As noted here, the much-promoted "Big Switch" February 1 Metro train timetables were a huge boost for the Sunbury line, some handy uplifts for Cranbourne and Pakenham but pretty small affairs elsewhere.
This is because bigger initiatives are planned for later, with the minister describing the February 1 changes as only the beginning. These will include off-peak improvements for Sandringham, Craigieburn and Upfield and peak improvements for Werribee,
This is because bigger initiatives are planned for later, with the minister describing the February 1 changes as only the beginning. These will include off-peak improvements for Sandringham, Craigieburn and Upfield and peak improvements for Werribee,
However February 1 did treat the Frankston line to an extra outbound Sunday morning trip, departing Flinders Street at 7:39am and arriving Frankston at 8:43am.
Its timing couldn't have been better so kudos to the Master Timetable schedulers. It perfectly plugs a 60 minute gap in the previous timetable that existed until the 9:12am arrival at Frankston.
And whether by luck or design it cuts connection waits for the Mornington Peninsula's most important bus routes (including some first trips for the day) by 30 minutes. Without this train people travelling from the city direction would be unable to efficiently arrive at most Peninsula destinations much before late morning.
Despite its network benefits this extra service has flown under the radar. Even though it's a perfect example of how adding a few services per week at important times (for tiny cost) can transform passenger experiences and the network's usefulness.
The trip's low profile is not just due to the usual DTP/TV/PTV prosaic communication style and lack of marketing flair. Weakness in data management is also a factor. That's because the trip can be missing from what should be trusted resources like the PTV app, Transport Victoria website and Metro online timetables. Without departure time posters at stations (which were removed and not replaced for February 1) people might see the hour gap between trains and avoid travel or drive instead.
Without information one could call the 7:39am Sunday trip from Flinders Street to Frankston a 'secret' train, known only to a lucky few who either saw it or were browsing certain sources that showed it.
Without information one could call the 7:39am Sunday trip from Flinders Street to Frankston a 'secret' train, known only to a lucky few who either saw it or were browsing certain sources that showed it.
Enjoy this video of my experiences planning and making a trip involving it last Sunday.
Note: There are other trains that run but are not in the public timetable. These 'non-PSR' trains are normally on weekdays. They can be cancelled without penalty. But this service is too useful for network connectivity to be considered a non-PSR.
UPDATE: A commenter on the above video says that the train mentioned is also not listed in the printed timetable. The plot thickens!
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