Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.
(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
I’m way behind on posting my regular photos from ten years ago, so here’s July and August 2015. Ten years ago they were actively replacing the old Myki readers at stations… a process that is now repeating. A rarity: advertising for improved public transport services, in this case the ten minute frequency on the Frankston ... [More]
You can claim now for Metro, Yarra Trams, and V/Line poor performance
It’s Rail Safety Week. It’s a good reminder of what we can all do to stay safe around trains and trams. I was wondering if Victoria’s massive Level Crossing Removal Program has improved safety. (Warning, some of the content below is a bit grim) The TrackSafe foundation has data on fatalities in Victoria, and breaks ... [More]
There is another big Metro tunnel test next weekend, August 16-17. Like last time, trains will run between Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham, but passengers will be offloaded between Footscray and Caulfield onto other trains. Leaving aside the faux peaks, similar to last time, the timetables show these daytime (interpeak) and evening frequencies: One key difference this ... [More]
The Campbell Arcade (aka the Degraves St subway) re-opened this week, and I just thought I’d post the quick video I did for the PTUA social media feeds. (Yes of course it’s got an advocacy message.) Thirty seconds after I filmed this, the Metro Tunnel project director came past. I didn’t ask him, but I ... [More]