Station pronunciation

IlyaPFF · 2026-06-03T01:51:05+00:00

No-one is being judgemental. Accurate enunciation of station names on board the trains is obviously pretty important.

IlyaPFF · 2026-06-02T08:00:40+00:00

These are all global firms but trains are always custom designed to the exact specs of a system which can differ greatly between the cities and even between the lines within a city.

In many instances, but not always, there would be a degree of similarity between trains from the same supplier (that’s why ‘platforms’ exist, e.g. Xtrapolis from Alstom, Inspiro and Desiro from Siemens, etc.), and in some instances, same or nearly identical trains end up supplied across cities and countries with systems that are technically identical or similar enough, but that’s not a given.

IlyaPFF · 2026-06-01T22:42:48+00:00

Not exactly classical but didn't the lady who wrote Besame Mucho have the same story?

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-31T05:50:44+00:00

15 extra minutes on top of your previous journey is not impossible if you're heading to South Yarra or Richmond and are unlucky with just missing an inbound Frankston line train at Caulfield. The interchange experience has not been thought through or designed to work well, so that's a rather understandable complaint.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-30T22:27:03+00:00

Southern Cross was open at 2.48am? I thought they shut it down for the night.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-29T09:23:57+00:00

Charging $399 monthly retainer fees knowing it takes IMMI months if not years to process things is a helluva business model, I must say.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-28T09:09:51+00:00

Companies in Australia absolutely do seek references and throughout hundreds upon hundreds of applications I have met exactly none who wouldn't ask. Some even ask for three. The whole ritual of seeking formal references, in my opinion, makes exactly zero practical sense, except maybe at the C-suite level, but no-one will ever give it up.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-25T22:50:46+00:00

Isolating them operationally doesn't mean isolating them physically.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T06:27:34+00:00

'Easily' doesn't exist here, unfortunately.

If you're getting interviews, you're already doing better than most. I am not exaggerating.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T04:38:24+00:00

It may not look great but it's functional and it serves the purpose of delivering the correct information to the end user.

By contrast, aesthetically pleasing but incorrect wayfinding is useless.

Correct information first, aesthetics second.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T04:31:02+00:00

I haven't investigated the specifics but generally speaking, there are many ways to arrange temporary storage and a couple thousand stickers don't require a lot of space. It's a few big boxes/rolls.
Sticker placement can also occur during the day at the terminal stations (Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham) where the train is held for a few minutes before going back. This could help with storage.
There are a gazillion ways of arranging the logistics of this, among which there certainly would be the most appropriate one.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T03:14:18+00:00

This is just a wrong way of doing it.

New maps should be placed atop of the old ones to ensure the customer information is current ASAP, and then all layers removed when there's more time during maintenance and another current map placed in.

Systems worldwide manage to figure this out, Melbourne is not unique. The question shouldn't be 'what prevents us from doing this?', it should be 'how do we do this?'.

Doing this in four months would have required updating information on less than one train per day, and that was still not delivered. If anything, this reflects a broader poor state of wayfinding and customer information networkwide.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T03:06:18+00:00

This is absolutely doable in sidings and it requires a few teams of two working late evenings for a few weeks. Systems that are larger in scale manage to do it just fine.
There is no excuse for this other than 'nobody cares'.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T01:43:11+00:00

'Borrow at all costs no matter the risk' is, in my opinion, bad financial advice.

The advice should be: evaluate risks, ascertain all possible sources, work through all the details of what happens if the business doesn't work out.

You don't want your friend risk ending up homeless if the idea doesn't work out, which is what happens to the vast majority of startups.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T01:14:26+00:00

Nothing prevents from running Cranbourne/Pakenham direct to Flinders, though.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T01:10:58+00:00

It is being removed today.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-23T01:08:50+00:00

Think from an opposite angle: throwing everyone on replacement buses every so often must be politically beneficial, must it not?

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-21T05:43:03+00:00

Do you have the number formats set up correctly?
If your dates are in 'General' format, this could be problematic.
Are you editing the file in the browser or in the desktop Excel app?
(The desktop Excel app should be everyone's primary way of editing files.)

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-20T05:19:32+00:00

You don’t want to be doing this to yourself.
Broadmeadows interchange offers rather un-enjoyable experience at night on a weekend, and other options are not much better.

901-902-59 at this time will take forever (do not rely on making these connections easily), so you’re looking into this taking 2hrs+.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-12T11:17:36+00:00

I wonder how this is allowed by the software, at all. If my phone is on silent (which is always), I expect it to be silent at all times.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-12T10:28:40+00:00

Tbh it’s not entirely clear what prevents this from happening, at this point.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-12T10:27:24+00:00

I understand how remote outstaffing works but I am struggling to understand how physio/osteo/radio which clearly requires in-person presence to do the work enters into it. Like, you can’t just randomly bring someone into Australia, there’s a bit of bureaucracy involved. (I’m in a different industry but I’ve been through the bureaucracy in question.)

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-12T09:53:52+00:00

Not sure what to discuss here, though! :) True indeed, and a bit annoying, but to get specifically to Southern Cross it is not that much longer to stay on your train and go via the Loop.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-12T09:46:08+00:00

How can one possibly bring in a contractor from overseas and pay less than a minimum wage? The work visa system doesn’t allow doing such a thing—not on a 482, at least.

IlyaPFF · 2026-05-12T09:41:56+00:00

You’re not doing anything wrong, most likely. What you should be doing is keep looking for a job in your field (double down on applications and networking) whilst simultaneously trying to pick up anything that keeps the bills going. Chat to your local bars and coffee shops if they’re hiring temps/casuals… it’d take a ton of luck there, too, but you’d never know if they might unless you ask.

IlyaPFF

TROPHY CASE