Metro magic

It seemed such a shame at first. I had to be in the city at 9.30am for a conference and as I approached the station a train going in my desired direction arrived. No point running across the car park in an effort to catch it, I reasoned, because of the labyrinthine series of ramps to get under the rail lines and up to the platform. Off it went and when I finally got to the platform, the next train was due in 15 minutes. Not very frequent, I thought. It was only 8.45am.

Suddenly a train arrived on the opposite platform. It was an express to the city with only one stop. Of course I had to stand, but it did move alone very well and this enabled me to go through the loop to Spencer St Station (or whatever they call it now). This was handy because I realized that I had to get to 500 Collins St and it would have been quite a walk from Flinders Street Station (name unchanged). I thought this was magic.

Lightening never strikes twice though. On the way home I was stuck on the station platform for 15 minutes waiting for a train. The indicator said that the next train was due in 4 minutes, though that bore no relationship to reality as the platform filled with passengers. It was a very noisy station and smelt of diesel fumes. The country trains keep the motors running to provide air conditioning. Didn’t one think of that when it was designed? All the surfaces of the roof and it’s supports we’re grimy, as is all the glass. How, and when, will they be cleaned? #architecture fail.

Anyway, I presumed all the announcements that were being made but which we couldn’t hear, didn’t apply to my platform as we didn’t seem to be able to get a train at all. I was content to read a copy of MX which had been thrush into my hand as I entered the station. A train come eventually and it did proffer a partly express service. I must have enjoyed the ride, or the MX as I was carried over to Box Hill and had to get a train back!