Re: Connex loses another customer

[Mick Stock <mstock@bigpond.net.au>]

Chris Gordon wrote:
> 
> > Quite right too.
> 
> No it isn't.
> 
> > Camberwell is an important district centre and all trains should stop
> > there.
> 
> No.
I agree - why should ALL trains stop there during the peak? 


> > We can argue over whether it should stop at glenferrie.
> 
> Forgot that one too.
> 
> > Vaughan

It never ceases to amaze me how many people insist on jumping on an "express"
at Camberwell only to get off a Glenferrie, even though an all-stations train
is often already at Camberwell before the express arrives.  The same people
then get upset (to put it mildly) because there are no vacant seats. The same
for people who want a Flinders St direct train - they get on a loop train at
Box Hill, Camberwell or Glenferrie and get shitty because there are no vacant
seats, when they could have caught a train 2 mins earlier which runs at less
that 15% capacity from Blackburn in. And of course when the train gets into
Richmond, they have to swap to the SAME train that they could have easily
caught earlier....  Oh, thats right, some of them also have to finish that
smoke first (and delaying the train by blocking the doors until their cancer
sticks run out....).

> People from Lilydale and Belgrave (and me from Ringwood) want a faster
> trip to the City, this means more express, stopping at Camberwell adds
> more time, and Glenferrie too (far too many trains stop there now),
> after all those stations you might as well stop at them all.

Too bloody true!  What ever happended to the "express Ringwood-Mitcham,
Blackburn-Box Hill-Richmond" trains which used to run until the 80's). Far too
many trains stop at Laburnum!
Also, bring back the "express Richmond-Blackburn" train!

> The timetables in Melbourne need a total re-draft, throw out the crap
> they have now run train in peak hour so they stop at about 5-10 stations
> and then express to the city.  ie:
> Lilydale all stations to Ringwood express Box Hill then Richmond.
> Belgrave all stations to Ringwood express Box Hill then Richmond.
> Upper Gully/Mooroolbark/Ringwood all stations to Box Hill then
> Camberwell and Richmond (maybe some about 15 minutes before lectures due
> to start at Swinburn stop at Glenferrie, but not all).
> Box Hill trains (stuff this Blackburn crap, the double between Box Hill
> and Blackburn is needed for all the other trains) stop all stations to
> Camberwell then Glenferrie and Richmond.
> Alamein trains stop all stations (because loading on the Alamein line is
> low).

The only reason the "local" services were extended to Blackburn in the first
place was when Box Hill station was being moved underground and Box Hill
Central was being built.  From my personal observations, very few people use
these trains between Box Hill & Blackburn anyway.

How about bringing back timetables similar to what was run in the 70's and
early 80's, but modified to include the loop. Plenty of expresses, more
frequent services, but with the loop there wouldn't be the bottleneck at FSS
(which was always a problem many years ago).  If the new rail operators think
they can increase passenger numbers by significant percentages, then they are
going to have to improve capacity anyway.

They should also re-introduce express services on Saturdays for the "peak"
periods. I especially liked the "super express" which used to leave FSS at
around 5.15pm Sat afternoon, express FSS to Box Hill to Ringwood (the
not-stopping-at-Richmond was intentional - this train was NOT for the football
crowds!).  I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure it didn't stop at
Camberwell - this train hasn't run for about 30 years. Considering the lack of
stops, it was often quite well used!

> Then during the day (ie off peak) run Blackburn trains stopping all
> stations Blackburn - Camberwell then express Glenferrie - Richmond.
> Alamein trains through running to Flinders Street, Lilydale/Belgrave
> trains express Box Hill - Camberwell - Richmond, that time of day you do

As they used to do until the early 80's.....

> 
> C.
> 
> WEB   : www railpage org au / vicsig
> EMAIL : cmgord at alphalink dot com dot au
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> 
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Mick.


-- 
Mick Stock
 mstock@bigpond.net.au