Hawthorn, 1993-95 When I finally moved out of home, it was to Hawthorn. Initially I was still working in Burwood East, and the commute was an easy tram ride, from the flat we rented which was midway between there and the city — which became useful once work moved into town. Cutting through the back ... [More]
Murrumbeena 1987-89 We moved into a flat just across the street from the Dandenong line. The noise isn’t noticeable after a week or two, apart from missing dialogue on the television when a freight train goes past. It was a short stroll (if one took the short-cut along the train line) to Murrumbeena station. By ... [More]
Balaclava, 1974-1982 We moved back to St Kilda, settling in a flat in Hotham Street where we lived for many years. Well, almost. We were in flat 7 on the ground floor, before moving upstairs to flat 11. Later on we moved around the corner onto Inkerman Street. During this time, Balaclava was our local ... [More]
Here begins a series of blog posts on every (suburban) railway station in Melbourne that’s ever been my usual. Of course it more-or-less tracks the places I’ve lived, and I’ve touched on some of this stuff in Commutes of my Youth. (Dates may not be exact.) St Kilda, 1970-71 When I was a baby, my ... [More]
Speaking of City Loop safety issues, is this what’s keeping the signalling system working? Bits of sticky tape and wire? Hopefully this is just something temporary. (Pic snapped this morning thanks to a stop-start trip from Richmond to Flinders Street)
Today’s Herald Sun raises an issue that has been pondered for some time: 9 carriage trains to relieve overcrowding. This would seem like a good opportunity to dig out my Bargearse remake video. The reasoning behind adding carriages is that it’s close to becoming impractical to add more trains in peak onto the busiest lines, ... [More]
This week’s Regional Rail Link shutdown is not, of course, the first time major works have been done on the railways. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Fascinating stuff from The Argus, 17th October 1914: CAULFIELD RAILWAY. COSTLY DUPLICATION WORKS. ESTIMATE GREATLY EXCEEDED Provision has been made for the expenditure of ... [More]
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]