Archive for March, 2015

How many managers does it take to drive a tram?

Back in February 2015 industry magazine ‘Rail Express’ interviewed ClĂ©ment Michel, chief executive of Yarra Trams, on the subject of rail safety, as well as some very interesting revelations regarding the number of managers employed by Yarra Trams.

Z3.229 skewed across the tracks on Elizabeth Street, just north of La Trobe Street

Oddball bus stop names of Victoria

The predecessor of Public Transport Victoria was Metlink, and one of their main achievements was getting every single train, tram and bus stop in Victoria in one big database, and making the timetable information for each one available to the public via a single website. So what oddball stop names lurk in that database?

Bus signage at Newhaven, Phillip Island - purple for the V/Line coach to Dandenong, and orange for the local bus to Wonthaggi

Do you know the way to Moonee Vale?

Each morning on William Street in the CBD, there are a handful of route 55 trams that display a destination of ‘Moonee Vale’. There are a number of Melbourne suburbs with similar sounding names, along with a racecourse and local government area called ‘Moonee Valley’ – but is Moonee Vale a real place, or just a typo?

Z3.122 on a route 55a shortworking to 'Moonee Vale'

Finding the Maldon – Dombarton bridge to nowhere

South of Sydney there is a bridge to nowhere, built in the 1980s as part of the never-completed Maldon – Dombarton railway line. Intended to cross the Nepean River near the township of Maldon, only the approach spans on each side of the gorge were built before the project was cancelled, where they remain today. So how did I go about seeing the bridge for myself?

Buses and trams sharing Melbourne’s roads

Melbourne’s bus and tram networks have one thing in common – they get delayed by single occupant cars. Dedicated lanes are one way to keep public transport moving, but what happens when there is not enough road space for both?