Friday, December 23, 2005

Fri 23 December - Ho ho ho...

On the 07:49 this morning and we're on time.

This afternoon I'll be on a plane, so no return journey with Connex. Just as well, since the forecast is for 36°C today. Tell me that won't cause chaos this afternoon/evening!

Merry Christmas to all Connex' long-suffering commuters and to Connex' hard-working people too.

PS Looks like I was correct about home time - both the 17:38 and the 18:01 were cancelled!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Thu 22 December - I'm rapt...

Or should that be wrapped? Running a bit late this morning as Mrs CW is heading off with the kids today and if I don't get their pressies wrapped I'll have to take them on the plane with me - I like to travel light...

So I'm on the 07:29 and I'm rapt because it's on time...

A little party this evening in the office, so home on the 19:35. Just as in peak hour we stand there watching the clock tick past the departure time with no sign of the train and no announcement. Anyway it pulls in not too much later. We wait for it to depart, then we wait again outside Vodafone Arena. We avoid a red by a matter of seconds as we pull into Ripponlea a fraction under six minutes late.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Wed 21 December - Another hot day...

Looks like we'll exceed 30°C again today, so that'll cause massive disruption on the Connex network this evening. It's as if the network is designed to operate in calm, dry weather, between 15 and 25°C - go too far outside those parameters and things start to get a bit iffy.

Ummm Bruce? You may want to consider the fact that we're in Melbourne, the city with the most changeable weather in the world. And if you're not going to bother actually fixing your network then can you please concentrate on your customer information instead?

I'm on the 10:32 today after another doctor's visit - it's four minutes late into Flinders Street. So if the peak hour trains are late, and the off-peak trains are late too, how are Connex' stats so good?

Fortunately I'm offered a lift home, so avoid the Flinders Street drama for one evening at least.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Tue 20 December - Morning good, evening bad...

The 07:14 is pretty much time this morning.

It's over 30°C so I'm pessimistic as I head to Flinders Street. Sure enough, just after 18:06 the announcement is made that the 18:01 is running approximately five minutes late. Oh really? Since it's nowhere in sight, I think not. It pulls in at 18:09, so it's going to be more than eight minutes late. Minimum.

All 16,753 of us cram ourselves in. "Stand clear, now departing" is heard... but we don't depart. Then we're all told to get off again, the train is defective.

Go and ask the stationmaster what's happening, since we're now past the time for the 18:12 to have departed and there's no sign of it - he doesn't have a clue. When I ask him about the 18:24, which by now is due in just a few minutes, he has no answer to that. Nor does he appear to care. So we're left with the oft-repeated question - does anybody know what's going on? The answer seems to be a resounding "no".

I notice that the signboard says the 18:12 is departing from platform 7. The hordes of disgruntled passengers are swarming onto platform 7. Against my better judgement, I decide to go back to platform 8 to wait for the 18:24. Just as I get there they announce it's a Sandringham train and it's now departing. What the...?! You've been telling us it's defective and you've just sent most of the passengers over to platform 7. Bet they'll be happy!

Get on it and while it's not too crowded, inevitably we are full to bursting by the time we get through Richmond and South Yarra. We pull up at Ripponlea 20 minutes late. I wonder how much further behind the 18:12 was and how crowded it was?

Connex you are a complete joke. Sure you have train problems, we all know and begrudgingly accept that, but it's how you handle those problems where you fail miserably. At best, you show a complete lack of concern for your customers, at worst I'd have to conclude you have no idea what you're doing.

Bruce Hughes, time to stand up and take responsibility for your abject failure to sort this out.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Mon 19 December - Just the way it is...

X-rays in Caulfield this morning so a late start. Go for the 09:49 and miss it by a matter of seconds. This is entirely due to moronic car drivers who don't understand that if a car is waiting to turn right, it's safe and legal to pass on the inside, provided there's room.

Needless to say, it's bang on time, just when you wouldn't mind it being a minute late, so I have a 15 minute wait for the 10:04. It won't be a surprise to anyone that it's a couple of minutes late! A delay at Richmond ensures we get in about three minutes late.

Home on the 18:01 and it's pretty much on time.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Summary 12-16 December

Just the two days on Connex and that was enough thanks. Must try the trains in Perth some time, I hear they're much more reliable. Although it was only two days, it's just enough to drop greens back to 60% and oranges up to 24%, red is steady at 16%.

Mon 12/12Tue 13/12Wed 14/12Thu 15/12Fri 16/12
07:1407:14N/AN/AN/A
18:1217:49N/AN/AN/A
Mon 05/12Tue 06/12Wed 07/12Thu 08/12Fri 09/12
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:4918:5018:01N/A17:07
Mon 28/11Tue 29/11Wed 30/11Thu 01/12Fri 02/12
07:1407:1407:14N/A07:14
18:3518:3518:35N/A17:49
Mon 21/11Tue 22/11Wed 23/11Thu 24/11Fri 25/11
07:1407:1407:1407:1410:47
17:4917:2718:0117:3818:01
Mon 07/11Tue 08/11Wed 09/11Thu 10/11Fri 11/11
08:49N/AN/AN/A08:49
N/AN/AN/AN/A18:12
Mon 31/10Tue 01/11Wed 02/11Thu 03/11Fri 04/11
07:14N/A07:1407:1407:14
17:38N/A17:3817:2717:49
Mon 24/10Tue 25/10Wed 26/10Thu 27/10Fri 28/10
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:3817:3817:3817:3817:07
Mon 17/10Tue 18/10Wed 19/10Thu 20/10Fri 21/10
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:4918:2417:3817:1718:12
Mon 10/10Tue 11/10Wed 12/10Thu 13/10Fri 14/10
07:1407:1407:14N/A07:14
18:1218:2417:38N/A17:38
Mon 03/10Tue 04/10Wed 05/10Thu 06/10Fri 07/10
N/AN/AN/AN/A09:49
N/AN/AN/AN/A17:38
Mon 26/09Tue 27/09Wed 28/09Thu 29/09Fri 30/09
N/A07:1407:1407:1407:14
N/A17:3818:0118:0118:24
Mon 19/09Tue 20/09Wed 21/09Thu 22/09Fri 23/09
07:1407:1407:1407:1406:59
16:57N/A17:3818:01N/A
Mon 12/09Tue 13/09Wed 14/09Thu 15/09Fri 16/09
07:1407:1407:14N/A07:14
17:2717:3817:38N/A18:50
Mon 29/08Tue 30/08Wed 31/08Thu 01/09Fri 02/09
07:1407:1407:14N/A07:14
17:2717:3818:12N/AN/A
Mon 22/08Tue 23/08Wed 24/08Thu 25/08Fri 26/08
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:3817:3817:3818:0117:27
Mon 15/08Tue 16/08Wed 17/08Thu 18/08Fri 19/08
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:3817:3817:4917:3817:38
Mon 08/08Tue 09/08Wed 10/08Thu 11/08Fri 12/08
07:1407:1407:1410:1707:14
18:0117:3817:3817:4917:38
Mon 01/08Tue 02/08Wed 03/08Thu 04/08Fri 05/08
07:1407:1407:1407:1409:24
17:3817:3817:4917:38N/A
Mon 25/07Tue 26/07Wed 27/07Thu 28/07Fri 29/07
N/AN/A07:1407:1407:14
N/AN/A17:2711:4218:24
Mon 18/07Tue 19/07Wed 20/07Thu 21/07Fri 22/07
06:5907:1407:1407:1407:14
17:3818:1217:3817:3816:27
Mon 11/07Tue 12/07Wed 15/07Thu 14/07Fri 15/07
07:1406:5907:1407:1407:14
18:0117:3817:3818:5018:01
Mon 06/06Tue 07/06Wed 08/06Thu 09/06Fri 10/06
07:1407:14N/AN/A N/A
N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Mon 30/05Tue 31/05Wed 01/06Thu 02/06Fri 03/06
08:3907:1407:1406:5905:40
17:4917:4918:1218:2418:12
Mon 23/05Tue 24/05Wed 25/05Thu 26/05Fri 27/05
07:1407:14N/A07:1407:14
17:3818:24N/A17:4917:38
Mon 16/05Tue 17/05Wed 18/05Thu 19/05Fri 20/05
07:1412:4706:59N/A07:14
17:3817:3817:38N/A17:38
Mon 09/05Tue 10/05Wed 11/05Thu 12/05Fri 13/05
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
18:0117:3818:0118:1218:35
Mon 02/05Tue 03/05Wed 04/05Thu 05/05Fri 06/05
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
16:3717:3817:3817:3818:50
Mon 25/04Tue 26/04Wed 27/04Thu 28/04Fri 29/04
N/AN/AN/AN/A09:11
N/AN/AN/AN/A17:38
Mon 18/04Tue 19/04Wed 20/04Thu 21/04Fri 22/04
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:4917:3817:3817:3817:38
Mon 11/04Tue 12/04Wed 13/04Thu 14/04Fri 15/04
07:1407:1407:14N/A07:14
17:3817:2717:27N/A19:35
Mon 04/04Tue 05/04Wed 06/04Thu 07/04Fri 08/04
07:1407:1407:1407:1407:14
17:3817:3817:3817:2717:38