All forms of transport, including gunzelly
It’s taken a while, but it looks like full mobile coverage in the City Loop is imminent. It’s been available in the stations since about 2000, but the signal generally cuts out as the trains enter the tunnels. There are four separate Loop tunnels. For months people have reported the signal being available in one ... [More]
I’d love to post an awe-inspiring blog post this morning, but I haven’t got one. (There are some in the works). Instead I’ll just note some quick things: I’m speaking, with some others, at Idea Bombing Melbourne this Thursday night, the topic being: “Tapestry of a City”. Facebook event / EventBrite — it’s free, but ... [More]
In today’s Age, former National Party leader and Deputy PM Tim Fischer is quoted as saying the new Regional Rail Link should have had a flyover where the Geelong and Ballarat lines converge. And due to congestion, trains sometime have to wait for five minutes for the track to be clear, he said. “Nobody builds ... [More]
This is an update of a 2010 post where I quickly compared the different types of trains then in service. Since then the Hitachi trains have been taken out of service, and I also thought I’d briefly describe where the names come from. (The Hitachi trains got their name because the design was by Hitachi, ... [More]
On Saturday I took a look at the Burke Road level crossing removal — it’s being done as part of the same package as the North/Mckinnon/Centre Roads crossings, but is well ahead of them in terms of progress. The official web site has details of the project — because there’s space available, the new rail ... [More]
Back at uni, in one of my subjects we read a great book called The Design Of Everyday Things. In it, author Donald Norman highlights bad designs, often noting: “It probably won a prize”. One of the hallmarks of good design at railway stations is being able to see the information that you need to ... [More]
I think everyone accepts that public transport is worthwhile, but not perfect. The Age today highlights rail capacity problems. The source document is a presentation from PTV, and page 5 summarises the bottlenecks: (This is similar to a diagram in the 2012 rail Network Development Plan) So, change is needed on the public transport network. ... [More]
Default fares kind of make sense (an assumption about where someone travelled if they don’t touch-off), but the way they’re implemented under Myki leaves a lot to be desired. An example from Saturday, when I zipped down to Geelong and back on the train. Summarising the official history: 12:15 Touched-on at Footscray (zone 1). The ... [More]
I for one welcome our new public-transport-loving overlord. As recently as Friday, new Prime Minister-designate Malcolm Turnbull was riding trams in Melbourne: And here comes today's tram – the number 70 to take us to Hawthorn and a morning with @JoshFrydenberg pic.twitter.com/zeGCmct6nj — Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) September 10, 2015 It’s great that — unlike Tony ... [More]
Grade separating level crossings has numerous benefits: it allows more trains to run without impacting on others, it cuts delays to motorists, bus/tram passengers, pedestrians (including train users) and cyclists. And emergency services. Clayton is particularly bad for this, because it’s so close to Monash Medical Centre, but it’s not uncommon to see ambulances or ... [More]
The tram stoppage is on today. From about 8:30 trams start heading back to depots, and won’t resume fully until about 3pm. Full details on the Yarra Trams web site, including precise last/first times, replacement services and alternative services. As I’ve written before, getting around the CBD is actually not too hard without trams. Even ... [More]
This podcast from ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live a few months ago is a 30 minute nugget of transport and city ideas: Why fund rail when roads are our future? Ignore the thoroughly incorrect title and the first minute or two from the host, previewing the later parts of the program. The participants throw ... [More]