Infrastructure go BOOM

[stephbg]

I spent some time pouring over city maps last night trying to identify the most efficient pedestrian path from my office to Leederville station. I'd thought I'd give that walk a go one day, but there are severe traps for the unwary (such as the limited crossing options for the railway and freeway).

It never occurred to me that I wouldn't make it in to the city at all.



I got to the train station bright and early (about 6:15) but the new system had collapsed already. Large angry crowds. I don't know when the previous train had come through but the next was not expected for 30-35 minutes (I'd already waited 15), no rail-replacement buses from this station at all, and only one meandering suburban bus due in 15 minutes and expected to take well over an hour.

Most of the mob left, visibly steaming.

Oh, and the freeway was a total carpark by 6:30, but that's not unusual.

I understand some people take hours to commute daily, but I am accustomed to a 45 minute drive-train-walk routine, and was prepared for a 1 hour 15 minute drive-train-bus-walk, but not today. I'll see if the internet infratructure can handle another person trying to telecommute.


I'd be very interested to hear other commuters' tales.

EDIT: Local wireless did not cope with another telecommuter.

Comments

[cyps.livejournal.com]

We drove from OP to the city at 7:15am and it wasn't any busier then usual...

But saying that, one of the guys from work has just walked through the door soaking wet and says he spent two hours on the train from Joondalup before running in the downpour to the office... He said he spent a huge amount of time waiting at the station, and then the train stopped for 10 monites at every station...

[angriest.livejournal.com]

I arrived at Warwick station and got suddenly bundled into a rail replacement bus straight to the city by some Transperth person. It took Wanneroo Rd rather than the freeway, which seemed sensible to me, and all-in-all it took an hour and a half to get from my front door to my office rather than the usual 45 mins.

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

After pulling an on-call all-nighter, I am likewise telecommuting, but my original plan was to cycle in to work (a not uncommon occurrence for me).

I do find it rather amusing that the heavens chose today to open up. Its almost as if they *knew* that people would be walking!

And I do suppose that it is going to be mean of me to email everyone at the office the announcements for National Ride to Work Day later on...

[krjalk.livejournal.com]

It wasn't that bad for me. Admittedly, I got to the station a lot later than I had hoped, about 7:50, but the crowd on the platform was only slightly larger than usual. I got off at Stirling, and the crowd for the cirle route bus was maybe three times larger than normal, but we all fit on the (admittedly about 10 minutes late) bus. I got to the office maybe 20 minutes later than I would normally. I'll be getting there much earlier tomorrow, so we'll see how we go.

I heard horror stories from someone who was there about an hour earlier - the platform completely packed, and staff asking people who weren't going straight through to Glendalough to get off and wait for the next train. Much unhappiness which I'm glad I missed.

[fred-mouse.livejournal.com]

I would like to feel sympathetic, but you know, one week of discomfort for you lot, and *lots closer to me having a train as well*!!!!!

(skips off singing *trains trains trains trains everybody loves trains*)

[emma-in-oz.livejournal.com]

There problem was that their whole plan fell apart as their was a signals failure so all the trains got stuck at Stirling and could not move forward to Glendalough where there were about 20 buses waiting when I got there at 7:00. Then they left in a convoy, leaving none for the half dozen people who had managed to get there.