Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.
I’ll have another post soon on the Metro Tunnel, from the Big Switch day, but I wanted to get this one finished first. I was keeping an eye on how public transport was affected by the extreme heat last Tuesday 27th January. The temperature in Melbourne reached a high of 42.7 degrees, but it went ... [More]
They fixed it
Metro tunnel services: every 10 minutes at most times
More signage would help people navigate the new stations
Fare prices have risen, but right now are displayed almost nowhere on the PT system.
I can’t quite believe the year is over already. 66 blog posts this year (plus this one). The most viewed, if I’m reading the stats right, were all transport posts: Also top of the pops were the home page, a 2018 post about what the rail map will look like with the Metro tunnel open ... [More]
Extra trains for events still don’t fill the gaps on Sunday mornings
I’m a bit behind posting my ten year old photos, so here’s a batch from November and December 2015. We had a trip to Sydney – Central Station’s concourse always looks a bit more appealing to me than those at Southern Cross or Flinders Street. Museum Station in Sydney has that 1920s aesthetic Sydney was ... [More]
This has been an issue for decades: the quickest way into Flinders Street station from the north, the Campbell Arcade/Degraves Street subway taking you under the road, had zero signage to direct you there. Unless you knew, how would you guess it takes you to the station? I seem to recall being told there was ... [More]
At this time of year, my local Coles and Woolies each have a menorah on display – a candlestick with nine (electric) candles, with one more lit each day of Hanukkah. I’m sure it’s the same in other suburbs with significant Jewish populations. It might be hundreds of kilometres away, but the awful events at ... [More]
Very busy at the moment – and still trying to get the Europe blogs done. So here’s a quick one. The West Gate Tunnel opens on Sunday – despite the name it’s a mostly elevated road connecting the West Gate Freeway to CityLink, but also with exits to the docks and to Melbourne’s CBD. The ... [More]
Some observations: Lots of people riding the new line, despite the weather. The stations are looking great. Some hiccups with escalator faults and at one stage a disruption near Anzac station (apparently due to trespassers near Hawksburn). No issues that I saw with the 7-car trains stopping at the front of the future-proofed 10-car length ... [More]
Perth is about to join the list
So now we know the when Metro Tunnel will open: Sunday 30th of November, with a temporary timetable dubbed the “Summer Start” – then the full service commencing on Sunday 1st February 2026. Summer free rides I’ve been told by the State Government that the previously advertised free fares on weekends in December and January ... [More]
Hello from an aeroplane somewhere between Milan and Singapore – I’m posting this from the air, lucky enough to be returning from a European holiday, my first time overseas since 2017. This time we stayed in three countries, five cities, visited three other cities, saw incredible architecture, famous landmarks, amazing old town streets, stunning scenery, ... [More]
(Not a transport post. Skip this if you’re not interested in my other ramblings.) Have been busy, but here is a follow-up on a post from when I last bought a phone – an iPhone 13 in late 2021, which is now coming up to 4 years old. What’s that in dog years? My aim ... [More]