Hello from an aeroplane somewhere between Milan and Singapore – I’m posting this from the air, lucky enough to be returning from a European holiday, my first time overseas since 2017. This time we stayed in three countries, five cities, visited three other cities, saw incredible architecture, famous landmarks, amazing old town streets, stunning scenery, ... [More]
(Not a transport post. Skip this if you’re not interested in my other ramblings.) Have been busy, but here is a follow-up on a post from when I last bought a phone – an iPhone 13 in late 2021, which is now coming up to 4 years old. What’s that in dog years? My aim ... [More]
A couple of newish things in the world of public transport info that have flown under the radar. Metro now has realtime info for rail replacement buses. Perhaps it’s a soft launch because I can’t see a link to the info on the excellent Planned Works page on their web site. Instead, if you browse ... [More]
Sunday! After breakfast in the hotel, we had a morning walk around the neighbourhood, ending up back at Hyde Park. The Royal Parks Half Marathon was underway, with organisers cordoning off paths, getting ready for the energetic people to come through. Though busy, the park was still enjoyable, and while overcast, it was looking like ... [More]
Surviving jet-lag
(backdated post) Friday morning: time to head for Europe! Thankfully not an early morning flight – they are not my favourite. I finished packing then caught a train to Footscray to collect my travelling companion, then (for reasons of speed and convenience) we caught an Uber to the airport. They recommend arriving 2-3 hours early ... [More]
Inspired by Alon Levy’s quick-fire Bluesky threads full of transport ideas, here’s some quick-fire points from me: These are some priorities for fixing on Victoria’s public transport network. I’m excluding anything already underway (such as bank card fare payment and Melbourne Airport Rail), and for the most part I’ve focused on system-wide issues rather than ... [More]
(backdated post) How fast can you get a passport renewal? Pretty fast if you’re prepared to pay. With about a week until the holiday, the travel agent pointed out that I had just five months left on my passport. I was already aware of this. I’d checked, and five was enough for the countries we’d ... [More]
So busy at the moment, but here’s another post in my regular series of photos from ten years ago: September and October 2015. The “New” Spirit of Tasmania at the old dock at Port Melbourne. It’s since moved down to Geelong, in a spot pretty much inaccessible by any means other than car.(What’s the person ... [More]
It’s not your imagination. Trains have got slower.
A 2013 document envisaged more frequent trains every day on most of Melbourne’s rail network
Comparing annual patronage: Amtrak vs NSW Trainlink vs V/Line