Summary 25-29 July

Not a good week for Connex, at least the three days I used the trains. My usually fairly reliable 07:14 was late every time. And not one of the homeward trains was even at the platform at its allotted time - on each occasion no announcement was made to say when it would finally arrive. I cannot comprehened why Connex choose not to keep us informed. If the train is only a minute or two away, they obviously know that, so why will they not say so. Then we know the thing's running, instead of standing there wondering if the screen will suddenly go blank and the SMS will come through to advise another last minute cancellation.

For the statisticians, the current standing is 62% on time, 21% between two and six minutes late, and 17% either more than six minutes late or cancelled.

Mon 04/04	Tue 05/04	Wed 06/04	Thu 07/04	Fri 08/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	17:27	17:38
Mon 11/04	Tue 12/04	Wed 13/04	Thu 14/04	Fri 15/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	N/A	07:14
17:38	17:27	17:27	N/A	19:35
Mon 18/04	Tue 19/04	Wed 20/04	Thu 21/04	Fri 22/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:49	17:38	17:38	17:38	17:38
Mon 25/04	Tue 26/04	Wed 27/04	Thu 28/04	Fri 29/04
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	09:11
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17:38
Mon 02/05	Tue 03/05	Wed 04/05	Thu 05/05	Fri 06/05
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
16:37	17:38	17:38	17:38	18:50
Mon 09/05	Tue 10/05	Wed 11/05	Thu 12/05	Fri 13/05
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
18:01	17:38	18:01	18:12	18:35
Mon 16/05	Tue 17/05	Wed 18/05	Thu 19/05	Fri 20/05
07:14	12:47	06:59	N/A	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	N/A	17:38
Mon 23/05	Tue 24/05	Wed 25/05	Thu 26/05	Fri 27/05
07:14	07:14	N/A	07:14	07:14
17:38	18:24	N/A	17:49	17:38
Mon 30/05	Tue 31/05	Wed 01/06	Thu 02/06	Fri 03/06
08:39	07:14	07:14	06:59	05:40
17:49	17:49	18:12	18:24	18:12
Mon 06/06	Tue 07/06	Wed 08/06	Thu 09/06	Fri 10/06
07:14	07:14	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mon 11/07	Tue 12/07	Wed 15/07	Thu 14/07	Fri 15/07
07:14	06:59	07:14	07:14	07:14
18:01	17:38	17:38	18:50	18:01
Mon 18/07	Tue 19/07	Wed 20/07	Thu 21/07	Fri 22/07
06:59	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	18:12	17:38	17:38	16:27
Mon 25/07	Tue 26/07	Wed 27/07	Thu 28/07	Fri 29/07
N/A	N/A	07:14	07:14	07:14
N/A	N/A	17:27	11:42	18:24

Fri 29 July - Can I go all day...?

Having missed Monday and Tuesday altogether, pulled the pin early Wednesday and not even made it till lunch time yesterday, I wonder if I can make the whole day today. This is one of the worst colds that I can recall, probably got it from travelling in overcrowded Connex trains!

Looking back through my Connex SMS alerts I'd have to agree with yesterday's comment about the 08:09 - it does seem a little over-represented in the cancellation list. As Julius inquired many times, "why is this so?".

I am glad that I don't rely on that one every morning. But I still don't see why it should be cancelled more than any other morning train. I do like my 07:14. It's fairly reliable and not normally too crowded. And I think it is just early enough to avoid the problems that come in when the frequency of trains steps up to 10 minutes, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago - Thursday 14 July.

So there's the answer for those who want to avoid the problems of the 08:09, catch the 07:14 instead. You'll be amazed at what you can get done with the extra hour in the office too!

Although the 07:14 has been a bit tardy this week - three minutes late again today.

Get here at Flinders Street just in time for the 18:24 - I'm here, it's not. Anyway it comes in shortly afterwards - why would they not simply tell us this that it's running a minute or two late?

Thu 28 July - Bad habits Connex...

Connex seems to be slipping into its bad habits again with some tardiness there. The 07:14 is three minutes late this morning.

So here's the off-peak experience...

Still pretty crook so I'm heading back home. Get to Flinders Street at 11:30, nothing showing at the entrance for the next Sandy line train.

Head to platform 8 and the monitor shows the next train departs at 11:57. No way am I up for hanging around for nearly half an hour, so maybe I'll just grab a cab.

Head up to the main entrance and the old clocks are showing there's a train at 11:42. Ask the bloke at the barriers. "No idea, maybe it's been cancelled, you'll just have to wait and see." Sure mate.

Anyway, I ask him to find out what's happening and while he's on the phone the main sign board updates showing the 11:42 is running and will depart from platform 9. OK.

Then it updates again, showing platform 8. He gets off the phone and confirms it's running from platform 8.

So off I go.

Get back to platform 8 at 11:40 and the train's not there. So I'm left wondering if they do actually know what's happening. Wait for a while and it arrives just after the scheduled departure time. No warning about a delay and no apology. We get away a few minutes late.

Now the net result was no big deal, but what a palaver getting there. Surely there's got to be an easier way? Like somebody actually knowing what's going on and then keeping the traveling public informed!

Wed 27 July - Mustn't grumble...

Not really great again today, but definitely improving - and I can't afford another day off. No good moaning though, eh? I'll save that for the trains - the 07:14 arrives at Flinders Street five minutes late this morning.

Go for the 17:27 and the platform's packed with no sign of it, no announcement, so business as usual. Eventually it rolls in and we pack ourselves in as best we can. Seven minutes late, so even by Connex' rules that'll count as a late one.

Tue 26 July - Home again...

The title says it all.

Mon 25 July - A bit crook, Bruce...

Not meaning Mr Hughes of course, just a (very) little homage to Python.

Anyway, I've got this cold/flu thing that's going around so staying home today.

Summary 18-22 July

Actually I forgot to do this last week (still in holiday mode) so there's really a couple of weeks there. This is a very significant week, it's the first time since I started recording that I have had a whole week with no reds at all! They may or may not have run my usual train on Monday, but the SMS alert worked and I got the earlier train. A big improvement for Connex this week.

Mon 04/04	Tue 05/04	Wed 06/04	Thu 07/04	Fri 08/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	17:27	17:38
Mon 11/04	Tue 12/04	Wed 13/04	Thu 14/04	Fri 15/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	N/A	07:14
17:38	17:27	17:27	N/A	19:35
Mon 18/04	Tue 19/04	Wed 20/04	Thu 21/04	Fri 22/04
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:49	17:38	17:38	17:38	17:38
Mon 25/04	Tue 26/04	Wed 27/04	Thu 28/04	Fri 29/04
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	09:11
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17:38
Mon 02/05	Tue 03/05	Wed 04/05	Thu 05/05	Fri 06/05
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
16:37	17:38	17:38	17:38	18:50
Mon 09/05	Tue 10/05	Wed 11/05	Thu 12/05	Fri 13/05
07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
18:01	17:38	18:01	18:12	18:35
Mon 16/05	Tue 17/05	Wed 18/05	Thu 19/05	Fri 20/05
07:14	12:47	06:59	N/A	07:14
17:38	17:38	17:38	N/A	17:38
Mon 23/05	Tue 24/05	Wed 25/05	Thu 26/05	Fri 27/05
07:14	07:14	N/A	07:14	07:14
17:38	18:24	N/A	17:49	17:38
Mon 30/05	Tue 31/05	Wed 01/06	Thu 02/06	Fri 03/06
08:39	07:14	07:14	06:59	05:40
17:49	17:49	18:12	18:24	18:12
Mon 06/06	Tue 07/06	Wed 08/06	Thu 09/06	Fri 10/06
07:14	07:14	N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mon 11/07	Tue 12/07	Wed 15/07	Thu 14/07	Fri 15/07
07:14	06:59	07:14	07:14	07:14
18:01	17:38	17:38	18:50	18:01
Mon 18/07	Tue 19/07	Wed 20/07	Thu 21/07	Fri 22/07
06:59	07:14	07:14	07:14	07:14
17:38	18:12	17:38	17:38	16:27