Summary 22-26 August

Despite the two reds this week, the percentages are much the same as last week - 59% green, 25% orange and 15% red (I know it only totals 99% - rounding!).

Again the major complaint is not keeping passengers informed. The fiasco on Thursday evening showed complete and utter contempt for Connex customers. Our Wednesday lunchtime experience suggests off-peak travel can be unpredictable too, and certainly Connex could not claim being too busy to make a simple announcement then, surely?

On the plus side, the morning trains are back to being pretty good again.

Mon 22/08	Tue 23/08	Wed 24/08	Thu 25/08	Fri 26/08
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	18:01	17:27
Mon 15/08	Tue 16/08	Wed 17/08	Thu 18/08	Fri 19/08
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:49	17:38	17:38
Mon 08/08	Tue 09/08	Wed 10/08	Thu 11/08	Fri 12/08
07:14	07:14	07:14	10:17	07:14
18:01	17:38	17:38	17:49	17:38
Mon 01/08	Tue 02/08	Wed 03/08	Thu 04/08	Fri 05/08
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	09:24
17:38	17:38	17:49	17:38	N/A
Mon 25/07	Tue 26/07	Wed 27/07	Thu 28/07	Fri 29/07
N/A	N/A	07:14	07:14	07:14
N/A	N/A	17:27	11:42	18:24
Mon 18/07	Tue 19/07	Wed 20/07	Thu 21/07	Fri 22/07
06:59	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	18:12	17:38	17:38	16:27
Mon 11/07	Tue 12/07	Wed 15/07	Thu 14/07	Fri 15/07
07:14	06:59	07:14	07:14	07:14
18:01	17:38	17:38	18:50	18:01
Mon 06/06	Tue 07/06	Wed 08/06	Thu 09/06	Fri 10/06
07:14	07:14	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mon 30/05	Tue 31/05	Wed 01/06	Thu 02/06	Fri 03/06
08:39	07:14	07:14	06:59	05:40
17:49	17:49	18:12	18:24	18:12
Mon 23/05	Tue 24/05	Wed 25/05	Thu 26/05	Fri 27/05
07:14	07:14	N/A	07:14	07:14
17:38	18:24	N/A	17:49	17:38
Mon 16/05	Tue 17/05	Wed 18/05	Thu 19/05	Fri 20/05
07:14	12:47	06:59	N/A	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	N/A	17:38
Mon 09/05	Tue 10/05	Wed 11/05	Thu 12/05	Fri 13/05
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
18:01	17:38	18:01	18:12	18:35
Mon 02/05	Tue 03/05	Wed 04/05	Thu 05/05	Fri 06/05
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
16:37	17:38	17:38	17:38	18:50
Mon 25/04	Tue 26/04	Wed 27/04	Thu 28/04	Fri 29/04
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	09:11
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17:38
Mon 18/04	Tue 19/04	Wed 20/04	Thu 21/04	Fri 22/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:49	17:38	17:38	17:38	17:38
Mon 11/04	Tue 12/04	Wed 13/04	Thu 14/04	Fri 15/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	N/A	07:14
17:38	17:27	17:27	N/A	19:35
Mon 04/04	Tue 05/04	Wed 06/04	Thu 07/04	Fri 08/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	17:27	17:38

Fri 26 August - And again...

A minute or so wait in the yards so we're just over the two minutes late again. After last night's farce I'm happy to concede this as on time again.

The 17:27 is only a couple of minutes late, but late it is. And as we have come to expect, the scheduled departure time comes and goes with no comment from Connex about the delay.

Thu 25 August - OK near enough...

Well they've been having a pretty good run of greens in the morning so giving them an orange because they were just a bit over the two minutes late might be a bit harsh. Got to encourage them!

I swore I wouldn't swear in this blog, but I'm finding it very difficult not to let fly! Here's why...

I get to the entrance to the station at about 17:55. The sign shows the next train to be the 18:01, followed by the 17:49... oh really? So I'm anticipating something amiss as I head towards platform 8.

I walk up the ramp and the platform's almost empty. I see there's a train already in on platform 8, must be the 18:01. I get up onto the platform and I can see it's packed solid. The monitor reveals it to be the 17:49, obviously very late. There's another train on platform 9 that's standing empty. It's only a couple of minutes until the 18:01 is due, so I decide to let the 17:49 go.

After a couple of minutes, for no reason that I could see or hear, a few people get off the train on platform 8 and get into the one on platform 9. The monitors on platform 9 are blank. Soon most people follow and jam into the other train. Then for no apparent reason they all exit that train and head back to the one on platform 8.

A minute or so later the monitors on platform 8 go blank and the ones on platform 9 tell us that it is going to be the 17:49. This time it's accompanied by an announcement to this effect. So once again they all stream back across to the train on platform 9. Everybody jams in so you have all the 17:49 passengers, all the 18:01 passengers, and by now a few of those who'd arrived expecting to catch the 18:12. And everybody waits.

Meanwhile the train on platform 8 stands empty and the monitors are resolutely blank. There's no way anybody's telling us where this train is going! Every fibre in my body is straining to get me into the 17:49. Even though it's packed to the gunwales all my instincts tell me to get on the train that's there because who knows when the next one will be. I resist the overwhelming urge to barge my way in and eventually the doors close and it leaves at about 18:05.

As soon as the doors have closed the monitors on platform 8 reveal their secret... yes, it is the 18:01 - surprise!!! Now what possible reason was there to withhold that information? It's quite clear that they deliberately did not tell passengers that the empty train was the 18:01. I can't even begin to hypothesise on why they would do that. And I'm also left wondering why they shifted everybody out of one train and into the other. Why wouldn't they just run the one from platform 8 as the 17:49 and platform 9 as the 18:01? What the hell is wrong with Connex that they stuff their passengers around like this and go out of their way not to tell them what's going on?

Anyway, those who haven't managed to squeeze into the 17:49 board the 18:01. And we wait. And we wait. Eventually at 18:10 we depart. We get to Ripponlea at 18:25, which is a minute after the 18:12 is due in. So we can safely conclude that it's running late too. Good effort Connex.

Wed 24 August - Yay Connex...

Well even a staunch Connex Whinger has to acknowledge the service improvements of late. Once again we're on time this morning.

Tempting fate there wasn't I? At lunchtime I'm heading down to South Yarra with a workmate, might as well go for the 12:27 on the Sandy line. Stand and wait, no sign of the 12:27, screens go blank then the next train is the 12:42. Meanwhile a train on one of the other lines pulls in on platform 7 and they announce it's stopping at South Yarra - too late for us to get over there. Connex, why wouldn't you just tell us where our train was?

The monitor goes blank then back to showing 12:27 again. I suggest we go up the escalator and check what's happening on other lines. As we get up there, the 12:27 pulls in. We leave about ten minutes later than scheduled. Not one announcement was made about the delay.

Anyway, on to tonight. Waiting for the 17:38, the clock ticks over, no sign of the train. It rolls in about a minute or two late on platform 9. Again, no announcement about the delay - Connex, why wouldn't you just tell us where our train was? We get to Ripponlea about four minutes late.

Tue 23 August - Morning's OK...

Once again the 07:14 is on time. It's back to the evenings that are problematic it seems.

Not today however. The 17:38 is on time with only a 30 second pause in the yards this time.

Mon 22 August - Keep it up...

Another green start to the week. Good start Connex, can you keep it going all week?

Nope. Head down for the 17:38 and it rolls in a couple of minutes late. We leave a few minutes later, then sit in the yards for a few more minutes. Pull into Richmond and then pull out packed in fairly tightly. Eventually we get to Ripponlea nine minutes late, with no obvious reason why.