More trains - too little too late
So Bracks, Brumby and Kosky are proudly delivering a whopping ten extra trains - in two years! They're going to carry a HUGE 8,000 people in peak hour. But let's not get too excited here. Let's assume that's one extra service on the Sandy line in peak hour, or around 17% extra capacity.
Earth to Bracks Government... you've got that increase already! If you had those trains operational today they'd already be full to overflowing, you cretins. By 2009 (realistically 2010) when these ten trains are operational, they'll be more crowded than today's sardine tins.
Where is your vision? And where is our new train control system, while you're at it? And while we're discussing your technology, what's with the new screens at Flinders Street? Can we anticipate actually seeing more (or even some) useful and accurate information on them? Don't think I'll be getting any big surprises there!
Earth to Bracks Government... you've got that increase already! If you had those trains operational today they'd already be full to overflowing, you cretins. By 2009 (realistically 2010) when these ten trains are operational, they'll be more crowded than today's sardine tins.
Where is your vision? And where is our new train control system, while you're at it? And while we're discussing your technology, what's with the new screens at Flinders Street? Can we anticipate actually seeing more (or even some) useful and accurate information on them? Don't think I'll be getting any big surprises there!
posted by Connex Whinger at 4:30 pm
11 Comments:
In fairness I understand there will be more trains ordered the next year and more the next year and so on. Correct me if I am wrong. However, you are right to make the point that they should have been delivered 2 years ago, not in 2 years time. And if we get another 12% or higher increase in usage over the next 12 months then they might be being run over faster than they can patch up the overcrowding problems!
Your right about the Bracks/Koskys lack of vision, but i think they also lack basic intelligence.
I always thought one of the largest constraints on the train network is its old signalling system, not lack of trains. While lack of trains is an issue, a new state of the art signalling system has a greater capacity for improved efficiency of the network, less signal faults (hopefully) and better use of existing trains.
An example, the Sandy line where peak hour frequencies are about every 10 mins - and FULL... the existing OLD system CAN'T handle trains being run at higher frequencies...
AND...Therefore new trains are pointless for the sandy line and i can see no improvement there until somewhere past 2009... hopefully when we say goodbye and good riddence to Labour
Again, money well spent.
Spend the 900mil on a new signal system!
thanks bracksy & kosky.
ps. before anyone gets on there high horse about liberals privatising etc... thats 10 years ago and now is now, we NEED CHANGE something at which the bracks managers (time wasters) can't do...
While a big constraint for much of the train network is its electrical signalling, on the Hurstbridge line, the biggest constraints are that 50% of the track beyond Clifton Hill is single track (not double, triple or more), which immediately halves capacity compared with say, the Sandringham line, and then the manual hand signalling used for the last 23 minutes of the train trip.
Regarding the 'new' screens, Southern Cross has had them since day. They're large widescreen LCD's that are split into two to show the two platforms.
They seem to work fine on the VLine platforms but the closest I've got to seeing them operating on the Connex network is 'Test Mode'.
Fuck me Connex are a bunch of useless arseholes. My only comfort is that Bracksy is 'looking into it'.
*spit*
I didn't spot the Liberals funding any improvements to Melbourne public transport in the Federal Budget. Was there anything?
they just dedicated $22b to improving transport nationwide..... 1% of which is going to train networks....
Train services have been gradually deteriorating this year to worse than I have ever seen it. The only reason that I can put this down to is that Connex have found out that their contract will not be renewed in November.
Perhaps someone else can shed some more light on this, but it seems that their main focus now, is to send as much money home to their parent company while allowing the system to run to a grinding halt.
Of the Federal Budget's $22b or whatever going to transport, I'm not aware of what percentage is going to rail but I would not be surprised if it was 1%. However, I don't believe that a single dollar is going towards the infrastructure that is used in Melbourne for suburban trains. I think its more freight related. Although given recent experiences with Connex, perhaps we passengers are freight?
yep the only rail infrastructure dough is going to freight - an upgrade at melbourne port interchange and freight line upgrade between footscray and tottenham i believe... but these aren't exactly bad things - just that the suburban network needs funding badly.....
and there's nothing whatsoever in the budget for passenger trains... it just goes to show how much this government believes in global warming / sustainability....
Well at least the State government wants to have a go at providing good public transport. I don't see the Liberals at the Federal level caring at all about public transport. The only thing they appear to have offered for public transport in Melbourne is kicking in a small amount of money for a level crossing separation in Nunawading, which doesn't benefit train passengers in any way!
I'm reasonably apolitical and I've little doubt the Libs would not be doing much about our trains either, if they were in power. But I think the idea of them funding anything at federal level would be a little optimistic, wouldn't it?
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