Business Trip to Australia - November 1998

(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 first visit to Melbourne, spare time was spent travelling on the suburban network and also some of the "main line" network. A full day was spent in Hong Kong on the outward journey.

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)

• PBR - Puffing Billy Railway

• WCR - West Coast Railway

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
Monday 9th November 1998
Timperley		07:48	Taxi
Manchester Airport T2	08:05
Manchester (MAN)		10:00	CX270	Cathay Pacific 747-400 B-HOP
				time change: +1 hour
Amsterdam (AMS)	12:20	13:30		time change: +7 hours
Hong Kong (HKG) (Chep Lap Kok)	08:00
Tuesday 10th November 1998
Satellite		07:43	People- mover	rubber-tyred
Main Terminal	07:44
Airport		08:41		EMU MTRC Airport Express Line train
Kowloon	08:59	09:26		EMU MTRC Tung Chung Line train
Hong Kong	09:31	09:47		EMU MTRC Tung Chung Line train
Kowloon	09:50	10:00		Transit bus tour (free)
via Wong Tai Sin temple, Kowloon Walled City Park
New World Centre	11:00
walk to site of former terminus of Kowloon Canton Railway near ferry terminal - clock tower is all that remains
Hung Hom		11:54		EMU KCRC Lo Wu Line train
Fo Tan	12:08	12:18		EMU KCRC Lo Wu Line train
Kowloon Tong	12:28	12:37		EMU MTRC Kwun Tong Line train (photo available)
Kowloon Bay	12:47	12:50		EMU MTRC Kwun Tong Line train
Quarry Bay	13:00	13:26		HKTL tram 32
Shau Kei Wan	13:41	14:20		HKTL tram 37
Happy Valley	15:12	15:14		HKTL tram 37
City Hall	15:41
Garden Road		16:02		Peak Tram funicular (altitude 25m)
Peak Tower	16:07	16:30		Peak Tram funicular (altitude 398m)
Garden Road	16:37
City Hall		16:52		HKTL tram 104
Kennedy Town	17:24	17:30		HKTL tram 104
Western Market	17:49
Sheung Wan		17:56		EMU MTRC Island Line train
Chai Wan	18:20	18:25		EMU MTRC Island Line train
Quarry Bay	18:34	19:02		EMU MTRC Kwun Tong Line train
Yau Ma Tei	19:04	19:13		EMU MTRC Tsuen Wan Line train
Central	19:04
Hong Kong		19:30		EMU MTRC Tung Chung Line train
Tsing Yi	19:40	19:53		EMU MTRC Airport Express Line train
Airport	20:05
Hong Kong (HKG)		22:50	CX105	Cathay Pacific B-HUA 747-400
Adelaide	09:20			through working HKG - MEL
New track for the day: Airport - Kowloon - Hong Kong/Central, Hung Hom - Fo Tan, Yau Ma Tei - Quarry Bay, Yau Ma Tei - Central, Sheung Wan - Chai Wan
Wednesday 11th November 1998
Adelaide		10:40	CX104	time: +2.5 hours
Melbourne (MEL)	12:25			time: +0.5 hour
Flinders St		18:10[9]	TS	EMU 311M+?T+400M
Williamstown	18:37	18:46	TS	EMU 400M+?T+311M
Flinders St	19:12[7]
New track for the day: Flinders St - Williamstown
Thursday 12th November 1998
Flinders St		07:19[1]	direct	EMU  611M+?T+662M+310M+?T+302M
Epping	08:02			work at Epping depot on 322M
		17:13	PU - PV	EMU ?M+?T+150M+58M+?T+?M
Flinders St	18:03 [1]
Flinders St/Elizabeth St		20:40	‘00’	City Circle tram 1020 (anti-clockwise)
Spencer St/Collins St	21:13[121]
Spencer St		21:31[11]	NV - NU	EMU 540M+?T+?M
Melbourne Central	21:41[3]
Elizabeth St/La Trobe St		21:49	‘19’	tram 2118
Elizabeth St/Flinders St	21:54
New track for the day: Flinders St - Epping, Jolimont - Melbourne Central - Spencer St
Friday 13th November 1998
Flinders St		07:19[1]	direct	EMU 653M+?T+654M+413M+?T+414M
Epping	08:02			work at Epping depot on 322M
Epping Depot sidings		12:55[9]	special	EMU 425M+?T+322M
Epping Depot sidings	12:57[12]
322M etc. was supposed to go to Newport workshops today but there was no driver, so it went Saturday.
by car to ALSTOM office at Clayton, then colleague’s house at Blackburn
Nunawading		21:45	direct	EMU 325M+?T+?M
Flinders St	22:17
New track for the day: Nunawading - Flinders St
Saturday 14th November 1998
by car to photograph 3 x R-class SL on special at Footscray and Westall
Westall		09:56		EMU 512M+?T+511M+502M+?T+501M
Cranbourne	10:22	10:38		EMU same set
Dandenong	10:50	11:00		EMU 532M+?T+531M+545M+?T+546M
Caulfield	11:37	11:49		EMU 73M+?T+14M+206M+?T+120M
Frankston	12:34	13:00		V/Line DL A70+3 coaches
Stony Point	13:40	14:00		V/Line DL A70+3 coaches
Frankston	14:40	14:49	CL - CU - CV	EMU 104M+?T+?M+?M+?T+?M
Flinders St	15:57[7]	16:52[8]	S	EMU 611M+?T+662M
Sandringham	17:21	17:34		EMU same set
Elsternwick	17:46
Elsternwick Station [44]		17:50	‘67’	tram 44
Carnegie [68]	18:02	18:02	‘67’	tram 44
Glenhuntly [61]	18:06	18:24	‘67’	tram 43
Lonsdale St [9]	19:05
Melbourne Central		19:37 [3]	NU - TS	EMU 368M+?T+367M
Footscray	19:48	20:03	TS - NV	EMU 324M+?T+342M
Flinders St	20:13 [5]
New track for the day: Richmond - Dandenong - Cranbourne, Caulfield - Frankston - Stony Point, Richmond - Parliament, Flinders St - Sandringham, Flagstaff - North Melbourne
Sunday 15th November 1998
Flinders St		07:34	BV - BU - BL	EMU 670M+?T+669M (via loop)
Lilydale	08:40	08:55		EMU same set
Ringwood	09:11	09:27		EMU same set
Belgrave	09:51	10:30		PBR SL 7A+8 coaches (760mm gauge)
Gembrook	12:15	13:15		PBR SL 7A+8 coaches
Belgrave	15:05	15:23		EMU 651M+?T+652M
Camberwell	16:12	16:34		EMU 625M+?T+626M
Alamein	16:45	16:49		EMU same set
Camberwell	17:00	17:12		EMU 658M+?T+657M
Burnley	17:20	17:24	BL	EMU 638M+?T+637M
Richmond	17:29	17:40		EMU 657M+?T+658M
Glen Waverley	18:12	18:28	BL	EMU same set
Flinders St	19:02[3]	19:09[5]	NU - NV - MS	EMU 318M+?T+317M
St Albans	19:38	19:59	MS - NV	EMU same set
Flinders St	20:27[8]
New track for the day: Nunawading - Ringwood - Lilydale, Ringwood - Belgrave - Gembrook, Camberwell - Alamein, Burnley - Glen Waverley
Monday 16th November 1998
Newport workshops No.1 siding		06:00	special	EMU 322M+?T+425M
No.3 siding	06:10
by car to ALSTOM office at Clayton
East Burwood		15:50[70]	‘75’	tram 2011
Flinders St/Swanston St	17:00
Flinders St		17:19[5]	NU - TS - direct	EMU 1M+?T+232M+210M+?T+205M
Werribee	18:03	18:07	Altona - TS	same set
Spencer St	18:54[13]
Spencer St/Collins St		19:17[121]	‘75’	tram 2061
Flinders St/Swanston St	19:28
Flinders St		19:40[6]	NV	EMU 408M+?T+407M
Spencer St	19:43[12]	19:47[11]	NV	EMU 471M+?T+472M+539M+?T+540M
Flinders St	19:50[9]
New track for the day: Newport - Werribee direct, Laverton - Newport via Altona
Tuesday 17th November 1998
Flinders St		07:10[5]	NV - TS	EMU 514M+?T+513M+328M+?T+464M
Newport	07:27
Newport workshops No.3 siding		08:46	special	EMU 322M+?T+425M test train
via shunt to No.1 siding - Newport (rev) (09:32/09:35) - Werribee (rev) (10:00/10:11) - Newport (rev) (10:36/10:39) - workshops No. 8 siding - shunt to No.1 siding
Newport workshops	10:55
by car to Epping depot
Epping		18:14	PU - PV	EMU 165M+?T+91M+228M+?T+17M
Flinders St	19:00[1]
Elizabeth St/La Trobe St		21:32[5]	‘19’	tram 2017
Elizabeth St/Flinders St	21:38[1]
Wednesday 18th November 1998
Newport workshops No.5 siding		06:30	special	EMU 322M+?T+425M
via Spencer St (06:55) - Richmond - Westall (07:33) - Pakenham yard (08:15/08:52) - Bunyip (rev) - Pakenham yard (rev) (09:54/10:00) - Bunyip (rev) (10:15/10:20) - Pakenham yard (rev) (10:45/10:50) - Bunyip (rev, pie stop) (11:08/11:44) - Pakenham yard (12:02) - Richmond - Spencer St - Newport workshops No.5 siding - shunt to No.1 siding
Newport workshops	13:30
work at Newport workshops then by car to Melbourne
Spencer St/La Trobe St		16:35	‘00’	City circle tram (anti-clockwise)
Flinders St/Queen St	16:45
Flinders St		17:16[5]	NU	EMU 405M+?T+406M
Upfield	17:59	18:00		same set
North Melbourne	18:29[1]	18:42[2]		EMU 545M+?T+546M+309M+?T+310M
Broadmeadows	19:08	19:32	NV	EMU 310M+?T+309M
Flinders St	20:03 [5]
Flinders St/Queen St		20:27	‘48’	tram 279
Spencer St/Collins St	20:33
Swanston St/La Trobe St		21:22[8]	‘67’	tram 67
Swanston St/Flinders St	21:27
New track for the day: Dandenong - Pakenham - Bunyip, North Melbourne - Upfield, North Melbourne - Broadmeadows
Thursday 19th November 1998
Flinders St		07:35	CL	EMU 554M+?T+553M+310M+?T+302M
Westall	08:00
by car to and from ALSTOM office at Clayton
Glen Waverley		17:06	BL - BT	EMU 32M+?T+33M+98M+?T+78M
Flinders St	17:41[2]	18:09[1]	direct	EMU 635M+?T+636M+465M+?T+466M
Hurstbridge	19:05	19:11		EMU 466M+?T+465M
Eltham	19:25	20:06	PU - PV	EMU 403M+?T+404M
Flinders St	20:58[1]
New track for the day: Clifton Hill - Hurstbridge
Friday 20th November 1998
Flinders St		07:19	direct	EMU 611M+?T+?M+?M+?T+?M
Epping	08:02
Epping depot sidings		13:44[6]	special	EMU 697M+?T+?M
via No.20 siding (rev) - Epping platform 2 (rev) - Lalor (rev) - Epping depot No.17 siding (wash road)
Epping depot sidings	14:08[6]
Epping		16:32 [2]	PU - PV	EMU 572M+?T+571M+374M+?T+373M
Flinders St	17:24[1]	17:58[7]	CV	EMU 333M+?T+?M
Spencer St	18:03 [12]	18:18	CU - CT - C	EMU 554M+?T+553M+301M+?T+302M
Glenhuntly	18:40	18:54	CT	EMU 365M+?T+?M
Flinders St	19:20[7]
Flinders St/Elizabeth St		20:05	‘75’	tram 2108
Spencer St/Collins St	20:10	20:36	‘75’	tram 2026
Flinders St/Swanston St	20:41
Saturday 21st November 1998
Flinders St		08:09[4]	BV	EMU 663M+?T+664M
Spencer St	08:12	08:43[7]		WCR SL R711+ DL B76+9 coaches
Warrnambool	11:53			arr 47 late (first day of steam operation)
		13:05		WCR DL S311+5 coaches 21 late
Spencer St	16:10[7]			arr 10 late
		16:26[11]	NV	EMU 343M+?T+384M
Flinders St	16:31[4]	16:49[3]	BV - BU - BL	EMU ?M+?T+637M
Nunawading	17:30