In Melbourne, all the time. My daily commute is 20-30 minutes and never had an issue. And there are Metro Trains lines that have travel times up to an hour.
On long distance regional V/Line also, all the time (unless you pay for first class where all the seats are forward facing)
Many years ago I took a long distance train from Rome to Florence, again sitting facing opposite people. We survived.
Many years earlier took the train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains, pretty sure that was seated facing other people. Donāt know how we did it.
Not quite sure why this is such a problem for people in Perth?
I have caught Melbourne trains before (admittedly ages ago) and donāt recall having to face someone.
In the end, all it does is reduce seating to force more people onto existing trains. Cheap and nasty. Hopefully something that will not catch on in Sydney.
Like I said. Doesnāt seem to be a problem in any other place in the world where the same thing is in place. Why do Perth people not cope with it?
every Metro Train is configured like that and have been for probably decades (I am not old enough to remember the old red rattlers so I donāt know how they were configured but the Comeng carriages that have been in place since the 1970s certainly are) and as I said V/Line long haul trains are the same too except for the first class carriage.
Even Sydney City Rail the last time I was there (sometime in the 2000s) was the same although their seats did have the ability to flip so they didnāt necessarily have to face the people opposite
In NSW, the Intercity trains eg. Newcastle to Sydney are grey double deck carriages with with tan coloured vinyl seats which are flippable (so you can face either direction with the exception of the ones at each end of the carriages). I am thankful then as ours are flippable.
I always prefer sitting on the upper deck on the left hand so I can get a nice view out the window, even though Iāve travelled on that line dozens of times beforeā¦
The trip to Sydney is still a pretty slow one at around 2 hrs and 40 mins unfortunately, the same trip in the car is about 2 hours. Though itās pretty cheap, at about $6 each way.
The Siemens trains operate on some lines only where they alternate with the old 1970s Comeng fleet. I do like the Siemens trains.
Other lines I think have the Comengs combined with XTrapolis trains. Not really familiar with the fleet but all would have facing seating same as the Siemens carriages.
I guess. Maybe Iād eventually get used to it if I lived in Melbourne. Itās not so bad as long as the train doesnāt fill up. I assume all the forward facing seats fill up first before people sit opposite?
I know some people are phobic about sitting facing backwards but it doesnāt bother me. I will sit that way even if there are forward facing seats available. Probably just depends which door I enter the carriage at, so which way I am walking to get to the seat
Southland station on Melbourneās Frankston line will open on November 26, just in time for the pre-Christmas shopping rush. However, it is a very long walk through Westfield Southland to reach the bus terminus on the other side. Will they consider building a new one closer to the station?
