STATE OF THE TRAINS

In 2026-03-29.2Week_thoughts.txt I mused about trying to plan a 
holiday by train to Bairnsdale again, a third attempt after 
previous efforts were blocked by planned railway line closures. My 
expectation was that fares might go up to offset the fuel costs, 
but as it's a state-owned enterprise the government proposed it 
would serve the greater good to make train travel free for the 
current month to dissuade people from driving.

That was enough to tip me over into a proper third Bairnsdale 
holiday plan. This time though I know where to look first - the 
V/Line planned closures page - and the result was inevitable. The 
Bairnsdale line is closed either half or all the journey from the 
13th to the 22nd of April, with one gap of activity from the 16th 
to the 18th. The local line is closed from tomorrow until the 20th 
of May! They actually were both open this week, but my neck still 
isn't quite right yet so it's been me that's out of service for 
that.

So it's free tain travel, but without the trains, and after my 
first attempt documented in 2025-07-08Journey_to_the_Sun.txt, 
there's no way I'm touching replacement bus services again.

The thing that gets me is the local line was closed for half a year 
a couple of years ago while they installed boom gates at more 
crossings and replaced wooden sleepers with concrete, also 
switching to using the new motorised carriage trains instead of 
separate locomotives. In that time surely they could have completed 
all the essential major works to keep the line running for the next 
decade. How can they possibly justify closing it for other a month 
for more planned maintenance works already (not even considering 
the other times)?! They must have some incomprehensible talent for 
pissing time and money down the drain.

What about the train drivers? Do they only work half the year since 
the rest of the time their trains aren't even running?

Anyway I don't really know why I obsess over it. Since it's funded 
by my tax money I feel like I should try and take advantage of it 
for cheaper holidays. But like most such tax money, some other 
people are _really_ taking advantage of it (straight into their 
pockets, probably), and in the end it just doesn't serve its 
purpose. How anyone can commute to work using such services as is 
supposedly intended... The train was running an hour late the last 
time I did actually manage to jump on it at the local station.

Since most of the state's railway lines were permanently closed 
decades ago, Bairnsdale is one of relatively few places I could go 
for a short holiday by train even if it did all work well. Rather 
than trying to save money on the travel, it seems the logical thing 
is to save money on accommodation, which would also allow for 
longer stays. A little while ago I finally cleared out my timber 
stockpile (into an old silo) to fit the trailer I inherited last 
year under the carport. If I can find time to turn that into a DIY 
camper trailer, I can have a relatively comfortable alternative to 
motel/hotel rooms with cost ranging from free to at most half the 
cost of a room. With the bonus of lifting an absolute mountain of 
stress around catching/booking train seat reservations (which 
previously didn't need to be made in advance - another way the 
service has got worse) and worrying about delays or unplanned line 
closures. There is something of a thrill from the precariousness of 
traveling around rural towns with just an old bag over one's 
shoulder, but it doesn't really work these days.

 - The Free Thinker