Re: [Melb] Swanston Trams timetables - Oops

[Chris Brownbill <cbrnbill@enternet.com.au>]

Daniel Bowen wrote:
> 
> "Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
> Ouk_5.133670$DG3.2621854@news2.giganews.com">news:Ouk_5.133670$DG3.2621854@news2.giganews.com...
> > "Sam Eades" <seades@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
> > L%j_5.18626$xW4.149236@news-server.bigpond.net.au">news:L%j_5.18626$xW4.149236@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> > > As previously mentioned, there is an 'e' missing in the Glen Waverly
> (sic)
> > > train timetable, but they seem to have made up for it in the Hurstbridge
> > > Timetable (Flinders Streeet).
> > > Also, the Hurstbridge timetable has one Down train printed twice in the
> > > morning peak.
> >
> > Perhaps this train is the last one that runs as a six-car train, so they
> > printed it twice (as there are two three-car sets running! I never
> > understood this peculiar Melbourne thing to run half trains between the
> > peaks. Why not run full trains - six cars - and be done with it?)
> 
> On the lines through Richmond, they leave them as six cars.
> 

No they dont!  A number of Alamein trains are split during the peak periods. 
Presumably this is to exploit a loophole in the contracts which stipulate that a
certain number of trains must be run.  So now we have dysfunctional behaviour
driven by contract conditions which attempt to make private companies whose job
is to make money behave in such a way that they provide a reasonable service. 
To borrow from a recent thread, if the people who travel on trains were
considered passengers rather than customers then we wouldn't have this
ridiculous situation.

> They chop them up on most weekends though, which leaves a lack of seats,
> particularly on Saturdays. A real pain.
> 
> Daniel
> 
> --
> Daniel Bowen, Melbourne, Australia
> dbowen@custard.REMOVE.net.au
> http://www.custard.net.au/bowen/daniel/