I used to hate it on trains as a kid but I’m used to it now - but I usually prefer to stand over sitting backwards on a tram - there’s just something more disorienting about it.
I never liked sitting backwards on Transperth buses and trains as it made her feel quite uncomfortable. 
When I had a backwards facing seat, I felt quite drowsy as the train departs from stations. I woudl rather prefer perimeter seat on trains and buses than a backward facing seat. A perimeter facing seat would enable me to get out of my seat and exit the trains comfortably. I’ve seen many A-Series Trains and a few B-SEries that have perimeter facing seat configuration. WHen C-Series trains come into Transperth service in 2022, hopefully there will be perimeter facing seats.
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perimeter facing seats are terrible in design and functionality, decreasing the seating capacity down by at least 1/3 if not 1/2.
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Cc @Sifon 
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I have no problems at all with perimeter seating. When i sit down on a train, I could sit myself without having to hold other front seats. Perth trains has reasonably clean seats than transperth buses.
Its very inconvenient for a traveller from Sydney to do that when the balance is low etc. They need really to enable credit card payments.
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Public Transport Victoria has updated its mobile app for iOS and Android, with improvements that allow passengers to search for frequent trips, save their favourite destinations and receive alerts about disruptions.
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He was sacked by the board today.
Victoria’s Night Network service and V/Line night coach, which was suspended back in March during the initial COVID-19 outbreak, will resume later tonight (November 13).
https://twitter.com/ptv_official/status/1326784297488019457
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews tweeted this morning the government would allocate $2.2 billion in next week’s State Budget to kickstart stage 1 of Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop. It will start construction in 2022 and include six new stations: Cheltenham (under Sir William Fry Reserve, across the road from Westfield Southland), Clayton, Monash University, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill. The funding will purchase land, upgrade roads and power supply, build new sub-stations, relocate and protect gas, water and other utilities, and deliver other vital works to prepare for major construction.
Herald Sun reported tonight that Daniel Andrews and PM Scott Morrison have finally struck an agreement on the design of the Melbourne Airport rail project and will contribute $5 billion each to start construction in 2022. The link, which will travel via a superhub in Sunshine and the Metro Tunnel through the CBD, is expected to be finished by 2029.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/a-deal-has-finally-been-struck-for-victorias-airport-rail-link-heres-how-itll-work/news-story/cf6dab42e856c706dc9033d2a5240ab3
The two leaders will also announce tomorrow (November 21) on the $4 billion first stage of the Geelong fast rail project, which includes express tracks between Werribee and Laverton.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/express-track-to-slash-train-travel-time-between-melbourne-and-geelong/news-story/d103119dab00fe99b16d5d704ab0ad30
Both projects will be funded via next week’s State Budget.
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could we see Andrews at an announcement press conference tomorrow?
Metro 2 here we come. Awesome.
Time to Electrify Sunshine to Lara and Bacchus Marsh via Deer Park.
I think having Melbourne Airport trains sharing the same tracks with suburban trains through the Metro Tunnel is a big mistake. It means frequencies on the Sunbury line will not be able to increase as much as possible, especially given a number of trains from the south east (Frankston, Cranbourne and Pakenham) will only terminate at West Footscray and not go all the way to Watergardens or Sunbury. This means overcrowding at stations between Sunshine and Sunbury will continue.
The rail link was also reported in The Age today.
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Took the Metro from Tallawong to Epping and back from Chatswood to Tallawong - can’t say I rate it too much. Suppose I need to wait until they finish building the line into the city.
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Metro Tunnel will be able to accommodate something like 30 trains per hour (tph), or about one train every two minutes. An Airport train every 10 minutes/6tph still leaves room for a Sunbury train every 2.5 minutes/24tph.
I mean, that’s not how it’ll be run this side of 2030 anyway. No excuse for a lack of 10 minute off-peak frequencies across the board as far as double track allows.
By 2029 four types of trains will run through the Metro Tunnel: Airport trains, trains from southeastern suburbs terminating at West Footscray, trains going to Sunbury and trains travelling to Melton. Each type will have an average of 8 trains per hour (8tph). For me, eight trains per hour on both Sunbury line and Melton line will be bare enough to cater for commuters living in the western suburbs during peak periods, considering the booming population.
[quote=“JohnsonTV, post:1189, topic:480”]
8tph
whats 8tph?
tph stands for trains per hour. So 8 tph = 8 trains per hour.
Those overlap though - you’re not running 8 trains an hour from the South East just to terminate at West Footscray, those are the trains going to Sunbury, etc. Using an average among a few very different lines doesn’t make sense.
I don’t think fully dedicated tracks would be justified - Sydney’s airport line was helped by there being extra stations along the route served - and even then the actual airport stations are underutilised due to the ticket cost being not significantly cheaper than just getting a taxi - especially if travelling in a group.
I’m sure you can set your clock to the reports, a year after it opens of actual patronage being less than projected and the whole thing being a failure. People like the sound of airport rail far more than they like actually using it.
But 20 years after Sydney’s line opened, it’s now at crush capacity.
We have to get out of this mindset that a piece of infrastructure needs to be immediately full upon opening or deemed a failure. Rather, you need to look at rail lines as enabling future growth. Build it and they will come… over the course of a few decades. Just look at the development occurring along the former Epping to Chatswood Rail Link, enabled by construction a decade ago and now augmented by a much better metro service. Look at Mascot or Green Square along Sydney’s airport line.
Airport lines in particular aren’t expected to be massively successful at the get-go. Rather, they’re seen as drawcards to getting more people using the rail network. Think of it this way: I’m much less likely to own a car in a major city if I know I can get pretty much anywhere without one, cheaply. You MUST service an airport, especially in Australia, in order for the rail network to compete with the convenience and attractiveness of private car ownership. You also make it far more attractive for tourists, many of whom are put off by the prospect of having to rent a car.
If the long term prospects for airport lines weren’t there, then Australian cities would’ve stopped building them after Sydney and Brisbane built theirs in the late 90s. Instead, we have Perth finishing its line and Melbourne pursuing its own. Part of the reason for this is that travelling to Sydney and Brisbane is seen as much more attractive to both domestic and international tourists from a convenience perspective. People prefer to have the option to use the train, and it’s seen as part of offering a “complete” transport service to customers.
I certainly dread flying into Tullamarine and dealing with Skybus far more than flying into Sydney, where I know I can catch a train to Central and then switch over to whichever line takes me to my AirBNB. Melbourne? You’re dumped in a basement at Southern Cross and forced to lug your baggage up the steps of one of the worst designed stations in the world to catch an infrequent train, potentially back in the same direction you came from.
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