Re: Tram Accident Monday 11/09

[Michael Walker <wk@cgsc.vic.edu.au>]

> So do you trust NBC to run the 1:20 if it's not even in their
timetable?

No of course not, although I have used the 12.30 several times when I
got to the city after the last Hurstbridge train (my car was parked at
Macleod so it wasn't too far to walk from Latrobe Uni and downhill all
the way too).

> There's a handful of services like this... eg on Friday and Saturday
nights
> there's a 16 tram from Flinders Street station to St Kilda Beach at
12:49am
> and 1:19am. I caught the latter a few weeks ago; there was a
reasonable
> number of people on it. Looking at the timetable it actually returns
to the
> city, leaving St Kilda 1:43, arriving Flinders Street 2:05. I presume
after
> that it goes back to Malvern depot.

I know the one you mean, I think it was introduced not far either side
of the seperation into Yarra and Swanston although I'll have to look
back through my timetables.

Metbus Doncaster, and then NBC used to run quite late services on the
291 Heidelberg - Box Hill route too. The last bus from Box Hill met the
last train and got to Heidelberg around 1.15 or something like that
then returned as a service to Shoppingtown. Can't imagine many people
on the return trip! I would have to check, but I don't think that
particular service runs any more.

Ventura run some late buses on some routes (700 and a few others) but I
can't think of any other operator who runs late services any more. The
410 (Footscray-Sunshine) used to have a good late night timetable in
the 80s, as did 513 (Heidelberg-Glenroy only). When all the timetables
got rejigged in the late 80s, although it seemd the policy was to make
many outer suburban bus routes continue until around 7.30pm (to get
people home) instead of the previous 6pm or 6.30pm, it seemed to be at
the expense of the few later bus services and Sunday bus services.

> There's also a 78 that leaves North Richmond at 12:34am Tuesday to
Sunday
> mornings - though from my (single) observation on busy nights it gets
stuck
> coming up Chapel Street, and departure is more likely to be around
1am. It
> goes to "Prahran" (actually Elwood) then to Elsternwick and Glenhuntly
> depot.
>
> > In some ways, Melbourne public transport is a joke, especially given
> > there used to be all night tram and bus services (before I was
born).
> > Does anyone know where I can get details of these so I can ponder
how
> > popular or otherwise they may be nowadays if we had had serious
> > governments since they stopped running?
>
> Before my time too, I think, but I seem to remember reading that the
all
> night trams were run by those baby trams they used to have in
Footscray,
> staffed with a driver only.

I'm pretty sure I heard that was the case in the latter stages of night
trams, not too sure about before that. The baby trams used to run Point
Ormond services too from memory (of what I have read) as an attempt to
stem some of the losses of running this line. Or at least driver only
trams of some description anyway.

Another question: given Sunday train services used to run at the
appalling 40 minute frequencies and were still quite popular, how have
the 20 minute frequencies been received by the travelling public? Are
the trains still doing a reasonable trade, or has it meant the trains
run half empty? I am guessing and hoping the former, but would be
interested in others anecdotal evidence.

--
Michael Walker
Email: wk@cgsc.vic.edu.au
ICQ: 78913383


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