Categories
transport

Metro tunnel opening day!

Some observations: Lots of people riding the new line, despite the weather. The stations are looking great. Some hiccups with escalator faults and at one stage a disruption near Anzac station (apparently due to trespassers near Hawksburn). No issues that I saw with the 7-car trains stopping at the front of the future-proofed 10-car length  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Who’s got bank card fare payment?

Perth is about to join the list

Categories
transport

What we know about the Metro tunnel opening

So now we know the when Metro Tunnel will open: Sunday 30th of November, with a temporary timetable dubbed the “Summer Start” – then the full service commencing on Sunday 1st February 2026. Summer free rides I’ve been told by the State Government that the previously advertised free fares on weekends in December and January  ... [More]

Categories
Europe 2025

Back from Europe!

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]

Categories
Geek / tech

The aging iPhone

(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]

Categories
transport

More realtime info

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]

Categories
Europe 2025

Climbing the Mount of the Martyrs

Another fine Paris morning. We hopped on the Metro… I was beginning to think everything in Paris is about 30 minutes away: a 10 minute walk to the Metro, a 10 minute Metro ride, and a 10 minute walk at the other end… but of course it was a product of where we were staying  ... [More]

Categories
Europe 2025

Art and Arc in Paris

We’d been warned about scams and pickpockets in Paris. This seems to be backed up by any number of online videos showing examples of the problems. Apparently it’s phones rather than wallets that are the most commonly stolen items. Phone theft is also a problem in London. Seems like the thieves have worked out that  ... [More]

Categories
Europe 2025

Seat 61 to Paris

(Backdated post. I’m falling a bit behind on these, but expect more soon) Time to change countries! We packed up our luggage and walked to Edgware Road tube, which we caught to St Pancras. (Looking at this picture, I just realised I’ve misspelt Edgware in an earlier post. It only has two Es. Now fixed.)  ... [More]

Categories
Europe 2025

A day in Londinium

One last full day in London before we headed elsewhere. After breakfast we hopped on the Circle Line and headed to Blackfriars -the train was packed, and it’s an indirect route but potentially the fastest by avoiding changes. From there we walked along the river to the Tate Modern. It’s in an old power station  ... [More]

Categories
Europe 2025

Exploring Oxford

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]

Categories
Europe 2025

Arriving in London

Surviving jet-lag