This week there has been considerable disruption to Caulfield line trains
and much has been made of it in the news. I decided to do my weekly
Pakenham trip via public transport rather than drive myself; Melbourne's
peak hour traffic can be very fickle.

Normal train journey from home to Melbourne to the Public Records Office,
0914 Sprinters from Seymour to Broadmeadows, Comeng suburban train tio
Kensington and then walk but sometimes I catch the 402 bus.

The afternoon commenced normally with a route 57 tram from Haines Street
into the city (Z3 185 was the tram); Haines St dep 1532, MCL arr 1546. The
next Glen Waverley train was not until 1602 but was a couple late and I
stood until Richmond when a seat became available. All stations to Glen
Waverley in an Xtrapolis arriving at 1642. We must have just missed a
Chelsea 902 as the wait was 10' but the indicator was accurate and it
turned up at the appointed time and we left at 1657. It took sometime to
get out of the Glen Waverley shopping centre area - why are transport
interchange locations so difficult to get out of? Once on Springvale Road
we got going properly at 1705 and arrived Springvale station at 1734 (bus
stop is right outside the entrance; Perth style) and I descended to the
down platform to find the next train (running a temporary timetable during
the Flinders Street-Caulfield shutdown) was a Pakenham due at 1737. A
Comeng arrived at 1738 and the front three cars had loads of spare seats
which shows that vast numbers of commuters possibly took the week off or
they were still suffering the "rail replacement buses" (never enough buses
driven by drivers who don't know where they are going nor know the useful
shortcuts). Arrival at Pakenham was 1819.

The return next day was similar, the 0721 up Pakenham to Springvale arr
0801, a 902 bus at 0809 to Glen Waverley arr 0833, much quicker into the
Glen Waverley interchange this morning; the idiot motorists going shopping
not yet arrived I assume. Caught the 0840 Xtrapolis train direct to
Flinders Street arr 0914 and was on a 57 tram Z3 163 to North Melbourne;
dep at 0920. My North Melbourne stop is a coffee stop at the 7/11 there
(much quieter than the city places) and I caught the next tram Z3 117 round
to Haines Street at 0940. A three minute tram ride to Haines Street and a
short walk to "The Office" saw me there at 0951. My end to end journey
i.e. out of bed at 0635 and into PROV by 1000 was unchanged despite it
being Plan B and not a direct train into the city. Quite surprising and
certainly one i will remember for next time.

Home from The Office was via a 1514 tram (Z3 183) Haines St to Newmarket,
a quick coffee at "The Daily Grind", onto the 1552 Broadmeadows local and
then the 1626 Sprinters from Broadmeadows to Seymour. Incidentally they
were the very same pair that I had the previous morning (7017 & 7020).
Unusual for cars to remain together for subsequent journeys.

--

cheers and best wishes,
David in Avenel.au
[Before you change anything, learn why it is the way it is.]