The infrastructure and rolling stock are a Government responsibility - you wont notice a big change in services unless the Government pulls its finger out.

it would be shame. mtr runs a fantastic network in hong kong. i would hope that they don't risk their great reputation with sub-standard service in melbourne.

Today The Age reports that the CEO of the new train provider ran a British train service which went into administration and cost the tax payers a fortune. Has Brumby taken us out of the frying pan and thrown us all into the fire with this new operator?

Are they just shuffling the deck chairs on the ALP titanic?

The government paid $25 million in consultancy fees to select these crooked mugs.

I thought $25 million could fix up the St Alban's rail crossing but no, it goes to Labor stooge consultants to pick a stinking bunch of crooks to run our train system.

Bring on the ICAC

Either Connex or Kosky had to be sacrificed one commentator said on Stateline last night. Duh? Was there any doubt which one with Labor!

I am not going to defend Connex, the service, particularly in notification of where the next train was going was appalling, apart from the congestion, cancellations and contempt -yes, I wrote to Connex and to the Ministers and I have the fob off replies from both. Connex had the audacity to imply that I should listen to announcements when those announcements were either not delivered or changed in a rapid sense of hysterical urgency by station assistants.

It seems the credetials for the new operator are not strong. The question is, did to the new consortium do its homework to identify the issues? If so, what demands have they put in place for the government to deliver upon? Let me see, signalling upgrades; conversion of wooden sleepers to concrete; increasing the number of expansion joints to mitigate track buckling; additional rail spending to bring it up to a percentage of that already delivered to freeways in Victoria's much-promoted Transport plan (version Autum 2009); additional police; station upgrades; seat capacity improvements; driver recruitment and training; AND maintenance!!!

Methinks, any smart operator would have addressed these issues in an ongoing contract to operate the system. Or is that why Connex was not successful - it asked the government to deliver on core obligations and not just produce glossy plans spin?

Lately, not much has changed in almost 2 months since MTR (Metro Trains Melbourne) took over. I still notice the same dirty graffiti carriages, the same rubbish dumped in trains, the same poor realibility service and the same overcrowded trains as per the Connex days.

I know it will take time, but still i would expect better at least after a month, even with the most basic improvements that are needed. Just my thoughts.

The thing with a new operator is that, generally, the staff are the same so their 40 year history of making decisions in a crisis are the same. For example, they historically always cancel a 'short' line train over a long distance train, in the belief they can bring the system back to 'normal' more quickly. Which is why the Upfields, Williamstown (before the Newport changeover), Frankston, Sydenham and Sandringham trains tend to get necked when a train goes down. It kind of builds in poor service on all those lines, and ours especially.

The operation control staff don't get that trains that now service growth corridors are stuffed to capacity and it's downright dangerous to cancel them.

Connex did not hire many of the maintenance staff in the changeover preferring to save money an operate a lean maintenance division. We experienced the results of that decisions.

I think we did pin our hopes on a dramatic change in service in a change of management. We can all hope.

Thanks for dredging through all the old threads, Blokeofthewest01.

Hope for better wrote:
The thing with a new operator is that, generally, the staff are the same so their 40 year history of making decisions in a crisis are the same. For example, they historically always cancel a 'short' line train over a long distance train, in the belief they can bring the system back to 'normal' more quickly. Which is why the Upfields, Williamstown (before the Newport changeover), Frankston, Sydenham and Sandringham trains tend to get necked when a train goes down. It kind of builds in poor service on all those lines, and ours especially.

The operation control staff don't get that trains that now service growth corridors are stuffed to capacity and it's downright dangerous to cancel them.

Connex did not hire many of the maintenance staff in the changeover preferring to save money an operate a lean maintenance division. We experienced the results of that decisions.

I think we did pin our hopes on a dramatic change in service in a change of management. We can all hope.

Thanks for dredging through all the old threads, Blokeofthewest01.

Yes thank you for your opinions, hopeforbetter

However, I thought alot of the older threads as you say required my input, as im sure any other user would and has the right to. Thank you again, hopeforbetter and have a nice day. Cheers.