Free public transport is back in the news this week. In the wake of high petrol prices, the Victorian Greens have proposed it to help provide relief and switch people onto public transport. In recent weeks, New Zealand has halved its public transport fares for three months, and Tasmania has made theirs free for five ... [More]
Things have been busy, so I’m a bit behind on blogging things. A few things in brief, then the big news. Wednesday night delays Last night saw major delays affecting the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines between about 4pm and 5:30pm, impacting peak hour. This was due to a track fault at Flinders Street, and it ... [More]
One of the rituals of the Budget (both State and Federal) is the lock-up. That’s where you get to see the Budget papers before they’re all released, but you can’t leave until they’ve gone public. For the State Budget, there’s a lock-up for journalists, and another for special interest groups/stakeholders. I attended the latter this ... [More]
There’s been a flurry of pre-budget announcements in the world of PT. Hurstbridge line works extended by a week as they grapple with signalling issues on the rebuilt section of track. Apparently it’s down to compatibility issues between new signalling equipment and old. This was announced on Tuesday afternoon. Amazingly, almost 24 hours later, PTV’s ... [More]
A post in an occasional series wrapping up a few brief transporty things from the last week or two. The new train design This might be the least crowded train I’ve ever caught. That’s because it’s a pretend train, a mock-up of a carriage and a half, somewhere in a warehouse in outer-suburban Melbourne. I ... [More]
New public transport timetables kick in on August 27th. Last week (or maybe it was the week before), PTV released details, including full timetables for the routes affected: Metro: More trains at peak times V/Line: More choice with more services Altona Loop users rejoice! (A bit) There will be no more Altona Loop shuttles. Weekday ... [More]
This is an occasional series, when a few things happen during the week and I want to put a word in… ABC: Ticket inspectors taking tram user’s phone to seek proof of identity unacceptable, PTV says This is a concern, but context is important. It’s a matter of degrees. I think whether it’s acceptable or ... [More]
Covering the last few weeks, which started off pretty quiet, so let’s see how this goes as a monthly post. But I’ll post on V/Line issues and elevated rail separately. Night Network performance This seems to have been pretty good in the first few weeks. Overnight/early morning services on the 2nd and 3rd of January ... [More]
The experiment continues. This time it’s turned out to be short posts, rather than a ream of news. Southland Station delayed Monday 2015-12-21 — Southland construction pushed back into 2016. Completion is now expected in early 2017. The Opposition said the construction should have been at the same time as the North/Mckinnon/Centre level crossing removals, ... [More]
Monday 2015-12-14 — Delays on numerous Metro lines (Frankston, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Craigieburn, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee, Williamstown) following late-running weekend rail works. If you watch the Brit rail docos, this is the sort of thing they are constantly stressing about, so it’s unfortunate but perhaps not a surprise that it sometimes happens here. Monday 2015-12-14 — ... [More]
Consider this an experiment… a post each weekend summing up a few things from the week. Tuesday 2015-12-08 — Flagstaff station to open on weekends from January. The Victorian Government finally confirmed what we already knew. Not before time. Tuesday 2015-12-08 — Ventura Buses has its Christmas bus out and about again, and a competition ... [More]