Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.
This has been an issue for decades: the quickest way into Flinders Street station from the north, the Campbell Arcade/Degraves Street subway taking you under the road, had zero signage to direct you there. Unless you knew, how would you guess it takes you to the station? I seem to recall being told there was ... [More]
At this time of year, my local Coles and Woolies each have a menorah on display – a candlestick with nine (electric) candles, with one more lit each day of Hanukkah. I’m sure it’s the same in other suburbs with significant Jewish populations. It might be hundreds of kilometres away, but the awful events at ... [More]
Very busy at the moment – and still trying to get the Europe blogs done. So here’s a quick one. The West Gate Tunnel opens on Sunday – despite the name it’s a mostly elevated road connecting the West Gate Freeway to CityLink, but also with exits to the docks and to Melbourne’s CBD. The ... [More]
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]
Perth is about to join the list
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]
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]
Alas it was time to head home from Europe. Why? Because we’d booked tickets for the Oasis concert on Melbourne Cup night! So we’d booked our flights to arrive home about 24 hours earlier. I’d pondered taxi vs train to Barcelona airport. Two of our party leaving the following day were going via taxi, in ... [More]
(These travel blogs have a lot of pictures. If you’re reading via email and they don’t appear, click through to see them.) One of the cool things about our accommodation in Barcelona was it was close to everything… including Passeig De GrĂ cia, a Metro station with a connected railway station for suburban and regional trains. ... [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]
Exploring Barcelona – more Gaudi, and the Gothic Quarter
For today we planned to visit Montserrat (“serrated mountain”), a mountain and historic town about 90 minutes outside Barcelona. Organising this was a bit confusing. The visitor info says to get there you catch an R5 train to Monistrol de Montserrat station (Carrer del Pont), then use the rack railway to reach the town. (Another ... [More]
Good morning Barcelona! After breakfast we headed to the Picasso museum, which included a walk through an extraordinarily long tunnel in Passeig de GrĂ cia station. The Picasso museum is undergoing renovation, but most of it was open, and we wandered around looking at some amazing pieces, then had a beverage in the cafe. After that ... [More]
It was our first full day in Barcelona, and there was heaps to explore. First we walked to a nearby market to find some fresh fruit, bread and cheese. These had been plentiful everywhere we went in France, especially the bread and cheese. The market was good, had plenty of stalls and a wide range. ... [More]
A morning of train delays, but we got there in the end
A visit to the historic city, the Palace of the Popes, the bridge, and a murmuration of starlings!