Late running trains go Express (Hillside)

[cmgord@ecr.mu.oz.au (Christopher_Martin GORDON)]

A while ago there was a thread about late running train running express to gain
time, now that the trains are in private hand the folling train ran express from
Ringwood to Box Hill (ment to stop all to Box Hill).  It was the 0754 Up from
Lilydale, and was 3 minutes late arriving at Ringwood, so it ran express through
The 5 stations to Box Hill, where it arrived early by 2 minutes.

This is stupid running a train like this during peak hour when the following 
train is 7 minutes later and stops all station to Camberwell.  

Why did this train have to run express, it should have just stopped all stations
to Box Hill as per normal, it would have made up the lost time running express 
Box Hill - Camberwell - Glenferrie - Richmond.  With the passengers charter what
can you do about this?


A interesting point to make is that the people that caught the following train
(including me) were not too happy.  The 5 stations that this train ran express
through (Heatherdale, Mitcham, Nunawading, Blackburn and Laburnum) are all in
the state seat of Mitcham. (They are the only 5 stations in that seat) and this
seat was lost to Labour in a 1997 bi-election, jeff wants the seat back and with
the highest public transport use something like this will no help jeff.  (Not
that I want jeff to have Mitcham).  

Hillside trains are idiots for doing this.  (I am off to www.hillside.com.au
to make my complaint)


--

Chris Gordon
http://www.ecr.mu.oz.au/~cmgord