You can find pages and pages of posts about trains here: if that isn’t enough, there is plenty more beyond this site!
Trains
DDA non-compliance at Southern Cross
February 20th, 2012 1 Comment
If you haven’t heard the acronym ‘DDA’ before, then it stands for the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. The Act makes disability discrimination unlawful, and from a transport perspective, aims to promote equal access for people with disabilities. On the Melbourne rail network the most visible outcomes of DDA compliance are the ‘bumps’ that line the edge of most platforms – the official term is ‘Tactile Ground Surface Indicators’. So what are they up to at Southern Cross Station?
Collecting a corpse: how long should it take?
February 16th, 2012 7 Comments
After somebody dies on the railway network, there are two competing priorities: treating the deceased in a dignified manner, and getting the train service back on track. My trip to Williamstown yesterday shows that Metro Trains Melbourne take the less respectful approach when dealing with fatalities on their network.
Melbourne’s trains in ‘the good old days’?
January 23rd, 2012 6 Comments
Welcome to Melbourne’s railway network: do you sometimes think things used to be better in ‘the good old days’? That pushing your way through crowded platforms to get home is something new? In reality, the situation has been up the creek without a paddle for decades…
Three generations of Melbourne ticketing
January 16th, 2012 1 Comment
The core of Melbourne’s railway network is the City Loop, circling the Hoddle Grid and serving three underground stations. Having opened to passengers in 1981, during the past 30 years of operation three different methods of ticket checking have been used to ensure passengers have paid their way. So lets take a look at them…
Public transport is 1337
December 20th, 2011 No Comments
Spotted in Melbourne – Metro Trains carriage 1337T: And over in Adelaide – bus 1337: Don’t get the joke? Melbourne’s train carriages are numbered 1M through 966M, and 1001T through 2572T, Bus companies usually number their fleets from #1 upwards, Wikipedia has the origins of “Leet”
