CityRail Guessing Games

["Bill McNiven" <wmcniven@gunzel.ozemail.com.au>]

Each week, CityRail provides puzzles for armchair travellers at
http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/upgrading/Upgrading.htm .  (Since I've never
seen a customer whip out a laptop and mobile phone to check the next train,
I guess the info is there for amusement and political correctness rather
than genuine customer information!)

This week, http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/upgrading/SUM991011-991017.htm
included
* BANKSTOWN LINE  9.30pm Friday 15 October until 2.00am Monday 18 October
 Bankstown via Liverpool Line trains will depart from Sydney Central
Intercity platforms. Customers from the City Circle and North Shore Lines
will need to change platforms at Sydney Central.
Please listen for announcements and check station indicator boards.
Please allow for an additional journey time of 10 minutes.
* INNER WEST LINE  9.30pm Friday 15 October until 2.00am Monday 18 October
 Trains from Ashfield will arrive at Sydney Central Intercity platforms.
Customers travelling to the City Circle and North Shore Lines will need to
change platforms at Sydney Central.
Please listen for announcements and check station indicator boards.
Please allow for an additional journey time of 10 minutes.

These raised the curiosity "what combination of track shutdowns would cause
such alterations?".

Sunday afternoon, I travelled through Central.

The shutdowns were the Up Local Line from Wells Street to Central (including
the Flying Junctions crossover to the Up Illawarra Local), and the City
Outer.

Trains that normally run Sydenham - Quay - Strathfield ran normally.  At
least on Sunday afternoon, trains that normally run Strathfield - Quay -
Sydenham diverted to "Sydney Central" platforms 11-12-13 and reversed to
continue their runs via the Down Local to Illawarra Junction.

The clues missing from the upgrading information were
* the diversion on the Up applied to Southern Line trains as well
* the diversion on the Down applied to East Hills (but not Campbelltown via
East Hills) trains as well
? "Bankstown via Liverpool Line trains" means Bankstown trains, whether or
not they proceed to Liverpool (these ended up indicated at Redfern as
"Liverpool via Regents Park" plus, in chalk "via Sydenham")
? “Sydney Central Intercity platforms” is the place guards announce as
“Sinny Terminal Train Terminates” and the place Central Electric announces
as “Country Platforms 8 to 15” (I hope somebody will standardise this soon!)

In contrast to some Olympic Park special events, adjacent platforms were
used and the whole working ran smoothly (except when trains arrived late
from Strathfield).

Next weekend’s puzzle:
Buses will replace trains in both directions between Regents Park and
Strathfield.
Coaches will replace Blue Mountains Intercity trains between Blacktown,
Wynyard and Sydney Central in both directions.
Buses will replace South Line trains in both directions between Granville
and Strathfield and between Regents Park and Strathfield.
Buses will replace trains in both directions between Granville and
Strathfield. Express buses will run in both directions between Blacktown,
Wynyard and Sydney Central stations. A rail service will operate between
Clyde and Carlingford. Buses will replace trains between Clyde and
Strathfield in both directions.

No mention of Olympic Park. Was it forgotten, or are trains running? If they
’re running, isn’t Olympic Park a better bus interchange than Strathfield?

Rgds

Bill :)