This afternoon I heard steam train whistles, and after some digging, discovered it was R-class R707 headed down to Frankston, and that it would be coming back a little later. Happy to take a break from the sorting out of paperwork that I’d been doing, I took a punt at the time it would pass ... [More]
Category: transport
All forms of transport, including gunzelly
Last Wednesday the Ombudsman/Auditor General report into government ICT (Information & Communications Technology) projects was released. Included in the list of projects gone bad that it investigated was our old favourite Myki, with some interesting findings on the timings and costings: The TTA business case dated 27 April 2004 had forecast total expenditure of $741.9 ... [More]
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Coke ads on the sides of trains
It was bound to happen once they started putting advertising on the sides of trains: Coke ads. Given trains are seen not just by passengers but also by motorists and pedestrians at level crossings, it could be quite lucrative for Metro. One can only hope the money goes into better services. My guess is we ... [More]
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How much does a train cost?
Sometimes when the media or politicians want to highlight what they see as massive government waste (particularly in the transport arena, but also in other areas), they compare it to how many extra trains could have been bought instead. While it may seem a little myopic, I think overall it’s a good thing. It’s a ... [More]
Some reasons why the Rod Eddington-proposed east-west road tunnel makes no sense: 1. Eddington’s own study showed the road tunnel would have a benefit/cost ratio of just 45 cents in the dollar. 2. Even including the rather wobbly “wider economic benefits” only got it up to 72 cents. (Only by lumping in other projects including ... [More]
If you won’t donate for me growing a moustache, how about for getting this picture? Train, tram and bus in one pic. Despite a train theoretically every minute or two between Flinders Street and Southern Cross, three tram routes (excluding the City Circle) and numerous bus routes passing this intersection, it took a surprising amount ... [More]
Last Friday MX ran a story about Metro plans to shut down its SMS text alert service, in favour of pushing people towards the mobile web site and Twitter. This was sparked by an ad earlier in the week in MX, station posters, and an email sent to SMS subscribers, all encouraging people to “say ... [More]
I don’t have a proper blog post for you, so here’s a few pictures from the last week or so. If you were looking for Myer’s Lonsdale Street store, it’s gone — almost all of it except the facade. (When I was a kid, we often went into the City on a Friday night, had ... [More]
By my count… (please flag in the comments if I mess it up) Most trams on routes: 96, 109 Some on routes: 5, 6, 8, 16, 48, 72, 112 None on routes: 1, 3/3a, 19, 30, 35, 55, 57, 59, 64, 67, 70, 75, 78/79, 82, 86, City Circle Some (minor routes) 24, 42 Some ... [More]
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Buses, trains, and bus ways
Today’s Movember update here (I’ll post the latest pics to the blog every 2-3 days.) A lot of people express a preference of trains over buses. I suspect it’s mostly about ride quality. Railed vehicles are generally going to be smoother than tyred vehicles. And there’s also perception of permanence (and in Melbourne, perception of ... [More]
A lot of people have asked why a Z-class tram was chosen for the Queen’s tram ride (rather than Melbourne’s traditional and iconic W-class, for instance). Here’s the answer: W and A-class trams don’t have handrails in the middle of the doorways, which can be a big help for older people. B-class trams do, but ... [More]
I’ve done a quick comparison of the main airport to CBD public transport in Australia’s biggest cities. Brisbane and Sydney have trains at premium fares. Perth and Adelaide have normal route buses. Melbourne has a premium bus. City MEL SYD BNE ADL PER Mode Bus Train Train Bus Bus Distance (km) 23 8 13 6 ... [More]