Brisbane’s new metro line opened this morning.
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My favourite seat on a bus is the single seat next to the front door closest to the driver.If you do choose to sit there it’s best to keep quiet,no loud phone conversations ,etc,so you don’t distract the driver
bus route
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bougie bus route
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V/Line will introduce a new timetable on Sunday, December 1, adding more services to the Geelong line, while VLocity trains will be introduced on the Warrnambool Line for the first time from next Friday, November 1.
UPDATE 2/11: the Victorian Government announced that three return services on the Warrnambool line on weekends and weekdays would run as VLocity trains.
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Good for me in Geelong as I mostly get the train on weekends but not so good for Warrnambool passengers
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On the weekend I had a catch-up dinner with a former colleague, who travels frequently on V/Line trains between her hometown of Warrnambool and Melbourne. Nowadays she works in Warrnambool on weekdays, travels to Melbourne on Friday nights, stays in her own home over the weekend, before returning to Warrnambool on Sunday nights.
She said she didn’t like the introduction of VLocity trains to replace the existing N-class carriages, as the seats of VLocity trains are uncomfortable for a 4-hour train journey, and they don’t have large tray tables (allowing her to work during the trip) and a cafe onboard like N-class carriages.
How do the long-distance VLocity sets running to Albury compare to the loco-hauled trains? Would it be a case of building more long-distance variants to solve this problem?
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The Albury Velocity trains do have a cafe facilicis on the train. It is not mroning in the middle carriage.
If I want to go to melbourne, some times I drive to Seymour and get on the ex-Albury Train
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The main issue on the Albury line at the moment with the new Vlocity trains is that the majority of services are run with only 3 cars, which is only about 40-45% of the capacity of an N class loco hauled set. Combined with the cheap fares and the fact that there are no extra services being offered (still 3 services each way per day), along with increased migration to the Albury/Wodonga area from Melbourne during and after Covid- a lot of services end up with people standing the whole way.
While it does help that the XPT can pick up some of the slack- it is a lot pricier and can have capacity issues as well.
Doesn’t really help that the Vlocity is not really any quicker than the old N sets given the speed restrictions on the line- they did an upgrade on the line an bit over a decade ago but it was a bit of a shambles with the line left in a worse condition than before.
The buffet service is available but can be hit and miss on actually being available depending on staffing.
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I reckon on board vending machines would be more useful than a half operating cafe service - or at least be a good supplement. Especially if you had a coffee machine.
The 3 car sets also make an issue for a cafe car - if you did join two up for a 6 car they wouldn’t be able to move between carriages while on the move. I dunno how viable inserting a 4th or 5th car would be - wouldn’t be an issue with operational flexibility on the Albury line, as they are the only ones that need the standard gauge.
I do find the seats more than comfortable enough on them though.
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Vending machines on board trains are not a bad idea, but you still need staff stocking the machine at the start of the day, and clearing the unsold items after the last service before the train goes into storage overnight.
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I’ve often thought that vending machines, especially ones that could make tea/coffee, would be a great addition and a decent replacement for a buffet car.
This would still be a lot less work than having someone on board the train manning the buffet car so can see how it would be an appealing alternative from an operational standpoint.
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Only issue with the vending machines, much like anything requiring electronic fund transfer on long distance trains, is that it can be hit and miss whether there’s a network connection to be able to pay by card and most machines these days don’t have capability to accept cash or coin payment.
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I still maintain that they should have done this, but there is no intention to do so unfortunately. It’s essentially an amentity downgrade even though I personally wouldn’t buy anything myself.
There’s also a susbsection of VLocity trains with dreeadfully uncomfortable seats. No doubt they will be sent out to do these long-haul services as well.
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AirportLink has the right to operate the stations until 2030, when they will fall back into the hands of the state government.
Prices are expected to drop when that happens.
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I. really hope the incoming LNP government in QLD sticks to their promise that the 50c public transport fares are here to stay.I’ve read so many online articles about how commuters are saving so much money since they were introduced .Other people such as pensioners or anyone else on a limited income can afford to travel more .
I try to travel on PT myself more as I’m saving money on petrol for my car and if I top up my Go Card with $20 how much longer that money lasts before I have to top it up again.
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Coming off the back of a recent Whitsundays trip, the 50c fares on the one local bus route through Airlie Beach was fantastic! Sure, the main street was walkable 10-15min from where I was staying but sometimes it was nice to just hop on the bus instead.
Slightly inconvenient having to carry large coins around since that route was cash only, but otherwise was dead easy to use.
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I’ve been on buses in Mackay and Townsville and it’s annoying to have to pay the bus driver for a ticket ,I’m used to tapping on and off with my Go Card on buses down here.On Brisbane City Council buses the drivers don’t handle cash anymore,it’s either Go Cards or paper tickets ,though recently I’ve seen people using their phones to pay by card when boarding a bus.
I think some buses from areas outside of Brisbane City Council area,ie;Logan City or Redlands ,they might let you pay the driver in cash to buy a paper ticket.
That’s so 1980s.
I vaguely remember the days of bus conductors, who sold tickets on the bus instead of the driver.
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