Transport in Melbourne - Recent Issues

Recent Issues

A recent correspondent to The Age newspaper complained about the absence of trains after having to leave early during the record long Australian Open tennis final played in Melbourne. This prompted the following response—

"We can be grateful that Gavan O'Farrell (The Age 31/1) isn’t managing our transport system or its funding. He complains about having to leave the men’s Australian Open final early for the last train but gives no thought to the practicality of his complaint or the hefty costs of dealing with it.

Melbourne has just witnessed the longest grand slam men’s tennis final in the history of the game. Running an entire rail system, and perhaps Mr O’Farrell would want regional trains, trams and buses operating as well, on the off chance that an historically long match would be played is just too silly to contemplate.

Running a transport system and its infrastructure, rolling stock and hundreds of employees is a major and costly enterprise. It already costs the State billions without having an entire system at the ready for a one in a hundred year contingency. Sometimes unusual events aren’t anyone’s fault and individuals need to say “fair’s fair” and take responsibility themselves."

Alternatively Victoria could take responsibility for its woeful public transport system and realise that it is there for the public's convenience, not the other way around.