A tip for you Connex
In case you hadn't figured it out, you French-type peoples, this here is Melbourne, Australia. And here we don't have namby-pamby temperatures in the high twenties, we have serious heat. It may come as a surprise to you, but in summer the temperature often exceeds 30°C. And I mean really exceeds it - like today when it got very close to 38°.
So having trains that can't cope above 30° is kinda limiting, doncha think?
Today I was planning a lunch with sufficient alcohol to think that cycling home would probably be unwise. But the problem was that I knew we were expecting warm weather so I just had to accept that coming home on the train would be problematic. And just because the 17:38 was actually at the platform when I got there meant nothing. It "became defective" while we were waiting to depart. They ran another train from platform 12, but as we left at 17:50, I'm not clear whether it was the 17:38 very late, or the 17:49 just a little late. There were three other cancellations this evening too.
So Bruce Hughes, how about telling your French masters that we want some proper Aussie trains, not your weak European rubbish?
So having trains that can't cope above 30° is kinda limiting, doncha think?
Today I was planning a lunch with sufficient alcohol to think that cycling home would probably be unwise. But the problem was that I knew we were expecting warm weather so I just had to accept that coming home on the train would be problematic. And just because the 17:38 was actually at the platform when I got there meant nothing. It "became defective" while we were waiting to depart. They ran another train from platform 12, but as we left at 17:50, I'm not clear whether it was the 17:38 very late, or the 17:49 just a little late. There were three other cancellations this evening too.
So Bruce Hughes, how about telling your French masters that we want some proper Aussie trains, not your weak European rubbish?
posted by Connex Whinger at 7:00 pm
14 Comments:
They've started using different trains on the Hurstbridge line. As in, the ones which are normally on the Cranbourne/Pakenham, Dandenong lines etc., with the all dark blue seats. Not the newer ones, but the older refurbished ones. Those trains have never been on the Hurstbridge line before. I suppose that it at least offers a bit more flexibility. Has this happened on any other lines?
I have just tried to get home to Surrey Hills from Melbourne Central in the rush hour - started my journey just before 6. I just missed the 5.55pm train - but no worries there'll be another in 10 minutes. At 6.02 or thereabouts they announced that the 6.08 train to Box Hill stopping at Surrey Hills was delayed a couple of minutes. Oh well, what's a couple of minutes? Then they announced that it was cancelled!!!! How can that be? If it is 2 minutes late it is running somewhere in the system. That meant that the next scheduled train stopping at Surrey Hills was at 6.41pm. By now trains through Melbourne Central on Platform 4 were running about 12 minutes late so that would mean an hour between trains to Surrey Hills at rush hour!!! So I caught the Box Hill express at about 6.30pm and got a friend to pick me up there. The train was packed of course given the delays and cancellations - where I was standing there was nothing to hang on to so I could have been injured had I lost my balance which was a distinct possibility. When I got to Box Hill I had gone into Zone 2 - whereas Surrey Hills is in Zone 1. One of the platform attendants had the temerity to suggest I get on another train back to Surrey Hills. At that point I hit the roof. He let me off the station without further ado! Incidentally there was also a train cancelled on the way in at around 9am today along the same line.
hah, interesting to see that Connex is having "heat" issues too.
http://www.vline.com.au/home/news/en/21/649/article.aspx
Apparently our new track down to Geelong hasn't been built to cope with high speeds in the heat according to a 10 year old rule from Pacific National (who run the tracks) so our FAST trains are limited to 90 km/h ....
:)
theyre not heat issues, its because of the power outages caused by the bushfires.
hear! hear!
I haven't been on a train all week (8 of them) which didn't have the previous train cancelled. I get on at Cheltenham on the Frankston line. I don't expect to get a seat, but I expect to get on the damn train! After cancellations trains already packed to the limit that you can't get ANYONE more in - and they get converted to stoping all stations between Caulfield & South Yarra. Not sure of the reason - it must have been to tease the people waiting on those platforms who had no chance of ever getting on.
Pathetic. So much for eco-fucking-living. I'm back to the car.
"A tip for you Mr Whinger"
In case YOU hadn't figured it out yet - the information, that you are reporting is entirely incorrect. A serious inconsideration of the truth.
The trains "X'Trapolis" built by the French, and have had little rather little problem operating in Melbourne conditions.
The trainset's which you apparently confuse them for ARE Australian built. More specifically: "Comeng" trains, built by Commenwealth Engineering, in AUSTRALIA. They were built in Dandenong, in the 1980's.
So Mr Whinger, instead of ranting to the French who are not at fault, you speak to your counterparts, which you consider these "proper Aussie trains" as rubbish.
GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT.
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anonymous (1) - yes Southern refurbished sets are running on Northern lines, and vice versa. It is occuring all around the network. It is hoped to bring more ease and flexibility on the network.
vlinewhinger - line restrictions have always occured, even interstate operations (ie, Countrylink in NSW) have had to have certain restrictions, due to the possibility of the track safety.
The rule is implied for everyone's safety, and i'm sure you, and other people alike, would prefer a journey without incedent.
anonymous (5) - Trains services, that run after a cancelled service, may be required to stop at stations where it wouldn't normally stop - to fulfill service requirements for the people at stations between Malvern & South Yarra. It would be unfair, if some passenger required to alight, and to find that their train didn't stop, becuase another passenger was more concerned for himself.
Oh The Met, when will you learn to read properly before you start spraying your garbage?!
I'm referring to the French company, Connex. You did know they were French, didn't you?
I neither know nor care about the specifics, but I do know the current problems are with the newest trains, which are European. Hence I said European. I have subsequently been told they're Austrian, but I see The Age says they are German. Do I give a toss? Not really, I stand by my original assertion that they are EUROPEAN, since that includes France, Germany and Austria, I think that makes me correct?
As for the Aussie built trains, they actually seem to be the reliable ones that Connex keeps trying to decommission, only to bring them back into play when their fancy European ones fail. So I really don't understand why you accuse me of disliking the Aussie trains, especially as the whole thrust of my post was about a European company buying European trains! Really The Met, I despair sometimes when I read your rants.
Rather than shouting "GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT" at me, how about learning to read first? Then once you've mastered that, perhaps you could try writing more conventional English?
Im aware their 'parent' company are based in France. Their operations (Connex Melbourne) are specificaly based here in Melbourne under the parent company.
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To further clarify another of you incorrectly stated comments. Melbourne does have other rollingstock apart from the "Xtrapolis" and the "Comeng" which I mentioned, the other fleet are namely: "Siemens" - based in Austria. Another inaccuracy - you seem fond of doing.
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Im amazed to see you only figured out what to complain about AFTER I included a subtle messege about the current situations. You made no conclusion whatsoever in your first post about any of the issues I hinted about.
You seem to like to hide your dismal failings at your attempts to understand simple information. Your dislike for Australian trains - do you need me to sift through this site, and find all the complaints about "Hitachi" trains, with no airconditioning...
You again neglect to actually read. (Ironic, saying how I'm the one who can't read; what is this, open-mic night at the Comedy Club?)
You were wrong. "I think that makes me correct?" No it doesn't. To reiterate; you hate the European built 'crap' - when you were just assuming they were built in Europe. The trains that don't cope after 30 degrees are Aussie built. You only now hate European trains AFTER I mentioned an entirely different situation, which your are lucky to again twist the facts to your advantage.
You had zero information about the Siemens train issue in your first post. You can't just assume you knew about it before, after I had to subtly messege it to you.
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I don't need some current affairs to be spoon-fed to me from some media-giant more interested in profit before I can make a rant out of them.
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MY FACTS ARE RIGHT. And clearly I would of had to have been able to read, in able to respond. You can live with my already as it is conventional English, as I have lived with your most pointless of points.
Once again, I'm not sure why I'm bothering, but here goes anyway...
I said "European trains" because I really had no idea whether they were French, German or Austrian. So my original post is perfectly correct. Subsequently a Connex customer service guy told me they're Austrian. But that really doesn't matter, I said European trains can't take the heat. Quite correct.
As for the Aussie trains with windows, whatever they are, there's nothing contradictory in my recent statement - I dislike them because they have no air-con. But I maintain that they are generally pretty reliable in the heat. Both statements perfectly consistent with one another to those of us who understand English.
The rest of it, you don't seem to realise, I am not a gunzel. I really couldn't give a rat's backside about who makes what train, what they're called, where they're designed, where they're assembled, what their carriage numbers are or any of that stuff. I simply care about whether the train is ready to depart at the designated time and that it is reasonably clean, comfortable and not too crowded. The rest of it is irrelevant to me.
The substance of this post was that the trains are run by a European conglomerate using European trains and that they are not best suited to Melbourne's hot conditions. That's it. The rest of it is just you being a pedantic tosser, as usual.
"pedantic tosser" - do you recycle these insults, or do they just come in spontaneous bursts of idiocy?
In line with your statements, the European designed trains DO have flaws. Apart from probably the general 'teething' issues - the trains have generally been fine.
As I said, these are general - not specific.
They were designed for "Metros" or in general undeground railway system. I don't think it rains in the underground, but in Melbourne it surely does (well not 'in' the underground - the entire network).
Hence the braking issues.
The aircondition systems in both European (X'Trap/Siemens trains) - work perfectly fine in Melbourne.
But a portion of the Siemens fleet need to be taken out of service - because of the braking issues.
more info
This probably comes as use for you Mr Whinger:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/bonus-for-drivers-naught-for-passengers/2007/01/21/1169330766422.html
Let's just bring on the 2007 version of the Hitachi - imagine a rock-solid train that keeps going and going, and the new version might even have a nice interior and aircon!
Tell the boys in Spring Street to give the Public Transport Authority in Perth a call we had 4 days of 40 plus and not one Transperth Bombardier A or B series packed it in(Queensland run the B series to)and there that good that WA is buying another 35 railcars of the same model. I'd love to see a Siemens or Comeng go the distance over here i'd give it 2 hours in the heat.
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