Re: Melbourne Double deckers

["Graeme" <gvrail@thatsent.com.au>]

Re Melbourne System
Increased frequency and keeping current sized consists is the way to go.  In
1990 in the lead up to rail electrification customer surveys of users but
most importantly non users of the system put frequency and reliability ahead
of everything else.  Speed but consistent on time performance was also a
factor and here we designed the "skip" stopping pattern where in the peak
period every train becomes a limited stop train with major stations having
every train stop and "minor" stations every alternate train.

Frequencies are two trains per 15" for the Armadale, Fremantle and Midland
lines.  Minor stations get a train every 15".  Skip stopping plus rail
electrification reduced travelling times by up to 30%!!!  Customers through
away their timetables as frequencies increased and in the off-peak services
run every 15" on regular clock face timetables!!!  On the Currambine Line
opened in 1993 peak hour frequencies are every 3 minutes and every alternate
train is an express!!!  Off peak trains run every 7.5 minutes.

Melbourne could easily go this same path improving utilisation of equipment
and boosting frequency and capacity.  The change in operating culture is
enormous.  We threw everything out and started again!!!  Maintenance of
equipment both rollingstock, signalling and infrastructure has to be
meticulous.  Each day we run 765 timetabled services of which 98% must run
within 3 minutes of schedule.  New customers flooded the system proving that
what the customer was asking for would give us the result!!!

How do I know???  I was the General Manager equivalent at the time and I
used to ride the system frequently!!!!

--
Graeme Vellacott
PO Box 322
CANNINGTON 6987
AUSTRALIA
Email:   gvrail@thatsent.com.au
Ph/Fax: +61 8 9451 5630
James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
38201E94.BC5CEBAE@ozemail.com.au">news:38201E94.BC5CEBAE@ozemail.com.au...
>     Can they only take 6 cars? That seems a bit short sighted of the
> designers, especially as they were running 7 car tait trains in the 70's.
> Anyway, I still think they should increase the frequency of trains. Perth
> trains are only two cars but they are very frequent. I was in Perth in
1993
> and during the peak period trains ran every 10 minutes on all lines.
>
> Michael Kurkowski wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Extending the City Loop platforms might be a bit hard though.
> >
> > Regards
> > Michael
>
>
>
> --
> - James Brook -
>
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