The debate about train seats has come up again, thanks to The Greens uncovering minutes of a meeting between Metro and the Department of Transport discussing the removal of train seats from Comeng trains. (MX story / Channel 7 story) DOT was generally comfortable with the proposals as presented by MTM. Options to be assessed ... [More]
Tag: Metro trains
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Anti-pigeon defences
And now for something completely different: anti-pigeon defences. Pigeons can get everywhere, making nests, leaving droppings. These ones seem very interested in the next trains from Caulfield. It’s probably gone mostly unnoticed, but over the past few years, various methods to prevent them roosting have become commonplace. In the case of Caulfield station, they’ve put ... [More]
(I’m at home today awaiting two tradesmen, so I’ve been a little creative.) Here’s what I can’t figure out: since late-2010, the Frankston line has run every ten minutes between the peaks. In 2011 they tidied this up and made all those trains run direct to Flinders Street, and then through to Newport, with alternating ... [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]
Some local railway stations seem to have gained a lot of art in the last few weeks. Patterson station’s road underpass got a mosaic mural, with local schools contributing to a project devised by Pamela Irving. There’s some quite good pieces: It’s all aimed at improving the look of the station and reducing graffiti. THE ... [More]
Expect some gloating from Metro today. The Track Record monthly report for May was released yesterday, and shows a marked improvement in train punctuality. We already knew the May average had improved to a not very spectacular 82.2%, but the detailed figures might show better the first effects of the early May timetable change. From ... [More]
If ever you want proof that the readers of my blog are a highly talented, intelligent and attractive bunch of people, check this out. Following my post on railway station patronage, and the wish from commenters that the figures be plotted on a map, the supremely talented Brendan Durward went ahead and did it, with ... [More]
I have a Zone 1 Yearly Commuter Club Myki, so I don’t normally need to touch-off, but I have been doing so, in order to gather data on train punctuality. Each trip is recorded, with its start and end station, and the time down to the exact second, and can be viewed via the Myki ... [More]
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Armed guards at stations
The debate around armed Protective Service Officers on stations is heating up. The Police Association, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and the Public Transport Users Association want a high-level meeting to develop the best way of tackling crime and safety problems. … Support for the armed guard plan is evaporating. … There now appears ... [More]