Rumblings and logos.
The hop is in trouble. Tennis Australia and a legal thing just went down.
We could see Sydney Trains change the logo again real soon.

It's not that hard:


But in all seriousness, the "Hop" logo is deeply hideous. Even if you just change the colour of the L7 and put "Sydney Trains" under it - it's worked before.

Ms Berejiklian would not reveal what the cost of the new logo was, but said over the long term the move to replace the various transport symbols with one would reduce costs. "Within two years we will be saving money. If you go to London they have one transport brand which is recognisable throughout their entire network, the same in Paris and in other cities around the world that pride themselves on public transport," she said.

Except that it won't, because they still have eighty-six different logos. Now they just all look the same.

What is wrong with this?

If you google Sydney Trains it still comes up with cityrail.info

I thought that the L7 logo was quite effective. Any more details on the tennis Australia issue?

It's not that hard:

But in all seriousness, the "Hop" logo is deeply hideous. Even if you just change the colour of the L7 and put "Sydney Trains" under it - it's worked before.

Except that it won't, because they still have eighty-six different logos. Now they just all look the same.

The BR logo is the best one I've seen. We got the L7 from that anyway, didn't we?

taking away managers where they are needed

Not enough staff in some areas and far too many managers in others - so many that they just sit around on >$100,000/yr causing trouble, don't help the network move a single extra passenger or gram of freight and with pay packets like that they are not helping efficiency either, but their job descriptions make them look pretty important. It really looks like the redundancies either didn't go far enough or targeted the wrong people.

Not enough staff in some areas and far too many managers in others - so many that they just sit around on >$100,000/yr causing trouble, don't help the network move a single extra passenger or gram of freight and with pay packets like that they are not helping efficiency either, but their job descriptions make them look pretty important. It really looks like the redundancies either didn't go far enough or targeted the wrong people.

^ 100% in agreement.  Those that have seen it know it.  The rest just jump up and down complaining about the lazy workers and how it should all be sold off to fix everything...

The change had so much potential to do good for the better of all tax payers.  It's an early call, but it seems to be destined for failure as far as anything beyond expensive window dressing goes...

The redundencies have been odd. Getting rid of NOS and having Station Managers attened low level incidnets is going to be a real headache. A lot of little to no experience with safeworking since earning the qualification moons ago.

This is not going to be a popular view, sold off. Sure costs were always going to be cut eventually, but the Unions threatening to strike on World Youth Day was the straw that broke the camels back. Holding a government to ransom like that is the reason Railcorp's will be split up and sections sold off.

... This is not going to be a popular view, sold off. Sure costs were always going to be cut eventually, but the Unions threatening to strike on World Youth Day was the straw that broke the camels back. Holding a government to ransom like that is the reason Railcorp's will be split up and sections sold off.

Says who?  It's one of the most popular views held by the public and of the current government.

Re the Strike threat for WYD - It was smart if opportunistic thinking, particularly as work forces these days have very LITTLE power to strike without being hit with severe legal action/consequences.  So when an opportunity occurs to get what you are rightfully entitled to from the lying and incompetent government, it would be foolish not to.  Even to this day, workers are still screwed over by that government.  Workers agreed to make various changes and cuts to meet productivity and efficiency goals to pay for the next pay rise.  Come time for the next pay rise negotiations, the government conveniently forgot about the previous agreement, and claimed they had to cap pay rises to 2.5% unless more cuts were made (this is all very simplified for general consumption, and feel free to substitute "governement" with railcorp).

And that WYD strike threat was not the straw that broke the camel's back, and holding the "government to ransom" is NOT the reason for Railcorp to be sold off.  That plan was in place LONG, LONG before WYD.  That all started when Freightcorp came into being and was then sold off.  The plan was always to sell off the passenger side as soon as it was politically palatable.

Bottom line is this whole Sydney Trains quest is just a case of privatising by stealth and misdirection.  I'd like to be wrong, but everything the ministeress announces seems to confirm this - Otherwise she'd support her workers, instead of taking every opportunity to lay the boot into them.

This is not going to be a popular view, sold off. Sure costs were always going to be cut eventually, but the Unions threatening to strike on World Youth Day was the straw that broke the camels back. Holding a government to ransom like that is the reason Railcorp's will be split up and sections sold off.

I really think you are overestimating the influence of unions on the decisions to reorganise. The unions have already been pretty well smashed by governments, business, restructures of the economy etc yet they remain a popular scapegoat for poor performance and inefficiency to be demonised by the media at every opportunity as the root of all evil in every sector of industry. Well, keep smashing the unions and see how much difference it makes. Stuff all, it will. They lose just about every major battle they try to fight now anyway. That's not a good thing, in my view - it is a hard fact.

I really think you are overestimating the influence of unions on the decisions to reorganise. The unions have already been pretty well smashed by governments, business, restructures of the economy etc yet they remain a popular scapegoat for poor performance and inefficiency to be demonised by the media at every opportunity as the root of all evil in every sector of industry. Well, keep smashing the unions and see how much difference it makes. Stuff all, it will. They lose just about every major battle they try to fight now anyway. That's not a good thing, in my view - it is a hard fact.

Very well said and with much more eloquence than I could throw together.  

I would also point out EVEN the workers who are members of the union know the union will be beaten on most organisational decisions.  They remain with the union for protection against smaller decisions which are incorrect or illegal made by management but are too difficult for a single worker to fight on their own.  To use a football analogy, management play the whistle, not the rules, but for an individual worker to bring such infractions to the attention of the referee requires additional assistance.  Most cannot afford QC silk to fight for them, thus the union is then next best affordable option.

The union's ability to affect or shape Sydney Trains future is very limited to making sure they abide by the law, and not much more. Things like ensuring workers entitlements are maintained.  Things like the ability to take a toilet break, or having an uninterrupted meal/crib break.  If certain persons had their way, workers would not be able to take toilet breaks without being reprimanded and would be expected to work 8 hours with 4 x 3 minute breaks and one 10 minute meal breaks.  All they are trying to do is ensure fair conditions.  Hardly unreasonable stuff.

Unions are merely a business to me.
I'm considering saving my $500 a year and leaving. What have they done for me lately? SFA.
But if everyone had the same attitude as myself we would all be up the river without a paddle.

Looks like the refurbished V-set is on the Newc/Central Coast line from the Tele today. Anyone know which services it is doing?

Looks like the refurbished V-set is on the Newc/Central Coast line from the Tele today. Anyone know which services it is doing?

Apparently, it has been integrated into the regular fleet and can be sent out on any appropriate run. Hunting the hamburger is going to be fun...

Apparently, it has been integrated into the regular fleet and can be sent out on any appropriate run. Hunting the hamburger is going to be fun...

Well, given all sets are to eventually have this treatment, it will be easier and easier as time goes on. Soon people will be out chasing "the last Intercities", just like the "last" of the old colour schemes!

Looks like the refurbished V-set is on the Newc/Central Coast line from the Tele today. Anyone know which services it is doing?

Had a look at DIM 8055 the other day at Central... with some VIPs.... it is a nice make over....




Sorry, I dont have a shot of the Logo on the V Set, but it is the squiggly line logo with NSW Trains

What is wrong with this?

the fact that 'waratah' is a lotus.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32678796@N05/9298844778/in/photostream/- Here is a photo of Waratah set A31 Coming into Leightonfield, painted in the new Sydney Trains Livery

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32678796@N05/9298842280/in/photostream/- And a Photo of the side Logo that says "Transport Sydney Trains"

Kind Regards

Well, given all sets are to eventually have this treatment, it will be easier and easier as time goes on. Soon people will be out chasing "the last Intercities", just like the "last" of the old colour schemes!

Well all we have right now is

V1 and V16 Iam sure there are more coming down the pipeline from Maintrain?
I must say the top of the canopy on V1 (the Grey colour) is already looking VERY grubby from overhead run off.
This was not as obvious with the Dark Blue Canopy.
Anyway.

Jono

Anybody else noticed that they changed the colours for the Hunter Line on the sydneytrains website? Rather than being Purple with grey it is now grey with purple like the other intercity NSWTrainLink lines. Could this change be part of the phase to NSW Trains to make their lines uniform?

Anybody else noticed that they changed the colours for the Hunter Line on the sydneytrains website? Rather than being Purple with grey it is now grey with purple like the other intercity NSWTrainLink lines. Could this change be part of the phase to NSW Trains to make their lines uniform?

I am inclined to think that NSW Trains is going to have multiple operating divisions with their own brands.

That actually makes sense. Coloured lines for Sydney Trains lines and grey lines for NSW TrainLink lines. Not sure what they're going to do with the former CountryLink lines though.

Oh and while I'm here, what's happening with the rebranding of the former CityRail fleet? They had a rush the weekend before the change to Sydney Trains with most sets having their CityRail branding scrubbed off but it seems to have stalled in the past fortnight with many of the Millennium's getting them taken off maybe fortnight ago.

There are still a few sets running around with CityRail branding. I've seen a K Set, S Set and T Set in the past few days. There's even a K Set trailer carriage running around with "CityRail" written on one side beside a set of passenger doors.

They haven't even started applying the Sydney Trains logo yet (Waratahs excepted). Have they not finalised the Sydney Trains logos to be applied onto the fleet yet?

They haven't even started applying the Sydney Trains logo yet (Waratahs excepted). Have they not finalised the Sydney Trains logos to be applied onto the fleet yet?

Read further up the thread (not too far though) and the legal stoush with Tennis Australia regarding the logo.

Dave

Read further up the thread (not too far though) and the legal stoush with Tennis Australia regarding the logo.

Dave, that's what I thought the problem was too, but the Waratahs have been getting the new logos just as fast as they were before all this supposed legal action. Combine this with very little media coverage, and I'm inclined to think it's all a storm in a teacup. All I keep hearing is the figure $6m, and that's a payout to continue using the logo. They wouldn't be rolling it out across more Waratahs every night if there was any doubt if it could be used or not.