This is probably a little esoteric for many but I used to write a good bit more about public transport than I now do.
I was in Box Hill on a weekday and I needed to catch the train to the city and then a tram home. Oh damn, 15 minutes wait for the next train. I just missed one. I was actually surprised that the wait wasn't 10 minutes. It's a busy station on a busy line.
A look at timetables once home and the respective Belgrave and Lilydale lines merge at Ringwood. Both only have a 30 minute off peak service, hence the 15 minute service from Ringwood to the city through Box Hill. Well a half hour weekday off-peak service on each line is not very good, but there you go. That is why there is only a 15 minute service from Box Hill.
Just a thought. I looked at Saturday and Sunday, and my goodness. Both lines have a 20 minute daytime service meaning a train every 10 minutes at Box Hill, which is how I expected it to be on weekdays.
There can't be too many public transport services that have a better service on weekends than weekdays unless say they are tourist hotspot like St Kilda. Very strange indeed.
Just to add some colour, during another public transport outing, I walked past a shop in Sydney Road, suddenly stopped and thought, walked back and went into the divine Sweet Nata. Both the tart I ate and the coffee were brilliant.
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That IS strange. I'm not sure I've ever encountered public transport that routinely has more frequent service on weekends -- unless, as you said, maybe it's to the beach or some other leisure destination. There must be a reason. Is there a tourist spot somewhere else along that line?
ReplyDeleteNothing that I can think of Steve.
DeleteI have lived out of an urban situation for so much of my life that your post is almost esoteric in my book. My ears did, however, pricked up at names like St Kilda - a suburb presumably named after the most remote inhabited (until the 1930s) island in the UK to the West of the Island of Lewis and Harris where I live.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I believe St Kilda was named after a ship called Lady of St Kilda that must have had a connection to island of that name.
DeleteSigh. Our weekend transport is woeful. If you are unlucky (and many of us are) the weekend waits are between forty-five minutes and an hour. Hiss and spit.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that your appetite seems to have returned. What sort of tart?
EC, services should not be totally designed on numbers but do you think there would be a decent patronage with better services?
DeleteI do think that patronage would improve if service was better.
DeleteThe Stalker
ReplyDeletePortuguese Tarts…Yum. Belem just out of Lisbon is the home of Portuguese tarts.I ate 3 fresh out of the oven Andrew, giddy aunt as they say . Absolutely delicious
Bus trip out there or was it a tram? First and only time I have ever seen a bloke snorting something from tin foil on public transport
There are some terrific museums in Belem and an historical garden with a maze and some old enclosures where the rich used to lodge their tigers etc brought back from the colonies . Beautiful tiles adorning the enclosures I think Lisbon is a magnificent city .. their past glories now in rather a crumble The Portuguese like all colonisers were very cruel though . Todays Portuguese people are terrific
Stalker, we did not venture out of Lisbon until we trained to Porto. There were always tarts at our buffet breakfasts and people used to steal them to eat later. We loved Lisbon. Yes on cruel colonisers and yes on current day Portuguese.
DeleteI bet you know more about transport than Catherine King.
ReplyDeleteWho? Ah yeah her. She is not to do with local public transport.
DeleteI never understand our public transport. When we lived in Bonbeach we would catch the Frankston line on rare trips into town and the service was very regular. I wonder if that was because it was a swinging electorate and everyone wanted to make us happy.
ReplyDeletePortuguese tarts. Oh yum. Not too sweet and just delicious. Now I want one.
The Frankston line did receive special attention in the noughties into the teens. It runs through many marginal seats and was badly underperforming. The service was much improved.
DeleteR will complain when I take him on the Upfield line to an unknown destination, until I take him to the tart shop.
Thank you for sharing about your travails. Different experiences around the globe are forever fascinating. Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Darla. It is always good to learn about other places.
Deleteit might be busier on the weekends than the off peak weekdays, sporting events and such?
ReplyDeleteI can recall on Sundays, some years back, probably a lot of years back, when the trains were blue, the red ones had faded, and there were some new fangled silver ones, that there was only a train out to Box Hill every 45 minutes!
Busy enough Ian, but not warranting a better service. Yes lots of years ago in your old stamping ground. The days you are talking of had appalling services but even so 45 minutes is shocking.
DeleteIt must be some wild weekends on Box Hill to have a train schedule like that!
ReplyDeleteWhat does the monster community of Chinese in Box Hill get up to on weekends Kirk.
DeleteWe really don't have public transport to speak of.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on, and stay safe.
I know Dora, I know.
DeletePortugese tarts are very nice, just don't try the cheaper supermarket brand versions. They're edible but the real thing is better.
ReplyDeleteRiver, no. I've tried cheap tarts and they aren't good. Mind I have had an expensive one in a cafe and it wasn't good either.
DeleteI won't talk about our public transport Andrew. At least yours seems to be rather good.
ReplyDeleteBring back your trams Margaret. I am not sure what your bus service is like.
DeleteSydney road is so cool to get funky arts around.
ReplyDeleteVery cool Roentare. Gritty and cool.
DeleteAnorak! Good to hear that you seem to be physically on the mend.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am pretty well ok now MC, almost. In joke perhaps but I get Anorak.
DeleteI had to look up Portugese tarts.
ReplyDeleteJB, I hope I did not steer you to questionable websites.
DeleteThe subway system in steadily increasing train frequency, and ridership is rapidly increasing, nearly back to BC levels. Tuesday is the most popular day.
ReplyDeleteTP, that is good to know. Your city is large enough to run excellent public transport.
DeleteI know you have always loved trains. But trams glide more beautifully, create no air pollution and their green colour blends into the lawns and trees on both sides.
ReplyDeleteHels, I prefer trains but we use trams all the time. Sometimes they glide along, sometimes not so much. They do fit our streets nicely.
DeleteTransport, pastries and coffee. Sounds like a win, win, win.
ReplyDeletePut like that Sandra, what a great hour or two out.
Delete