surely something can be done by the "powers that be'' to restore that pride and confidence and give their loyal fans something more to cheer about.
I'm the daughter of a railwayman and a dedicated train lover, but that wore thin last Thursday night when it took longer to travel home from Central to Cockle Creek than from southwest Western Australia.
After our 4.5 hour flight, which took five hours if you include security, we arrived at Central to experience an outage, albeit unscheduled. The ABC reported later it was over at 5.30pm.
However, leaving Central for Hornsby at 10.15pm we afterward proceeded to leapfrog home on a series of train replacement buses of descending degrees of comfort and reliability. At 4.10am on Friday we got off a bus at Cockle Creek station. The taxi controllers could not provide any help at that time, so we walked through rainy Boolaroo with our luggage until one of us set out to fetch a garaged car from Speers Point and end the six-hour saga. Although we were the final passengers aboard, the bus driver was not permitted to let us off at the Five Islands Road junction, which would have shortened the walk home.
This is not the first time we have had a delay getting home from Sydney after dark, but what a less-than-happy ending to a lovely cruise/ drive holiday.
GREG Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5), I read your opinion as if I had written it myself. Like you, I have been a Knights supporter from day one. I even got two tattoos to prove it.
I am 81 now and do not go to the games, but until this year I watched every Knights game. I made a decision to keep up my membership for both the NRL and NRLW, and have done so, but I have not watched or listened to any Knights games this year, although I will be listening to the Knights Women's team when their season starts.We continually lose young players to other clubs. I know we cannot retain every player coming through. But maybe one day. Now to Mr Dylan Brown and his bloody expensive contract. Who the hell got involved with that contract? I have mates who, like me, switched footy teams 37 years ago to follow the Knights. They are down in the dumps with Wests and the leadership groups that make up the Newcastle Knights. C'mon all you Knights supporters, get on the phone or email the Knights and let them know just how you feel.
Wal Remington, Mount Hutton
FOR those who are appalled at the destruction of Gaza and continual slaughter and starvation of its people by Israel, the hardest and most painful thing is to be branded antisemitic ("Israel pounds Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving", Herald, 16/5).
This accusation rubs salt into wounds that already exist by witnessing the genocide of a race of people The horror felt by the systematic slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust must also cause justifiable outrage and anger at what is happening now to a nation of people in the Middle East.
Two world-prominent American Jews, Ben Cohen who is co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Senator Bernie Sanders, continually make their voices of protest heard within US government circles. This is heartening, but the silence and inaction of world governments and people in high places is staggering.
I WAS surprised to read in the opinion piece "Digging the states in even deeper" (Opinion, 17/5), that Australian states and territories are set to earn about $73 billion in mining royalties between 2024/25 and 2027/28. The authors also claimed that these royalties account for almost (less than) 5% of total general government revenue across all states and territories.
It's not much, is it? Given the super profits that the mining companies have made for many years, I think it is time that they return a fair share to all the people of Australia. It is not an ideology to expect them to contribute to the society that allows them access to mine these resources. I am sure these international mining companies could afford to pay triple or quadruple what is currently being collected without a dent in their super profits. It is about time that they met their social obligations and paid more.
SUSSAN Ley wants to make the Liberals electable again by having "a Liberal Party that reflects modern Australia and that ... meets the people where they are". It will be an impossible task because "the people" of modern Australia have seen past the incessant smokescreen, culture wars of the Coalition and voted for action on fast-tracking of renewables, the acceptance of science as a guide to policy, no nuclear, no Trump-style ideology, proper living wages and fair industrial relations policy, a well-funded health system, protection of our public servants and support of our trusted institutions like the CSIRO, the ABC and our public schools. The impossible part for Sussan is that all the areas that the electorate desires and supports are the antithesis of conservative ideology. Good luck turning that ship.
THERE is still a lot of talk about the replacement of the basketball stadium. I wonder if any thought has been given to relocating the stadium to the Link Road out of Newcastle, to the left or right of the first roundabout? It would be a good location for access and seems high enough to avoid drainage issues. It would be more readily accessible to players coming from the south and north for competitions.
I DON'T know if Carl Stevenson ("Don't write nuclear off too soon", Letters, 16/5), noticed a little thing called an election, but the Liberal party can say whatever they want about nuclear power. It's like the coalition now - entirely irrelevant.
WELL written, Greg Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5). I would encourage all who may be interested in this article to read it. Although I have never claimed to be an expert of the game (far from it actually), it appears to be blatantly obvious to me that something is radically wrong with the current culture of the club. The Knights of old were really something and gave fans every reason to get excited and proud each time they played. I do realise that the game has certainly changed since those days, but surely something can be done by the "powers that be'' to restore that pride and confidence and give their loyal fans something more to cheer about.
I'm the daughter of a railwayman and a dedicated train lover, but that wore thin last Thursday night when it took longer to travel home from Central to Cockle Creek than from southwest Western Australia.
After our 4.5 hour flight, which took five hours if you include security, we arrived at Central to experience an outage, albeit unscheduled. The ABC reported later it was over at 5.30pm.
However, leaving Central for Hornsby at 10.15pm we afterward proceeded to leapfrog home on a series of train replacement buses of descending degrees of comfort and reliability. At 4.10am on Friday we got off a bus at Cockle Creek station. The taxi controllers could not provide any help at that time, so we walked through rainy Boolaroo with our luggage until one of us set out to fetch a garaged car from Speers Point and end the six-hour saga. Although we were the final passengers aboard, the bus driver was not permitted to let us off at the Five Islands Road junction, which would have shortened the walk home.
This is not the first time we have had a delay getting home from Sydney after dark, but what a less-than-happy ending to a lovely cruise/ drive holiday.
GREG Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5), I read your opinion as if I had written it myself. Like you, I have been a Knights supporter from day one. I even got two tattoos to prove it.
I am 81 now and do not go to the games, but until this year I watched every Knights game. I made a decision to keep up my membership for both the NRL and NRLW, and have done so, but I have not watched or listened to any Knights games this year, although I will be listening to the Knights Women's team when their season starts.We continually lose young players to other clubs. I know we cannot retain every player coming through. But maybe one day. Now to Mr Dylan Brown and his bloody expensive contract. Who the hell got involved with that contract? I have mates who, like me, switched footy teams 37 years ago to follow the Knights. They are down in the dumps with Wests and the leadership groups that make up the Newcastle Knights. C'mon all you Knights supporters, get on the phone or email the Knights and let them know just how you feel.
Wal Remington, Mount Hutton
FOR those who are appalled at the destruction of Gaza and continual slaughter and starvation of its people by Israel, the hardest and most painful thing is to be branded antisemitic ("Israel pounds Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving", Herald, 16/5).
This accusation rubs salt into wounds that already exist by witnessing the genocide of a race of people The horror felt by the systematic slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust must also cause justifiable outrage and anger at what is happening now to a nation of people in the Middle East.
Two world-prominent American Jews, Ben Cohen who is co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Senator Bernie Sanders, continually make their voices of protest heard within US government circles. This is heartening, but the silence and inaction of world governments and people in high places is staggering.
I WAS surprised to read in the opinion piece "Digging the states in even deeper" (Opinion, 17/5), that Australian states and territories are set to earn about $73 billion in mining royalties between 2024/25 and 2027/28. The authors also claimed that these royalties account for almost (less than) 5% of total general government revenue across all states and territories.
It's not much, is it? Given the super profits that the mining companies have made for many years, I think it is time that they return a fair share to all the people of Australia. It is not an ideology to expect them to contribute to the society that allows them access to mine these resources. I am sure these international mining companies could afford to pay triple or quadruple what is currently being collected without a dent in their super profits. It is about time that they met their social obligations and paid more.
SUSSAN Ley wants to make the Liberals electable again by having "a Liberal Party that reflects modern Australia and that ... meets the people where they are". It will be an impossible task because "the people" of modern Australia have seen past the incessant smokescreen, culture wars of the Coalition and voted for action on fast-tracking of renewables, the acceptance of science as a guide to policy, no nuclear, no Trump-style ideology, proper living wages and fair industrial relations policy, a well-funded health system, protection of our public servants and support of our trusted institutions like the CSIRO, the ABC and our public schools. The impossible part for Sussan is that all the areas that the electorate desires and supports are the antithesis of conservative ideology. Good luck turning that ship.
THERE is still a lot of talk about the replacement of the basketball stadium. I wonder if any thought has been given to relocating the stadium to the Link Road out of Newcastle, to the left or right of the first roundabout? It would be a good location for access and seems high enough to avoid drainage issues. It would be more readily accessible to players coming from the south and north for competitions.
I DON'T know if Carl Stevenson ("Don't write nuclear off too soon", Letters, 16/5), noticed a little thing called an election, but the Liberal party can say whatever they want about nuclear power. It's like the coalition now - entirely irrelevant.
WELL written, Greg Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5). I would encourage all who may be interested in this article to read it. Although I have never claimed to be an expert of the game (far from it actually), it appears to be blatantly obvious to me that something is radically wrong with the current culture of the club. The Knights of old were really something and gave fans every reason to get excited and proud each time they played. I do realise that the game has certainly changed since those days, but surely something can be done by the "powers that be'' to restore that pride and confidence and give their loyal fans something more to cheer about.
I'm the daughter of a railwayman and a dedicated train lover, but that wore thin last Thursday night when it took longer to travel home from Central to Cockle Creek than from southwest Western Australia.
After our 4.5 hour flight, which took five hours if you include security, we arrived at Central to experience an outage, albeit unscheduled. The ABC reported later it was over at 5.30pm.
However, leaving Central for Hornsby at 10.15pm we afterward proceeded to leapfrog home on a series of train replacement buses of descending degrees of comfort and reliability. At 4.10am on Friday we got off a bus at Cockle Creek station. The taxi controllers could not provide any help at that time, so we walked through rainy Boolaroo with our luggage until one of us set out to fetch a garaged car from Speers Point and end the six-hour saga. Although we were the final passengers aboard, the bus driver was not permitted to let us off at the Five Islands Road junction, which would have shortened the walk home.
This is not the first time we have had a delay getting home from Sydney after dark, but what a less-than-happy ending to a lovely cruise/ drive holiday.
GREG Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5), I read your opinion as if I had written it myself. Like you, I have been a Knights supporter from day one. I even got two tattoos to prove it.
I am 81 now and do not go to the games, but until this year I watched every Knights game. I made a decision to keep up my membership for both the NRL and NRLW, and have done so, but I have not watched or listened to any Knights games this year, although I will be listening to the Knights Women's team when their season starts.We continually lose young players to other clubs. I know we cannot retain every player coming through. But maybe one day. Now to Mr Dylan Brown and his bloody expensive contract. Who the hell got involved with that contract? I have mates who, like me, switched footy teams 37 years ago to follow the Knights. They are down in the dumps with Wests and the leadership groups that make up the Newcastle Knights. C'mon all you Knights supporters, get on the phone or email the Knights and let them know just how you feel.
Wal Remington, Mount Hutton
FOR those who are appalled at the destruction of Gaza and continual slaughter and starvation of its people by Israel, the hardest and most painful thing is to be branded antisemitic ("Israel pounds Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving", Herald, 16/5).
This accusation rubs salt into wounds that already exist by witnessing the genocide of a race of people The horror felt by the systematic slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust must also cause justifiable outrage and anger at what is happening now to a nation of people in the Middle East.
Two world-prominent American Jews, Ben Cohen who is co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Senator Bernie Sanders, continually make their voices of protest heard within US government circles. This is heartening, but the silence and inaction of world governments and people in high places is staggering.
I WAS surprised to read in the opinion piece "Digging the states in even deeper" (Opinion, 17/5), that Australian states and territories are set to earn about $73 billion in mining royalties between 2024/25 and 2027/28. The authors also claimed that these royalties account for almost (less than) 5% of total general government revenue across all states and territories.
It's not much, is it? Given the super profits that the mining companies have made for many years, I think it is time that they return a fair share to all the people of Australia. It is not an ideology to expect them to contribute to the society that allows them access to mine these resources. I am sure these international mining companies could afford to pay triple or quadruple what is currently being collected without a dent in their super profits. It is about time that they met their social obligations and paid more.
SUSSAN Ley wants to make the Liberals electable again by having "a Liberal Party that reflects modern Australia and that ... meets the people where they are". It will be an impossible task because "the people" of modern Australia have seen past the incessant smokescreen, culture wars of the Coalition and voted for action on fast-tracking of renewables, the acceptance of science as a guide to policy, no nuclear, no Trump-style ideology, proper living wages and fair industrial relations policy, a well-funded health system, protection of our public servants and support of our trusted institutions like the CSIRO, the ABC and our public schools. The impossible part for Sussan is that all the areas that the electorate desires and supports are the antithesis of conservative ideology. Good luck turning that ship.
THERE is still a lot of talk about the replacement of the basketball stadium. I wonder if any thought has been given to relocating the stadium to the Link Road out of Newcastle, to the left or right of the first roundabout? It would be a good location for access and seems high enough to avoid drainage issues. It would be more readily accessible to players coming from the south and north for competitions.
I DON'T know if Carl Stevenson ("Don't write nuclear off too soon", Letters, 16/5), noticed a little thing called an election, but the Liberal party can say whatever they want about nuclear power. It's like the coalition now - entirely irrelevant.
WELL written, Greg Mowbray ("Knights leadership must give fans something to believe in", Opinion, 16/5). I would encourage all who may be interested in this article to read it. Although I have never claimed to be an expert of the game (far from it actually), it appears to be blatantly obvious to me that something is radically wrong with the current culture of the club. The Knights of old were really something and gave fans every reason to get excited and proud each time they played. I do realise that the game has certainly changed since those days, but surely something can be done by the "powers that be'' to restore that pride and confidence and give their loyal fans something more to cheer about.