Myki crash sours station's first day
An embarrassing system crash left passengers at brand-new Williams Landing station unable to top up or purchase myki cards.
As eager commuters headed to Melbourne's newest train station on Sunday, they arrived to find the myki system out of order.
It meant that for more than an hour, passengers at the $110
million Williams Landing station couldn't buy or top up myki cards at
the counter or from the lone myki machine.
Out of order: myki machines at Williams Landing. Photo: Eddie Jim
Minutes before the system crashed, Victorian Transport Minister Terry
Mulder was talking up the Werribee line station, which will service
Point Cook and future residents of Williams Landing.
''Wyndham is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country,
and this new station and bus network mean more transport options for
over 32,000 Point Cook residents,'' Mr Mulder said.
Two thousand commuters are expected to use the premium
station each day, which includes a bus terminal, taxi rank, bike cage
and access from both sides of the Princes Freeway via an overhead
footbridge.
Two existing bus routes have been replaced with five new local routes, increasing bus services from 697 to 2120 per week.
Protective service officers have also been assigned to
Williams Landing and will patrol the station from 6pm until the last
train.
But on Sunday, passengers and Metro staff said there were questions that remained unanswered.
The station has only 500 car spaces, which are likely to fill quickly in the morning peak.
And because Williams Landing falls within Zone 2, several
commuters said it was likely locals would drive to nearby Laverton
station, where they can pay the cheaper Zone 1 fare to the city.
Metro employees have already raised concerns there are no security cameras covering the station's footbridge.
However, a spokeswoman for Mr Mulder said cameras would be installed ''in the coming days''.
Sections of the footbridge are protected by only a 1.5 metre fence.
With a drop of at least 10 metres, one Metro staff member
told Fairfax Media that ''ticket inspectors wouldn't want to be
apprehending fare evaders on the bridge''.
But Mr Mulder's spokeswoman said the fence complied with
building codes and a higher fence would prevent ''passive
surveillance''.
She also dismissed speculation that there were plans to close the nearby Aircraft Station, located about one kilometre away.
theage.com.au 29 Apr 2013
The new myki ticketing system is a government failure, which the masses have overpaid for.
The government awards contracts in falsified tenders to 'mates', which later blow out the budget.
The people in government who are involved should be sacked, never to work again, but since the support network of their 'brethren' is overpowering this will never occur.
Another fraud paid for by hard working tax paying Aussies.
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