Connex: Melbourne's Worst Rail Operator

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Since I am getting many comments about this: Yes I am well aware the issues (and recent improvements) were more to do with the governments than the operators. This video however is about the trains not the politics If you're looking for a video on how the Kennett government was dumb, Bracks/Brumby government did nothing, and more recent governments have improved the service, this is not it, look elsewhere

[@QIKUGAMES-QIKU]

Screw Kennet he's an old Mason in the shadows still. Worry about the ones today with "power"

[@QIKUGAMES-QIKU]

I remember and was affected by Every single event you mention here... Camberwell was packed on the Train shut-down.. People were over weighing Trams on hawthorn road !

[@goat2503]

Kennett is and was a train wreck himself, one of Victoria’s worst governments.

[@alucard7218]

​@Goat yea I mostly agree but even he still pales compared to dopey Dan

[@stevepark3865]

sure thing champ@@goat2503

[@Alexander_Dunn]

Should’ve delayed the video by an hour to give the authentic connex experience

[@tdb7992]

I grew up in Perth, which, of course, didn't have fantastic public transport when I was young. I moved to Melbourne is 2007 and got to experience Connex firsthand. Holy moly, Connex made TransPerth look like Swiss Railways. When I see stories of Melbourne's entire public transport network being split up and sold off to separate companies it makes my head spin. I now live back in Perth, and you can easily see how full government ownership is supremely beneficial. Having one organisation manage busses, ferries, and trains makes the system far more efficient and capable of providing a much better service by setting long term goals (like the three or four new rail lines under construction here).

[@gingerqueer22]

it's worth noting that the trains are the only facet of transperth that are government-operated; the ferry is contracted out to captain cook cruises, while operation of the bus network is split between swan transit, transdev and path transit. at least transperth is somewhat unified though.

[@deltamx]

It was a monumental f##k up

[@dusk1234567890]

Not really. Japan’s rail is incredibly privatised and yet works perfectly. But the government does have a lot of control to make sure everything works

[@illiiilli24601]

@@dusk1234567890 with JR (who is the biggest group), they own everything, including a lot of the real estate around their train stations, so they have a vested interest in increasing ridership

[@brad9529]

Absolutely when it comes to public transport it should be government. Only a government has the backing to do it properly.

[@russellhunter8378]

They did an appalling job of running the commuter services in Southern England into London as well (Connex South Eastern and South Central) they were so bad the government took their franchise away after a few short years

[@N00N01]

And given/formed southeastern

[@owenchuarbx]

Govia didn't do well either

[@nevango0690]

The British and Victorian governments made the same stupid mistake to privatise public transport

[@kenzopolpot3256]

Truman it’s true

[@70sVRsignalman]

Connex UK inherited insufficient trains to run the services, and the UK DfT would not allow Connex to purchase more trains to meet the time table. Other train operators had, and have, the same problem to this day. Virgin West Coast and Virgin XCountry were not allowed by DfT to augment their train fleets when demand outstripped supply. It took Virgin Group two years to get approval from DfT to lengthen their train sets, and I suspect they only got that because the tabloids ran an anti railways campaign about it.

[@camvillani7019]

It's such an interesting example of what can go wrong when governments are influenced too much by corporations. The government effectively failed to listen to urban planners and other experts and then sold off public assets to a private corporation that didn't seem to understand what public reputation was, or risk management and planning for the future.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Very much so, half the problems of Connex were caused because the government could blame connex on everything and so nothing improved.

[@benharris4218]

The government didn’t sell any real assets when they privatised the rail operation in Melbourne, the government still owns the rolling stock and infrastructure.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

@@CROOZA2 and what’s your theory…??

[@RAAAAAAHHHHHhh]

You're taking me back to my uni days! You even showed my old uni! Train delays, good times.

[@RealNotOrrio]

im expecting this video to be up in atleast 7 hours after all its connex

[@iannosworthy1529]

What an excellent balanced well researched and logical post. Well done and congratulations on the quality of your work. I look forward to the next one

[@letsseeif]

Kennett has a lot to answer for, and he knows it.

[@monogramadikt5971]

the liberal government in general have always been about asset stripping australias wealth to line their own pockets

[@deandewey5584]

Very much so. History won't be kind to him.

[@uzx151]

We need another Kennett to fix the damage a decade of spend, spend, spend has done.

[@letsseeif]

@@uzx151 Kennett lives near me and tore so many government owned schools, ovals, and general infrastructure out, and replaced them with unthought courts and thick mc mansions.

[@Chuppa75]

@@uzx151 no we don't. Kennett threw the baby out with the bath water. He is the reason why utilities are so high in this state.

[@marksc111]

Excellent job on this one. You've helped bring back a flood of long-suppressed unpleasant memories from that decade for me, lol… but also a reminder of how much better it's gotten since then (from really shit, to mediocre-but-i-remain-optimistic).

[@jamesfrench7299]

As someone who has never set foot in Victoria, I miss the Met. Best PT branding in Australia. I admired it from afar.

[@tangerinealarm]

Excellent work. I knew of some if this, but it’s great to see it all in a concise timeline and history.

[@reubenm.d.5218]

Kennett: “That’s it! We can’t have unions, an external entity, stopping trains running!” Private companies: “ Hey we’re gonna stop running trains. Also, that’ll cost you $2 billion”

[@Low760]

I remember Jan in 09, working on national bus buses, mk ii man's and the cb30 bodied man's overheated to the point of needing to come past the Fitzroy shop to be cooled off to go back out. Or ac's switched off. Privatization is a farce.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I was alive but too young to remember much! Agreed, privatisation has done little to nothing positive for Melbourne, while causing all sorts of crap the other way round.

[@PJRayment]

@@MetroManMelbourne "Agreed, privatisation has done little to nothing positive for Melbourne,..." I strongly disagree, but I'll explain that in a separate comment.

[@AlexOnTheBus]

The postscript to this story is that Connex’s parent company (Veolia) merged with Transdev (who part-held the Yarra Trams franchise at that time), then won the contract to run the former MMTB/MTA/PTC bus network - with pretty much the same result.

[@iwenttobunnings7868]

They just never had any luck in Victoria by the sounds of it. The end of Transdev's contract in Melbourne was fairly recent as well I believe. They also operated our Ferry network here in Brisbane for ages before being taken over by Transit Systems in 2020, although Transdev still hold a contract in Brisbane's eastern suburbs.

[@AlexOnTheBus]

@@liam3284 Keolis Downer.

[@KJB1331]

@@liam3284 Originally Transfield owned 50% of Yarra Trams partnering with a French company

[@GazzOak69]

I thought transdev seem to be better of the private companies.

[@aidanthomas2510]

Good video, that 2008 Oak's Day & 2009 Heatwave debacle was what single handedly killed the Bracks/Brumby Government. Guessing the VictoriaTrainDebacle channel was used for that 09 heatwave news footage. That channel is basically a Connex/early Metro archive

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Yes, very much so, I was going to talk a little more about the politics of it all but deleted that part as I decided it didn’t suit the channel. I did most definitely get the footage from that VictoriaTrainDebacle channel, I also used it for a bit of research as well, quite helpful.

[@johnsmart964]

Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by the people.

[@rememberingthefuture9500]

You are blaming Connex for government ineptitude and praising Metro for government improvements. Privatisation was Kennett government policy and was always going to happen and not just for public transport. Connex and Metro are both private companies seeking to make a profit, and they both don't give a stuff about passengers. Metro is actually worse than Connex, but they are under a different franchise agreement and subject to more government regulation which is why it seems they do a better job. Melbourne's worst train operator was actually the Kennett Liberal government that set up the original franchise arrangement. The ALP are more public transport friendly than the conservatives and have made considerable improvements, but they have also stuffed up by not taking the system back under public control when the original franchise expired, and instead giving the franchise to the abysmal Metro. Politics is the reason our public transport is not up to scratch. If you really want to investigate the problems, start with the Bolte government's lack of investment in trams and trains, continue with the debacle of The Met, then the nightmare of privatisation under Kennett, and finally the mismanagement ever since by governments of both sides who make decisions based on political gain and are implemented by incompetent bureaucrats.

[@AdmiringSparks]

This KZbin channel is the saying worth the wait.

[@HybridBell]

Excellent video! Very informative and well presented.

[@paul-morgan]

Mate, brilliant video. Just stumbled across this and learn alot. I was only 12 or 13 when connex ended, never understood just how bad they were.

[@c.a.marsupial.1282]

So excellent , very much appreciated. Well done.

[@jessica23claire]

Jesus, after hearing about the train issues during the 2009 heatwave, I’m never complaining about PT issues again. …Okay I’ll still complain, but I’ll be a bit more grateful for how much they’ve improved. 2009 was the year I started taking PT on my own for the first time, so right at the very end of the Connex days.

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

Very interesting analysis - thanks! 👍

[@busesaroundmelbourne]

Connex were far from Melbourne’s worst train operator. Every single issue that they had that was blamed on them came straight from years of government neglect. Governments believed they could ditch funding and maintenance for the rail network and blame any issues on the operator. If Connex (Transdev) got back the contract, they’d be more than capable of operating the exact same level of service (or potentially better?) that metro delivers. Every person’s perception of the company is because of their poor experiences in the past, which again were mostly the issue of the state government.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I completely agree, for the purposes of the video I left the politics out of it (while I had a section on it at the end I removed that as I decided it was overly political for the video). I will probably come back and talk about how the Connex vs Government stalemate was (and is) a major flaw of the privatisation system as part of a video on that in future.

[@berenscott8999]

Metro is also better at fudging the numbers. I mean, you ever hear of the disappearing service? When a train is running late, they will simply make it's service disappear, rename it to the following service, now it's running early.

[@PJRayment]

@@berenscott8999 That would count as a cancelled service, which affects their performance figures. And an early-running service will too.

[@berenscott8999]

@@PJRayment they were doing something weird with it. Something underhanded.

[@PJRayment]

@@berenscott8999 Or perhaps they were doing something to minimise further delays. Depending on how late a train would be, it's actually better to run a train late than cancel it, as the penalties for the latter are greater. But another explanation may be if the train was altered at Flinders Street to be a different service. Such as a late train from Parliament heading towards Dandenong becoming a later different service at Flinders Street running on time.

[@passtheboxfox5374]

As someone who commutes most days to Uni, it's incredibly interesting to learn about the history of Melbourne's rail network. Thank you! Also, as i have an untrained eye, what's the best indicator for the type of train i'm riding in. On the Frankston line for examplethere is a combination of powered manual doored as well as push button doored trains. Each either having an LED ticker or an LCD ticker. However the newer high capacity trains have yet to be seen on that line at least in my time using it.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Thanks for watching! If you want to know the different train types, there are a few things: The trains with only 2 doors on the side are the "Siemens Nexas" sets, every other train has 3 doors on the side. The ones that have manually opened doors and 3+2 seating are the "Comeng" trains The trains with destination text in orange capital letters, doorways slightly slanted inwards, and a little alstom plate with a year inside next to the doorway are the "Xtrapolis" The HCMT don't run to Frankston at the moment.

[@ianmontgomery7213]

@@MetroManMelbourne The HCMT are easy they are a seven carriage set and aren't due to be used on the Frankston line.

[@thunderturbine8860]

I can testify to this 😂 The X'Trapolis trains are terrible. Their suspension is out of whack, bogeys are terrible, plus these trains are excessively noisy. These trains are the most unstable trains, I live on the Mernda line. These trains need to be scrapped and replaced imo. I've traveled on the Siemens train multiple times over the years, in 2004 multiple times, 2007-2010 as well as 2021-current, that train is a lot more smoother (When I lived in Coburg from 2001-2006 I took this train a lot when it was introduced, when I took the Frankston and Sandringham lines, I took this train quite a lot as well, I love this train. I also love the Comeng fleet for their nostalgia (Used to run on the Mernda line before getting displaced altogether). The Comeng and the Siemens trains were my childhood.

[@dangerouslytalented]

I was working at Flemington races that day, it was nightmarish and we started sending people to Footscray

[@tulippasta]

Privatising public services is always a bad idea

[@pavan151]

Gosh I remember so Connex trains that would overheat. Going to high school and dying on those 38-40+ degree heat days lol. In fact, the trains were guaranteed to have issues if the temperature ever went above 35 degrees...

[@GLxGL]

I know you're trying to leave politics out of it, but suggest a name change to "Victorian Liberal Party, Victoria's worst rail operator". Kennett was only interested in making his mates rich via the F1 race and Crown. Zero interest in building or maintaining any public infrastructure (paging Transurban and Citylink...). Low ride patronage in the 90's was also partially a result of the state/country being in a recession. Also telling was a letter written by the Connex CEO after finding that Metro was taking over - thanked Melbournians for the opportunity to serve them and hinted that they were held back by government shenanigans behind closed doors. If we're honest though, Metro is miles better but it's a very different government in power now and a different economic period.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Very much agreed, Kennett made many decisions with appallingly bad legacies, e.g. privatising connex / electricity, closing schools, hospitals, rail lines etc. As for the economic factors - also true, once again I have left the politics out. In the future I may well do a political look at Connex, looking at the privatisation being an absolute failure and the problems with lack of government investment. I'm not particularly satisfied having this video alone as my only contribution to the privatisation debate. As for that connex ceo letter - may well have just been an opportunity to cover for themselves, but who knows.

[@michaelmizzi2827]

At 1:02 is that jollymont train sidings?

[@AdmiringSparks]

yes

[@James-sq6xs]

M-Train and connex were probably the worst companies together, The Met ended up somewhat shocking and despite their rough start Metro is the best operator that we have had in terms of electric trains.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Yes that’s very true, the met was pretty bad also, but it’s important to remember the only reason metro improved was because the government invested in it, not because of the operator.

[@James-sq6xs]

@Tigger Official depends, when you take into consideration that M Train didn't last until the heatwave or the Siemens overshooting and compare connex and M Train together in 2002, 03 or 04 they're very similar, M Train could've even been worse due to vandalism problems on their side of the network at the time.

[@PJRayment]

@@MetroManMelbourne "the only reason metro improved was because the government invested in it, not because of the operator." -I strongly disagree. But I'll put that in a separate comment.- Scratch that; I was thinking you were referring to Connex, not Metro (capital M).

[@70sVRsignalman]

Hello MMM,1/ having worked on the VR and successors between 1974 & 2016, I would point out that the whole split and privatisation process was, and is, a money making racket for alleged "efficient" ( NOT ) private sector operators. 2/ Under Connex, track maintenance was NOT a Connex responsibility, it was contracted out. The contractors managed to relay underagauge track by not allowing for either heat expansion or gauge widening on curves ( pretty basic stuff really ), hence the track problems, this was NOT Connex's fault. Not allowing for gauge widening has been a recurring issue ever since, and has also affected the V/Line network to this day. (The supply of new and defective rail has not helped either.) Under Connex, and Metro, some overhead wiring was installed that was not compatible with the track layout, and in each case neither Connex, nor Metro, were advised, and this had serious operational consequences. Getting it fixed to spec was time consuming, and there was nothing either Connex, or Metro, could do to speed that up. 3/ air conditioning overhaul was done as a long term contract, basically air con sets were regularly swapped out. At the time you mention there was an unavailability of necessary imported parts that neither Connex, nor the air con contractor were able to resolve. If the parts are not forthcoming, then the item cannot be repaired. The contractor, who was previously quite reliable, was unable to source an alternate supplier, and the existing units had / have a quite tight volume to fit into, and it is highly unlikely that an alternate manufacturer's unit would fit the same space, bearing this in mind, what alternative was available ? ( It is noticeable that the Connex Xtrapolis sets have an a/c unit that is NOT set into a confined space unlike the Comeng a/c units.) 3/ whenNational Express/ NX and Connex did the Comeng upgrade, the units were NOT allowed to be compatible, this was to ensure "effective competition".Also NX and Connex were not allowed to share trains, or lend trains to each other, again for "effective competition" reasons. 4/deliberately splitting the network, and banning interworking, meant that the existing split fleets had less availability overall than the previously combined fleet. The requirements to have non compatible train sets exacerbated this problem, therefore both NX and Connex had to maintain a service with insufficient numbers of train sets to meet the time table. The Kennett Government refused to see that this was a problem. ( Connex UK had a worse problem, insufficient trains to run the existing services, and being prevented by UK DfT from adding additional train sets, hence why Connex UK failed. ) The Kennett Government also did not authorise a replacement train set for the written off set. When NX left, a further upgrade programme to the Comeng fleet had to be undertaken to ensure compatibility, and interoperability within the recombined Comeng fleet, this took time and cost millions to do. ( And guess who had to pay for that ? Everyone look in a mirror. ) 5/ the Siemens brake problems were denied by the manufacturer, who blamed the train drivers.When a Siemens Brake Test Train failed with Siemens staff on board, they promptly blamed the track conditions. It took testing by BREL Derby Rail Research UK to ascertain the faults, and for a permanent fix to be instituted, again, this was NOT Connex's fault. It later turned out that similar Siemens equipment on a number of European railways had the same problems, and the same denials by Siemens. 6/The Siemens trains were NOT ordered by Connex, but by NX, Connex inherited a train they did not like, did not want, and which was delivered late, and delivered with defects, and incompatible with other trains and with the existing platform heights. The Connex Alsthom Xtrapolis sets were also delivered late, and the driver's seat issue was apparent from the first delivery, but proved to be very difficult to alter. The removal from service of the Hitachi sets was part of the contract requirements, and was based on agreed delivery schedules of replacement trains. All replacement trains are owned by a seperate company from whom Connex was required to lease the trains from.It was NOT Connex's fault that the replacement trains were delivered late and defective. 7/ Connex's failures were generally not of its making, and despite intense efforts by senior Connex ( mainly xVR ) managers, the splintered privatised system effectively prevented them from enforcing other organizations to fix the problem.Splintered privatised systems allows each participant, especially suppliers of goods and services, to find excuses not to do something, or they find that their suppliers cannot deliver to schedule. 8/ Trains and railways are not like motor vehicles where you can go down the road and possibly get an alternative. If the train maker delivers late, there is no alternative, trains are made to order, they are generally not off the shelf, this includes "standard" diesel locomotives, everything is made to order.If it is from overseas, you are also reliant on availability of shipping space. Australia and New Zealand are at the end of the shipping route, and that shipping route generally goes via a transhipment port (Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai) where bigger markets get priority. Even worse, if there is a shortage of shipping, well, your container will be off loaded if a more profitable container is available to the ship owner, and your container will be delivered at some, usually unforeseeable time, in the future ( don't call us, we'll call you ! ) ( This has recently happened to a major timber supplier in Australia, whose container got dumped in Shanghai, with no indication as to when delivery will now take place. ) 9/interesting video, but as outlined above, too many underlying causes were outside of Connex's control, and it was not due to a lack of Connex management and staff efforts to get things fixed. Both NX and Swanston Trams left because the privatised structure did not work, and definitely cost them money, they were here to make money from day one, they lost money from day one, and they left, they are a multinational business who happens to run trains and trams respectively, they are not a charity, so they left. Connex and Yarra Trams had to be paid more money for the same reason, they also are not a charity, nor for that matter are Metro Trains Melbourne/MTM. 10/while it is true that your video is about the trains, but the politics, and the economic theory behind these politics are the underlying cause for what you have detailed in this video, they are tightly interlinked and are inseparable from each other. Regards to all.

[@colemando-qc4io]

Great video man! 🥳

[@griffinrails]

delay the premiere it’s true to connex tradition

[@JoshHolden-Aka-evani]

at least connex apologizes for inconveniences

[@Manny.93]

Connex were running the busses in my town 20 years ago in a small northen Swedish town. Never thought I would see them again😂

[@stephenhunter70]

made for some frustrating trips home if you lived in Lilydale. Down trains would get cancelled anywhere between Ringwood and Lilydale, often with the train having to wait in Moorlbark for the next up (city bound) train to leave Lilydale. As for train replacement buses, often these never arrived leaving one having to walk home to Lilydale. There was stories of drivers not being qualified to drive some or all of the Lilydale line, having to cancel their train or be fined.

[@Samstrainsofficially]

The highly observant among you will know their logo still exists on at least one location on the network. This being on a piece of glass, just behind nicely placed sign that has let it get away without being removed. You can find this at box hill station if you visit maccas(don't actually buy food though I ordered two cheese burgers from them while in box hill hospital having lost a child and neither had cheese, they made an enemy for life that day lol)

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I have a folder of old signage I've found, there's hundreds of connex signs around the place.

[@Samstrainsofficially]

@@MetroManMelbourne ohh, can you put together something on where they can be found? Thats the only one I've spotted so far🤣there was me thinking they were rare but maybe I'm just blind as a bat

[@MetroManMelbourne]

@@Samstrainsofficially I've found connex signs at Clifton hill, Heathmont, Camberwell, East Malvern, Mount Waverley, Jordanville, Richmond (P10 east end), Flinders Street lifts, Croydon, East Camberwell (outside of station, to the east on the north side of rail line), Cranbourne and a number of other places I don't have on photo

[@Samstrainsofficially]

@@MetroManMelbourne sad but I'm gonna go hunting for them. From train spotting to sign spotting...

[@PJRayment]

Some of the train seat covering designs include the (fairly distorted) letters of Connex.

[@NicholassTrainChannel]

Nice video mate. Interesting history about Connex. After hearing about all the issues they had I'm glad they are not around anymore! At least Metro Trains Melbourne were able to fix the mess that Connex had caused.

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Thanks! There’s a lot more to the story than metro fixed connex that I didn’t cover (because it’s very political) but overall there has been stark improvement.

[@tommyandrewd]

remember a quote about Metro when they took over, it was like asking a chef to cook an entire restaurant service in a household kitchen. Did Connex just have the same problem but never got the government funding to upgrade the rail infrastructure?

[@VaughanMcAlley]

IIRC, the air conditioners were only rated to 40° or 42°, a temperature that was regularly being exceeded in early 2009. Being too hot for air conditioning was a great look.

[@DKS225]

Connex was no better in The UK when they ran their South Central and South Eastern where they were eventually stripped of said franchises in 2003 after "A loss of confidence in the company" announced by The Strategic Rail Authority there.

[@Sweetwaterdream]

Connex were dark days…thanks for reawakening those awful memories 😢

[@nickfrench7372]

Such a great video,,,about the metro train history. I do remember going on board those Hitachi trains b4 connex,,,despite no air conditioning,,,and real noisy in travelling speed,,,those trains were pretty reliable back in the day when it came to getting to where u want to go on time. As I've experienced travelling on the metropolitan trains for over 30 years,,,and just about been on nearly every service to each destination,,,along with the transport buses to get out further where the metro train service ends on the network lines. But still wouldn't mind travel ling on those old red rattlers,,,,gotta bring them back in occasional service more often.

[@hobog]

0:26 I thought that train model at the left only runs in India!

[@harrythezomby]

Great video!

[@ZL1GHZ]

It's funny how Connex Melbourne and Connex Southeastern (in the UK) have such bad reputations, while Connex Auckland (later rebranded to Veolia Transport, and after a subsequent merger, Transdev) massively improved the service on the Auckland rail network compared to the previous operator, TranzMetro. In the days of TranzMetro, it was common to hear an announcement if you travelled on the 7:30am express train to the city that we were delayed because the previous train broke down/had to be pushed by the Silver Fern/had to be pushed by a freight train/we're pushing it, or if you asked the nearest clippie why we were stopped, to have them reply "dunno" before they walked off. After the handover, regular commuters would get to know the GM of Connex Auckland by sight, if not by name, because if there was a significant disruption going on, he'd leave his office to come down to the platforms at Britomart Station to talk to the passengers personally about what was going on. Definitely a few passengers weren't happy to receive the news when he was transferred back to Melbourne. More than twenty years later, Connex/Veolia/Transdev still run Auckland's passenger rail services, and have developed a sufficiently good reputation that GWRC have moved the Wellington rail contract from TranzMetro to Connex/Veolia/Transdev as well.

[@PJRayment]

While Connex in Melbourne had a bad reputation, it wasn't really deserved, and this video is quite biased against it. Yes, in Auckland they massively improved the service, but then it was a lot worse to start with. In Melbourne, and from memory so don't quote me, Connex often hit their target of about 95% of trains on time, whereas in Auckland when they took over, the on-time performance was about 65%.

[@MannyAntipov]

Connex South East and Central: "haha, that's cute" great video btw

[@tressteleg1]

The only reason I can think of for successive governments continuing with privatisation is so they can blame the companies for any stuff ups because the government is not the operator. From what I hear, both Metro and Yarra treat their drivers very poorly.

[@PJRayment]

"From what I hear, both Metro and Yarra treat their drivers very poorly." You heard that from a driver, right?

[@tressteleg1]

@@PJRayment Yes. A number of drivers and more senior people as well. They used to be happy but 8 to 10 years ago things changed. They only stay for lack of more money elsewhere.

[@PJRayment]

@@tressteleg1 "They used to be happy..." I don't recall when they were ever completely happy. They could always find something wrong. "They only stay for lack of more money elsewhere." In other words, they are better paid doing that job than most other jobs. And that's called treating them poorly?

[@Alexander_Dunn]

6:30 not only were they brought back the shells were bought back from a farmer that had bought them EVEN TAKEN THE BOGIES OFF and put them on his farm 💀

[@JackMcSomeone]

I remember going on Connex trains when I was a kid. My mum and I used to go to the footy a lot and I haven't been to an actual AFL game since 2007 (the EJ Whitten Legends game in 2015 doesn't count, but it was a good game)

[@lordzob4874]

fire vid king

[@TheColinputer]

I remember back when the comeng had AC issues my friends and i would often pull the door open a bit and jam skateboards in it to get some fresh air.

[@kenzopolpot3256]

In the UK Connex was Connex South eastern when it just became south eastern that’s when Connex moved into Australia

[@rubootsoz]

Many people here have short memories of skipping stations, being kicked off mid journey, and frequent bypassing Altona Loop. Great way to manipulate performance data and it certainly not done under Connex.

[@rohantrainvlogs]

Melbourne's railway network 2009: Putting the con in connex

[@genwilbolandres980]

Thanks Jeff

[@uzaiyaro]

I really would love a video on the 4D.

[@glenbeeston7747]

Their government ordered "meet the managers" held at parliament, Melbourne Central and Flagstaff signalled the end of Connex.

[@chucky110]

Connex was the worst? Could not be any worse than Metro.

[@kacperogiela7556]

do u thing metro gonna have a double decker train once ?

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I've made a video on that (the 4D) before!

[@PJRayment]

This is a very biased look at Connex. I make the following points: * In talking about Connex taking over and being required to replace "all" the Hitachi trains with new trains, it shows shots of both the X'Trapolis trains that they bought, and Siemens trains bought by M>Train (who had to replace their share of the Hitachi trains). * In a sense you're right that the one-for-one replacement of the Hitachi trains with new trains wouldn't cater for the claimed future increase in patronage, but the excuse was that patronage would be increased in off-peak and weekend times when trains were available for extra services. And basically the government _required_ them to promise a big increase or they wouldn't get the contract. It was never realistic, although weekend traffic did increase substantially, to the point that the three-car trains typically run on weekends were replaced by six-car trains, which were still often full. * The claim that the X'trapolis trains were built "incredibly cheaply and of poor quality" is questionable. It's true that they don't have air-bag suspension nor stainless steel bodies, but they have nevertheless proved to be pretty reliable, with the government placing several repeat orders, clearly favouring the X'trapolis over the Siemens trains bought by M>Train. Of course keeping jobs going at Ballarat where the X'trapolis trains were built might have been a factor! But the X'trapolis' problems were minor compared to the clearance, braking, and electrical issues of the M>Train-bought Siemens trains. * The claim that the X'trapolis trains were not designed for Melbourne is misleading. It is a standard Alstom model, although of course tailored for Melbourne. * "The trains literally had the driver's seat in the wrong spot, requiring Connex to modify every signal on the Hillside network just to let the trains run in the first place." Rather, they had the seat in a _different_ place (presumably being per the standard X'trapolis design), but yes, it did result in signal sighting issues that required modification to signals. However, it was not "every signal". Rather, it was only signals at the ends of platforms that could not be seen when the train had to pull up close to that signal, plus signals in some sidings which were not visible from the driver's cab. The latter issue required some signals to be placed on poles rather than the ground, and others to be moved. The first issue simply required the signals to be adjusted (rotated) a little. Given that the video claims that Connex was the "worst" operator, which means that comparisons are being made with the other operator, it is an omission that there is no mention (except later where it could be inferred that it was a Connex problem) of M>Train's new trains not actually fitting in some platforms, a significantly bigger issue. Also, the signals did not have to be modified just to let the trains run. Some trips in the early days were run with a second driver who could see the signal by standing in the doorway and telling the first driver when it had cleared. * The video implies that Connex was not being fair in asking for more money to run the entire suburban network. But given that M>Train couldn't make a go of their bit, why should Connex take that on without being paid more? See also my last dot-point. * "In November 2006 Connex was forced to withdraw 14 Siemens trains after they repeatedly began having braking issues. This was after they were already too wide for the network in the first place." This fails to mention that the Siemens trains were bought by M>Train. Connex was not responsible for these problems. * "Reliability, until the covid pandemic when nobody ever used the trains, actually had never gotten back to the levels that it was under public operation." I call bull on this. Under government operation, the system sometimes ran well. But at other times it ran appallingly. There were times that selected services were cancelled so regularly that it actually made the newspapers when they ran! Also under government operation there were numerous strikes, but they all but disappeared under private operation. Keep in mind that under government operation, the operator was answerable only to itself, and the government didn't put a lot of effort into having reliable services. But under private operation, the operators were required by their contract with the government to run reliably (or they would be financially penalised) to standards that were deliberately designed to be high in order to improve the service. Prior to Connex taking over the entire network, it met those standards about every second month on average, something that M>Train couldn't achieve. (So which was really the worst operator?) But then M>Train was at a significant disadvantage over Connex, as it had to cope with V/Line trains (albeit also operated by National Express) and goods trains, something that Connex barely had to worry about. This would be why Connex failed to achieve their targets after taking over the entire network-they had more problems than when they were running just the Burnley and Clifton Hill groups. And that would also have been a reason to request a bigger subsidy. In my opinion, that better performance-along with some actual television advertising by Connex (including ads featuring Harry Connick Junior (Connick/Connex-get it?)), something that the former railway operators never did to my memory, helped drive increased patronage (before increased petrol prices increased the patronage even more). As such, privatisation (i.e. private operators running the government network) has been a very positive move, and thus Kennett actually did the railways a lot of good. ------ The patronage graph (1:14) also has a problem. It shows both the city loop opening and the first air-conditioned trains as happening late in the 1970s. The loop opened in stages from 1981, which is also when the first air conditioned trains arrived.

[@mattrolfs8951]

Jolly good. Bully!! Keep it up

[@franklinthebusdriver6387]

Wait... That's the same Connex logo as the UK one that got taken over by South Eastern Trains

[@MetroManMelbourne]

Yep, same company, they ran all around the world

[@angus987]

Excellent video

[@de-tached]

Australian infrastructure should be run by the government (it is their job after all), not sold off to international conglomerates.

[@PJRayment]

Private companies generally operate more efficiently than government bodies as they have to watch the bottom line more closely.

[@de-tached]

@@PJRayment I agree from an efficiency standpoint, however this leads to the public being charged excessively for profit generation with only minimal efficiency gains and loss of control of the infrastructure. Not a worthwhile trade-off in my view.

[@PJRayment]

@@de-tached "...this leads to the public being charged excessively for profit generation ..." That is not a given. For one, in the Melbourne arrangement, the operator doesn't get to set the charges (fares). The government does that. For another, given that the profit is dependent on providing a good service (the operators are financially penalised for not meeting performance targets), that would be the price of getting a good service. Also in Melbourne, the government has standards for the maintenance of the infrastructure; in that sense they have not lost control. In a different scenario, that's what competition is all about (although obviously not applicable in a case like this where the operator is granted a monopoly for the life of the contract). If they charge excessively, a competitor can undercut them and take business from them.

[@de-tached]

@@PJRayment True, not a given. Yet it is common and sadly becoming more likely. Unfortunately as governments become more beholden to corporate donors than voting public this balance is starting to substantially shift. It's due too this that I believe the infrastructure should be in the hands of the voting class. Thanks for the comments. Blessed Be.

[@PJRayment]

@@de-tached "True, not a given. Yet it is common and sadly becoming more likely." That's not in evidence. "It's due too this that I believe the infrastructure should be in the hands of the voting class." The infrastructure _is_ owned by the government (voters) if that's what you're referring to.

[@williamhuang8309]

There are two companies you do not want to run your public transport network: Connex and FirstGroup. These two companies screw up every single rail system they touch with few exceptions.

[@HardstylePete]

I went to university during the end of the connex period. It was so unreliable you had to get to exams in excess of 30mins before reading time due to frequent delays and service cancellations. It's also worth noting that late is only considered after 7 minutes. Hardly a reasonable metric for a modern metro system.

[@gman83090]

You know this is really strange but now Jeff Kennett regrets privatising public transport in Victoria

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

I moved away from Melbourne at the end of 2007, having used Melbourne and VRAIL public transport fairly extensively in 2007 and also 2006. Looks like I dodged a public-transport bullet! A detailed history of how and why Connex let everything go to hell and their successors managed to improve matters would be fascinating.

[@electro_sykes]

why wa there a decrease in ridership? oh yeah, thats right, the Lonie report

[@MetroManMelbourne]

The lonie report had near zero impact on suburban trains.

[@302cab]

I've got one name...Jeff Kennett...did it for votes and a fast buck.. hopefully labour brings back the SEC and the Gas and Fuel corporation after that. Enough of greedy politicians and private corporations.

[@joelpackett7582]

Connex apologises for any inconvenience caused

[@AdmiringSparks]

Me and my friend always talk about Connex's crap air-conditioning.

[@tom-vx1lp]

the tracks would warp in the heat and bvroken glass on track would light wooden sleepers on fire

[@manimalautoman]

Metro was/is twice as bad as Connex was.

[@goat2503]

Lol oh the days of Connex, this brings back memories 😂, I miss those little mini newspapers though can’t remember what they were called now though. Been so long since I’ve caught a train.

[@monogramadikt5971]

pretty sure you are refering to "MX" ? when you mention those little newspapers that were free

[@maia_key]

If the government wanted to re-nationalise it, it would be easy as no rebranding would need to be done: the Metro brand is owned by the State of Victoria

[@MetroManMelbourne]

And I hope it is renationalised in 2 years' time!

[@brianfretwell3886]

To someone from the UK it seems strange that a three car train needs two pantographs to be raised at the same time. Here 8 cars only use one and only 12 need two. I jeard it could cause problems with the catenary if two were used close to each other.

[@PJRayment]

A problem with two pantographs close together led to newer trains having them at the rear of the end cars, so you didn't get two together in the middle.

[@Alexander_Dunn]

4:00 Not only were there issues with the cheapness of the xtraps and the drivers seat, the blinds that, which you would think are meant to block out the sun, didn’t fucking block out the sun! What is that!?

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I’ve seen a list somewhere before of like 90+ problems with xtraps from the union in 2002 which basically got ignored (except a couple crucial ones), they were extremely poorly built and not for Melbourne either. At least more recent orders helped to get the network back on track, whether or not they were good trains.

[@PJRayment]

@@MetroManMelbourne "I’ve seen a list somewhere before of like 90+ problems with xtraps from the union in 2002 which basically got ignored ..." Ever think that the Union was just being difficult, and that most of the supposed problems weren't really? "...they were extremely poorly built and not for Melbourne either." They were a standard Alstom model (although obviously modified for Melbourne). They don't have air-bag suspension nor stainless steel bodies, but are still good enough that they are about the most reliable trains Melbourne has (excluding the HCMTs perhaps).

[@garfstiglz3981]

In other words, politicians screwed it up and taxpayers ended up paying more in the long run, just like in the UK. Connex we’re shit when they operated trains in the UK, they were eventually stripped of the franchises they had.

[@monogramadikt5971]

no doubt the slippery politicians who nutted this scam out behind closed doors all good healthy little deposits injected into their private cayman islands bank accounts

[@StuAnderson90]

They were/are by Veolia Transportation,... Here in the UK they ran Southeastern franchise from London Cannon St/Charing Cross to Kent and also the South Central from London Victoria to Brighton and Sussex. Basically they were soo poor at running the service and financial mis managment they lost the contrat for both and never bid or a had franchise in the uk since

[@Lachtrain]

Very nice video it's good how Metro managed to improve the stuff Connex caused even tho it was all timing it is good that we don't have a fucked up railway system anymore

[@berenscott8999]

Honestly, most of the issues had very little to do with how the operator went about their business. This is the reason for privatisation, to move the blame away from the government. Yet, the government sets the funding level and buys the trains. The operator is not responsible for buying new trains, it's not even responsible for any of the infrastructure. All of the issues with the trains can be linked directly to the government at the time. Another thing here, the problem with the air conditioning, is that the electrical network that drives the trains was designed around non-air conditioned trains. Air conditioning draws more power, legitimately they were having an issue that during summer there simply wasn't enough power. The power network relies on a bunch of sub stations, and these simply weren't good enough, and this falls under government spending, they literally weren't interested in spending the money. Next, the Siemens trains had regenerative braking, but the power network was unable to support this, as you know, power feeds into the train via the overhead power, but then it goes down into the tracks and back into the sub stations. Literally the sub stations could not support this. So, this feature was disabled. The brakes were a nice system with anti-lock brakes. This unfortunately had problems during a certain season during the year, where wheels were more prone to slipping. The braking system refused to allow the wheels to flat spot, so would just overshoot the platform. I don't think Connex is the issue here, and Metro got such a way better deal financially.

[@PJRayment]

I largely agree, but not completely. "...the government sets the funding level and buys the trains." The government required the operator to buy the trains. "...it's not even responsible for any of the infrastructure." The operator is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure, although the government pays for new infrastructure. "All of the issues with the trains can be linked directly to the government at the time." Not the issues of the Siemens trains being too wide nor the signal visibility of the X'trapolis trains.

[@jimbo6059]

Connex really messed up my line in the UK, the south central, or london to brighton. Over arojjd 4 years there was no new rolling stock and trains were never on time. If that was private operation, we wanted what we had before back, Network Southeast divisionof the old state owned british raill

[@Rewindz98]

As an person on M>Train's side of things this video makes me laugh seeing all of Connex's BS.

[@James-sq6xs]

They were both very similar companies

[@MetroManMelbourne]

To be entirely fair, m>train wouldn’t have done much different, still would have likely had the 2009 heatwave issues, but that’s in the realm of hypotheticals

[@StateTransportRegions4167]

@@MetroManMelbourne criticize connex/m>train=dislike

[@joelpackett7582]

@@StateTransportRegions4167 💀

[@nicksza_au6339]

@@StateTransportRegions4167 12vie 🤡

[@melbournemetrotrainsvlogs9401]

RIP Connex 1999 - 2009

[@WilliamHornstra]

I'm surprised they didn't just put it back in public hands. V/Line seems to be doing alright. Why not Move metro?

[@MetroManMelbourne]

I wish one day I will be able to ride a publicly ran suburban train but at the current rate I think it’s unlikely unfortunately.

[@rohantrainvlogs]

@@MetroManMelbourne Metro's current contract ends in 2024 so there's a slight chance its handed over to different companies or put back in the governments hands

[@PJRayment]

V/Line's reliability is poor compared the suburban service.

[@ethanstransportvlogs45]

11:10 when the person is on the tracks and it transitions to a hcmt looks very much like he's getting hit 💀

[@MetroManMelbourne]

They were workers lol don’t worry but yeah

[@withinjapan2024]

Ya get what you pay for a budget operator you get a budget service. Melbourne's public transport generally is a mess, dirty, slow, rough

[@melbournetransport15]

The first image with the Tangara got me laughing so hard LMAO 😂

[@TheLostProbe]

that's the 4D, a Tangara design adapted for the Melbourne network and electrically it's more similar to a Comeng than a normal Tangara. there was only one produced as an experiment to see if double-deckers could work on the Melbourne network, but it often broke down and had to be towed by a 3-car Comeng set. the times when it did actually work produced some interesting videos however: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCQYnmmj7ZkfK8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ3ZkoajiM9gpbM

[@oforid2227]

very strange seeing the tangara and Comeng? next to one another 😂

[@TheAxelay]

The MET was one of a kind system, you can really feel that enthusiasm and sense of optimism in the old ads....But that was a different melbourne in the 1980/90's here, it suits those era/decades gone by was part of a once alive melbourne. I could say and would love to see a MET system back in public hands here but what's the point now as there's nothing in the melbourne cbd anymore and the area is now a ghost town. Dare I say that Connex and others played a perdurable part in melbourne's destruction till the koof (covid) or Dan Andrews/Sally Cap etc. There's nothing to come back to the city anymore anyhow and I used to go into the city from 1988 till 2019, then I finally had enough...

[@Murrangurk2]

You missed out the best bit! Connex hired a bunch of roided out failed security guards to "enforce" fare evaders but they just ended up bashing the shit out of homeless people. I saw this often during this period, and was even bashed myself. I had a valid ticket. They were just crazy thugs.

[@aussiejohn5835]

This happened in Sydney when security guards were contracted by the NSW Government. I witnessed many such incidents and appeared in court as a witness for some who were falsely accused of misbehaviour.

[@jasongoodacre]

Unfortunately, I was commuting on Melbourne trains during the worst of Connex era. Those guys are f*cking Muppets. Total disregard for passenger comfort or reliability, it often felt like you were living in India travelling on their dodgy trains. No wonder people prefer to drive into the city.

[@RumperTumskin]

Isn't Bayside Trains / National Express Melbourne's worst train operator? Couldn't even survive as long as Connex

[@LoLeinster]

Connex was also one of the worst UK train operators. Despite media reports and concerns raised to the then (2003) minister for transport in Ireland that Connex had been stripped of it's UK contracts due to using old trains that they never cleaned or serviced, lack of drivers & guards but plenty of authoritarian ticket inspectors & poor time-keeping, before the launch of the LUAS tram system in Dublin, Connex (as Transdev) were awarded the contract to maintain & operate the system. It has since faced objection from the public & press alike and the government still refuses to award the contract to CIÉ or a better private operator. Transdev has also hampered the introduction of an Oyster type card system because they want their version instead but Irish rail, Dublin Bus and Bus Eíreann have said the Transdev solution will add 5% to all existing fares

[@TIMBOWERMAN]

Connex, synonymous for absolute mess! Connex South Central - trains UK Connex South Eastern - trains UK Connex Buses - TfL buses UK Connex Melbourne - trains and Trams Australia At least in respect of the first two they were disenfranchised by the Strategic Rail Authority, in respect of the third they were disenfranchised by TfL.