Too busy to blog last week, but may I recommend this article instead. I definitely get the sense that after years of disruptions, patience is wearing thin. In the face of confusing and sometimes wrong information, and inadequate staff and bus provision, this is hardly surprising – especially on the lines most regularly affected. As ... [More]
It’s January, and while lots of people have heard about the City Loop closure, less well-publicised are the shutdowns on the Hurstbridge, Alamein, Cranbourne/Pakenham and Frankston lines… plus more lines in the evenings. Anyway, here’s something related – an expansion of a comment answer I left on a recent post. The question was about how ... [More]
In the mainstream media, they have word limits. Even online, they have to keep it succinct. Blogs have no such limits, so I apologise not only for revisiting this topic again, but also for rambling on so long. Bustitution looms again over the summer, with large scale rail closures on the Mernda line underway now, ... [More]
Just a quick one as I’ve been very busy, and have also had a bad cold, so haven’t felt like much writing. The next lot of major bustitution is upon us from Saturday morning, and including all of next week: no trains between the City and Caulfield. You’ll recall that at Easter, this was a ... [More]
I think this is quite clever. When trains or trams are partially closed for planned works, generally the less of the route is disrupted, the better. But this is always limited by the placement of turnaround facilities. Witness the current Sandringham line closure: the major works are at South Yarra, but because (despite what was ... [More]
If you were following me on Twitter on Monday morning, you’d know that I made a decision I came to regret: I travelled to work on the train to Caulfield and the express rail replacement bus into the City. In short: the buses were hopelessly swamped by people. It was a long wait (43 minutes) ... [More]
I’ve been on a break at home, having a rest and trying to get stuff done around the house. Alas, this is now at an end, and while I guess I’ve had a rest, I certainly haven’t got all the stuff I planned done. And people telling me “nobody ever does” isn’t helping. My break ... [More]
For the past five days — from 8:30pm last Thursday, to last night (Tuesday) — the Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley lines were replaced by buses between the city and Camberwell/Darling. The new signalling for Richmond to Burnley is all commissioned and ready for service. pic.twitter.com/pvRKouOkak — Vicsig (@vicsig) December 5, 2017 Thankfully it’s ... [More]
(Backdated. Posted 16/8/2017) We bade our farewells to the family and my uncle K gave us a lift to Taunton station. First step to our next destination was a train to Exeter, or to be precise, Exeter St Davids. As with Bath a few days earlier, Exeter is served by multiple railway stations, originally built ... [More]
Last night on the TV news they seemed to be struggling for an accurate figure of how many were affected by the closure of the Geelong line. One said “hundreds”, another said “up to a thousand”. Figures on V/Line’s web site, which summarise the number of people on each train so you can plan your ... [More]