Just so we’re clear here about how many trains we are getting… Under Labor, in May 2007, initially 10 trains were funded. As political pressure over crowded trains increased, in October 2007, this was expanded by 8, making 18. In May 2009 this was expanded further by 20, making 38. All of these 38 are ... [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]
All righty gunzel stats nerds, prepare to go crazy. These figures are not an official release, and they can’t be guaranteed to be entirely accurate. In fact the original included the specific disclaimer: This document is supplied “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, fitness for a particular ... [More]
Ah, the fascinating world of manhole covers. For you youngsters, the MMTB (Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board) ran the tram system from 1919 to 1983 when it was merged into “The Met”. NTS (New Ticketing System) was the working name for Myki. It still shows up in internal literature, and in things like URLs on ... [More]
8:17 or so, boarded train train at Mckinnon. Not my usual station. Long irrelevant story. Happily got a seat. 8:36. Train stops at Hawksburn. Driver on PA tells us that the train will be delayed at least ten minutes due to signal failures near Richmond. He advises us to go to platform 3. 8:37. Most ... [More]
Here’s the good news: the October 2010 Metro Load Standards Survey (released to the Greens under FOI) shows that overcrowding has dropped markedly. Measured in terms of (deep breath) Rolling Hour Average Loads Above Desired Standards, the number of breaches has dropped from 38 in October 2007 to 6 in October 2010. Part of this ... [More]
One of the things planners should be aiming for in making public transport easy to use is ensuring that the choices are few. The new Frankston line timetable does this in the off-peak (and evenings) with a consistent pattern: Frankston to Flinders Street (direct), stopping all stations. In peak, in theory, there are two patterns: ... [More]
Probably just as well for this onsert: …that this story landed on page 6, not on page 1: The full story text is here: Stations to lose peak services. And here’s a big version of the map. The document the article talks about is here: Passenger Impact Statement. To decode it, you’ll need to look ... [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]
Regional Rail Link is a $5ish billion project to separate out V/Line trains, by running the Geelong line via new stations at Wyndham Vale and Tarneit to Deer Park, then into the City (along with Ballarat and Bendigo line trains) on dedicated tracks. Yesterday it was confirmed that it would go ahead. The idea of ... [More]
When Southern Cross Station was built/renovated/unnecessarily renamed, someone made the wise decision to include provision for an extra two platforms: 15 and 16. These are now being built as part of the (possibly otherwise ill-fated) Regional Rail Link project, and seem to be progressing nicely. July 2010: Last week: There’s a catch. It’s the big ... [More]
(Pic originally posted in October. Accompanying Facebook group.) No doubt this will sound familiar to those who are active in voluntary advocacy groups: “I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY YOUR GROUP OF OVERWORKED VOLUNTEERS, WHICH I AM NOT A MEMBER OF, IS NOT PURSUING MY PERSONAL GRIEVANCE.” I suspect many people have a genuine grievance, but ... [More]