RE: Connex trying to keep troublemakers off its station platforms?

[Vaughan Williams <ender2000@MailAndNews.com>]

>Interesting item on 3AW this morning saying that Connex had wanted a charity
>group to pay more than $4000 for the "right" to seek donations from rail
>passengers tomorrow. The charity is raising money for deaf children.
>It was reported that Connex had backed down and waived the fee.

That'd be right. Anyone not yet convinced our Good Friends the private 
operators are here to help us by making our public transport really good, 
and 
are not at all interested in making money by charging the highest fares they 
can get away with while providing the worst service they can get away with?

>Notices saying that station premises are for rail passengers only have
>appeared on Connex stations in recent weeks.
>How is this policed?

The signs are a legal requirement. Unless they signpost all the platforms as 
an area for which a ticket is required, they can't book anyone for being on 
the platform without a ticket unless they can prove beyond reasonable doubt 
that person was on a train without a ticket.

>Wonder if there will be any problems for railway enthusiasts taking photos
>from station platforms? I've always considered that station platforms are
>"public" property and so long as you were taking your photo from a location
>that is open to the pulic there shouldn't be a problem.

The stations are public land still, though may be leased to connex. I'm not 
wading through 1000's of pages of franchise agreement to find out :))

Dunno if they can stop people taking photos. Probably not, if you have a 
ticket and are entitled to be there. Theres no property in a spectacle. 
Anyone 
know?

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