Yep, it’s cooked

Three out of the seven displays are barely visible – leaving the next seven V/Line departures MIA, along with the entire list of V/Line arrivals, and all services on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines.

But luckily you turn around and find a second set of screens – only to discover half these ones are also broken – you can now see the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines; and the V/Line arrivals are nice and bright; but the Lilydale, Belgrave and Glen Waverley line are gone.

And the next seven V/Line departures – if you squint hard, you might just be able to read them on the faded screen.

And don’t hope on walking over to the platforms either – the screen at the top of platform 11 and 12 was also hardly visible.

As was the one above platform 15 and 16.

But why?

The reason for the screens not working? The screens aren’t broken outright, as they work most of the time.

The clue being in tiny text in the corner of the screen – ‘TEMPERATURE WARNING!!’. I photographed the failing screens on December 5th, when the top temperature was 33.2 °C, and that was enough for the the screens to be unable to cope.

I found a similar warning on one of the platform screens on February 4th – when the top temperature was 37.5 °C.

So in theory a simple fix – but the management at Southern Cross Station can’t even change a light bulb.

And they aren’t that old

You might point the finger at the screens being old, but that isn’t exactly true – for years Southern Cross Station used a ‘temporary’ array of CRT television screens to display the next suburban train departures.

The permanent LCD screens not being switched on for suburban trains until March 2009.

Allowing the ‘temporary’ screens to be covered up.

Until they were finally removed in April 2010.

And the LCD screens didn’t last long anyway – they were removed in November 2012 for “maintenance”.

Out of service from November 12 to December 23 – that’s 41 days to change eight screens!

Footnote: another other things cooking in the heat

Melbourne’s Comeng suburban trains from the 1980s also once had a reputation for failing in the heat.

The air conditioning failing once the temperature reached 35 degrees.

So after a spate of failures during the summer of 2008-09, the decision was made to upgrade the air conditioning units fitted to said trains.

And lo and behold – they’re just as reliable as newer trains in hot weather.

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Build it up

Work on the $48.5 million Kororoit Creek Road duplication project in Altona North had just kicked off.

Including the replacement of the Werribee line level crossing with a road overbridge.

Work on the project was completed in December 2011.

Gauge conversion of the Melbourne-Albury railway was still ongoing.

Buses replacing V/Line trains north of Seymour.

V/Line services eventually returned in 2011, but trains are frequently cancelled – the years since filled with attempts to fix the already deteriorating track.

Toot toot!

I headed up to Maryborough on a special train operated by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.

Travelling in style.

Sitting in the siding alongside was an equally elderly locomotive hauling an El Zorro grain train.

El Zorro having had the same train derailed at Tottenham Yard a few days earlier.

Thanks to the deteriorating track that passes for the Victorian freight network.

El Zorro went into administration in 2013, but the tracks they used are no better today – the Murray Basin Rail project intended to upgrade them ran out of money.

Storms

In March 2010 a massive storm hit Melbourne, with 10-centimetre hailstones hitting Southern Cross Station.

Photo by PageantUpdater talk • contribs ., via Wikimedia Commons

Tearing the plastic ‘bubbles’ in the roof.

Opening the station to the elements.

Flooding the concourse.

And the escalators.

Repairs were estimated to cost $5 million, with 43 of the 60 air pillows needing replacement, work commencing in April 2010 and lasting 12 to 14 weeks.

Things that are gone

Remember mX, the free newspaper that littered Melbourne trains and stations each afternoon?

The rise of smartphones saw readership drop, with the final edition published on 12 June 2015.

Myki was still new and shiny, with promotions across the rail network to get passengers to make the switch from Metcard.

Myki eventually took over from Metcard in December 2012.

The transition from Connex to Metro Trains as the operator of Melbourne trains was still ongoing, with trains slowly receiving the new branding.

But a decade later, the Metro livery surprisingly survives.

In 2010 bright yellow ‘bumbleebee’ trams were still making their way around Melbourne.

But by 2014 the decals were torn and faded, so the trams were repainted into the standard PTV livery.

The next train displays in the City Loop were also coloured by destination.

There were replaced by plain looking white on black LCD screens in 2011, but the use of colours was brought back in 2018, but only at Flinders Street Station.

V/Line trains to Geelong used to run via the Werribee line.

Since 2015 they have travelled via the new Melbourne suburbs of Wyndham Vale and Tarneit, follow the completion of Regional Rail Link.

Passing through what were once empty paddocks.

This farm west of Werribee is now Alwood Estate and King’s Leigh Estate.

I also ended up down in Gippsland at the Energy Brix briquette factory.

The ageing factory and associated brown coal fired power station closed in 2014, with demolition now underway, despite being heritage listed.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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