Archive for September, 2017

Myki gates and railway station evacuations

The last thing anybody wants when trying to evacuate a building is a set of locked doors – which in the case of railway stations, is usually a set of ticket gates. For this reason an emergency release is usually included as part of the gate array, to ensure a clear exit in times of need.

Slow Myki gates cause a queue to exit Southern Cross at the Bourke Street end

An outsiders look at the Melbourne rail network

When people travel interstate or overseas, one of the things they love to point out is how the public transport system is much better than the one they use at home – a case of “the grass is always greener”? If so, what would a person who has travelled on rail systems all over the world think of the Melbourne network?

Werribee-bound Siemens train at North Melbourne platform 6

Photos from ten years ago: September 2007

Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is September 2007.

Site of partially completed platforms 15/16 at Southern Cross

Flipping trucks with bollards in Melbourne

Bollards are support to protect pedestrians from stray road vehicles. But on Racecourse Road in the Melbourne suburb of Flemington, a set of bollards has done the exact opposite – destroyed a series of emergency vehicles on their way to save lives. From ABC News on 18 June 2014: Fire truck rolls on its way […]