Business Trip to Australia - January-February 1999

(via Hong Kong)

A map of the Melbourne transport system will be useful for understanding the following.

Business requirements often meant travelling around by car. My local colleague's home is near Blackburn and Nunawading stations, and ALSTOM offices are located at Clayton near Westall station and in Melbourne city centre. Visits were made to the depot at Epping and the workshops at Newport, including time spent on commissioning runs on vehicles such as 322M which has a new prototype traction system fitted. "New track today" is always "none" unless stated.

On this, the author's second visit to Melbourne, spare weekends were spent travelling on the sparsely served broad gauge "main line" branches. A full day was spent in Hong Kong on the outward journey finishing off train and tram routes not previously visited.

Special Notes:

Unless otherwise stated, all EMUs are operated by Hillside or Bayside Trains, subsidiaries of Melbourne Passenger Transport Corporation (PTC) and to be privatised in August 1999. Other services are operated as marked.

  • HKTL - Hong Kong Tramways Limited

  • KCRC - Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (Hong Kong)

  • MTRC - Mass Transit Railway Corporation (Hong Kong)

Platform numbers or tram stop numbers are added to times in [brackets].

Melbourne Area routing codes are listed separately.

Place

Arrive

Depart

Train/
Routing

Traction details & notes

Sunday 17th January 1999

Timperley  

08:00

Taxi
Manchester Airport (MAN) Terminal 2

08:12

10:00

CX260

Cathay Pacific 747-400 B-HHY

Via Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) (12:25/13:35)

Hong Kong (HKG)
[Chep Lap Kok]

08:00

(time 8 hours ahead of UK)

Monday 18th January 1999

Satellite

07:59

People-mover

Rubber-tyred
Main Terminal

08:00

 

Airport

09:00

 

MTRC Airport Express Line EMU
Kowloon

09:22

09:32

'K1'

free bus
Hung Hom

09:50

10:06

KCRC Lo Wu Line EMU
Kowloon Tong

10:13

10:37

KCRC Lo Wu Line EMU
Lo Wu

11:08

11:20

KCRC Lo Wu Line EMU
Tai Po Market

11:35

Walk to KCRC museum in old Tai Po Market station building - about 10 minutes
Tai Po Market

13:00

KCRC Lo Wu Line EMU
Kowloon Tong

13:19

13:27

MTRC Kwun Tong Line EMU
Prince Edward

13:31

13:32

MTRC Tsuen Wan Line EMU
Tsuen Wan

13:48

14:00

MTRC Tsuen Wan Line EMU
Lai King

14:18

14:24

MTRC Tung Chung Line EMU
Tung Chung

14:36

15:06

MTRC Tung Chung Line EMU
Hong Kong

15:30

Central Pier

15:53

Star Ferry “Northern Star” in first class
Kowloon Pier

16:01

16:35

Star Ferry “Golden Star” in standard class
Central Pier

16:43

 

Legislative Building

 

16:53

HKTL tram 7
just beyond Happy Valley triangle

17:13

17:20

HKTL tram 63
other side of Happy Valley triangle

17:25

17:31

HKTL tram ?
Happy Valley

17:35

17:39

HKTL tram 124
North Point

18:30

18:35

MTRC Island Line EMU
Central

18:47

18:58

MTRC Tung Chung Line EMU
Kowloon

19:01

19:15

MTRC Airport Express Line EMU
Airport

19:34

Main Terminal

22:11

People-

mover

Rubber-tyred
Hong Kong (HKG)

22:12

22:50

CX105

Cathay Pacific A340
Melbourne (MEL)

10:50

(time 3 hours ahead of Hong Kong)
New track for the day: Fo Tan - Lo Wu, Prince Edward - Tsuen Wan, Lai King - Tung Chung, 

Tuesday 19th January 1999

work at Epping depot
Flinders St

18:00[1]

PV-HU

EMU 631M+T+632M+640M+T+639M
Eltham

18:53

18:53

direct

?M+T+?M+?M+T+?M
Flinders St

19:38[1]

Stayed each night at Duxton Hotel, Flinders Street (opposite Flinders Street railway station)

Wednesday 20th January 1999

Flinders St

07:19[1]

direct

EMU ?M+T+150M+228M+T+17M working at Epping
Epping

08:02[1]

Epping depot

11:56[24]

special

EMU 425M+T+322M+488M+T+694M
Ferry trip to Newport: 322M+425M for test train running, 488M for tyre turning there; via Epping station platform 1 (reverse 12:00/12:02) - Flinders St (track 1A 12:36) - Spencer St (track 8A) - Newport Workshops No.5 siding (13:03) , then shunt with 322M+T+425M alone
Newport Workshops

13:09[1]

by car to ALSTOM office at Clayton, then to colleague’s house
Nunawading

22:15

direct

EMU 422M+T+?M
Flinders St

22:50[2]

Thursday 21st January 1999

Flinders St

08:12[5]

direct

EMU 367M+T+368M+336M+T+335M
Newport

08:33

Newport Workshops

09:48[1]

special

EMU 425M+T+322M
Test train run: Newport (reverse) - Werribee (reverse 10:40/10:47) - Newport - into turnback siding (reverse) - Workshops (reverse 11:25/13:12) - Newport (reverse) - Werribee (reverse 14:05/14:13) - Newport (reverse)
Newport Workshops [Loop]

14:40

by car to Hotel
Elizabeth St/Flinders St

17:39

'57'

tram 228
West Maribyrnong

18:21

18:26

'57'

tram 229
Maribyrnong

18:29[45]

18:31[45]

'82'

tram 148
Footscray

18:48[1]

18:51

direct

EMU 221M+T+166M+22M+T+46M
Flinders St

19:03[5]

Friday 22nd January 1999

by car from Hotel to Newport

Newport Workshops [Loop]

06:31

special

EMU 425M+T+322M

Test train run: via TS - Spencer St (06:57) - CL - Pakenham Yard (08:14/08:28) - Bunyip (reverse 08:56/08:58) - Pakenham Yard (reverse 09:25/09:38) - Bunyip (reverse 09:58/10:00) - Pakenham Yard (reverse 10:25/10:57) - Bunyip (reverse 11:20/11:23) - Pakenham - CT - Flinders St (track 9A) - TS - Spencer St (12:56) - TS
Newport Workshops [Loop]

13:18

by car to Hotel
Flinders St/Queen St

14:56[3]

'00'

tram 856
Spencer St/Bourke St

15:05

Spencer St

15:21[11

NV

EMU 417M+T+418M+503M+T+504M
Flinders St

15:24[5]

16:06[1]

PU-HU

EMU 598M+T+597M+618M+T+617M
Eltham

16:57

17:56

direct

EMU ?M+T+103M+134M+T+7M
Flinders St

18:39[2]

Saturday 23rd January 1999

Spencer St

08:40[13

TS-CL

V/Line DL N471+4C
Sale

11:20

14:00

CL-TS

V/Line DL N471+4C
Spencer St

16:38[14

Spencer St/Collins St

16:44

‘00’

tram 925
Flinders St/Queen St

16:50

New track for the day: Bunyip - Sale

Sunday 24th January 1999

Flinders St

08:46[1]

PV

EMU 665M+T+666M
Spencer St

08:49[9]

09:40[3]

V/Line DL N468+4C
Bendigo

11:45

Central Deborah Mine

12:30

tram 275 (ex-Melbourne type W2)
via Museum visit (reverse 12:47/13:00) - Emu Point (reverse 13:07/13:09) - depot avoiding line
Central Deborah Mine

13:24

Bendigo

14:30

V/Line DR 7003
Echuca

15:45

17:20

V/Line DR 7003
Bendigo

18:35

18:50

V/Line DL N462+4C
Spencer St

20:47[2]

Spencer St/Bourke St

21:09

‘48’

tram 246
Flinders St/Queen St

21:15

New track for the day: St Albans - Bendigo - Echuca

Monday 25th January 1999

by car to and from Newport Workshops
Flinders St/Elizabeth St

 

18:24

‘59’

tram 2092
Airport West

19:09

19:12

‘59’

tram 2092
Moonee Ponds

19:28

19:30

‘82’

tram 152
Mooney Valley

19:36[41]

 

 

 
Murtle St

 

19:44

‘57’

tram 168
Newmarket Station

19:57

 

 

 
Newmarket

 

20:23

NV

EMU 585M+T+586M+482M+T+481M
Flinders St

20:35[7]

 

 

 

Tuesday 26th January 1999 (Australia Day holiday)

Flinders St

 

10:15[9]

SP - BS

EMU 564M+T+563M+658M+T+657M

Showgrounds

10:27

10:36

BS - SP

same set

Flinders St

10:48[9]

10:59[3]

BV

EMU 363M+T+364M

Spencer St

11:01[11]

11:19[12]

CV

EMU 412M+T+411M+394M+T+393M

Flinders St

11:21[6]

12:07[5]

NL

EMU 487M+T+427M

North Melbourne

12:17[2]

12:22[5]

TS

EMU 613M+T+614M+588M+T+587M

Flinders St

12:30[9]

Flinders St/Swanston St

13:11

‘00’

tram 728

departed westbound from eastbound stop, then over crossover (parade affecting operations)

Spencer St/Bourke St

13:20

Spencer St

13:25[12]

CV

EMU 398M+T+397M

Flinders St

13:30[8]

15:49

BV-BT

EMU 468M+467M+647M+590M

Nunawading

16:30

21:15

direct

EMU 492M+T+491M+339M+T+340M

Flinders St

21:49[2]

New track for the day: Newmarket - Showgrounds

Wednesday 27th January 1999

by car from Hotel to Newport

Newport Workshops [Loop]

06:30

special

EMU 425M+T+322M

Test train run: via TS - Spencer St (06:56) - CL - Pakenham Yard (08:14/??:??) - Bunyip (reverse ) - Pakenham Yard (reverse 09:25/09:37) - Bunyip (reverse 10:12/10:15) - Pakenham Yard (10:46/??:??) - CL - Spencer St (12:24) - TS

Newport Workshops [Loop]

12:43

Flinders St/Elizabeth St

16:10

‘00’

tram 1000

Spencer St/Bourke St

16:18

16:20

‘86’

tram 2041

Bundoora RMIT

17:40

17:43

‘86’

tram 2041

Northcote

18:11[42]

Miller St

18:24

‘11'

tram 133

West Preston

18:31[47]

18:33[47]

‘00’

tram 133 (via north curve near Preston works)

Preston

18:44[45]

Bell

19:10

direct

EMU 42M+T+110M+149M+T+100M

Flinders St

19:33

Swanston St/La Trobe St

21:29

‘08’

tram 132

Swanston St/Flinders St

21:33

Thursday 28th January 1999

Flinders St