The Brumby Government last
month dumped Connex as the city's rail operator, and named a new
consortium led by Hong Kong's MTR Corporation as the preferred
train operator... source: the age
yes,
i posted the above in the `singapore overseas' forum not too long
ago. the new operator will be known as Metro
Trains.
most
of the ground staff will remain, but there will be change in the
leadership team.
the
main talking point now is the rebadging of the train and the new
staff's uniform, which will costs taxpayer's money
A$25m.
managing the train network in melbourne will be a
challenge. the extreme weather often cause havoc to the train
service. as recent as yesterday when we had thunderstorm for a day
in the midst of a heatwave, a lot of the train service got
suspended for various reasons. in the summer heatwave, the rail
lines will actually wilt and again train service compromized.
unlike japan, or even korea, i think the aussies' here did little
to upgrade its operations including the railway lines to make it
more robust.
i
don't take the train often but when i do, i actually find the
service adequate. my main grouse is the uncomfortable seats, they
are positioned too close to each other and the general cleanliness.
people still tend to eat/drink and leave their rubbish in the
carriages.
that
said, i do hope to see mark improvement in Metro Trains' way of
running the melbourne rail lines, taking a leaf from the mtr's
efficiency back in hong kong.
