Why are you so negative in your comments maybe you need to start your own service and leave us to our discussions.

Service frequency for vline and metro could be improved from WV by completing the electrification and tracks from Werribee which I read somewhere was the plan anyhow. Use the spare capacity on the Werribee line from RRL introduction to bolster services via Newport?

When Geelong electrification is completed both routes could be made available between Geelong and Melbourne.

Express trains stopping at Glenferrie make no sense. These trains are packed with commuters in and out of the city. Uni students could get on the stopping all stations trains which are somewhat less packed.

Full-time Alamein and/or Blackburn trains would do wonders for the Burnley group, with more services for those in Zone 1 and faster trains (expresses) from Zone 2, provided there is enough room closer to the city. Bring on that third track through the middle of Laburnum too, triplication to Blackburn should have been done when Connex were still around, they had ample opportunity to add that centre track when Middleborough Rd was being done.

Express trains stopping at Glenferrie make no sense. These trains are packed with commuters in and out of the city. Uni students could get on the stopping all stations trains which are somewhat less packed.

I would like to agree but considering that trains are only every 15mins for the stopping all stations (depending what location your going, in this case Blackburn) vs the 3-5mins for the express and its has a university, its warranted. Also I would like to point out, the stopping all stations trains are normally packed and no different to the express trains.

*I know this as I'm a student at a nearby high school

6tph Broadmeadows
3tph Craigieburn

6tph South Morang
3tph MerndaAny particular reason not to just go 6tph to Craigieburn and Mernda?  It's only another 3 stations in both cases and Mernda/Craigieburn are both some of the busiest stations in the outer sections of those lines.

There is also a non-negligible amount of inter-peak traffic between the Mernda extension stations and South Morang, due to Westfield Plenty Valley (as a percentage anyway - we're not talking full carriages by any means) .  Not everyone rides the train in/out of the city...

I was more trying to manage my own expectations - I'd be delighted to see 6tph to the end of both lines.

I take it from the recently announced April shutdown for Metro/LXRP works that we won't be getting the new timetable in April:

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/nine-melbourne-train-lines-to-be-closed-for-three-weeks/10849526?pfmredir=sm

I take it from the recently announced April shutdown for Metro/LXRP works that we won't be getting the new timetable in April:

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-26/nine-melbourne-train-lines-to-be-closed-for-three-weeks/10849526?pfmredir=sm

Just a few changes to V/Line services.

In poli-speak, isn't this technically a new timetable?

https://www.vline.com.au/News-Alerts/News-Articles/New-V-Line-timetable-(1)

Underwhelming really, the foreshadowed Seymour and Shepp changes plus a few extra coach services and some 1 minute changes on the Geelong line. Whoopee!

BG

I am extremely disappointed that the government is once again tinkering around the edges of a master timetable that needs to be completely rewritten.

I was told “first half of 2019” seems it was not to be and we will have to keep waiting for increased off peak frequencies.

On a side not, I’m no genius when it comes to timetables. The two new Seymour services are cutting it fine. There is 3 minutes between the current metro timetable and the new V/line service. 1640 Craigieburn followed by the 1643 Shepparton. It’s a bit close, is it not?
I’m not sure what the head way is on this section of the line.

I am extremely disappointed that the government is once again tinkering around the edges of a master timetable that needs to be completely rewritten.

I was told “first half of 2019” seems it was not to be and we will have to keep waiting for increased off peak frequencies.

On a side not, I’m no genius when it comes to timetables. The two new Seymour services are cutting it fine. There is 3 minutes between the current metro timetable and the new V/line service. 1640 Craigieburn followed by the 1643 Shepparton. It’s a bit close, is it not?
I’m not sure what the head way is on this section of the line.

The three minutes is no different to the existing Seymour/Shep services...

... that currently fail to ever run to timetable anyway.

From a Metro perspective, they'd want the V/Line train as close as possible to the proceeding Metro train to leave in enough recovery time so their next service isn't also delayed.

But in a properly coordinated service, the VLine train would leave three minutes before the spark, to avoid a train which runs nominally express through the suburbs stopping just before each station, as it follows the stopping all stations spark.

But in a properly coordinated service, the VLine train would leave three minutes before the spark, to avoid a train which runs nominally express through the suburbs stopping just before each station, as it follows the stopping all stations spark.

Ah! . . . the magic words, "properly coordinated". That needs the Minister for Transport to get the heads of VLine and Metro and bash their heads together, then stand over them with a bullwhip until they start talking sense with each other.

Spot on Valvegear, AND it would be long overdue.

It should also be an opportunity for the network operators to proclaim certain fixes would be achieved with government action on xyz bottlenecks, dilemmas etc wherever these may be.

It's ok for Joe public to throw ie Metro under the bus for xyz, but IF it's because the government hasn't upgraded ie signalling to allow for Metro to run more trains per hour as the solution, then that's the root cause and needs to be highlighted as such.

To be fair, this has to be part of the discussions, and blame has to be accurately apportioned.

I'd like to see problems itemised, the party(s) to fix it identified, and a cost and timeline associated with each.

But hey, if any party isn't doing their bit now as a solution to something - a whack should be forthcoming.

Regards

I am extremely disappointed that the government is once again tinkering around the edges of a master timetable that needs to be completely rewritten.

I was told “first half of 2019” seems it was not to be and we will have to keep waiting for increased off peak frequencies.

As Melton duplication is well advanced, that may have a bearing on the proposed new timetable re-write.

Mike.

But in a properly coordinated service, the VLine train would leave three minutes before the spark, to avoid a train which runs nominally express through the suburbs stopping just before each station, as it follows the stopping all stations spark.

We are talking about arrival times at the terminus, Craigieburn, not departure times from the originating stations, be they Flinders St or SCS.

Already V/Line services are scheduled to depart SCS before the METRO spark, however the V/Line service often catches the preceding spark before it reaches its terminus (Craigieburn) hence the problem with the three minutes.

Once upon a time there used to be scheduled or actual run-through's at Essendon, to enable a V/Line service to overtake a METRO train to make full use of the existing infrastructure, however that's way to difficult for the timetable planners and it brings the human element into it that the trains rarely, actually run on time.
Mike.

Once upon a time, fast country expresses such as the SOP and the Albury Express were able to negotiate suburbia without much slowing - but that was back in the VR days, when suburban and regional services were under the one operator, as was the timetabling.

But in a properly coordinated service, the VLine train would leave three minutes before the spark, to avoid a train which runs nominally express through the suburbs stopping just before each station, as it follows the stopping all stations spark.

We are talking about arrival times at the terminus, Craigieburn, not departure times from the originating stations, be they Flinders St or SCS.

Already V/Line services are scheduled to depart SCS before the METRO spark, however the V/Line service often catches the preceding spark before it reaches its terminus (Craigieburn) hence the problem with the three minutes.

Once upon a time there used to be scheduled or actual run-through's at Essendon, to enable a V/Line service to overtake a METRO train to make full use of the existing infrastructure, however that's way to difficult for the timetable planners and it brings the human element into it that the trains rarely, actually run on time.
Mike.

OK. Thanks for the clarification. Makes more sense.

Once upon a time there used to be scheduled or actual run-through's at Essendon, to enable a V/Line service to overtake a METRO train to make full use of the existing infrastructure, however that's way to difficult for the timetable planners and it brings the human element into it that the trains rarely, actually run on time.
Mike.

Run-through's at Essendon still happen sometimes, not as a planned part of the timetable but occasionally to allow a late departing V/Line service from SCS to pass the spark that it should have been in front of all along.

Seems to be at the whims of the train controllers, because sometimes it doesn't happen when it could. If there's no city bound train near the Down side of Essendon, the V/Line rolls in and makes a stop (if scheduled) on Platform 2 while the Craigieburn spark waits on Platform 3.

It’s worth pointing out too that in the glory days of the SOP the service intensity through Essendon was essentially comparable to today. For instance, in 1939 there were 16 up suburban services departing between 7am and 9am compared to 18 today.

Service intensity was much thinner on the down side of Essendon however, which makes timetabling less difficult.

Full-time Alamein and/or Blackburn trains would do wonders for the Burnley group, with more services for those in Zone 1 and faster trains (expresses) from Zone 2, provided there is enough room closer to the city. Bring on that third track through the middle of Laburnum too, triplication to Blackburn should have been done when Connex were still around, they had ample opportunity to add that centre track when Middleborough Rd was being done.

They (Connex) had the opportunity, it's the other "they" that didn't want to pay for it. (the government). Totally agree with all of your statement too.
Also, as someone else said, the expresses shouldn't be stopping at Glenferrie, I tend to think they should also skip Camberwell too.
Sometimes stops are timetabled just to make sure the train isn't left waiting further down the line for a train ahead.

Some expresses even stop at Surrey Hills, it is ridiculous to have so-called limited express services, especially when in some cases the all stations train is two minutes up the previous one's asre. Either have them stopping all stations or half and half e.g. express Box Hill to Camberwell then all stations, or all stations to Camberwell then express to Richmond, not this skip stop rubbish. More expresses between Ringwood and Box Hill would also be nice, but given that trains are few and far between beyond Ringwood (which could easily be fixed by inserting more Upper Ferntree Gully/Mooroolbark trains) it wouldn't make much sense to have every second train express, especially when they are already every half an hour at night. I really don't get it, practically every second train on the Hurstbridge line terminates at Eltham, yet the same can't be done for the Lilydale and Belgrave lines?

The 1939 timetable for the Ringwood group is almost identical to the current timetable. Just replace Lilydale with Croydon, Belgrave with Upper Ferntree Gully, rename Nunawading to Tunstall and delete Heatherdale and Laburnum and force all stoppers to stop at East Richmond and you're back in 1939. Even that one-off 8PM up express Ringwood-Blackburn-Box Hill-Camberwell is still there (in the current timetable it's an up Belgrave which departs Ringwood at 8:34, making sure those pesky people from Lilydale cop a 3-carriage set all stations to the city two minutes after with no way to change trains since the former has already left Ringwood when the latter is at Ringwood East). It really is a joke that nothing whatsoever has changed in eighty years.

It's about now that someone will chime in with "but there's already x amount of trains to Ringwood, why do we need more?" because in their world there is nothing beyond there.

@Madjikthise - I'm hoping you and Vroomfondel are getting Deep Thought onto putting together a new master timetable