RE: [MELB] City Loop issues

[Vaughan Williams <ender2000@MailAndNews.com>]

>So Vaughan from what you just stated above, the Burnley group will be
>the only one that run direct to Flinders Street than Loop all day.
>Therefore, I look forward to see Richmond during morning peak - many
>changing from Burnley to Caulfield group services in order to have
>direct access to the City Loop.  Also with the current privatisation
>arrangement, the only services that may run from one side to other side
>of the town is Caulfield and Northern groups by M>Trains.

And by happy co-incidence, that works quite nicely.

Burnley group people would still be able to get to the loop without 
changing, 
just by staying on their train as it runs around the loop after Flinders. 
Flagstaff people would probably save some time, and Spencer/Flinders people 
certainly would.

>So when your suggestion of Loop working becomes reality for Burnley
>group, we can mention your Association as the one who suggested such an
>idea to our angry customers who have now lost City Loop services during
>morning peak.  Let's hope your answering machines can handle all their
>calls!

Well, its not specifically PTUA policy to change the direction of that 
particular line. I can't help thinking youre deliberately beating up the 
story. I never suggested removing all Burnley trains from the loop, only 
reversing their direction.

  Just let me remind you again that my personal observation for
>morning peak is 75% City Loop and 25% Flinders Street direct.  In fact,
>during morning peak, all our services are City Loop.

So?

IF youre including Spencer St as City Loop (and how do you make this 
observation, anyway? DOn't you work out at Ringwood or somewhere? How do you 
know where all the passengers get off?) then that figure may be right.

Lets do a bit of guesswork here:
Flinders 25% (accepting your figure as correct)
Melb Central 22.5%
Parliament 20%
Spencer 20%
Flagstaff 17.5%

(Very rough figures based on knowing Flinders then M.Central are the 
busiest, 
and incorporating some anecdotal observations of passenger movement and the 
employment density around there. Spencer is likely to increase with 
Docklands 
development)

If we say people going to Flinders and Spencer are better off with the 
reversal of direction, and people going to Parliment and M.Central are worse 
off, and Flagstaff about the same, then we see that 45% are better off, 
42.5% 
worse off, and 17.5% the same.

We could argue about this all day, though. Finalising any such change would 
need proper market research and adequate consultation with passengers.

Vaughan Williams
Secretary
Public Transport Users Association
247 Flinders Lane
Melbourne 3000
http://www.ptua.org.au