Free PT is easy to say and easy to sell, but the effects and benefits are complex
Categories
The great experiment: April free fares
Category: transport
All forms of transport, including gunzelly
Categories
Slow internet on trains
I am working on a post on April’s free public transport, but hold those thoughts, as it’s taking a while to work through what I want to say. In the meantime: For years I’ve been disappointed by mobile phone coverage on my usual commute. It’s very bad for much of the train journey, in particular ... [More]
Categories
Patronage during 2025
Updated public transport patronage data has just been released, including for January 2026. This is particularly interesting given the Summer Start free weekend travel that applied during December and January. Unfortunately the other data set that separates out patronage by days does not include weekend data for this period. It’s not clear if this is ... [More]
Categories
Myki Tap and Go: Public trial
It’s finally here… almost. Tap and Go fare payments will be trialled from Monday (16th March) on the Craigieburn, Upfield, Ballarat and Seymour lines. This is important technology. Having bank cards (and connected devices such as phones) as a fare payment option is vital for new and occasional users, including tourists. They don’t want the ... [More]
Categories
SRL: Provision for extra stops
To miss this chance would be incredibly short-sighted
Categories
Big event weekend
Some thoughts on public transport over a busy long weekend
Categories
Big Switch: the first week
A rocky first week of Metro Tunnel operation, and some passengers are still finding their way.
Categories
PT in the heat
I’ll have another post soon on the Metro Tunnel, from the Big Switch day, but I wanted to get this one finished first. I was keeping an eye on how public transport was affected by the extreme heat last Tuesday 27th January. The temperature in Melbourne reached a high of 42.7 degrees, but it went ... [More]
Categories
The free shortcut between stations
They fixed it
Categories
Big Switch timetable released
Metro tunnel services: every 10 minutes at most times
Categories
Where are the prices?
Fare prices have risen, but right now are displayed almost nowhere on the PT system.
Categories
Mind the gaps: trains and cricket
Extra trains for events still don’t fill the gaps on Sunday mornings
Categories
A small win
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]
Categories
West Gate Tunnel impacts
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]
Categories
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
Who’s got bank card fare payment?
Perth is about to join the list