Re: Trains Stuffed (8/7)

[Clive Newall <crn@itga.com.au>]

Melbourne, July 8,m evening peak:
At Flagstaff:
At about 5:45 pm, announce that trains delayed "15 to 20 minutes".
At about 6:05, tell "epping & hurstbridge passengers" to catch a tram
               to Flinders St and catch a train there.
At about 6:10, announce "All Epping, Hurstbridge, Werribee,
Williamstown, St.Albans, Broadmeadows" passengers to catch tram to 
Flinders St, and get train there. 
After several repetitions of this, add "no trains running on platforms
1 or 3 for some time, <same list> running direct".

Bemused passengers on Platform 3 listen to all this, wondering why
Upfield doesn't get a mention, and what the train we are all imagining
is approaching from Melb.Central is going to do.

Approx. 6:15, Train for St.Albans arrives Platform 3. Announcement
abruptly changes (mid sentence!) to tell all passengers to catch this
train to North Melb. and catch direct trains from there.

Of course, at NM, no one could tell us prior to arrival which platform
the Upfield train would be using...(Well, actually they said the
usual platform, #2. Pity the train pulled in to platform 4.)

Whatever else is needed, communications when something goes wrong
are in need of a major overhaul.

-- 
Clive Newall <crn@itga.com.au> / ITG Australia Ltd, Melbourne Australia
"I think Casper is the ghost of Richie Rich. I wonder how Richie died?"
"Perhaps he realized how hollow the pursuit of money is and took his own life"
  --Bart and Lisa Simpson