XPT Country Link trains

Country Link train from Melbourne to town of Rutherglen:

The XPT line that passes my usual stop at Wangaratta actually travels all the way from Melbourne to Sydney and vice versa.

It is good, but as with most long distance trains, not always on time, and how nice the train is depends on whether you get a new train or an old one.

If you are lucky enough to get one of the newer trains, the ride is beautiful. The air-conditioning is fresh, the seats clean, and they have foot rests, tray tables and meals if you want them.

Goodluck if you get an old one. You will invariably get put next to the one stinky man on the train and the seats are less roomy and the cars generally more stuffy. They are dirty, they do have footrests and meals, but perhaps the most irritating thing is that they won't announce why they are stopping, or going at a snails pace if they have to.

I once took an old train, that was late arriving at Southern Cross in Melbourne, and then took an extra hour to get to Wangaratta. In the stretch where the train was moving at a snails pace, nobody told us why we were going so slow. I wasn't very impressed!

In summary, this service is good, as long as you get a newer train!