Slow Train Comin'

Yes please!

2006-03-23T19:14:00.000+12:00

This report says Plans are in the pipeline for a commuter rail link between Auckland and Hamilton. The Hamilton City Council and Waikato's regional council are funding a $25,000 feasibility study on such a service. It is envisaged the train would stop at up to five Waikato stations on its journey from Hamilton to Papakura, where it would link with other city bound trains.
A similar service failed five years ago but the Council says this one would be different, as it would be directly related to user demand. A study on the project has been initiated and will be put to Land Transport New Zealand as part of an application for funding.

Time for some public protest

2006-02-26T18:58:00.000+13:00

The Herald's excellent commentator Brian Rudman wrote a disturbing piece about how past plans and promises about the rail have simply not been kept giving us little hope anything will ever change.

Take the appalling state of the Newmarket platform (above) and the bizarre way the train has to backout of the station, the dis-used Onehunga line that is just waiting to be activated the state of platforms everywhere and the fact that the growing number of passengers mean most of us now spend our travelling life having to stand in cramped smelly hot carriages.

Local and government politicians that promised much about the rail and seem now to be going to deliver nothing need to be warned: we will dump them all next election. Maybe it's time for a petition.

Hear My Train A Comin'

2006-02-21T22:06:00.000+13:00

Good to read in this morning's Los Angeles Times that after years of retrenchment, railroads across North America are reporting record profits and rolling forward with massive expansion projects of the kind that haven't been seen in decades.

The growth has been fueled by a flood of cargo containers filled with Asian products, which ended the coal industry's 102-year streak as rail's biggest revenue generator in 2003 and has surged further ahead since then. Railroads are gaining ground on the rival trucking industry, which has been suffering from sharply higher diesel costs and a shortage of long-haul drivers. But companies that move their goods by train are complaining about increasing rates and delays.

The long wait home...

2006-02-21T21:39:00.000+13:00

Due to a technical fault the 8.08pm train service from Waitakere has been replaced with taxis for connecting Britomart train service at Henderson.
Due to a technical fault the 7.47 train service from Britomart has been delayed by approcx 10 minutes.
Then there are the signs on board. Tonight as we headed out of Brit for Waitakere the sign said we were approaching Glen Eden. There was some panic on board assuming we were on the wrong train!

Auckland's best kept secret

2006-02-21T21:34:00.000+13:00

This is a wonderful free outdoor exhibition -and the outdoor space at the back of the Brit is so nice and relaxing. I hang out there when I arrive too early for a train. No-one I speak to has ever heard of this place. Is it Auckland's best kept secret?

No busking, no fun!!!

2006-02-21T21:25:00.000+13:00

So it is OK for some clown to scare tourists with a very bad Richard Clayderman impersonation outside the ferry buildings in the morning but no busking is allowed at the Brit.
Look it is so-o-o-o boring waiting for a train. Platforms in other countries add some colour by allowing busking. Why not the Brit?

Waterwater everywhere

2006-02-21T20:58:00.000+13:00

The water leaks continue in the Brit concourse and the word on the street is they still have no idea what is causing them.
Were the same engineers /firm responsible for the Aotea Centre carpark leaky building crisis?

If so this is a major public scandal.

Someone should be asking questions.

Angry people going nowhere

2006-02-16T23:22:00.000+13:00

I always envy the Sydney rail service but everytime I check in on the Sydney Herald, there are screaming headlines saying how bad the train service is -and they say it never gets better despite offical promises and government "concern."
Today under the headline Angry people going nowhere
the paper reports:

SIX months after it introduced a new timetable to fix massive delays on the rail network, CityRail is still battling to run trains on time, new figures show.

More than half of the weekday peak hour trains were late in November, December and February, despite cuts to services and an increase in travel times.

The revelation came on a disastrous day for Sydney commuters. The aim of the timetable was to have 92 per cent of trains arriving at their destination within five minutes of the scheduled time. To do this CityRail cut services to improve efficiency, slowed travel times and extended the definition of "on time running" by more than a minute. Afternoon peak hour is the worst, with one in 10 trains late this month. On the Illawarra line - which does not have a new timetable yet - only 53.9 per cent of afternoon peak hour trains arrived on time last week. Over the entire week, just 82.3 per cent of peak hour trains were on time. (The Tansport Minister spin doctor says): CityRail's new timetables are not a cure-all for reliability because they do not prevent incidents impacting on train services - from police operations to signal failures, electrical storms to sick passengers."

Hmm... glad I live in Auckland!

The trains were packed tonight but it would have been helpful for the guard to tell people when they arrived at Eden park (for the cricket). Perople had no idea in the standing room only train what was going on.

On the iPod: Organic Audio Presents Hi-Life: An Uplifting Selection Of Afro-House Grooves

The best train trip in Auckland

2006-02-15T21:41:00.000+13:00

Watercare run this cute train through the Waitakeres to get to the dam.

What will tourists think?

2006-02-15T21:30:00.000+13:00

For a week or so, high tech looking electronic info booths have been around Brit. High tech? Yeah right. Someone has written on the screen ..coming soon all you need to find your way in Auckland.

The whale of a train

2006-02-15T21:29:00.000+13:00

I didn't know this. And what has it to do with trains? These are planted on Morningside platform.

Train fares rise

2006-02-15T21:12:00.000+13:00

Train fares went up this week.

No surprise and the fares are still reasonable.

The good news is that Auckland trains are busy - there has been a 30 percent increase in usage in the six months to the end of December.

I caught a train around 8 Saturday night and there were lots of patrons.

More trains are on time - but there are still problems. That Saturday train was about 10 minutes late and a few other trains I have caught recently have also been late. The 6.04pm from the Brit last night was cancelled.

Melbourne has big train problems!

2006-01-04T15:44:00.000+13:00

The Melbourne Age has an interesting front page story today about the problems in that city.

OVERCROWDING on Melbourne's trains has worsened dramatically, resulting in contraventions of load limits and raising questions about how the State Government can achieve its goal of increasing public transport use. High petrol prices and population growth along rail corridors have led to booming train patronage in the past year — and regular breaches of passenger limits on major suburban lines, Government figures have confirmed.
Public transport advocates have accused the Government of having no immediate plan to alleviate the crisis, and have called for urgent action to expand the suburban fleet.
According to the franchise agreement under which Connex runs the system, a six-carriage train should carry a maximum of 798 passengers. Department of Infrastructure figures reveal that between 7.30 and 8.30am, average passenger loads on most train lines are near or above that limit — indicating that some services during that period are exceeding the load standard. On four lines — Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Pakenham and Sydenham, the average number of passengers per train during the peak hour is above the limit. On the Sydenham line it is 950.
The news comes as city commuters are being hit for the first time by increased parking fees, the result of a new tax designed to encourage a shift towards public transport. The cost of all-day car parking in the city rose yesterday by as much as $4, while rises of about $2 were seen across the city.
The breached train load standards are evidence of what many commuters have long suspected: that carriages are becoming more crowded. They also raise questions about whether the train system is ready to cope with a new influx of passengers if the parking tax succeeds in prising commuters from their cars.
The Government says the car park tax could cut congestion by 10 per cent and that this would remove 5000 cars from the road. Louise Perry, a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Peter Batchelor, said she was confident that the train network — which carries 150,000 commuters each morning peak — could absorb such an influx.
"In the longer term, however, the increasing trend towards public transport will require substantial investment in rail infrastructure, and this Government is determined to meet the challenge," she said.
Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said extra services were already badly needed to reduce peak-hour overcrowding.

Holiday nightmare

2005-12-30T21:16:00.000+13:00

Took a train up to Henderson today to get something from the Warehouse there. I had forgotten what a flipping nightmare the trains were!
The train was late because of a breakdown in the Brit tunnel.
Then the train bellowed in smoke near Henderson so passengers had to alight and the train be abandoned.
Then finally after much confusion and numerous conflicting stories among the guards, taxis were called for those heading west.
The rest of us hung about for nearly an hour.
Eventually it was decided to hitch the dead train and take it back to the Brit.
Except a train heading west had broken down so there were more delays.
The adults on board who were trying out the train were bewildered.
"Is it always like this," they asked?
What can you say!
4.47 Due to technical problems the 3.15 from Britomart has been replaced with taxis from Henderson.
4.54 The 5.08pm service from Waitakere has been cancelled due to an earlier technical fault. Next servuce from Waitakere at 5.38
5.03 Due to an earlier technical fault the train services on the western line in both directions are running late by 30 mins
5.13 Due to technical problems the 5.15 western line servie from Britomart has been cancelled. The 5.45 will replace the 5.15 service.
5.43 Due to an earlier technical problem the 6.08 from Waitakre (sic) has been cancelled. 7.08 service to replace this service.
6.00 The 5.45 service to Waitakere from Britomart has been delayed by approx 20 mins.

Ahh, yes, the txt messages. How I have missed them.

Best blog! Wow!

2005-12-21T21:23:00.000+13:00

I'm told Metro in its best of Auckland awards named this as the best blog and dubbed it like Waiting for Godot.
Thanks!!! Great way to end the year along with the Government's new money into the trains.
But watch out: 2006 starts the push for electrification in earnest!

Happy Christmas etc

2005-12-17T12:29:00.000+13:00

Now uni has finished for the year I am out of town but will be back in force late Jan.
Have a nice holiday season ,thanks for your support and let's keep fighting in 2006 for better transport,
Miles

Clean up the homeless Mr Mayor

2005-11-16T18:45:00.000+13:00

SO I take some friends along to show them the wonderful Brit and the train service. We go to enter the Brit at only 5.3opm and there lies a homeless right across the entrance.
People are having to literally step over him.
So much for security at the Brit.
Finally some guy goes and tells a security dude on the platform.
The guard wanders over and speaks to the homeless and calls for backup.
Anyone else notice how the homeless are lying around Queen St during the day now?
Mr Mayor, if they need social services get them organised. My friends were appalled and thought the Brit must be very unsafe if this happens in bright sunshine during rush hour.
On the iPod: Nothing, My iPod is broken. It won;t go. I feel like I have lost a close friend.

Keep terrorists away from here, please

2005-11-15T19:49:00.000+13:00

What a pain it must be living in Sydney or Melbourne and having to put up with clowns every few hours ringing up the terrorist squad with claims the trains are about to be bombed -resulting in train services being stopped for hours.
Photo from Crater@Flickr

The strange case of the 5.54pm west-bound

2005-11-10T19:38:00.000+13:00

The train heads off west-bound but just a few minutes after leaving the Brit, just beyond a tunnel on a bend, it comes to a sudden halt.

Nothing happens. The carriage is hot and steamy.

The train guards continue to collect tickets, pleased they have time to get through all the carriages before Newmarket.

Sorry read Train Ambassadors or TAs as they should be know. Makes them sound like something out of the UN or at least diplomatic.

The theory develops the sudden stop has been caused by the emergency brakes being applied. The TAs come through each carriage inspecting the brakes’ button to see if they have been activated and looking at us suspiciously as if someone is the culprit.

That theory ruled out, we are told it is a “technical” fault.

The TAs sit down as the hot closed train gets hotter.

A long time later the train slowly begins. “We don’t know why –some malfunction,” is the official explanation.

Will these trains ever be fixed, asks one hot exasperated passenger, who has now finished his sudoku puzzle book.

“We’re getting some more trains from Australia,” says the TA.

Yeah right. From which museum will they come?

On the iPod: Billie Holiday

More trains,. more delays

2005-11-08T08:30:00.000+13:00

How would Air NZ survive if it was as unreliable as the trains?
Those with end of year exams at this time of year can not afford to see their whole year's work disappear because you couldn’t make it to the exam on time.

Due to a mechanical fault the 710 Western line train from Britomart has been delayed by approx 15 mins.

Due to an earlier mechanical fault the 7.52am train service from New Lynn has been cancelled.

I love how the approx 15 mins delays delay becomes a cancellation.
I’m taking the car. This could become a habit!

Stranded in Paradise? Yeah, right

2005-11-07T18:38:00.000+13:00

SO tonight the electronic sign at the Brit says the next train to Waitakere leaves just after 5. People take their seats, the train leaves, the guard comes and clips the tickets and the scenery flashes by.
And flashes by.
The onboard sign mentions the usual train stations but it seems to be taking foreever to stop.
When you use the trains a lot, you adjust to the rythm. Even if you are head down, reading you somehow are quietly counting down the stops in your head and recognise the subtle twists and turns of the track to know just when your station is coming up.
But a look out the window resembled unfamiliar scenery.
It looked like Avondale.
It was Avondale.
You could tell the look on the passengers who were unaware they had got a non-stop express to New Lynn. Confusion, shock and later - as we waited around the New Lynn station -much anger.
Why didn't the sign at Brit make it clear it was a non stop to New Lynn?
Why did a guard at the Brit encourage everyone to get on board without telling us?
Why did the onboard signs continue to count down stations the train never stopped at?
Why didn't the guard question us when we had 2-section tickets yet the first stop was New Lynn ( a three stager)?
Why did the guard on the eventual train Brit-bound for New Lynn (after a half hour rain-soaked wait on the platform at New Lynn) have the cheek to argue with us all that it was our stupid fault and we should have asked for transfer tickets if we expected a free ride back to our proper intended destinations.
While I am fuming, we had another major grizzle: The signage itself at New Lynn is woeful. When a train stops no sign, no-one tells you if the train is going on to Waitakere or back to the city.
Connex, listen up.
I am the only passenger of the stranded who plans to keep using the trains. You have lost the others- because of poor and rude communication.
Hire a communication expert. Sort out your signs, your messages, your treatment of your passengers.
Otherwise you don't deserve the support we are all trying to give you.
On the lap: Stranded in Paradise John Dix

Rod Donald

2005-11-06T16:05:00.000+13:00

The news of Rod Donald's untimely death is very sad. He was a great supporter of Auckland's trains and seemed a very nice honest guy. We so need politicans like him.

Out come the freaks

2005-11-05T18:41:00.000+13:00

Train security in California (left) and Auckland (below)

In London muggings are up 40% and iPods are the prime target.

In Merseyside, muggings were up 35% with young people targeted for iPods and phones.

In San Francisco there have been at least 20 people robbed of their iPod on buses in the last month.

The other day on the train a guy with faraway cold drug-fuelled eyes kept eyeing my iPod.

One of the good things about the trains –so far- has been that you don’t strike the smelly drunk people you find swaying down the aisle on the buses at night and trying to engage people in rude conversation.

But trains have get more popular – and there are lots of new faces since the new timetables were advised in a junk mail drop (oddly some of the regulars have vanished. Did they want to keep the trains exclusive to their club or have they given up?)

And as night services start, the oddballs are now using the trains.

The other night a strange man sitting by himself in one of the side seats kept talking to himself, then to imaginary people, then to those standing demanding someone had to sit next to him. Finally someone did to shut him up and was subject to odd questions everyone in the train could hear. Like his full name and address and where he had bought his clothes and why.

The guard, a woman, looked a little nervous as she went through the carriage wondering what might happen and whether she was equipped to handle it.

Then last night a man also sitting on one of the side seats kept asking the guard odd questions like why chickens cross the road (actually how one gets from one side of the tracks to the other) and demanding phone numbers to ring if you lose something. He might have been legit but it all went a bit strange. An odd mating ritual if you ask me.

So it’s good to see Connex putting guards now on night trains and at certain rail stations like Kingsland.

There around 10pm, gangs of 14 years come out of the bushes to do tagging or rob the odd person waiting for a train.

Thankfully private security firm, First Security is now watching over the area nightly and during the weekend.

In Sydney, night trains in the last year have seen their share of muggings, and even women being followed and raped.

In parts of the US, security cameras are being placed on the trains recording people getting on and off – a move funded to watch for “terrorists.”

Let’s hope the trains keep safe. It’s a shame we live in a time such security guards are needed and it’s good they remain reasonably inconspicuous unless needed.
On the iPod (until its stolen): Was Not Was Out Come the Freaks

Connex reply why the 5.45 got axed

2005-11-03T19:53:00.000+13:00

I wrote to Connex asking why the 5.45pm Westbound rail service has been axed . Here's Connex's reply:
The new timetable represents an important step forward for Auckland rail, offering an overall service increase of 25%. This includes extra peak and off peak services, new Sunday services and extended late-night Friday and Saturday services.
One of the key focuses for the new timetable is to increase the frequency of services across the network and make efficient use of the available rolling stock. Services on all lines have been re-timed and some express services will now stop at all stations. The new sectional running times better reflect the current operating conditions on the Auckland network. We understand from your comments that some changes in services may not longer be as convient for some individuals but the changes are part of a wider plan of improvement which will continue to permit further development on the network.
Thank you for you comments with regards to the 5.45pm service from Britomart to Waitakere. Your concerns have been forwarded to the Connex operations department for consideration.
Your understand during this period of upgrading and improvement is greatly appreciated.
Yours sincerely
Craig Inger
Train services manager
Connex

Auckland City replies re the Newmarket Toilet saga

2005-11-03T19:41:00.000+13:00

Dear Miles
I am writing to answer to your query re the toilet removal, and the provision of toilets in Newmarket. As well as provision of toilets at train stations generally.
The Newmarket toilet was removed as the land on which it was sited was not owned by Auckland City Council and our lease had expired and not been renewed because the property owners wished to develop their property.
As you will understand Auckland City cannot impose a condition on a private property owner to provide public toilets unless there is an associated use on that site which requires toilet eg a bar or restaurant. Auckland City Council can impose a condition of consent on a new development that public toilets be provided as a means of mitigating the effects of the development which is the case here in Newmarket, it would not be consistent with the Resource Management or Local government Legislation to require the toilets to be provided before any effects were created by the development. Nor are Auckland City Council able to force a private property owner to let us site toilets on their property, as I am sure you will agree this would be undesirable for any property owner.
Hence we had no choice but to remove the facility at the request of the owner. The toilet was nearing the end of its useful life as well, the electronic components were regularly causing trouble and a major failure of the door mechanism had also occurred, there was no significant loss of economic value in closing this facility early.
Unfortunately this has left Newmarket without a public toilet (other than those provided by local businesses such as 277). We are currently investigating sites for the provision of a replacement facility for Newmarket.
The provision of toilets for train users is not a role which Auckland City Council has agreed to undertake. There are toilets in the train stations on the rail platforms most of which were closed when the stations were closed by NZ Rail.
The provision of toilets specifically for train users should be addressed through the Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd (ARTNL) or through ARTA or the ARC I have included some information for you
Regards
Daren Day
Asset Manager
Parks and Streetscapes
Level 1 UDC House 35 Graham St
Auckland City

A few problems today

2005-11-01T19:30:00.000+13:00

Hmm.. not a great day for the trains.
Due to a technical fault the 6am Western line from Britomart to New Lynn % return sdervice from New Lynn have been cancelled
Due to mechanical problems the 10.48am Western Line train service from Waitakere has been cancelled. Next service from Waitakere is 11.18am
Due to a technical fault the 13.20pm Western Line service from Britomart has been durther delayed by approx 25 mins.

On the iPod: Was Not Was Hello Dad..I'm In Jail

Good People

2005-11-01T19:25:00.000+13:00

Two wonderful "train ambassadors" today.
A guy who has served several decades with the railways and cared about the service and let old people get seats.
A woman (I think called Joanne) on the 5.53pm from the Brit who was so buddly, caring and nice despite the heat and fact she must have been working for hours.
These people on $16 an hour deserve a rise.
On the iPod: Augustus Pablo

The leak drama at The Brit Chapter 12

2005-11-01T19:17:00.001+13:00

The leaking drama at the Brit continues with no sign of action other than that the concourse is still closed.
What week is this? Week 5? Week 12?
On the iPod: Studio One Roots 2

Oh no! We're back to breakdowns and long waits

2005-10-31T19:43:00.000+13:00

After a great Sunday launch of extended weekend services, the western line tonight is plagued with "technical faults" causing up to 25 minute delays in rush hour.
On the iPod: New Order -Waiting for the siren's call

Sunday trains are a big hit!

2005-10-30T17:00:00.000+13:00

I've been riding the trains up and down to support Sunday services, which started today - and they've been an instant hit.
There seemed to be two types of people:
Old men who said they had not travelled on trains for years -and were very nostalgic when you asked them why they were travelling: talking about Mayor Robbie and his train project that never happened and how with the cost of petrol they are so pleased to be back on a train
Families taking kids on their first train ride. The kids were all so excited it was like a kids party on board - kids scrambling to get a window seat and mimicing the sound of the engine.
The funniest comments from the kids:
- "Oh it's slowing down, is it broke again?"
- "Morningside? Is there really a Bro'Town!"
Train staff said it was steady all day. This is indeed a great day for train believers!
On the iPod: Blue Note Trip Sunday

The toilet saga parts 2 and 3

2005-10-27T21:55:00.000+13:00

When I wrote to the Auckland City Council earlier this month to complain about the toilets - or total removal of them from Newmarket I got a typically Auckland bureaucratic reply. Or in other words pass the buck onto one of the other 3,4000 local authorities. The ACC probably only supplies the toilet paper. Some other local body or quasi-body does the cleaning and someone else organises the portaloo. Not our problem sorry. Try someone else.
Diane from the council replied:
Hi Miles, Thank you for your enquiry regarding public toilets at train stations.
For further assistance and information regarding toilet facilities at train stations, you would be best to contact ARTNL. ARTNL is responsible for the renewal or upgrading of Auckland City's rail passenger stations. This means stations that are convenient, accessible and safe, as well as clean, modern and user-friendly. Contact details for ARTNL are available to view on their website, via the following link:
www.artnl.co.nz . I hope this helps.
It didn't help. It was a cop-out. So I replied on October 17:
Hi Diane
Thanks for replying - I appreciate it - but unfortunately you missed the point. I was referring to the Herald article which says it was the council's doing. That is why I wrote to you.
The article is at
<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000A5730-A413-134B-975483027AF1010F>
which said the only temp toilet there has gone and
Groundwork for the apartments is at an early stage and the city council has apologised for the "inconvenience" of its sudden removal of public toilets that the developers must replace when the project is complete in two to three years
It may need some co-operation between the council and the ARTA to sort out but meanwhile it's dreadful for the thousands using Newmarket every day now the only toilet has gone.
So on Oct 19, a Katherine replied:
Hi Miles, Thank you for getting back to us regarding the lack of public toilet facilities around the "Newmarkets Future" project.
I have referred your email on to our Dawne Mackay, Senior Planner, and have asked her to respond directly to you. I trust you will hear from Dawne shortly.
I hope this helps.
Don't you love this official-speak ending every communication with I hope that helps. I must try it. Sorry Visa I can't pay my credit card bill this month because I am broke but I will be able to next year. I hope that helps.
So when is a reply coming to us shortly? That was October 20.
We're waiting and waiting and some of us still need to use the loo!
On the iPod: Lifestyles mixed by Bugz in the Attic

Wow! Newmarket goes hi-tech

2005-10-27T21:37:00.000+13:00

There is far too much confusion at Newmarket. Trains Waitakere-bound stop at platform 1B and Papakura ones at 1A but they are effectively the same platform. The Papakura stop a fraction in front of where the Waitakere ones do.
With more trains, the station needs to tell passengers during rush hour what's what.
Hey, presto! Connex has come up with a very hi-tech solution.
There is now a station announcer just like the Big Time stations like the Brit. In fact he seems more on to it than the Brit one usually is as he seems to really know exactly when the train arrives.
No wonder. The hi-tech solution is that man with the red Connex vest standing on the platform. He has a loud hailer.
He walks up and down the station yelling out the train has arrived. Through the loudhailer. Very high school athletics day.
Honestly, didn't I see this in some British comedy somewhere?
On the iPod: Ella Fitzgerald Someone To Watch Over Me

At last Auckland has joined the big time

2005-10-26T17:46:00.000+13:00

Despite the odd wobble, with all these extra trains whizzing past, it actually feels like a real modern train system at last.
On the iPod: Global Communication 76:14 remastered

Ummm... is anyone home?

2005-10-26T17:41:00.000+13:00

The 3.59 to New Lynn is leaving in five minutes. Front two cars only.
OK . But hey it's now 4.01 and nothing is happening.
Finally we get told it's the cars further down the platform.
New timetable, more trains. Yep, but we're not quite there yet.
Update: The 6.04 to New Lynn from the Brit was cancelled because of a "technical fault.:

Radio NewMarket on your dial

2005-10-26T17:34:00.000+13:00

Just out of Newmarket, this morning with the train stationary a new radio station hit the air..
A cheerful DJ banter from DJ TrainDriver.
"I'm sorry folks but we are stopped here for a brief time just outside Newmarket while we let another train go by. It's a beautiful day and Connex thank you for coming along and hope to see you again soon."
So:
Does DJ TrainDriver think he is in training for Air NZ's next trans-tasman flight?
Can he manage also a few shout outs and maybe an Elemeno P's Burn for the bros on their way to school?
Hey, good on him. It was great to hear a human voice. At least they're trying with a new PR look even if it drew laughs.
On the iPod: Elemeno P

Kind Of Blur

2005-10-25T19:23:00.000+13:00

You can tell the new entrants. It was all a blur. Dressed in their shiny clothes, they looked a mix of excitement and anticipation as they waited for their first day on the train clutching their timetable in hand and occasionally alternating between glancing at their watch and checking again the timetable.
Oh give them a few weeks and they're be cynical buggas like us, mouthing off on the platform how the train is late again and laughing at the latest excuse the txt message gives for a delay.
I loved the look on their face when every new entrant first entered the classroom unsure whether to look left or right and not sure whether to sit in any unoccupied seat especially if there were already people standing (some people stand anyway). You could tell they were not used to a carriage full of people looking them up and down and staring straight at them so after a first glance, their eyes would dart around nervously not sure how to respond to all this eyeball attention.
After the journey, their comments were extremely positive:
I can't believe how fast it was..;
I got to read and relax.:
.. no traffic gridlock!

Homeward Bound

Sadly, the grumbles continued on The Brit platform about the dropping of the 5.45pm. It really does make a difference having to wait that extra 10 minutes for a westbound train.
If you arrive at 5.31 it's a long almost half hour wait before you leave at the later time of 5.54 and the train seemed to take forever, stopping before Newmarket for a while to await the passing of another train: I arrived home much later than I ever have which doesn't matter in the days of daylight saving but still feels like robbery. What's especially puzzling is that an express to New Lynn leaves shortly afterwards but arrived at Kingsland about 90 seconds after the 5.54pm did.
That makes no sense. Two trains arriving at the same time but you wait longer at peak hour at the Brit to catch one?
Connex, please fix.
On the iPod: Simple Minds, Promised You a Miracle.

New timetables start: Onward and upward for rail?

2005-10-24T19:32:00.000+13:00

Good to see a leaflet drop to homes with a copy of the new timetables.
Good luck everyone with the new timetables. Let's hope it all works. Be keen to hear how you get on!
On the iPod: GoHome Productions mashup Superchunk Mix - download it here.

Now here comes James' vision of the future!

2005-10-21T21:42:00.000+13:00

James has made some rough maps for when the Avondale-Onehunga, Onehunga-Manukau, and Panmure-Mankukau lines comes online -- which should happen in the next 20-30 years or so.
The first keeps the present east/south/west lines and adds new lines on top.
Have a look here
The second follows Nick's second model of Britomart being a through station instead of a terminus.
I havn't bothered to add the stations as these are details which can be added later. I have included all the stations where its possible to transfer to another train and also the terminus of of train services.
The 'wide loop' doesn't really have a terminus, but Manuakau is a
logical choice as its reasonably near the depot at Otahuhu.
See the second one here
Thanks James. It's becoming a fascinating debate.
On the iPod: Gaz Nevada /Kraftwerk remix Trans Europe Express

Nick R's future vision

2005-10-21T21:25:00.000+13:00

Nick R kindly sent this glimpse of Auckland's future possible train network. Thanks Nick, fascinating stuff. Email me if you want the attachments)
He writes:
"They are based upon a basic upgrade of the existing network (eletrified, new signalling and rolling stock) plus the CBD underground tunnel, a completed Manukau branch and a re-opened Onehunga branch. I have added a new station at Parnell, and would expect things like enhanced park and ride and bus interchanges at most stations. I consider this a realistic 'doable' network for Auckland withing 10-15 years.
"The graphics are a little messy sorry, but you'll get the drift. There are two versions, the first (shown here) has four radial lines, each moving through the CBD tunnel to terminate at either Britomart or Newmarket. The second is the one I think would be most effective, the four lines are paired to form two long 'through' lines (western/southern and Onehunga/eastern-manukau), that pass through the city in the middle and only terminate on the edge of the city. This setup means that you can reach 50% of all stations on the one train, and only one transfer is required to reach the other half. The two lines snake around three quaters of the 'city loop' each, both providing access to all stations on the loop (except boston rd to the west-south line, and the new parnell to the onehunga-east). I think it is a more efficient arrangement too. Naturally an airport extension could be easily accomodated off the end of the Onehunga branch."
Thanks Nick - wonderful stuff.
On the iPod: The Future Sound of London

Number ones and twos

2005-10-20T18:43:00.000+13:00

When the new timetables kick in on Tuesday, Western line trains switch to Platforms 1 and 2. I can just imagine doing my usual nightly Spiderman leap from the escalators to halt the train about to leave on platform 5 -forgetting it's now platform 1! The most frustrating thing is having two seconds to spare and finding the train on the platform is dark and closed and the train you have to leap to in 20 seconds is the one in front of the parked train half way along the platform. Thanks to the nice female guard who let me leap on the other night when she saw me coming and was closing the doors.
On the iPod: Lemon Jelly - 64-95

Nick R's future vision

2005-10-19T21:25:00.000+13:00

I have reposted Nick's re-sized pictures above. Thanks Nick .

Steamy windows and bad Karaoke

2005-10-18T19:22:00.000+13:00

Not only are the windows often filthy, tonight it sounded like the worst wannabe NZ idols were busking on the platform. Turned out some bright spark in the control room decided to subject us to a very loud blast of the most insipid pop music. It sounded one step above Muzak. Really really annoying especially as the electronic signs were all stuffed and we kept getting interruptions of the music with warnings to ignore the signs.
Please:
- No music. If we want music many of us have iPods.
- Tell the announcer to speaker clearer
- The announcer's volume kept changing -sometimes too soft to hear, other times overbearing. Teach them the volume control and what works
- The announcer was sometimes "bumped" by some automatic recording by one of those Great Radio Voices telling us when the next train was departing so you had two voices - one amateur and untrained and one automatic loop from a pro. Choose one not both. Too confusing.
- Fix the electronic signs but turn them off when they don't work so that we are not confused -don't let them run with the inaccurate info.
On the iPod: Steamy Windows -Tony Joe White (what a voice)

We're treated like criminals! A PR disaster

2005-10-18T18:48:00.000+13:00

The train is as usual running late and you were hoping to reach the city by 9am.

It�s now 9.07am by the time the train reaches the end of the journey. Everyone leaps up, gathers their stuff, puts on their bag or coat and leaps out ready to dash for Queen St.

What�s this about this morning? A police cordon? A terrorist attack?

The blockade complete with ropes across the platform was to check we had paid our fare! We had to produce evidence of a ticket. All watched over by a couple of security guards at the top of the escalator in case someone tried to jump the cordon.

This is shocking. What bad bad PR Connex. Honestly, we put up day after day with appalling conditions. Late trains, breakdowns, a lack of proper information, platforms without proper seating and toilets, rude Maori wardens bossing us about. Tonight the electronic signs on the platform were faulty and showing wrong information or not working and now you treat us like criminals.
I showed this photo to others today and they couldn't believe this is NZ and how the train operators treat their passengers.
What's tomorrow trick? Fleecing us in case we are carrying iPods?
I can understand you want to catch out the one person who is not paying but isn't that an issue with your guards? Last night west-bound it was Kingsland before I had my ticket clipped and heaps of people had got off before sighting a guard. The other morning no-one collected the ticket I held out in my hand all journey.
If you're going to treat us like criminals, how would you like us to stage a sit in protest one morning on the platform in protest at the endless breakdowns?
No, bad idea. Connex might bring in the WTO demo riot squad.
On the iPod:Police & Thieves (The Clash)

The Greens deal

2005-10-17T22:57:00.000+13:00

Among the crumbs the Greens achieved in their agreement was
Building increased capacity for public passenger transport
It's not electrification of Auckland rail but at least I guess some basis for discussion but without any Greeny ministers, I wouldn't take a TAB bet on anything happening.
On the iPod: Styles of the Unexpected Andy Votel

The leaks on the concourse continue

2005-10-17T22:31:00.000+13:00

More water problems? I said last week it wasn't all over and will the authorities come clean and say how BIG and COSTLY the problem is? We're still waiting.
On the iPod Moondog (the genius too few know about)

Toilet humour from the City Council

2005-10-17T22:22:00.000+13:00

I asked the Auckland City Council why they took away the temporary toilet at Newmarket and told nearby apartment building developers they don't have to replace it for a few years (see earlier post) - and whether this was the sort of hygiene standards we expect from the council. Diane replies and completely misses the point:
Hi Miles, Thank you for your enquiry regarding public toilets at train stations.
For further assistance and information regarding toilet facilities at train stations, you would be best to contact ARTNL. ARTNL is responsible for the renewal or upgrading of Auckland City's rail passenger stations. This means stations that are convenient, accessible and safe, as well as clean, modern and user-friendly. Contact details for ARTNL are available to view on their website, via the following link:
www.artnl.co.nz
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Diane To'oto'o
Customer Service Representative
Well no Diane -actually it totally misses the point. I wonder how many emails will go back and forward before they get it! Meanwhile our bladder suffers!
Actually don't tell anyone but if you're desperate and can jump like Michael Jordan, I spotted a toilet at Newmarket today if you go a few metres down from where the train stops and jump a fence where apartments are being built.
On the iPod: Osymyso -fun crazy UK mash ups of TV themes and other stuff - listen here

 

Their secret is out!

2005-10-16T16:30:00.000+13:00

Don't you love seeing everyone's washing when you train travel!
On the iPOd: Lagos Chop Up

Buy them a clock & keep smiling!

2005-10-16T15:23:00.000+13:00

THE OTHER morning when I got off the morning train, I notice the electronic signs on the platform said the next train to Waitakere wasn't til 2pmish. Henderson commuter James P writes an amusing email about his experience with the electronic signs. While we're on the subject the platform itself needs a big clock to tell us what the present time is!
Today I went to Britomart to catch the 2:15pm train on the western line. I walked into the lobby and I checked out the big electronic display --
and I was amused to see that it was still showing the times for trains departing between 10-11am! I walked down to the first basement floor (just above the rail-level floor) and the shorter electronic display was
stuffed as well, it was still showing the 7:40am train to Wellington at platform 3 and a mixture of various train times throughout the day!
Feeling a bit amused, I walked down to Platform 5 (the usual Western Line platform) and the sign for it was showing 13:15 (the previous train) instead of 14:15 for the train I was going to catch.
Imagine my suprise when the train actually arrived, I was half-wondering if the 1415 had been cancelled! Good old Britomart! At least the train themseleves ran on time today, even if the displays suggested otherwise!
What would be a requirement for catching trains in Auckland? Just a sense of humour is enough! :-)

You're so right James plus you need a great deal of patience, tolerance as well as humour!
On the iPod: Iceland's quirky (aren't they all from the cold north) group called Mum and the album Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK (listen to it here)

Big leap forward or political hot air?

2005-10-15T19:40:00.000+13:00

HIDDEN amongst today’s junk mail in between the Warehouse brochure and the Bunting warehouse was the ARC’s October newsletter Region Wide. My heart leapt when I saw on page two, “chairman” (don’t we have to say chairperson any more!) Michael Lee say:

“The ARC group also has a mission to build up Auckland's public transport system - which is chronically run-down after decades of neglect. The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) has been working hard on upgrading the present system with generous support from the Government. This is beginning to pay dividends - in August our train services achieved a record high in patronage.”
This alongside an article headed : Future of rail looks electric.But the article is very short on specifics and a little confusing for me head. Great in principle – thanks ARC, all good stuff – but it doesn’t seem clear how any of this will ever happen. Is it dependent on money from the Government as the final blow seems to suggest at the end? If Dunne and Peters are the kings of a greens-excluded labour government or National and Turia get into bed (horrible image), I can’t see it happening.
But the fact local politicans as important as these are now saying it in big bold print in official publications is a very exciting step forward that was unthinkable a year ago. We must encourage Mr Lee and co.
Here’s the article:
Plans for upgrading Auckland's rail based on electrification have been presented to the Auckland Region Council's Transport Policy committee. The Auckland Regional Transport Authority's (ARTA) plans for the rail network in 2030 would see annual passenger numbers increase to 30 million. ARTA is the ARC transport agency tasked with improving the region's transport experience. ARC Transport Policy Chairman Joel Cayford says the plan proposes a rail network with a CBD loop, construction of a rail link to the airport and a route between Avondale and Southdown.
"The underground CBD loop would provide commuters and those visiting the city for hopping, entertainment and business with convenient and high speed travel options."It would include two new stations, one near the Wellesley Street intersection with Queen Street and another near Karangahape Road. "ARTA's vision for the rail network in 2030 would see major increases in rail capacity. The improvements could drive annual rail use from the 4 million carried today to more than 30 million passengers in 2030.
"The proposed rail system would be a huge step up from what is currently available to commuters and would make a major contribution to solving Auckland's transport problems," Cr Cayford says.A major issue to consider is how the rail expansion would be funded, he says. "Given the significance of ARTA's proposals it is important we get to grips early with all the issues involved.
"The scale of development that electrification would enable is large and is likely to span 20-30 years. This is not merely a matter of making a decision to electrify and then 'flicking a switch'. It is about the future extent of the rail network. "It is essential for the ARC and ARTA to work together on a full proposal for the development of the rail system. The public have clearly indicated support for significant improvements to our rail system. "Now financial support from the Government will be essential for the region to achieve its rail vision," Cr Cayford says. ARTA graph
On the iPod: Omit- Tracer (beautiful electronica from Blenheim) Check it out here. Scroll down this San Francisco shop to hear clips and see a rave about a much-neglected Kiwi treasure.

It's dial 111 out east too...

2005-10-12T21:11:00.000+13:00

Mark D emails from the East line this shocker this morning: Thanks for the story Mark. Hopefully you'll get a taxi or cop car to your rescue next time.
So I'm sitting in the southern line train heading towards britomart when we stop just past Orakei to the announcement there'll be some delays....
Seems the train infront of us had stopped, broken, and generally wasn't moving - the location - somewhere over the water/basin/estuary or whatever its called between Orakei and the Brit.
As I snidely commented "I wonder if we'll get busses or Taxi's like those westies...." a ticketer wandered in saying "looks like it'll be around 30 minutes, we're looking at getting you guys taxis or buses..."
That didn't happen thou as 30mins later the train starts moving again and we're on our way....
I took a PXT of the stuck train but all you see in the distance is a white smudge, looking much like my ticket from yesterday after missing the train by 10seconds and haunting Panmure station in the murderous
rain yesterday morning :()
God the train system sucks....
On the iPod Damaged Black Flag
On the PSP:Need for Speed:Most Wanted /

This is disgusting & a health hazard

2005-10-12T20:25:00.000+13:00

The other day I went to sit down again on the only seat available at the windswept Morningside station –and again it was soaked in urine. Sorry about the detail but that’s how sick I felt too. The homeless man had slept there again the previous night.
Tonight I sympathised with him. Coming off the train into a biting cold wind, I needed to go. Sorry but that’s why it’s called a call of nature. When you have to go, you have to go.
But where? The stations do not have a toilet. Surely there must be some council regulation that public areas like train platforms have to have a toilet. Train passengers are furious that Newmarket has just lost its primitive makeshift toilet because of an apartment development (do we really need another one: have you seen the dodgy ones near Newmarket when you go past in the train? you know the ones, where the decks were deemed dangerous)and the council has told the apartment developers they don’t have to replace the toilet for two to three years.
And they expect us to use public transport?
I am seriously thinking of calling a public sit in in the foyer of the ACC building next to Aotea Centre to protest this absolute nonsense.
On the iPod: Nature’s Best (Kiwi classics)
On the PSP: Wipeout Pure

New York needs them now!

2005-10-12T19:59:00.000+13:00

New York has supposedly a terrorist scare in which someone is going to bomb the subway – but it sounds more like Bush trying to scare everyone into believing Bin Laden is living in Manhattan so they need to keep troops in Iraq (I know but how can you ever work out the guy’s logic!).
Can I make a suggestion? Can we send the Maori police wardens who are riding the trains in force to go there and help guard the place? I am sure they will terrify any terrorist from trying anything on.
Late postscript: The LA Times reports the information from an Iraqi tipster that prompted New York City to go on high alert for a possible terrorist bombing of its subway system was not true — and was probably a hoax. What a joke those American officials are causing so much stress over an obvious BS story.
On the iPod:Albright Monument BaghdadPropagandhi

A big step forward!

2005-10-11T20:04:00.000+13:00

Great news that Sunday trains from New Lynn happen after Labour weekend. Good work Connex! Check out the new timetable here. My only grizzle is that the 545 pm from the Brit has gone and that means a longer wait. The platform is always full waiting for the 545 and now it's going to be worse. Overall, this is a big step forward.
On the iPod: Sigur Ros- check out the video

Let this be a warning about road tolls!

2005-10-08T19:15:00.000+13:00

It's inevitable new motorways will charge tolls because that's the only way the government (and National)
think we can afford to build more roads.
Surprisngly, the local media has been quiet about what is happening in Sydney.
The new city tunnel is suppose to be drawing 90,000 cars a day.
No wonder. The toll is outrageous; the price of the toll for a one-way trip is $3.56 with an E-tag, and $5.16 without an E-tag. That's in Aussie currency and is over $10 if you drive in from the country without having got an electronic tag beforehand. We're talking a 2.1 kilometre journey where there are other routes.
This is the first cashless motorway in Sydney. Drivers who do not have an E-Tag and who use the tunnel need to phone the tunnel operators or go the tunnel's website after their journey, and pay the toll, plus an additional AU$1.60 administration fee. Those who don't do this will receive two warning letters, then a $130 fine.
The tolls will rise automatically each quarter.
A columnist in the Sydney Herald wrote: Taxi drivers already call it the "Ghost Tunnel". I can see why. I've travelled through Sydney's latest big infrastructure project, the Cross City Tunnel, and on the first trip, at 8.55am, I saw one other car. On the second, at midday, I may have glimpsed a van. We had the place to ourselves.
This is not the first time the NSW Government has backed a very expensive transport link that was immediately rendered irrelevant by self-evident stupidity. The absurdly priced, woefully underused city to airport rail link springs instantly to mind. It's a basket case.
So if the new NZ government thinks this is the solution, that would be very foolish. Take a trip across to Sydney and come back and get the electrification of rail moving!
On the iPod: >Road to Nowhere- Talking Heads

More proof officials have no brain!

2005-10-08T16:25:00.000+13:00

I overhead a couple of mothers rave on about how wonderful Brit was and the train system. I tuned in to see what they'll saying. They took their kids to the recent Sunday event starring Thomas the Tank Engine at the Brit. They had never been to the train station before and thought it amazing. They raved on about how wonderful the train system was.
Hang on. The event was at the Brit on a Sunday. But there were no trains on a Sunday. So to get there people had to drive or get a bus. And Thomas himself was "too old" to run. What a great opportunity it would have been to run it on a Sunday with trains or a Saturday with trains running so people could get a taste of the service.
But no, that's too clever. People drove to the Brit, saw Thomas and had to get back into their cars to go home or find a bus.
It was no point waiting on the Brit platform.
On the iPod The Weight the Band

We can solve Auckland's roading congestion for sure!

2005-10-04T22:38:00.000+13:00

Why take a train this week? The roads are empty. It's like the time I drove into Wellington. We don't need to build more roads. Just organise better buses and rail for people going to school /uni and make it compulsory.

Call 111 for a taxi: Proof the train service is broke

2005-10-04T22:25:00.000+13:00

It’s no wonder people are bringing bikes on the train. Just in case. They are so wise. The breakdowns this week seem to have got worse – and delays longer. 18 minutes is not unusual. Today was proof the train system really is broke.
Due to a mechanical fault, a bus will leave from Waitakere at 7.8am for Henderson stopping at Swanson and Ranui.
Taxis will shuffle between Sturges and HSN.
And..
Due to a mechanical fault, services on the Western Line are cancelled between Henderson / Waitakere only in both directions replaced by buses.
Pardon? Anyway the key words are buses and taxis.
Isn’t this a train service? What city are we in again. Afghanistan?
Will someone finally admit a massive injection of money is needed NOW.

2005-10-01T16:51:00.000+12:00

The concrete minimalism of the Viaduct where rich apartment kids play on concrete not grass.

Why is Auckland without any soul?

2005-10-01T16:25:00.000+12:00

The Brit may be an award-winning building but does it have a soul?
In practice, it seems such a sad souless metaphor for all that is wrong with Auckland. It has no life and you get the impression no fun is allowed.
On the Queen St level, there are few armchairs and seats that resemble the nice well-polished furniture at your Grandma's place that you feel are there to be admired and not actually sat on. Last time I sat on one of those chairs, a security guard kept glaring at me as if I was breaking some Britomart statute. I was busy fishing in my backpack for something. I wished I could have satisfied his intolerant attitude by eventually pulling out a bomb.
The Atomic coffee shop has such friendly staff but the place is pushed right at the back away from obvious view - you have to know it's there. There is no cafe ambience and the unimaginative design resembles your local tacky suburban bakery. Why isn't the coffee shop in the centre of the floor, as it is in some shopping mall floors, so you at least have to walk around it and there are people talking, having coffee, smiling.
No doubt the authorities hired some expensive interior design company to create this space that is on a par with the other top soulless spots in Auckland - the horrible concrete Aotea square, or the concrete open spaces along the Viaduct where I saw some poor kid on school holidays the other day trying to kick a ball outside his parents� Viaduct apartment. Let's hope for his knees' sake, he didn't fall over.
The planners may like concrete minimalism but where is the human interaction.
I was staggered to discover the other day what was going on in the empty ticket booth at the end of the floor, away from the real ticket booth and in the end where no-one seems to walk (people turn left not right when they come off the escalator to exit the building so miss the coffee shop end) . An artist was painting in the tiny space behind the booth.
Apparently this is Britomart's third and final artist-in-residence for 2005. Where were the other two? How come I missed this as well? This artist has been painting pictures of people passing through the Brit. I guarantee 99% of people passing through the train terminal would never have known of his existence. Where were the big signs inviting us to see him paint or view his work? Why not have him in the middle of the floor so he himself feels part of the surroundings, not holed up behind a ticket booth.
It is all very bizarre and extremely sad.
Mayor Hubbard is this week calling for Auckland to start getting behind some events so Auckland can come alive. This morning's Wellington Dominion has a mocking editorial .
"Now all Mr Hubbard has to do is find the heart of his city so he knows where to stage these events. Is it the wind tunnel at the bottom of Queen St? Is it the overpriced shopping parade in Newmarket, the effete boutiques of Parnell, or is it actually in neighbouring Manukau City where residents are still occasionally glimpsed without cellphones glued to their ears? Assuming Mr Hubbard can find a beating heart to his city, the next challenge will be finding something to stage there..."
Painfully true. So why not start with the Brit. I'm amazed how many Aucklanders tell me they have never even set foot in the building. Let's bring it to life, have some fun going on, literally re-arrange the furniture, put coffee shops and people-friendly places where you trip over then, encourage buskers,stop having security guards stare you down as if you are going to do some banned activity like smile.
Just why is Auckland so soulless? Has it always been this way?
On the iPod: Reggae Got soul- Toots

Clean up your backyard!

2005-09-28T21:10:00.000+12:00

Metro magazine is complaining that the grafffiti alongside the railway tracks makes it sick. The Auckland City Council, complaining that painting out graffiti is costing ratepayers $1.2m a year, says it needs to find new ways to battle it and get businesses to take more responsibility for wiping it out quickly. As Metro points out, who runs the rail tracks and surrounding environment makes it hard to deteremine who should be responsible for cleaning up the tagging.
Strangely enough I'm enjoying the graffiti and just wish it was more interesting -like the early hip hop street art in New York, those wild style train carriages. It can get boring looking out the window at the messy backyards of Auckland homes - although the train windows have been so dirty this week, it's hard to see anything but window grime. Will Metro and the authorities start demanding that Aucklanders bordering on the rail tracks clean up their back yard, do some weeding and stop stringing their washing over the fence? Probably.
And has anyone else noticed the homeless people living in some of those graffiti-strewn areas along the tracks - including one makeshift hole near the Kingsland station and another just before Boston Rd where a number of us noticed human movement when the train stopped because of a signal problem mid-station recently.
On the iPod: Sonic Youth's Goo

The miracle journey

2005-09-27T22:49:00.000+12:00

The Herald's TimeOut entertainment magazine interviewed TV3's jazz singing Sarah Bradley about her likes.
Asked where she goes for a Sunday drive, she said she took the train to Swanson.
How did she do that? Don't try that at home -or out.
There are as yet no Sunday trains on the Western line.

How BIG is this problem?

2005-09-27T21:01:00.000+12:00

The Brit platforms themselves are also leaking.

Another $73m leak problem?

2005-09-27T20:56:00.000+12:00

I've been warning for weeks and weeks that the Brit is leaking. Finally it's confirmed. The whole concourse level has been shut off now for at least 2 weeks with little sign anything is actually happening. What is the truth? Will it be as much a repair job as the $73m Aotea carpark leak? What about the actual platforms? The water/rain was leaking there too. It seemed to be coming in from the fancy roof. But who knows? Let's hope we get some clear honest statement about whether the Brit too is another major leaking building disaster. At least the clock outside the Brit -stopped for over a month- has started again.

The long wait

2005-09-13T19:22:00.000+12:00

Once public transport becomes unreliable, people give up. This has begun to happen.
This morning a longtimer said on the platform: I wonder if the excuse today will be the fog!
No, today's new excuse was -according to the text messages - a scrub fire!
At this time of year, I can not afford to be late.
On Friday, I waited and waited and waited. Two trains went west. None came our way. Finally I got a cab. I got to the city $20 poorer.
I haven't given up but will not be using them as much.
I saw the Greens co-leader and MPs on the trains again today. I just hope they get some influence after Saturday.
Otherwise I may be walking.
On the iPod: These boots are made for walkin

How long does it take to smart up a railway station?

2005-09-08T18:38:00.000+12:00

I can't believe the work is still continuing around the revamped Kingsland station after months and months or is it years of work there. Kingsland retailers must be so fed up. There is a construction sign at Morningside but no sign of any work.

Greens practice what they preach

2005-09-07T21:31:00.000+12:00

Good to see the co-leader of the Greens catching a train to Kingsland. Now how can we trick train- hater National's Maurice Williamson into coming on board?

What are the City Fathers thinking?

2005-09-07T21:21:00.000+12:00

You come from the train up the stairs to the ground floor and big naked breasts confront you. Where is Graham Capill when you need him. I'm sure he would have something to say.

The day they gave up and called a taxi

2005-09-07T12:06:00.000+12:00

Another morning, more delays, and finally they give up.
Messages below are their spelling.

6.59 Due to Mechanical problems the 6.27am Western Line train service from Britomart has been cancelled. Next service 6.45am from Britomart to Waitakere.

7.02 Due to Mechanical problems the 6.55am train service from New Lynn has been cancelled.

7.26 Due to Earlier Mechanical problems the 7.27am Service from Britomart has been cancelled. Next service from Britomart to Waitakere is 7.45am

7.35 Due to earlier mechanical problems the 7.57am Western Line service from new Lynn has been cancelled.

8.17 Due to a technical fault train services in both directions on the Western Line are delayed by approx 10 mins.

9.03 Due to a technical fault, the western line train services has been delayed by approx 15 mins.

9.20 Due to earlier mechanical problems, the 9.08am, service from Waitakere has been cancelled. Taxi’s will replace this service from Waitakere.

Grand Theft Auto: Newmarket to be improved

2005-09-04T21:31:00.000+12:00

There are public meetings this week to discuss plans to upgrade Newmarket's ghetto like train station.On Thursday 8th September 2pm to 8pm
& Saturday 10th September 1pm to 4pm at Parnell community centre (Jubilee building) 545 Parnell Road, Parnell. Check out the latest train newsletter at http://www.arta.co.nz/arc/xxarta/news/rail-newsletter.cfm
On the Ipod: Locomotive Breath

This election is critical for rail users

2005-09-04T17:40:00.000+12:00

It's remarkable that as petrol and diesel prices near record levels, worries rise about the extent of oil resources left in the world and Auckland's pollution problems become chokingly obvious to anyone walking or cycling around the city, National this week officially launches its transport policy -and it's all about roads, more roads and more SUVs.
It's stupid, appalling and future generations will pay for it in all sorts of bad ways including through their health. Sure we need more roading but as petrol rises, public transport will become even more important. But SUV-loving National continue to wipe rail completely out of the equation for Auckland insisting only nutters and poor people would be calling for it.
We've seen from the New Orleans hurricane footage, how the rich and powerful don't care about the poor's welfare. But rail is not just for those who can not afford cars. The carriages are full of suits and people with laptops, Ipods and other expensive devices. Look at that guy on the right in the photo sitting with his laptop. These are people who care about the environment and choose to support public transport, despite all its frustrations.
Labour is to be thanked and congratulated for its announcement last week that Auckland's congested western railway line should have duplicate tracks a year earlier than planned - by 2008 - under a simplified funding policy. With that problem solved by the government, now it is up to the regional authorities to actually make their plans for an electrified system happen.
And despicable is the only word for the National-looking pamphlet put in our letter boxes warning that the Greens would spend "money on uneconomic and novel public transport schemes." If National thinks rail is uneconomical, it's a bad sign that they can be trusted to manage our economy.
Transport is a big issue this election for Auckland voters. Vote wisely.

On the Ipod: Best of DTrain

Arty Farty Time

2005-09-01T21:38:00.000+12:00

An art fair is starting at The Brit today just behind the station. We need more things happening so pay a visit.

A musical interkude

2005-09-01T21:02:00.000+12:00

SlowTrainComin reader Soyung has done a great blog for music fans like me full of new discoveries. Check it out at http://mushroomusic.blogspot.com

A foggy day

2005-09-01T20:59:00.000+12:00

No bridge!

2005-09-01T20:58:00.000+12:00

Sky Tower?

2005-09-01T20:56:00.000+12:00

The fog

2005-09-01T20:54:00.000+12:00

After seeing breakfast TV photos of the hurricane damage, it was freaky not to find the Sky Tower or Harbour Beidge when I stepped out of The Brit this morning!

Start walking!

2005-09-01T20:46:00.000+12:00

Good luck for your trip home! We were promised problems and delays from Henderson (and trains cancelled)tonight because of an "accident."

Terrorists handed the Sydney rail service

2005-08-30T11:27:00.000+12:00

So much for Australia's multi-billion dollar anti-terrorism measures amid fears Sydney is next for a terrorist attack.
So much for talk of the need for an ID card for everyone and the placing of security guards on train platforms and even the Sydney harbour bridge this week.
Can you believe one readily available key unlocks all of Sydney's train service.
And all that was needed was for someone to grab the key.
SECURITY on Sydney's rail network is in tatters after two criminals stole a train driver's set of keys, giving them access to every train in the metropolitan area.
The theft has revealed a "basic flaw" in rail security, given that just one key can not only give access to all trains but also start them, one terrorism expert said yesterday.

And while a RailCorp spokesman said it was taking the matter "very seriously", it will not change the locks on its trains.

Instead, as of last night, it had increased security around its sidings with more patrols by private security guards and transit officers.

The latest Metro printed my letter!

2005-08-29T19:10:00.000+12:00

It was a great honour for my humble Auckland train blog SlowTrainComin (slowtraincomin.blogspot.com) to be listed in your famous Hot column. As a young person, I live in a world where always things work in an instant. I can send emails and texts instantly to friends over the world, chat on an internet Skype phone free to people anywhere over my computer and take digital photos and see them instantly. Trying to use Auckland trains service has been like my old school trip to Motat especially on a day the trams aren't running there.

I'm also of a generation that cares about our future environment. I'm sick of breathing in Auckland's pollution (a brief time cycling to uni made me sick) and in my youthful innocence believe that taking one car off the congested roads may make a difference.

I was about to give up the train service when I bought a recent Metro hoping it would last me a week's journey but I read it in full that night on the train. This was because the signals failed and we were stuck, literally for hours, as the signals are controlled from Wellington; something I assume harks back to some 1950s (?) bureaucratic period when my uncle told me everything north of Wellington had to be controlled or checked by "head office" The Metro I read was a scary piece about Auckland's failing infrastructure, of which public transport is part. That weekend, my flat missed out seeing a crucial rugby game as the electricity went off in our area. When I spotted the power company dude up the ladder, I asked him the problem and in less eloquent language than in the Metro article, he told me the system was old and stuffed and I had better get in some candles as failures were going to become more regular over the next few years. I not only went out and got some candles but introduced some power saving measures to the flat, again to do my small part.

Metro is to be congratulated on that very important article that had a life changing impact on me (for example, I am still battling to use the trains despite the madness) but are any officials listening? Please keep revisiting that article with regular updates. Like many young people, I have options of moving offshore but I love Auckland. Auckland's future depends on passionate people like the Metro writers to ensure the city continues to thrive.

MILES. TRAIN BLOGGER.

Kingsland

Why rail travel makes you sick

2005-08-28T18:30:00.000+12:00

RAIL TRAVEL IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH: I thought it was the opposite - less stress, fewer petrol fumes,power walking. But you're trapped in a carriage with every current virus going. Thanks to the guy who coughed all over me on Thursday I've been crook since with the same cold-thingy.

Thanks Connex!

2005-08-23T19:15:00.000+12:00

Great news that trains are coming on Sundays as well as some later night services.
Thanks Connex!

Off the Rails coming to DVD

2005-08-23T19:08:00.000+12:00

Marcus Lush's eccentric recent Off the Rails TVNZ series on a rail trip throughout NZ was a welcome respite from the reality show crap that drenches free to air TV. Instead of manufactured coked-up celebrities, real people in ordinary towns were shown living interesting lives. It also shocked with the proof of how rail was so important to NZ's history especially in linking towns in the country's difficult terrain but has been so sadly neglected by successive governments and now lies completely run down.
The good news is that this series is out on DVD on August 25 ($39-95). Buy it and let's hope it encourages another rail-inspired series.

Why the western line trains need to stop at Motat!

2005-08-22T21:54:00.000+12:00

The trains should stop at Motat on the way to the Brit for a tuneup each journey.
I caught an early train this morning so missed the excitement.
Thanks to an email from one of the regulars we can share the story:
Pulled up just before the Newmarket junction, sat there for a good ten minutes (the usual ticket people and Maori warden guy rushing backwards and forwards without telling us anything) then finally some news... the tracks were not working properly, the guard had to "wind them by hand" - sitting there for at least 20 minutes.. Then told there would be another delay once we got to Newmarket.
The guard (real old-school looking one, with the big GUARD retro-style badge on his hat, looks like a character from one of those "Carry On...." movies) then came down the carriage wielding an antique looking crank-handle gadget thing - possibly lifted from a Motat 'Rails of The Past' display. - That's what he uses to wind the tracks apparently.
I think he had to do this twice... once to get into Newmarket, then again to get out of Newmarket and head to Britomart. I guess all the trains behind were similarly delayed...

Let's all chant: I'm ON THE TRAIN!

2005-08-19T20:29:00.000+12:00

Reading is one of the joys of train travelling but rail operators are now cracking down on the use of mobiles on the train. I always laugh everytime a mobile goes off. The first line shouted down the mobile above the train noise is always stating the obvious: "I'm on the train." It is never heard at the other end so we hear the line again but much much louder: "I am ON THE TRAIN!" Thanks for that. We really wanted to share it.
Anyway, Washington's Metrorail system has put up signs discouraging inconsiderate talkers. "Yes, we're all very interested in what you're having for dinner tonight," reads one sign, accompanied by a picture of a wide-mouthed Metro rider yelling into a mobile phone. The second line says, "Please keep your phone conversations to yourself."

2005-08-18T20:59:00.000+12:00

IT'S RAINING MAXX! The Brit's ceiling is still leaking water on to the platform.

Please fix the blinking problem!

2005-08-17T19:25:00.000+12:00

The trains have been late every morning this week (30 minutes today). When one finally arrived, the front was blinking (its flashing electronic sign) at us “Papakura via Newmarket.”
So quick decision: is a train heading on the Western Line towards the Brit actually going to South Auckland? It’s possible. The train could side shuffle at Newmarket and then head the other way.
I tried to imagine I was a space station-bound astronaut walking to board the shuttle Discovery only to see a blinking light on the outside saying it actually was the Orbiter going to Mars. It could have happened. That flight had errors also. Do they take it just in case the sign is wrong?
The regulars on the train platform quickly nodded to each other and dived in. It had been cold and miserable waiting for ages so better to be inside a cramped over-heated over-full smelly carriage than outside. Maybe.
At Newmarket, the soothing music of Royksopp on my Ipod made me forget the dilemma of whether we were landing at Kennedy Space Centre or the Edwards Air Force Base. Thankfully we did reach Queen St –although isn’t there a Queen St in Papakura? I have never been there. Maybe their Queen St looks like the central city Queen St.
Who cares. It’s too confusing at that time of morning. Can someone please fix the destination signs that are clearly on the blink before this sends us over the brink?

2005-08-17T19:05:00.000+12:00

There is nowhere to hang on to when you're standing so if you're tall enough, it's handsup as you cling to the roof of the carriage. Isn't the lack of straps /hand rails an OSH-type issue?

A new buzz term: slowtraincomin

2005-08-14T11:44:00.000+12:00

It's sad that Auckland's train service has now become an accepted metaphor for things that are slow.
Today's rugby test report here in the Herald on Sunday starts:
Like a train ride into Britomart, this 30-13 All Black victory against Australia last night arrived late and was largely uncomfortable but was ultimately satisfying that it at least arrived at the correct destination.

Even in Los Angeles..

2005-08-13T19:22:00.000+12:00

Auckland's traffic gridlock is often compared to the Los Angeles situation where public transport is apparently woeful.
Take heart pro-railers with today's LA Times report that says:
AMID ALL THE PAIN inflicted by skyrocketing oil prices, there is a silver lining for Los Angeles. The agony of paying from $40 to $60 for a tank of gas is prompting more people to take public transportation. That holds true not just for the overcrowded bus system, but for the underutilized subway and light-rail lines. For the fiscal year ending in June, ridership on Metropolitan Transportation Authority-operated buses was up nearly 23% to more than 361 million boardings. The Red Line subway was up nearly 30%, and even the troubled Gold Line to Pasadena saw a 28% jump, according to the MTA.

Former railways minister wakes up after 30 years to tell us: I had a dream

2005-08-13T16:27:00.000+12:00

Just what do Ministers do all day while earning megabucks and waiting until the next election?
The Herald’s main letter to the editor today is from a Ron Bailey, who proudly describes himself as Minister of Railways 1972-75. It’s a wise letter which says in part:
“Late in 1975 the Auckland Regional Authority laid out a detailed plan for an extensive rail system for Auckland which, I am delighted to find, is similar to the one now put forward by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority. Had the $140 million project gone ahead at that time, we would be enjoying this much-needed service now.”
So true. But if this guy was Minister of Railways in a Labour government, what did he do to make it happen? If my naive reading of NZ political history is correct (the Internet doesn’t seem to go back to Mr Bailey’s day) , Labour continued to run down the railways so they could eventually be sold off by another Labour government to greedy wealthy multi-millionaire Aucklanders who used the profits to spend more on their selfish America’s Cup ventures.
There is a constant wave of nostalgia about a wise old Auckland mayor called Robbie whom it is said could have solved Auckland’s transport woes if only people had listened to him. Such statements are trotted out as if the chance for such things is long past. Pity we missed the opportunity, these people say shaking their heads adding we just have to grin and bear the traffic gridlock because these days such plans would be impossible – too much capital needed, too much hassling with the resource management act, the need to consider swamp-dwelling taniwha and goodness knows what else .
But good on Mr Bailey for apparently coming to his senses. Just a pity it is decades on from the time he was in a position to set something in motion. And his plan is brilliant:
Let’s also look to the north. With the North Shore and Rodney districts growing rapidly, the motorway at times can not cope. Rail seems a much better solution through to Orewa. There would need to be a second harbour crossing.”
And for this first-time voter, what potential government can I rely on to make a difference rail-wise this time around?
Well, National and Act say train enthusiasts are nutters and when they get in, they’ll build lots and lots of motorways because everyone in their MP-salaried household now owns a gas-guzzling SUV and they selfishly want to drive it everywhere, to hell with the environment.
Labour says it will build more motorways, announcing such plans only just before each election when its polling shows Auckland voters see the gridlock as a major issue. Because it needs the Greens for a coalition, Labour may throw $50 to them to have another cycleway and mutter politically correct niceties about “integrated transport” (like have a bike rack on your SUV). Yet the massive petrol tax continues to go to…anything but transport.
Is it too late to ask Mr Bailey to stand again for Labour?

2005-08-13T13:37:00.000+12:00

How come this massive piece of graffiti remains on this beautiful Brit building for weeks? Can we at least make it useful by changing the wording to say "Don't hurry,trains are late." Or does this sign mean the Brit is still a "work in progress?" By the way, that clock has been stuck now for two weeks. Is there a clock repairer in the city who could spare 30 minutes to fix it please?

Breaking news:National NO to rail for Auckland

2005-08-11T19:56:00.000+12:00

On Sky News TV Talkback show Williams upfront tonight, I asked National's transport spokesperson, former transport minister Maurice Williamson by email:
Are National's policies all pro-road or will it do anything for Auckland's passenger rail network, which is attracting more and more passengers but desperately in need of moderninising?

Asked by Larry Williams to confirm that he is anti-trains, Mr Williamson did adding:
" I think trains are terribly expensive. We have said we'll complete the projects currently underway - the double tracking in the West and so on. But if you try to show me the economics of any new (train) service, it doesn't stack up, the cost of building new rail. The only place public transport works -apart from Wellington - is with buses and buses work on something called roads. You have to build roads.
Also on the programme was current transport minister, Labour's Pete Hodgson
He said: "You can't use motorway-only to get yourself out of trouble. ..Even Los Angeles has started building trains."
But he made it clear that while the Greens could influence Labour's transport policy if the two were involved in a coalition after the forthcoming election, the Greens anti-motorway options would not be given the green light as you still had to have more motorways.

A New Lynn commuter writes...

2005-08-11T15:10:00.000+12:00

I received this funny email from a New Lynn commuter this morning. Thanks for the kind feedback and your story. My friends are convinced I make all this up so it's nice to know I am not just having nightmares!
Love the blog... thanks very much.
I have been catching the School Boy Special lately-- crammed with kids,
getting on at New Lynn around 8.20 or so. Yesterday the destination board
said Westfield, today it's apparently Henderson. The new Maori warden (woman, mid 20s, hair pulled back in a ponytail ) was quite something this morning. Black leather gloves. Black uniform. A prime candidate for any casting director looking for someone to play a train guard on any movie involving late 1930s Germany railways.
She is very tough on telling people to get out of the doorways ("Only I can
stand in doorways" she joked to one of the people she had just ordered down
into the congested aisle) One student ordered out of the doorway and sent down the aisle said to her "but there's no room!..." - Yes there is, down there... she barked... Yikes.
And always reassuring to see St John's ambulance waiting with a stretcher
and oxygen tanks when I get off the train at Britomart.Cheers and thanks again for the blog. I'm enjoying it v. much.

A new twist to the plot

2005-08-11T09:36:00.000+12:00

At last, a new drama on board.
This morning , the train driver had an accident.

He twisted his ankle. Badly. He had to be stretchered off.
I hope he is OK. Train drivers are in short supply.
All in all, a very puzzling trip. No-one clipped our tickets. At the station I had sat next to what I had thought was a rain puddle on the seat and turned out to be where someone had relieved themselves. Charming.
And although we finally got to our destination, the Brit,the electronic in-board sign kept saying our destination was Henderson.

Maybe the driver thought he was going that way and when he turned around to change, he twisted himself.

2005-08-10T18:58:00.000+12:00

Is the Brit leaking? For weeks, when it rains, these yellow boards appear on the platform with wet patches nearby. Is the rain coming in from the roof? Now it's happening in the concourse leading to the Downtown centre.

My reply to Connex email about train guards

2005-08-10T07:14:00.000+12:00

Dear Connex
Your reference: Resolve case 2005/ 00899
Thank you for your detailed comments re staff attitude on board the Western line trains and it deserves a more detailed response from me. I trust these comments will be taken as helpful and constructive.
The job of train guard – or Connex train ambassador as one of them corrected us the other day when making an announcement – is far from easy. I couldn’t do it. You need an excellent memory to remember who gets on at each station, you need homing skills to find those people on a crowded carriage to collect their fares, you need to multi-task and you need the equivalent of mountaineering skills to navigate your way through a very crowded standing room only carriage of people.
You have people you should be very proud of. Although you have now given them name tags, I wish I had taken notice of their names. People like the deaf man with the big sign around his neck asking people not to shout at him; the short middle aged European woman who always welcomes people on board; the 30ish-something Indian woman; the Indian man who offered his mobile for us to ring people when we were literally stuck for hours one night because of a signal failure; the bubbly Maori girl who mentioned she looks after her sister’s baby some days.
Likewise, we –the regular users – are a tolerant lot. A senior local body politician emailed me recently to say he is surprised there is not a riot on board because we put up with almost daily delays and inconveniences. We do it because we believe in the rail system for Auckland, understand it has teething problems and want to support it through thick and thin. Connex has made welcome improvements already and we thought, seemed to be over the worse until yesterday’s signal failure.
As regulars, we bond together, talk together and help each other in time of need as sometimes it really does feel like an Outward Bound survival course such as during yesterday morning’s hold up when we tried to lip read the guards to work out what was going on and debated whether to leave and share a taxi or bus or stick it out hoping the technical fault would come right.
All we ask is to be treated gently. In recent months we have all see TV footage of what happens when trains stop unexpectedly overseas. Trust me, it has made us all a little nervous. Some of us also remember the morning the train caught on fire. When a train does run into a problem, we sometimes are left in the dark about what is happening. The guards tend to rush into the driver’s cab and then – if the train has stopped- get into a huddle at the back of the train or go outside on the platform as we strain to pick up the odd word of what they’re saying.
Here are some suggestions:
1. It is imperative we get an intercom on board for safety reasons. The other morning I never saw a guard and my ticket was not clipped. If there had been an emergency and we needed to get out of the train, would a guard have appeared and would we have heard in time of the need to evacuate? This has to be a priority.
2. Almost everyone on the train has a story about getting out at the wrong station. When the train is crowded with standing bodies, you can not see in the winter dark, where you are. The trains that now carry an electronic sign on board are great in principle but again with all the bodies you can not see the sign. We need an intercom announcement or simply the guards to announce as they go to open the doors. The other day some poor woman told us she got off at the wrong station, got lost in the dark and the rain as she did not know where she was and got extremely frightened until she found a dairy and got a taxi ordered.
3. Please teach all your train ambassadors to relax and smile. If need be, ask Air NZ how they teach their in-flight crew to do it. As I have noted, there are a few who made a difficult cramped journey even more unpleasant. As I have reported, a few remind me of an old black and white war movie I saw one afternoon on Prime TV in which Jews were being sent on a train to the gas chambers. If they want to quiz us about whether we are really getting off at the station we bought a concession ticket for or are trying to cheat the system, ask nicely, not grill us as if we have actually committed the crime. Most people are honest.
4. The Maori wardens obviously do a job none of us would want to go near. The school kids should be standing for adults. Good on the wardens for making this happen. But again please don’t shout at the kids. I have yet to see a school kid misbehave on board. A “please” teaches them manners. Having them yell at the kids only creates hostility and makes for a tense atmosphere on board.
5. People get told off –especially by the wardens- for standing too near the doors. Understandable, if there are safety issues. But on most trains there is nothing to hold on to if you’re standing halfway down the carriage, unlike a bus – no straps, rails or chrome bits at the end of seats. You have the horrible politically incorrect experience of almost clinging up against some other human body or clinging on to the coat of a seated passenger. For safety reasons, we need some sort of hang rails. That is why we congregate near the doors where there is something to hang on to.
I trust these comments are helpful and again congratulate you on your efforts to make Auckland’s rail service better. I really want it to succeed as it is the future for Auckland’s transport woes.
Again thanks for your thoughtful response.
Miles

Connex email about my blog posting

2005-08-09T20:02:00.000+12:00

Dear Miles
We have remarked that a posting on your website (http://slowtraincomin.biogspot.com/)
notes a problem with a staff member's attitude onboard your train on the 8"' of August 2005. In addition, you have mentioned that there were no staff announcements made onboard your train today (gth August 2005) regarding the delay due to a signal fault at Newmarket Station.
We thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and regret any inconvenience it may have caused you.
Connex takes any complaint regarding employees and their behaviour very seriously and ail cases are subject to thorough investigation. As we investigate all incidents such as those described on your blog, it would be much appreciated if, in future, you could please contact us directly by phone or email with your train number or station and timetabled time of departure. This will ensure that your feedback is logged in our system and used to help provide an improved service to rail patrons.
Connex staff members undergo comprehensive Customer Services training and must adhere
to strict protocols regarding customer service and employee behaviour. Connex wiil follow due process and take the necessary disciplinary action against any employee that is found not adhering to these.
Connex wishes to apologize for any inconvenience this incident may have caused. Please donot hesitate to contact us should you have any further enquiries.
Yours faithfully
Helen Williams
Human Resources Manager
Connex Auckiand Ltd
Tel: +64 9 969 7777
Fax: +64 9 969 7700
Email: info@connexauckland.co.nz
Connex Auckland Limited
Level 7, Citibank Centre, 23 Customs Street East
PO Box 105-355, Auckiand
Tel +64 9 969 7777 Fax +64 9 969 7700

Nightmare on Newmarket Ave

2005-08-09T10:06:00.000+12:00

The signals failed again in peak rush time this morning - leaving at least seven trains stranded out of Newmarket in the middle of nowhere. We were trapped on a closed train for at least 30 minutes, trying to work out if it would be quicker to walk but we were not allowed to leave.
As usual no information (there is no intercom on board, the guards have no idea what is happening). Scores of passengers again reached for their mobile to try to explain to their boss why they were late yet again.
Sighed one :" My boss does not believe me anymore. In 2005, how can anyone believe in Auckland that a train would be broken down once again for an hour."

2005-08-08T19:23:00.000+12:00

Meet the new Connex train guard.

Passport checks on trains next?

2005-08-08T19:08:00.000+12:00

Tomorrow, I will be taking two forms of ID plus my passport on the train.
Tonight, a super-efficient guard (read super-officious) not only clipped our tickets but to everyone demanded to know where they were getting off.
In other words, did you buy a one-section ticket and plan to go all the way to Swanson you bunch of crooks?
He didn't ask politely but, towering over us, barked at us all in a most over-bearing fashion. He looked like a 6ft something police trainee wannabe (read failed police recuit who is sitting for a security guard certificate and passing the time by being a train guard instead thinking it's just another form of guarding people).
Mate, a job as a train guard does not mean guarding us as if we are bunch of crooks in prison.
What next? When Winston gets in will the immigration squad appear for a "dawn raid" on the first train out of Swanson?
First the Maori wardens acting like police, now this.
The regulars just looked at each other across the carriage thinking this was the last straw in unfriendliness. Here we are in an cramped crowded smelly train with not even hand rails to hang on to and expected to keep smiling and not complaining. Isn't that enough punishment?
If Connex is so keen on the money, why did no guard ever appear this morning to clip my ticket. I held it out. No-one came so I rode free.
There are some really nice guards on the train - especially some of the women. One is as nice and warm as my Mum. But the introduction of "prison guards" is not a good look.