Already crowded express trains stopping at Surrey Hills
Not long after the train system was privatised, various adjustments were made by Connex. One of these involved stopping a few express trains at Surrey Hills station. At first it was only a very small handful of services, so to most people it went unnoticed. Though some time later this was increased, so now a fair number of express services stop there.
The justification was that travel time would not be increased as improvements to track meant time would be regained further down the line. However, travel time is probably not the biggest and only concern of passengers. For one, by doing this it provides less room for late running services to catch up, thus contributing towards unreliability. Another factor is that it complicates the timetable and creates more confusion for passengers. There are already enough variations in train stopping patterns without trains stopping here.
In addition, it is usually trains that don’t stop at Glenferrie and sometimes even Camberwell that gain the extra stop at Surrey Hills. This may seem reasonable at first, since surely these lucky ’super express’ passengers could put up with an extra stop? Well in actual fact these express trains are usually very packed to begin with. Which brings us to the next point….
The biggest problem this creates is that more passengers are being crammed into already overcrowded express trains. It isn’t so obvious when travelling from the city, you can’t tell that you are crammed in like a sardine because a few extra people will be getting off at Surrey Hills. Though it’s more obvious when you’re on a crowded city bound train.
This morning while taking the 7:56am City Loop train from Box Hill, I managed to take these photos. They’re rather crude, though they do show how crowded the train was before it stopped at Surrey Hills. You can’t tell from the photo, but few, if any people get off when the train stops here (no one in the carriage got off from what I could tell). So here they are:
Probably the last consideration remaining is what it all means for Surrey Hills people. It may seem like a nice gesture to give them some express trains, though in reality I don’t think a handful of trains is going to be that useful. Even with Glenferrie which gets far more express services, enough don’t stop there that you can’t rely on getting an express train every time you travel from there in peak hour. One might also argue that a fair number of people use Surrey Hills. Even if that is true, I can only think that they may in future find some justification in stopping express services at Canterbury, East Camberwell, Auburn, Hawthorn… you get the idea.
A better solution might be to co-ordinate services so that passengers can transfer to an express from a stopping-all-stations train.
August 1st, 2005 at 10:06 pm
Glenferrie definitely warrants a regular stopping service, the decision to alternative between a Surrey Hills stopper and Glenferrie stopper simply creates an element of confusion.
The majority of trains in the morning peak are already full at Box Hill and this is further compounded at Camberwell or Surrey Hills stations.
Coordinating services between express and stopping-all-stations trains would be the optimal solution, as this could also allow for express services between Ringwood and Box Hill. Box Hill would be an interchange between the services, as would Camberwell with a stopping-all-stations service from Alamein.
Alex
August 2nd, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Surrey Hills is an interesting case, due to:
1. it is served by Melbourne’s most highly patronised bus route (700)
2. it being in Jeff Kennett’s electorate (and marginal for a while)
Neither of these are any longer the case, so stopping patterns at Surrey Hills is worth another look (despite it being a premium station).
As to Surrey Hills vs Mont Albert, topography, traffic and street layout make it less accessible than Surrey Hills for people living south of the pedestrian-hostile Canterbury Rd.
Peter
August 3rd, 2005 at 11:34 am
Glenferrie is an interesting one as well. On one hand it’s too soon after Camberwell and express trains should really only stop at major interchanges. Though on the other hand it is serving a University and one of the few decent feeder services (route 69 tram) on the line. So it definitely as far more justification for express trains stopping than Surrey Hills.
If there is some weight for not stopping express trains at Glenferrie, anyone travelling to this destination from the east could easily change to an Alemain at Camberwell. This may also alleviate some of the pressure caused by Alemain line passengers transferring to express services. As for those travelling from other lines, Glenferrie isn’t all that far from Richmond even if you’re stopping at all stations.
Either way, I think there needs to greater consistency. If trains should continue to stop at Glenferrie, then all those that currently stop at Camberwell should also stop at Glenferrie. If that is an issue with crowding then maybe run more Richmond to Box Hill expresses, if the line capacity could handle this.
August 4th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Glenferrie is a major trip generator along the Belgrave/Lilydale line and as such while it is in close proximity to Camberwell it still warrants a regular and consistent stopping service.
While the Belgrave/Lilydale line obviously serves commuter to CBD traffic it also caters significantly for shorter distance activity centre to activity centre travel. Box Hill with its TAFE, hospital and commercial facilities is a major trip generator, as is Ringwood, (rail junction) Camberwell (rail junction and commercial district) and Glenferrie (University facilities and tram connections).
Ultimately the crowding along this rail line occurs prior to Box Hill. Running expresses Box Hill to Richmond will not alleviate this, instead express services between Ringwood and Box Hill (perhaps stopping Blackburn for Monash University and Nunawading for bus services to Glen Waverley) are required.
Glenferrie as a major trip generator is far too valuable to require passengers the inconvenience of transferring at Camberwell for a connecting service.
Alex