Re: [MELB] City Loop issues

["Bradley Torr" <truenorth@one.net.au.SPAMTRAP>]

Vaughan Williams <ender2000@MailAndNews.com> wrote in article
<3ADA4D6B@MailAndNews.com>...

> (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)

The thing about Spencer Street is that it is also the terminus of the
V/Line commuter services and country and interstate trains as well. Surely
this must play into consideration as well.

On a visit to Melbourne in 1997 when I was staying with a friend in Melton,
my friend and I were at Parliament and trying to get back to his place at
about 5pm. The City Circle trams had stopped and we needed to get to
Spencer Street to catch the V/Line service to Melton. To my dismay, my
friend told me that there was no possible way to get there, other than tram
or walk. Walking would have been faster than the trams at that time of the
afternoon! In the end, we caught an outbound Broadmeadows train to North
Melbourne, then an inbound train one stop back to Spencer Street (the
service we wanted to catch didn't stop at North Melbourne like some of them
did). I pty commuters who have to do this every morning and afternoon!

Regular commuters and PT users might have become well acquainted with the
nuances of the City Loop, but I feel that Melbourne's City Loop's
operations (as they now stand) is very user-unfriendly. The old system with
Dave Proctor described with Clifton Hill trains doing "City Circle"
services between their inbound and outbound trips would probably suffice.
His suggestion of 'switch the Burnley trains direction' could only work if
they transfer the recovery time at Flinders Street to the outer suburban
termini - anyone more familiar with Melbourne's railway operations know how
feasible this would be?

How feasible would it be to make each track go in the same direction all
day as well? That confused me big-time. Credit should be given to Chris
Brownbill's excellent "Zen And The City Loop" webpage - without it, I'd
still be pulling my hair out trying to figure it all.

Regards
BT