Fwd: [TramsDownUnder] Re: Melbourne vs Sydney

From:	'TP' via TramsDownUnder <tramsdownunder@googlegroups.com>

The Sydney map also doesn't include the Parramatta system of course.

There is the argument that some of those Melbourne tram lines might have been too long and that it's the job of railways to reach that far with a quicker journey. If a line is simply carrying people from suburbs to city without much turnover to and from other centres along the way, then you wouldn't want to be spending much more than an hour on the tram. Vermont South and Bundoora trips are well over the hour, whereas the longest trips in Sydney were probably Ryde at 1 hour and La Perouse at 50 minutes.

Ironically, Melbourne had a much more comprehensive suburban train system than Sydney, but those long tram lines slipped through the net. At that distance, it's more the case that a tram or bus should connect to the nearest rail rather than run more slowly than a train through to the city. Obviously there were unique circumstances in each of those cases.

Tony P