So why was it a problem?

When Myki was first rolled out, the cards were bright green, with different designs for Full Fare, Concession, Child and Student fares.

As you might expect, having to keep four different types of card in stock was a logistical pain, so in May 2013 it was decided to move to a single card design, as part of a larger rebrand of Myki.

Over the coming weeks you will notice some changes as the myki website progressively moves to the Public Transport Victoria website.

We’ve already updated myki management forms to include the PTV website and call centre number.

And we’ve just replaced all references to the myki call centre number with the PTV call centre number (1800 800 007) on the myki website, but because cards last for four years, your myki card will continue to carry the 13 6954 number for a while. There’s no need to worry. If you call the myki call centre number you will continue to be diverted to the PTV call centre.

We are also in the process of moving to a single myki card design which will allow us to add PTV information to all new cards produced in the future. These cards are expected to be available later this year.

“Later this year” was wishful thinking, with the new look cards not rolled out until November 2014.

Victoria will see new-look myki cards from early November, the next step in Public Transport Victoria’s (PTV) plan to simplify the system and provide more options at myki ticket machines next year.

The new-look myki is dark grey and will be available for all passenger types. It features PTV’s network branding design, PTV’s updated contact information, and a blank strip for customers to write their name for identification.

Alan Fedda, PTV’s Director of Customer Services, said the new-look myki has many benefits for card sellers, operators, and distributors.

“The new-look myki will make distribution and stock holding simpler for retailers and station window staff as they no longer need to carry four different types of cards,” said Mr Fedda.

“Distributing four separate card types across the network increases delivery costs for PTV.

“The single card design streamlines the process of ordering and handling cards for operator and retail outlets, and reduces the overall amount of stock they need to hold on site.”

In 2015, new-look cards will enable seniors, child and concession customers to purchase myki cards at myki vending machines for the first time.

Mr Fedda said myki machines will be reprogrammed to sell all four types of myki cards.

“Myki machines will only carry the new-look myki. The passenger type and any concession entitlements will be coded to the myki at the vending machine.

“This means seniors, children and concession customers will be able to purchase myki cards at unstaffed stations, in addition to the staffed stations and other locations they already use.”

Mr Fedda said there was no need for customers to change to a new card if their green myki has not expired, in line with PTV’s commitment to minimise wastage.

And their 2015 timeline for selling all kinds of card in machines was even more optimistic – the subsequent Myki machine ‘upgrade’ was just some new stickers!

And the rollout of card sales of all types to ticket machines – it took until August 2021!

Victorians can now buy more types of myki cards from myki machines. Until now, you could only purchase a Full Fare myki from a myki machine but this is changing.

Beginning Friday 20 August 2021, General Concession, Senior and Child myki cards will be available for purchase from a myki machine. This applies to all myki machines throughout Victoria and is expected to be completed by Tuesday 31 August 2021.

A Full Fare myki costs $6.00 and a General Concession, Senior and Child myki each cost $3.00. You will still be able to top up with myki Money or a myki Pass at every myki machine. The minimum top up amount is $1, but we recommend topping up with at least a 2-hour fare so you have a valid ticket for your next trip.

If you’re travelling with a General Concession, Senior or Child myki, please ensure you have the correct proof of eligibility with you.

That’s 7 years since the idea was first floated publicly.

Footnote: the other long running Myki saga

Myki machines were also know for covering Melbourne in unwanted receipts – that problem was eventually fixed in 2019.

Footnote: expiry dates and retail ticket sales

Turns out the expiry date of Myki cards sold at retail outlets is set during the card distribution stage, a problem discovered in 2013 when people buying “new” cards discovered they were almost ready expire.

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Farewell to Metcard

Ten years ago the old Metcard magnetic stripe ticketing system was on the way out, replaced by new Myki smartcards.

The old ticket machines being removed from stations.

But ticket gates at stations weren’t fast enough to handle the new tickets.

And the requirement to ‘touch off’ after a train journey created massive queues at railway stations in evening peak.

The government’s solution – a ‘Touch. Hold. Go’ re-education campaign.

‘Don’t swipe’.

‘Don’t wave’.

But the eventual solution was throwing more Myki readers at the problem, and replacing them with faster ones.

Rail scenes that are gone

I headed out to brand new station of South Morang, which a decade ago was the end of the line.

An empty trackbed leading north towards the current terminus of Mernda.

At Greensborough the old manual safeworking system was still in use – station staff handing over a metal baton to the driver, indicating that it was safe to proceed into the single track section.

At Heidelberg there was still a single track towards Rosanna.

Bell station was still at ground level.

The last few Hitachi trains were still in service.

The heritage listed timber gates at Ballarat station were yet to be destroyed by a runway train.

And something a little different – a passenger train stopped at Lal Lal station, midway between Geelong and Ballarat.

It was there to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the railway being completed.

Regional Rail Link

At Footscray demolition of shops along the Nicholson Street bridge was completed.

With work underway on the signals below.

Ding ding on the trams

The tram tracks along Elizabeth Street were being relayed, requiring an array of excavators to break up the old concrete.

While the newly established Public Transport Victoria was doing what Victoria does best – removing the branding that came before them.

And something else familiar was the “When the Tram Stops, You Stop” campaign found on the back of trams – a half-arsed attempt at addressing the spate of motorists driving past stopped trams and hitting passengers.

But a decade later such campaigns have made no difference – tram passengers ending up in hospital after being hit by hit-run drivers – the only solution is physical separation.

Forgotten bus liveries

A decade ago the Public Transport Victoria livery was yet to be rolled out bus fleets, with Davis Bus Lines in Ballarat still having their brown livery.

Benders Busways in Geelong still had buses in green.

And McHarry’s was still using the “Geelong Transit System” livery, rolled out way back in 1983 as the first attempt to unify public transport in Geelong.

And some other bits

Another update from the Myer Lonsdale Street site – demolition was done, and tower cranes were being lifted into place.

And a fad from a decade ago – ‘My Family’ stickers.

By 2014 the backlash was well underway, and now they’re just a memory.

Footnote

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

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The beginning

The story starts in June 2012 when the Victorian Government called for expressions of interest to operate the Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise, which covered 30% of the city’s bus network.

It included routes operated by Melbourne Bus Link in the western and south-east regions of Melbourne, operated from depots at Footscray and Sandringham.

And those of the National Bus Company in the eastern suburbs, from depots located at Doncaster and Fitzroy North.

National Bus having been a subsidiary of Ventura Bus Lines since 2004.

In April 2013 Transdev Melbourne was awarded the franchise, to run for seven years with an option to extend for a further three years, with operations commencing on 4 August 2013.

The rebranding

If there is one thing the Victorian Government loves, it is rebranding public transport operations – and Transdev Melbourne was no different – it was spelt out in their contract.

5.20 Fleet rebranding
(a) The Franchisee will rebrand each Contract Bus to comply with the PTV Master Style Guide during the first year of the Franchise.
(b) The Franchisee will achieve this by re-branding the exterior of each Contract Bus using vehicle wrapping with 3M self-adhesive vinyl film. Each vehicle will be wrapped as part of its periodical maintenance activities. The existing NBC fleet will be completely wrapped while the MBL Fleet will require partial wrapping due to the existing white livery.
(c) Failure to rebrand each Contract Bus by 31 July 2014 will constitute a Non-Compliance Event.

The first stage of the rebranding was covering over the logos of the previous operators – an easy task for the ex-National Bus fleet since they weren’t heavily branded.

But the big ‘Melbourne Bus Link’ logo on the side was harder to cover up.

A change less noticeable once the ex-Melbourne Bus Link fleet were stripped down to bare white.

Providing a clear base for the new PTV decals to be applied.

But the ex-National Bus and Ventura fleet presented a different problem – the colour!

The PTV decals could be applied to any colour bus, but the front fairings needed to be repainted – a task completed independently from the application of the side livery.

Cost cutting begins

Having won the Melbourne bus franchise due to their bargain basement tender price, Transdev Melbourne had to cut costs somewhere – and so gained a reputation as a cheap and nasty operator, their buses covered with graffiti.

A problem not acknowledged until 2017, where a cleanup campaign was launched.

But that wasn’t Transdev’s only problem – buses were running around with accident damage.

Patched up with duct tape.

Or even a missing front bumper!

Oh dear, looks like the front of the bus fell off. What could go wrong. @TSVsafety @Transdev_Melb pic.twitter.com/kiDDo6fXdd

— m.bannister (@mbann_au) November 16, 2017

The fleet crisis

September 2017 marked the start of the Transdev fleet crisis, with over 140 Transdev buses taken out of service after they failed roadworthy inspections.

With an array of hired buses used as a stopgap measure to continue running services.

By late October 2017 things had started to return to normal, with Bus Safety Victoria working to ensure that Transdev implemented a robust safety system, to ensure such a crisis would not reoccur, and the Victorian Government investing $16 million to buy 100 new buses for Transdev.

Angling for a renewal

With their initial seven year franchise due to end in 2020, Transdev needed to get back into the good books with the government to secure a three years extension, but they were unsuccessful – in December 2018 the Victorian Government announced that their contract would not be renewed, with an extension to January 2021 allowing for an open tender process to find a replacement.

As a result Transdev pulled out all stops to prove themselves as a competent operator – launching a business case to upgrade route 302/304 services.

And introducing Melbourne’s first 100% electric bus as part of ‘Project Aurora‘.

But it wasn’t enough – after an interim contract extension to 30 January 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2021 it was announced that a new operator would take over the Melbourne Bus Franchise – Kinetic, parent company of Melbourne’s SkyBus service.

So another rebranding

Luckily for Kinetic, the buses they were receiving from Transdev were already in PTV livery.

The old ‘Transdev’ logos being replaced by new ‘Kinetic’ ones on the weekend before the handover.

And the last bus

The last Transdev service was on route 907 service from the city, arriving at Mitcham station at 12:43am. But I went out to photograph the last Transdev bus departing Sunshine – the 23:54 route 426 service to Caroline Springs.

Then headed over to their Sunshine West depot, which was already rebranded.

Full of parked buses that also had new logos applied, ready for the handover to Kinetic.

Their @Transdev_Melb Twitter account was also closed.

And later deleted.

As was their transdevmelbourne.com.au website.

Footnote: Transdev’s electric bus

Melbourne’s first electric bus was as part of ‘Project Aurora‘ – a trial run by Transdev until January 2021 in association with the Victorian Department of Transport.

The first stage of the trial program commenced in December 2019 on route 246, followed by stage two in October 2020 on route 250, and stage three in May 2021 on route 903.

Following the end of the trial in October 2021, the electric bus was then withdrawn from service in Melbourne, and sent up to Transdev NSW to join their fleet of four other electric buses.

The only consolation prize – Kinetic has to introduce 36 electric buses to their fleet by mid-2025.

But not much of an improvement over the 50 hybrid buses bought back in 2019?

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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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We start overlooking Southern Cross Station, where the Docklands skyline was a lot emptier.

As was that of Spencer Street.

And the western edge of the CBD.

Back in 2009 the explosion of (flammable!) apartment blocks was yet to take off, with 3-car trains still used after 6 PM on some suburban railway lines, and low floor E class trams not appearing on route 86 until 2016.

Metro Trains Melbourne had just taken over from Connex, so a rebranding effort was underway, like this train at West Footscray.

These ones parked for the night at North Melbourne.

And this one at Footscray.

Passing beneath the new footbridge.

A decade on Regional Rail Link has changed this entire rail corridor beyond recognition, with new tracks at North Melbourne, the near new Footscray footbridge demolished then rebuilt, a rebuilt station at West Footscray, and an extra pair of tracks between the city and Sunshine.

Next up – a ride to the country, where there was a long line at Southern Cross Station to buy a V/Line ticket.

In the days before myki paper tickets were the only option for V/Line travel, and had to be purchased for a specific date, leading to massive queues in the leadup to holiday periods.

But I followed it up with a far more laid back train journey, heading to Tocumwal with the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.

With Santa even coming along the the ride.

I also headed home to Geelong for Christmas, and passed a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 firefighting air tanker stationed at Avalon Airport.

Registration N17085, it was based at Avalon from January to March 2010 for the summer fire season, but I don’t think it was ever called into service.

On the other side of Geelong, I photographed a V/Line train headed further afield to Warrnambool.

Back then the area south of Grovedale was empty paddocks.

And empty country roads.

But change was coming – stage 4A of the Geelong Ring Road was underway, turning the area into a commuter destination.

Today the paddocks are the Armstrong Creek urban growth area – the Anglesea Road level crossing was grade separated in 2011, Waurn Ponds station opened in 2014, and the Baanip Boulevard connection to the Surf Coast Highway was completed in 2015.

Footnote

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

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Rolling out a new look

The government released a flashy video alongside the media release, featuring an X’Trapolis train bearing the new Metro corporate image.

Back in 2009 X’Trapolis trains were the newest in the Melbourne suburban fleet, following a hurried order for 20 new trains to cater for an explosion in patronage.

But for the launch of Metro Trains Melbourne on 30 November none of the new trains were ready to carry passengers, so one of the older X’Trapolis trains was rebranded, with a design looking much like the train featured in the animation.

But it wasn’t a full repaint, but a change of stickers – goodbye Connex logo, hello Metro Trains Melbourne.

The same process followed with the rest of the fleet – the first Siemens train to receive the Metro livery appearing a week later, with the fractal design and large ‘METRO’ text fitting easily onto the flat carriage sides.

But that design wouldn’t fit over the fluted sides of the older Comeng trains, so a cut back version was devised – which didn’t appear until April 2010.

But if in doubt – rebrand again!

Following the launch of Public Transport Victoria in 2012, the Metro Trains Melbourne brand was taken off the side of trains, replaced by new PTV logos – resulting in three layers of branding visible.

Feedback from the workshops

In the years that followed, more X’Trapolis trains continued to be delivered – each one being painted plain white at the factory, with Metro stickers applied over the top.

Until July 2018 when a new X’Trapolis train emerged from the Alstom workshops at Ballarat, with a smaller Metro logo on the side.

But why was it changed? Take a look at the side of the side of an X’Trapolis train, when coupled to a classmate.

The previous version of the livery required four different types of door sticker to be kept in stock:

• ME (left side, left door)
• ET (left side, right door)
• TR (right side, left door)
• RO (right side, right door)

While the new design only needs one kind – plain blue. I wonder who made this clever observation?

Siemens train footnote

The Metro livery applied to the Siemens trains went through a far less noticeable evolution. Can you spot it?

The answer: the train to the left has the early version with one piece stickers, with the train on the right has stickers that avoid the seams in the stainless steel panels.

Presumably the stickers over the seam was would bubble up over time and eventually come loose, hence the change to a more secure two piece design.

And finally – level crossings

There is one that that features prominently in the government’s flashy video from 2009 – single track railways.

And level crossings!

Daniel Andrews took a ‘Level Crossing Removal Project’ policy to the 2014 State Election, with much work done since, but progress on duplicating single track railways is only happening on a sporadic basis.

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For something completely different, was start with something else I enjoy photographing – aircraft. At Melbourne Airport I spotted something different – a blue painted Virgin Blue jet.

A decade ago Virgin Australia was called Virgin Blue and painted their aircraft red, but 737-700 VH-VBY was the sole exception – painted blue in 2005 to celebrate their 50th aircraft, remaining in the scheme until the 2012 Virgin Australia rebranding.

I also visited the seaside town of Lorne, where a new pier had opened a few months before.

You might think Lorne is the last place where you might find railway tracks, but I found some – running between the pier and the Lorne Fisheries Co-op.

Originally used to transport trolley loads of fish, they now lay idle, with the historic crane from the pier stored alongside, awaiting a new life.

But it was to come to nothing – in November 2009 the crane was cut up for scrap.

Also at Lorne I found a V/Line road coach repainted in what was then the latest version of their livery.

While back in Geelong I found a piece of V/Line history – an orange sign from the 1980s, that still looked fresh.

But other V/Line trains were also starting to show their age, like this one headed through the train wash at Geelong station.

Up in Melbourne I paid a visit to East Richmond, where I photographed a Connex liveried X’Trapolis pulling into the station, the Dimmeys clocktower in the background.

Metro Trains Melbourne replaced Connex a few years later and the clocktower is now hidden behind apartments, but the train itself is still in service, with new X’Trapolis trains rolling off the production line every month.

Around the corner I was lucky enough to capture track inspection vehicle EM100 out and about.

Used to inspect the tracks for faults, the vehicle has since been repainted in Metro Trains livery and renumbered IEV100, but is still used in in that role today.

At nearby Flinders Street Station I captured a freight train, conveying containers of coil steel to the Bluescope Steel plant at Hastings.

Other than the colour scheme of the locomotives up front this service has changed little in the years since – unlike other sources of coil steel traffic that have been lost to road transport.

On the other side of the city, I visited North Melbourne Station, where work had started on a new concourse at the city end of the platforms.

The skyline is a shadow of what is seen today – low rise warehouses dominated the area, with no sign of the apartment blocks that now dominate.

A decade ago train services to Melbourne’s west were stuck in the past – the explosion in rail patronage had only just started, and ‘half sized’ 3-car trains still the norm on off-peak Werribee line services.

The same could be said about Geelong line trains, with 3-car long locomotive hauled trains common during off peak, complete with an almost empty first class carriage and locked up snack bar.

These trains made trainspotting on my commute easy.

All I had to do was stand by the window of the end door of the last carriage, and wait for a freight train to come past. 😛

But today seeing any form of locomotive hauled train at Werribee station is a rare occurrence – since 2015 V/Line services to Geelong use the Regional Rail Link tracks through Wyndham Vale and Tarneit, and VLocity trains now dominating the fleet.

Footnote

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

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I recently spotted this notice affixed to a Myki machine at Flinders Street Station, informing passengers that the machine will be unavailable for “a short period of time” while upgrade works are undertaken.

So what were the works? I happened to stumble upon a machine being ‘upgraded’.

Just some poor bloke pulling off the blue stickers on the front.

And after hacking away at the machine with a razor blade for almost an hour, a new set of grey stickers were placed on the front.

Worth the effort, wasn’t it?

So why the rebrand?

Moves towards a new Myki brand started in October 2013, when Public Transport Victoria trademarked an updated Myki logo, with the logo being soft launched from January 2014.

On July 5 2016 Public Transport Victoria tweeted about the “fresh new look” for Myki machines.

This year #myki machines are getting a facelift with a fresh new look & contactless payment! https://t.co/FNRUTUZnKF pic.twitter.com/0XnK9peHm7

— PTV (@ptv_official) July 5, 2016

Gotta look after the things that matter!

As for the actual upgrades

Despite Public Transport Victoria wasting money on new stickers, the past few months have seen actual progress made on real improvements to the system – in January 2016 the rollout of contactless payment at myki machines commenced, followed in June 2016 by a trial of new ‘Quick Top up’ machines across the network.

Hopefully this new focus on something other than new stickers continues.

Footnote – caught in the act

@themykiuser on Twitter was in the right place at the right time when they captured this photo – the Myki machines at Hawthorn railway station caught mid rebranding.

Auspicious Timing

A photo posted by The Myki User (@themykiuser) on Jul 8, 2016 at 11:44pm PDT

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