en the system was established, it was set up under assumptions and predictions made for stricter working hours and it is for the same reason that express trains were rarely run.
However, express services had to be introduced as time passed and the 1970s saw a major revamping of the Melbourne Train System.
These changes were welcomed by commuters and the 1980s and 1990s saw an increasing number of people choosing to take the train rather than to drive to their destinations (Morphet, 2008). However, the system was not designed to meet an exponential increase in passenger demand and had to be stretched in its functioning in order to cope with the same. Issues began to develop in scenarios where train paths crossed each other and express trains had to share tracks as well as junctions, causing delays to take place. Considering the nature of the train system, it is evident that a single delayed train can cause a chain reaction of delays for other trains as well.
Once a delay occurs or a train is taken off operation, it causes an increase in the number of passengers trying to board an individual train, causing an increase in the time required for passengers to get on and off the trains. This time is also often referred to as Dual Time (Middeldorp & Klop, 2005). The increase in dual time causes trains to take longer at each station, causing even more increased delays. It is therefore clear that the implications in the case of a single delay in the train transport system are very similar to a Domino Effect.
Needless to say, there is a strong need for safety to remain uncompromising at all times but it is imperative to note that unless a balance between safety and efficiency is maintained, the train begins to lose its utility as a commuting mean.
On January 28, rail commuters in Melbourne found themselves facing what came to them as nothing less than an odyssey when they discovered that nearly 200 trains had been cancelled, bringing a halt to services on three lines.