I haven't managed to get to all the newly opened stations, but I did stop past Carrum for a little while on Wednesday night. Carrum opened on Monday, with some hiccups - late completion of testing (apparently due to a police operation) and sign-off of new signalling equipment resulted in a delay to the first Monday morning train services, and ongoing issues through the morning peak. https:
This caught my eye: a commuter at Aircraft station: ...uses the station five days a week and said she had given up trying to get a park at the station. “Because of the traffic congestion on Point Cook Road and because of the lack of car parking facilities at the station, I choose to walk or to cycle to the stationStar Weekly, 2/4/2019 "No love for Aircraft train station" Aircraft is not uni
Melbourne's rail network already has some huge car parks, up to 1000 spaces at some stations, as many as a medium-sized shopping centre. There are more than 40,000 spaces across the Metro network, and thousands more on V/Line. Unlike in some cities, they're all free. The common complaint is that all station car parks fill up between 7 and 8am each weekday. Presumably because car parks are so
All of Melbourne's suburban railway stations have step-free access to the platforms. Except one: Heyington. To get to either platform involves steps. Heyington is set into the side of a hill. From the street you go down some steps to the citybound ("up") platform. Or if you want the outbound ("down") platform, that's down some steps, across a walkway, and then down some more steps. (The outb
I'm running a bit behind in my blogging due to general business. Here are some pictures from the brand new shiny West Footscray station a few weeks ago. The platforms seem uncluttered, and there are Passenger Information Displays (PIDs) and a clock, which are becoming the standard now for new stations: There's a pretty big car park, in part to make up for the parking lost at Footscray
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay, talking about deployment of Protective Service Officers on stations: “From time to time they will check tickets. When these PSOs see a group of young people that they believe are up to no good on a railway station a really helpful tool is to say, 'Show me your ticket'. If they haven't got a ticket, off they go,” he said. He denied they would be equippe
From time to time people suggest that train lines should be built in the middle of all new freeways. The problem with building train lines along freeways is you'd be in danger of them all ending up like Jacana or Kannanook. Because freeways take up so much space, make so much noise, and generate so much pollution, any stations are likely to be a long way from houses, shops, or other plac
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