The Connex Challenge
If you're a Melbournian, you've probably sat on a train at some stage, and stared at signs that look something like Agent Fare Evader's Metropolitan Train Map*. If you're like me (which is possibly not the case) then you've wondered whether it's possible to visit all of those stations in one day. The answer, in theory at least, is yes**.
Using only trains, a few buses and my feet, I plan this Friday to go from Watergardens to Stony Point, from Hurstbridge to Werribee, and everywhere in between. I'll start from Hurstbridge at 0433 and be back there little under 21 hours later, at 0113.
Here's the schedule:
Some may ask why I'm doing this, and the answer to that is - I'm not sure. It's partly a fascination with trains (will I be able to catch one of the few remaining Hitachi trains somewhere in my journey; is the ride on the new Siemens train significantly better than that on the X'Trapolis). It's partly out of an interest in the public policy side of public transport system - to see how the network is performing. If Melbourne is going to remain a liveable city, then the future must contain a reliable, safe and frequent PT system.
That and the fact that I've got nothing on this Friday, and the whole journey will cost the grand sum of $5.40.
*It is true that you can get to Sunbury, Craigieburn and Melton on a Metcard too. But, it's not possible (for me at least) to construct an itinerary that gets to these places and everywhere else in one day - hence the "Connex Challenge" - all the services operated my Connex.
** Excluding the Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse stations, which are only used for special events.
Using only trains, a few buses and my feet, I plan this Friday to go from Watergardens to Stony Point, from Hurstbridge to Werribee, and everywhere in between. I'll start from Hurstbridge at 0433 and be back there little under 21 hours later, at 0113.
Here's the schedule:
| Hurstbridge | 0433 |
| Clifton Hill | 0522 |
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|
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| Clifton Hill | 0534 |
| Epping | 0603 |
|
|
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| Epping | 0608 |
| Flinders St | 0653 |
|
|
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| Flinders St | 0704 |
| Upfield | 0737 |
|
|
|
| Bus 532 |
|
| Upfield | 0747 |
| Broadmeadows | 0805 |
|
|
|
| Broadmeadows | 0812 |
| Nth Melbourne | 0838 |
|
|
|
| Nth Melbourne | 0846 |
| Watergardens | 0914 |
|
|
|
| Watergardens | 0929 |
| Footscray | 0952 |
|
|
|
| Footscray | 1000 |
| Newport | 1008 |
|
|
|
| Newport | 1010 |
| Williamstown | 1016 |
|
|
|
| Williamstown | 1020 |
| Newport | 1026 |
|
|
|
| Newport | 1028 |
| Werribee | 1056 |
|
|
|
| Werribee | 1106 |
| Flinders St | 1155 |
|
|
|
| Flinders St | 1205 |
| Lilydale | 1303 |
|
|
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| Lilydale | 1309 |
| Ringwood | 1325 |
|
|
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| Ringwood | 1331 |
| Belgrave | 1356 |
|
|
|
| Bus 693 |
|
| Belgrave | 1400 |
| Oakleigh | 1500 |
|
|
|
| Oakleigh | 1523 |
| Pakenham | 1607 |
|
|
|
| Pakenham | 1620 |
| Dandenong | 1646 |
|
|
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| Dandenong | 1701 |
| Cranbourne | 1713 |
|
|
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| Cranbourne | 1718 |
| Richmond | 1809 |
|
|
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| Richmond | 1815 |
| Glen Waverley | 1847 |
|
|
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| Glen Waverley | 1850 |
| East Malvern | 1902 |
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| Walk to Alamein |
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| Alamein | 1924 |
| Richmond | 1948 |
|
|
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| Richmond | 1958 |
| Sandringham | 2022 |
|
|
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| Bus 600 |
|
| Sandringham | 2028 |
| Cheltenham | 2052 |
|
|
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| Cheltenham | 2056 |
| Frankston | 2124 |
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|
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| Frankston | 2130 |
| Stony Point | 2210 |
|
|
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| Stony Point | 2220 |
| Frankston | 2300 |
|
|
|
| Frankston | 2304 |
| Richmond | 2359 |
|
|
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| Walk to West Richmond |
|
| West Richmond | 0018 |
| Hurstbridge | 0113 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
That and the fact that I've got nothing on this Friday, and the whole journey will cost the grand sum of $5.40.
*It is true that you can get to Sunbury, Craigieburn and Melton on a Metcard too. But, it's not possible (for me at least) to construct an itinerary that gets to these places and everywhere else in one day - hence the "Connex Challenge" - all the services operated my Connex.
** Excluding the Showgrounds and Flemington Racecourse stations, which are only used for special events.
posted by Brent @ 1/25/2005 03:33:00 PM
36 Comments:
At 1/25/2005 8:12 PM,
-A. said…
Brent, I made a half-hearted attempt to do it about three years ago. I covered just less then half the network from 8am until about 6pm (when I was tired, it was cold, and my mother wanted toi know when I'd be home for tea). At the time, I recall being sceptical that it could be done, although my method was exclusively on trains, so essentially heading to the end of the lines and back again. Also, full marks to you for venturing all the way to Stony Point as part of this venture, demonstrating once again that Funky Town is merely a point along the way rather than a true destination.
At 1/26/2005 12:45 AM,
JP said…
Soooooooo geeky . . .
I am very tempted to join you, but I am already double booked Friday evening.
I will be very interested to hear whether you can make it, given my experience with buses, I have to admit skepticism about whether you will be able to make some of those bus connections.
At 1/26/2005 10:34 AM,
Brent said…
Joel, so am I. Actually, I'm worried about a few of the train connections as well. But it's impossible to do what I'm attempting without having some tight connections.
At 1/26/2005 9:38 PM,
Adam 2.0 said…
Get the 246 bus from Richmond Station to West Richmond. It departs at 12.09am and will drop you right outside west richmond and save you the walk. Also, beware of services not running through the loop/altered running times.
PS, to save time on the route back from Cranbourne, get rt 16 tram Melb uni>Kew from Malvern Station to Kooyong - this will save you time from having to walk.
E. Malvern> Alamein. Rt 612?
Also, Instead of bus 532, bus 510 from Essendon, or the 508 bus from moonee ponds junc will also make the connection to the upfield line from the broadmeadows line - they are frequent and run on time also.
PS, I might be joining you on the frankston leg - especially if i go down the beach to see my missus friday night.
At 1/27/2005 5:13 AM,
Anonymous said…
You could possibly get a Nightrider bus back in, but this doubles the fare, require you to rearrange the itinerary and might be against the 'rules'.
Peter
www.meltrip.com
PS: wouldn't mind joining you at Oakleigh at 1500 if that's OK.
At 1/27/2005 8:04 AM,
Anonymous said…
And you say that I need a life!!!!
Given my experiences witht he reliability of public transport I will give you odd of five to one of you making it ($2 maximum bet).
ATC
At 1/27/2005 9:53 AM,
Anonymous said…
Brent, you know there's even a song about this.
http://homes.jcu.edu.au/~ccscb/darrenhanlonlyrics/lyrics/ends-of-the-city.html
Here's the first verse:
"Ends of the City
On the very day my travel card expired
I rode the train
All day
And took it to the place each line retired
The fate of every train"
Good luck!
Peter in Canberra
At 1/27/2005 10:24 AM,
Brent said…
AFE: Look forward to possibly seeing you on the 2304. I'll probably go with the 246. My only concern with it was that if it's late, then I don't have a way of getting home, whereas if I only rely on my legs, I'll be more sure of getting there. But it is a big hill.
The tram would be a good option, but wouldn't allow me to visit every station in the system. As with the Upfield/Broadmeadows buses. I hadn't realised the 612 was an option, but given the 22 minute interchange, I prefer the greater certainty offered by my legs.
Peter: Look forward to seeing you at Oakleigh. One thing you should be aware of - if the 693 is running early (I believe in miracles), then I probably catch the 1456 to Pakenham instead of the 1523.
ATC: Who said you needed a life. And you're on for the bet by the way.
Peter in Canberra: Thanks for the link, and the luck, I think I'll need it.
At 1/27/2005 1:28 PM,
Daniel Bowen said…
Schedule looks okay... the only risky one I reckon would be Sandringham -> 600 -> Cheltenham -> Frankston -> Stony Point. Some of those look a little tight. But given it's the Connex Challenge, I think you could quite reasonably skip Stony Point, since like Melton and Sunbury, it's run by V/Line.
Let's hope it's a day of no train cancellations!
At 1/27/2005 1:49 PM,
Brent said…
Daniel, thanks for the heads up re the 600 bus. On your other point I'm not sure you're right. Although Stony Point uses V/Line rollingstock, I'm pretty sure it is operated by Connex. This is indicated by the fact that on http://www.connexmelbourne.com.au the 'Plan Your Trip' function allows you to choose Stony Point as a destination, but not Melton, Sunbury etc. Also, maps on trains etc. usually say 'Vline service - Metcards apply' for the three north west lines, but 'Diesel Service' for Stony Point.
At 1/27/2005 1:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
You were suggesting that those of us interested in cricket needed to get a life as you did not care if Simon Cook ever took at hat trick.
Enjoy the boring train trips...
ATC
At 1/27/2005 2:08 PM,
Brent said…
I said 'who gives a shit' not 'You don't have a life'. Not the same.
I think I will be sick of trains after sitting on them for 17 hours in one day.
At 1/27/2005 2:46 PM,
Somebody said…
The carriages used on the Stony Point line belong to Connex (although they are similiar to V/Line's H sets), but the locomotive is 'borrowed' from V/Line. The drivers, conductors, ticket inspectors, etc... are all employed by Connex.
At 1/27/2005 5:11 PM,
Somebody said…
This is what you should expect the Stony Point line stations to look like:*
http://metfink.fotopic.net/p2063523.html
* Hastings, Somerville and Stony Point all have buildings that are sometimes staffed for safeworking purposes, but have no ticket machines at the station. Tyabb has a disused toilet block as well as a shelter, and Crib Point has a shelter/building/whatever equivelent to, say, Keilor Plains.
At 1/27/2005 5:35 PM,
Brent said…
Thanks, Somebody.
I've actually been on the Stony Point line before, with Ari, who posted above. We even made the trek to French Island via the ferry. It would be correct to describe the station facilities as sparse.
At 1/27/2005 8:53 PM,
Anonymous said…
Madness. What happens if you get to 8pm and there's a train breakdown that leaves you stranded in Brighton Beach? I will cry for you.
Adam 1.0
At 1/27/2005 9:16 PM,
Brent said…
I will cry for me too.
At 1/28/2005 5:19 AM,
Anonymous said…
There are worse places than Brighton Beach to be stuck at.
You'd either catch the 600 bus (preferred) or if it's late walk to Nepean Hwy and grab the Nightrider.
And, if all else fails, it's hot enough to sleep on the beach ; )
Peter
At 1/28/2005 8:32 AM,
Anonymous said…
Update:
Brent's trip is so far running smoothly and he has got to Upfield fine.
ATC(but not travelling with Brent today!)
At 1/28/2005 1:30 PM,
Anonymous said…
Further Update:
No problems encountered yet, Brent has or is seeing the lovely outer-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Will keep you posted.
ATC
At 1/28/2005 4:58 PM,
Somebody said…
Has he rode on any Hitachi trains yet? What about the bus connections, have they all worked out?
At 1/28/2005 5:06 PM,
Nu-Ju said…
This is fantastic. If you succeed you are my hero.
At 1/29/2005 1:52 AM,
Brent said…
All complete. Too easy.
The buses ran on time, and in one case, early. Peter Parker joined me from 3pm and the early running of the 'magic' 693 allowed us to catch the 1456 Pakenham at Oakleigh rather than the 1523. We caught the 1620 to Cranbourne at Dandenong, after the city-bound train from Pakenham ran on time, arriving at 1619. From there my friend, it was a piece of piss. We even weaved in a little trip on the 734 from Glen Waverley to Ashburton/Alamein.
Actually, I take that comment about it being easy back. The train from Frankston pulled in at 2359 as expected. Given that there were 10 minutes before the 246 was due, I dawdled down to Punt Road, only to see said bus careering past, running 5-6 minutes early - presumably the bus driver wanted to knock off early. In the end, I had to run up the Punt Rd hill to be sure of getting the 0018 to Hurstbridge at West Richmond.
My original hunch that the 246 wasn't the way to go was right - however, I expected it to run late rather than early...
My enduring memory of the trip will be a young man, shirtless, scrounging around West Richmond station for cigarette butts at 12.15am. Priceless.
And this would make me your hero, Nu Ju.
(A more detailed post, post-sleep)
At 1/29/2005 2:16 AM,
daniel said…
brilliant. i am envious. i'd like to do a trip like that.... kinda crazy with getting up before 4am though...
At 1/29/2005 1:50 PM,
Anonymous said…
The 246 bus is a piece of shit. Before I had a car it just screwed me over constantly.
1.0
At 1/29/2005 2:33 PM,
Anonymous said…
A most enjoyable evening, Brent, and spledidly planned.
Peter
At 1/29/2005 4:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
WELL DONE!
At 1/29/2005 4:48 PM,
Anonymous said…
When I was in London I saw that it was even possible to do the same thing on their tube system whith is a even more fun. 18 lines which cross over everywhere but do not run alongside each other like the (for example) belgrave and lilydale. Aaah, I miss the tube! :)
At 1/29/2005 4:49 PM,
Aardvark Al said…
Good luck to you! Be sure to pack lots of bean-and-donut sandwiches. They're my favorite.
At 1/30/2005 8:25 PM,
Kate said…
heya Brent. I just found your website via Adams, so I thought I'd drop you a few lines. I'm a Greensy girl too... what a small world. Good to know I am not the only blogger nerd in the diamond valley. Happy Blogging!
At 2/10/2005 11:47 AM,
Jesskimo said…
hiya brent :)
Quite the achievement, congratulations!
I've often contemplated doing a few weeks of one-train-line-per-day: getting off at all of the stops on a particular line, and doing something - buy a coffee, go for a walk, or shake my head in disgust - before getting back on the train...
I'm re-inspired by your success.
At 2/10/2005 2:47 PM,
Brent said…
Thanks Jess. That would be a more normal way of doing things, and you would get to understand Melbourne a lot better. ALthough, you get to see a lot of the geographical changes, and a superficial look at the housing density/aesthetics across the different lines.
At 2/20/2005 4:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
Jess - that would take ages.
Assume: 20 min between trains (avg)
220 stations to get off at
2 min travel time between stations
Total time would be approx (20x220) + (220x2) = 4840 min or 80.6 hours.
In practice a bit more to wait for connections, so maybe it could be done in under 100 hours of travelling as opposed to 16-17 hours that Brent did.
Peter
At 4/13/2005 3:56 PM,
Somebody said…
Did you ever end up catching any Hitachis, or was it all Comeng/Zeemens/XTrap?
At 11/17/2005 7:49 AM,
Antonio Hicks said…
i was just browsing through the blog world searching for the keyword posters and it brought me to your site. You have a great site however it is not exactly what i was looking for. Good luck on your site. sincerely, antonio.
At 11/17/2005 6:21 PM,
Antonio Hicks said…
i was just browsing through the blog world searching for the keyword posters and it brought me to your site. You have a great site however it is not exactly what i was looking for. Good luck on your site. sincerely, antonio.
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