Categories
Bentleigh transport

A steam train passes

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]

Categories
transport

The Ombudsman’s report on Myki (and other IT projects)

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]

Categories
Consumerism transport

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]

Categories
transport

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]

Categories
transport

Some reasons why the east-west road Eddingtunnel makes no sense

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]

Categories
Movember transport

Movember day 11 update, and a hard-to-get photo

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]

Categories
transport

How timely are Metro’s SMS alerts? (and SMS vs web)

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]

Categories
Film Melbourne Photos transport Video games

A few pics: Myer, trams, crocs and Star Wars

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]

Categories
transport

How many tram routes have low-floor trams?

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]

Categories
Brisbane 2011 transport

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]

Categories
transport

Why a Z-class tram was used for the Queen’s visit

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]

Categories
transport

Australia’s airport trains and buses compared

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]