Re: Sydney/Melbourne transport comparisons

[jjjim <jjjim@bigpond.com>]

Well I can compare the sydney  system to brisbane . I think the major
differecneces where The better ticketing system in sydney.  The trains are
obvioulsy bigger and ride better  (bar the new brissy trains which ride exellent
for a narrow gauge. )

You cant understand the guards in sydney,  why dont they have an automated doors
closing announcment like bris, u can understand.

The Older sydney trains are quite ratty, and very old fasioned. and the brakes
stink ;-).  but being a bit of a nut i found them quite Historical and
fasinating.  From a tourists point of veiw i think a better ratio of new  to old
trains is needed

The staion masters are arseholes. by the way :p



Peter Parker wrote:

> Some rough notes from a quick trip to Sydney last weekend.  My travel
> included a quick look at the Airport terminal (didn't go in though) and
> train travel to Hornsby and Gosford.
>
> 1.  Airport station
> - Well sign posted from airport.  Walk longer than to buses, but still
> reasonable for most people.
> - Airport express buses to city (300) still run, despite train.
> - Well-staffed and well-kept
> - Very few passengers (7:35am Friday)
> - Frequent services (5-10 min average) at above time
> - overall impression favourable apart from ticket machines
>
> 2. CityRail ticket machines at airport station
> - Use touch screens
> - Much more complicated than Melbourne Metcard machines
> - All but one machine had hand-written signs 'Exact Fare only'
> - Machines won't accept new $5 or $50 notes
> - Like Melbourne trams, several machines had 'Coin only' signs
> - Machines had a weekly ticket top-up facility.
> - Overall impression unfavourable
>
> 3. Trains to Hornsby and Gosford
> - Stations and trains were spotless.  Melbourne trains (esp Bayside) are
> rubbish tips on wheels by comparison.
> - Reasonable efforts made to clean up vandalism and grafitti.
> - Stopping times at stations meant that you had to be alert to avoid missing
> stop (esp if riding on top level)
> - The few station precincts seen cleaner than stations in Melbourne.  (I
> can't speak for southern and
> western Sydney suburbs though, which might be more like Melbourne)
> - Trains much quieter, possibly faster.
> - Passenger behaviour - mostly similar to Melb, though more people seem to
> attract attention to themselves by
> shouting loudly when in conversaton in Sydney (caution: sample size very
> small).
> - Overall impression favourable, though no detailed timetable study was done
> to assess service levels and
> reliability.
>
> 4. Other/general
> - Melbourne's multi-mode zonal fare system much better than Sydney's
> ramshackle mainly single-mode system
> - Read in paper during stay about ticket machine crime (not only a Melbourne
> problem)
> - Heard passenger in Gosford train complain loudly about late
> running/cancellations (3 out
> of last five days either late to work or late home, and they still want to
> put up the fares).  She was
> on bottom level, I was on top - her voice carried well in Tangara.
>
> Peter