NS ([info]nsanity_au) wrote in [info]melbournemaniac,
2009-04-02 09:39:00
  • Previous
  • Memorize
  • Share
  • Next

Connex Sux0rs, MTR winnArs!!!!

http://www.theage.com.au/national/connex-rival-had-nearperfect-year-20090401-9jt0.html
Connex rival had near-perfect year

* Clay Lucas
* April 2, 2009

HONG Kong train operator MTR — which will submit on Tuesday its bid to run Melbourne's train system for the next 15 years — ran 99.9 per cent of its trains within two minutes of their scheduled time last year.

MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is 76 per cent owned by the Hong Kong Government and runs one of the world's most modern metro systems.

It also has one of the world's most successful smartcard ticketing systems, the Octopus card.

It is impossible to compare Melbourne's train system, largely laid out in the late 19th century, to Hong Kong's system, started in 1975 with two lines and since expanded to nine.

The 211-kilometre system carries 3.4 million passengers each weekday. Melbourne's 372-kilometre system carries about 350,000 each weekday.

The French-owned Connex — which will next week also hand in its bid for the contract to the Government, along with another French transport giant, Keolis — this week released its worst performance results for late trains.

Connex, which operates the system on trains and tracks owned by the Government, ran about 6000 out of 55,000 trains late in March.

"Late" in Melbourne is any train running more than six minutes behind schedule. In Hong Kong, two minutes is considered late. Under Melbourne's new contracts, five minutes will be considered late.

Connex and MTR are no strangers. Stockholm Council in Sweden this year booted out Connex's parent company, Veolia, and replaced it with MTR to run its metro.

The council chose MTR because it offered a higher-quality service, not the cheapest price. Veolia is now suing Stockholm Council because its bid was cheaper.

The bid process to decide who wins the lucrative contract to run Melbourne's trains has been highly secretive.

Bidders have been gagged, and bid documents were to be confidential — until they were obtained by the Opposition and handed to the media.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky yesterday defended the level of confidentiality surrounding the bids.

"The Government wants to achieve the best possible outcome for the people of Melbourne," her spokesman said. "That includes refraining from commenting on details of the bids and bidding companies while the selection process is under way."

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said compared to international best practice, Melbourne was a joke. "The punctuality of trains in Melbourne is poor. In country Victoria, it is abysmal," he said.

Now of course, lol Connex Suk.

I think the key thing here is that Stockholm ditched Connex because they were shit, and then picked up MTR.

Melbourne should do the same, that way the sad sack frenchies at Veolia can try and sue the Vic State Government.

Whatever happens, hopefully Connex gets the flick - and whilst doing so, the contract is specified in such a way that Victoria has to lump a shitload of cash (HEY WHY DON'T WE DROP THE MyKI SYSTEM LIKE ITS HOT AND SAVE A BUCK THERE) into modernising our aging network.

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    switch

    Your IP address will be recorded 

     
    Help
  • 31 comments

[info]3771

April 1 2009, 22:54:48 UTC 3 years ago

Bidders have been gagged, and bid documents were to be confidential — until they were obtained by the Opposition and handed to the media.

the way this sentence was formed made me snicker. "oop, here you go"

[info]usekh

April 1 2009, 22:59:03 UTC 3 years ago

Apparently the Myki system is going to cost us more than a manned mission to Mars..WTF people?

[info]nsanity_au

April 1 2009, 23:01:58 UTC 3 years ago

Yahuh.

THEY ARE DOING IT WRONG!

Honestly, Myki has to be a corrupt black op's thing - they could have simply just picked up the UK's Oyster Card or HK's Octopus Card, as is - then dumped it around Victoria for less.

YES, LETS RE-INVENT THE WHEEL FUCKERS, BUT LETS DO IT STUPID LIKE FIRST...

[info]socraticomatic

April 7 2009, 09:29:22 UTC 3 years ago

Even PERTH - it was running in Perth shortly before I left there two years ago. And this is the Wait Awhile state!

[info]mikestuchbery

April 2 2009, 01:00:54 UTC 3 years ago

You have got to be kidding me. Manned mission to Mars? That'd cost billions! Source?

[info]usekh

April 2 2009, 01:03:48 UTC 3 years ago

Sorry not manned, although at least one headline blared that
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25220168-2862,00.html

And it is so far costing over a billion dollars.

[info]cecism

April 1 2009, 23:20:24 UTC 3 years ago Edited:  April 1 2009, 23:22:20 UTC

I was excited when I first heard about the myki - I thought it was going to be our Octopus card equivalent. (That thing is seriously fantastic; and it only charges you according to how many stations you travelled. None of this having-to-buy-a-two-hour-ticket-bullshit if you're only going down the bloody road.) OH HOW YOU HAVE FAILED ME.
Edit: Not to mention how you can blip it through your wallet and your bag. And buy Maccas and 7-11 with it. Glee!

As for Stockholm's trains - they are a city of about 1 million and yet their trains are so much more efficient and frequently run. I've never had to wait more than five minutes for a train over there.

[info]malky

April 1 2009, 23:51:28 UTC 3 years ago

No, it'll still charge you for a 2 hour fare even if you are going down the bloody road.

[info]cecism

April 1 2009, 23:57:01 UTC 3 years ago

That's what I meant; the ticketing system remains the same. Just that we get different cards. Whilst spending the money that should have been stopping world poverty or... something. Argh.

[info]pineapple_head

April 1 2009, 23:35:49 UTC 3 years ago

Nicely written. Its good to see in any post about Connex that the acknowledgement of the indadequate infrastructure is taken into consideration and not laid at the feet of the operator. No love for Connex here, only a genuine hope that it is possible for someone to run the system with what they are handed on takeover if no additonal govt spending happens.

[info]iviv

April 2 2009, 00:52:59 UTC 3 years ago

Where's common sense?

Can anyone explain me how arrival within 5 minutes of scheduled time can be considered as in time arrival? Hello?! Hello?!

[info]muzikoverdose

April 2 2009, 01:24:42 UTC 3 years ago

Re: Where's common sense?

I love how we seem to be able to redefine things these days. It simply blows me away. Seems that their criteria seems to shift as well so they never have to pay anyone out. Useless, useless, useless

[info]taiirei

April 2 2009, 09:28:13 UTC 3 years ago

Re: Where's common sense?

Well, a train is currently only considered late after 6 minutes! And if you look at the Connex punctuality figures... imagine how much worse it would have been if it was 5.

[info]iviv

3 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]anti_zeitgeist

April 2 2009, 05:07:21 UTC 3 years ago

This whole issue is just sigh-worthy. I think it's clear that we can't get the state government to really act in our interests and there seems to be little we can do to make them.

Australian politics makes me hate life at times.

[info]nekopan

April 2 2009, 05:09:45 UTC 3 years ago

Actually, I think that most of Connex's problems are attributed to the Government. Connex are just leasing out the trains, and nothing else.

The Victorian Government are the ones that own the tracks, etc.

[info]iviv

April 2 2009, 10:17:46 UTC 3 years ago

Connex also made $560 mln profit last year... but agree Government supports this and it their fault too!

[info]trishalishous

April 2 2009, 06:49:06 UTC 3 years ago

I find it funny, that backwards Perth, with its whole 12 passengers uses a 'smartcard' so you dont need to get your card out to enter/leave a station/bus.
Also Melbourne is very expensive, its cost me 35c in perth, there its $1.47 for the same distance.

[info]socraticomatic

April 7 2009, 09:33:56 UTC 3 years ago

35c? Cheapest I ever paid was 90c (80c before the price increase about three years ago). But even so, yeah, Melbourne Public Transport is expensive compared to Perth!

(Too expensive - I think that if the State government is serious about either environmental sustainability or about reducing road congestion, they ned to make PT cheap enough that the price doesn't factor into people's decision not to use it over cars.)

[info]socraticomatic

April 7 2009, 09:34:55 UTC 3 years ago

Oh, actually, it would be cheaper with a 40 trip multirider.

[info]syl

April 2 2009, 07:02:15 UTC 3 years ago

Gahh.
A new operator would be nice, with higher standards of service.

A new Govt. or at least a new Minister who would channel funds more appropriately would also be very nice.

[info]vikusias

April 2 2009, 07:21:08 UTC 3 years ago

The Hong Kong government invests more in infrastructure than any Australian state government ever will.

[info]cadev3

April 2 2009, 07:27:31 UTC 3 years ago

durrf anyone who thinks that connex alone is responsible for the inconveniences wrought upon our poor melbourne needs to stop voting.

MTR having a 99.9% on-time performance rating means fuck all when you consider the massive MASSIVE infrastructure differences – wait, the entire CITY DENSITY differences between Melbourne and fucking Hong Kong. fucking hell.

[info]insignificant1

April 2 2009, 07:48:18 UTC 3 years ago

This is a somewhat valid point - but take in to account, the MTR system while small, transports far more people. It does this and still manages to stay on time, all the time. (Not that it matters - the MTR has no timetable - trains arrive every 5 minutes or less).

[info]socraticomatic

3 years ago

  • Loading...

Anonymous

3 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]insignificant1

April 2 2009, 07:49:26 UTC 3 years ago

The Octopus card is great - better (or worse really) yet, it was designed by an Australian company, from Melbourne.

[info]mordant

April 2 2009, 07:58:05 UTC 3 years ago

It's really sad when Perth has a better fare system than Melbourne.

[info]sidekicked

3 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]socraticomatic

3 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]socraticomatic

3 years ago

  • Loading...
Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Facebook Twitter More login options
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…