Commuting Unhappily in Melbourne

Passenger numbers on Melbourne’s trains have increased 38% in the last three years and commuters are increasingly hot under the collar about the problems growth has brought.

The city’s major newspaper, The Age, has reported a crush of people at the Flinders Street Station along with responses from Melbourne’s commuters.

Upfield passenger Lachlan MacDowall said he feared someone would be seriously injured as people flooded into the station just before 5pm.

Dr MacDowall said he was greeted by a sea of people waiting at the city station as the afternoon peak-hour rush coupled with rainy weather drove a larger than normal commuter crowd on to platforms four and five.

Kirsty said: I am moving interstate and one of the reasons is that I am sick to death of the crush every morning and night on the train. I live 26kms from the city and most days I have to stand at least part of the way, crushed in with other angry commuters. I have had people faint on me because there are so many commuters squashed in there is no air to breathe.

Mark Porter said: “The situation has been getting worse for the past 2 years, I used to live in West Footscray using the Sydenham line but moved to Seddon (not too far away) as I just simply could no longer fit on the Sydenham. The Williamstown line is also reaching crisis point, Seddon station is packed and it gets worse every 3 months or so when a whole new load of commuters suddenly also decide to start getting the train to work. I dare not use Platform 4&5 at Flinders St, that is the most crowded platform (not sure why but more people from poorer Western suburbs seem to use trains more) I would rather wait til after 6 than use that horrible platform.”

Mel said: “As someone stuck on the crowded Monday night trains, I just wanted to say thank you to the 99.9% of fellow commuters who were considerate, calm and friendly amongst the chaos. Its is a tribute to Melbournians that we look out for each other in these circumstances. I have lived in London, Tokyo and Melbourne and traveled to over 23 countries around the world in the past 3 years and seen all sorts of good and bad public transport systems, but whatever happens with our own, I hope Melbournian travellers stay curteous, helpful and considerate in times of stress or danger.”

Mark Paterson, Connex’s head of corporate affairs, said in a letter to The Age that there was no danger to passengers and that the overcrowding was not as severe as it had seemed. “Examination of closed circuit television (footage) confirms there was plenty of space up and down the platform, but that people were congregating around the escalator end to escape the bad weather.”