Re: [Melb] 27/4/2001 - Services disrupted on Belgrave Line

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

Tony Gatt wrote:
> 
> Hmmm, class action because you missed your bus?
> Some people will sue anything FOR anything..

I'm not the type of person to waste a court's time with a trivial
lawsuit. Having served on Jury Service on several occasions in the past
(both civil and criminal cases), I know better than probably many/most
in this n.g. what a lawsuit would involve - not something I would want
to through except as a last resort! I should qualified the comment by
sticking a "smiley" at the end on the line in question!  :-)

I think you have missed the entire point of that comment though...

My complaints are about the almost total lack of information being given
to passengers about the almost daily late running (and in the case of
Monday evening, the TOTAL confusion at FSS plat 2/3, with both
passengers AND drivers being kept in the dark as to what was going on).

> You could walk from the station, get someone to pick you up maybe..

Not an option at the time for various reasons, and besides, have you
ever had to wait 45 mins for a bus at night, raining, cold, and nothing
open to help the time go by....  Besides, if the trains weren't running
so late in the first place, it wouldn't have been a problem.  Normally
if a train is running late, I can take that into account by getting off
at an earlier station and catching a different bus.  The problem is that
when this happens after 7pm (as it has been recently), there aren't many
(if any) alternatives. Due to the nature of my job, I don't finish at
the same time each day, and I often don't know what time I'll be leaving
work until the last minute. It also doesn't help that a certain bus
company changed timetables last year in a way which makes the situation
worse, and that certain bus drivers can't read timetables and leave
early on certain routes (because they haven't read the t.t properly)... 
:-(


> Suing for being delayed on a train will do nothing except leave the company
> with less money, and with less money they will have less resources, and with
> less resources, you will be waiting 45 minutes for your bus more often...

See earlier comment. Yes, I know that a successful case would cause them
financial problems. The problem is NOT just the occassional
delayed/cancelled train, it is the fact that it happens WAY TOO OFTEN,
tends to affect particular services on a regular basis, and lack of
passenger information from Connex. Many of the problems I've complained
about in the past could be fixed by relatively minor timetable
adjustments, and by sending some staff on "Public Relations" training
courses. Other problems are a bit harder to fix, but it COULD be done.
Many of the problems have been building up during the last 3 or 4 months
- there must be a reason for this.

Note that the are some very good people working for Connex who do
provide a very good service (both drivers and station staff), however
FSS is one station that needs to get it's act together. And from what
I've seem recently, the "control center" (as some drivers refer to it)
could do with a kick up the ass due to some very strange operational
decisions.

Some examples of situations in the last few months where trains have
been delayed/cancelled, and/or passengers inconvenienced unnecessarily,
this list is just a small example:

 Switching an Alamein train from plat 4 to plat 3, then back to 4 (after
passengers had already changed platforms);

 Why switch an Epping train from plat 1 to 2, then a Belgrave train from
2 to 1 (both arrived and departed within a minute of each other, and
both departed late only because of the platform switch). Both were 6
cars, no reports of vandalism, etc;

 A 6-car train arrives, is split into 2 x 3-car sets, joined up again,
then split into 2 sets again (and the front half forms a service which
should have left over 20 mins earlier with 6 cars);

 There are 2 Belgrave trains spaced closely together. Then a Lilydale,
which is cancelled. Then another Belgrave train 3 mins after the
cancelled Lilydale. In a 30 minute period, there were 3 Belgrave (and
also a Ringwood) trains, but no Lilydale trains for at least 47 mins.
And even when there are no cancellations/delays, why are there 3
Belgrave trains (2 within 9 mins of each other), a Ringwood train, but
only 1 Lilydale train between 18:50 and 19:30?

> > "news.foxall.com.au" wrote:
> > >
> > > Does anybody know why buses were running between Ringword and Upper
> Ferntree
> > > Gully this morning instead of trains?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Peter G.
> >
> > And why there were only 2 buses used to replace each train, even though
> > 3 or more were needed.  There wasn't one single announcement at Ringwood
> > as to what the hell was going on (at least around 9.30 this morning).
> > There wasn't anything on the Connex web site either...
> >
> > This is getting typical for Connex these days. Trains running late
> > almost every day this week (on Monday evening, 20-25 mins late, but as
> > usual no explanation or apologies), more delays last night and tonight -
> > thanks Connex, two nights in a row I've missed my connecting bus, with a
> > 45 min wait for the next one, and STILL NO EXPLANATIONS!!!!
> >
> > What does it take to get a response from Connex these days - the threat
> > of a class-action lawsuit?  Any lawyers out there interested in this?
> >
> > Mick.
> >

Modified version of the final comment above:

What does it take to get a response from Connex these days - the threat
of a class-action lawsuit?  Any lawyers out there interested in this? 
:-}
(note the addition at the end)

Mick
-- 
Mick Stock
 mzs@NOSPAMeastwood.apana.org.au