Re: Travelling home with Hillside trains <=> V/line

["John Wayman" <trecker@bigpond.com>]

I learnt that lesson  many years ago. To travel by suburban train to connect
with a country service is asking for trouble. Driving a car to the city is
the only sure way to catch that train.

Wasn't there a time when there was a guaranteed connection with the first
suburban train on all suburban lines?


Cheers
John Wayman

Reuben Farrelly wrote in message <7d27te$mg0$1@eplet.mira.net.au>...
>Hi,
>
>It's been a pretty disappointing weekend for some aspects of Melborne
>suburban train travel to date.  It's as if Hillside have gone out of their
>way to make it damn near imposible to catch any form of country train on
>time -
>
>* Glen Waverley trains have not run all weekend due to maintenance work at
>High St level crossing - meaning that loop travel has been a more tricky
>than usual as these services have not been replaced by anything
>
>* Lilydale/Belgrave trains were running direct from Flinders St due to
>maintenance work in the loop (usually from Flinders -> loop)
>
>That left only Epping/Hurstbridge trains going from Flinders St to Spencer
>St today in the entire system, and even they were each leaving at only 40
>minute hour intervals (although there were both Hurstbridge and Epping
>trains alternating).  This is preposterous, given that these are Melbournes
>two largest terminals, and a good number of people must come from Flinders
>St to Spencer St to catch trains home.  There were many trains going the
>other way around the loop.
>
>When I asked at Spencer St Info desk (V/Line) about this on Saturday and
>told them that I had missed a connect because of this, they told me that
>"no-one told us that there were suburban train cancellations".  It had
taken
>me over 20 minutes to find a train that was going from Flinders St to
>Spencer St.  Trams were also out around the area, as there was some pretty
>heavy duty excavation work going on outside Flinders St.
>
>To cap it all off today I thought I'd call the feedback line and let them
>know how annoying it was - but it kindly informed me to call back during
>business hours and not weekends or public holidays.  One wonders if they've
>heard of answering machines - or if in fact if the customer service/care
>idea went home on the last train on Friday evening.
>
>Is this the sort of timetabling (even if it is temporary) that is supposed
>to encourage people to use public transport?
>
>Wouldn't it be appropriate on weekends like this to have some sort of city
>loop trains that only loop all day?  If not, why not?
>
>Reuben      (finished winging now!)
>
>
>