I just had a similar moment of genius on Friday night. I was coming home from dinner from a restaurant in Fitzroy at about 7:15 PM, and decided to get the Route 96 tram back to Southern Cross to get my V/Line train back to Traralgon at 7:27 PM leaving Southern Cross, but didn't realize the next tram was 10 mins away, so I waited for the tram, hopped on at around 7:23 PM and realized I wasn't getting to Southern Cross in time, so I looked at the timetable, saw that the same train leaves Richmond at 7:38 PM, which left me enough time to get off the tram at Parliament, get a Belgrave service to Richmond which arrived as soon as I finished running down the escalators to Platform 4, and then got to Richmond with 2 minutes to spare and caught the Traralgon service I missed at Southern Cross. It felt pretty good at the time not gonna lie.
My father is a former driver and when we would go on train trips late at night and missed our train we would get a train from platform 5 northern group to 'catch up' to our mernda at Parliament. Unlocked so many mems, thanks.
@@dylanshadowstar9779 But some stations are served by trains from more than one line and usually those lines operate from different platforms. So if you're looking for the fastest way to get from Flinders Street to South Yarra, you're trying to compare the Sandringham, Cranny, Pakky and Franga lines while navigating a path through hundreds of other people, all seemingly heading in the opposite direction to you and getting in your way, as well as weighing up in your head whether you're in the mood to deal with Cranny/Pakky/Franga people or whether you'd rather just wait for the Sandy train and be 10 minutes late!
@@RiffRaffMama.you’re right. It’s not just speed reading the route names but also speed reading the stops it’s serving. It’s a lot but super satisfying when you nail it down
if you miss a burnley loop train at finllinders street you can take any caufield group train and vice versa at parliament and skip the entire city loop altogether
Did something... in a similar spirit. I live in New York and the closest line to my house is the M, which is also the closest New York has to a circular line. the two terminals are less than 2 miles from each other. Theoreticly a fast walker could beat the train. I had an errand that brought me up to the other end of the line and instead of walking or taking a bus, I took the M, but I got off to try an experiment. I got off and used a route that added three transfers to what would have been a long loop trip. bassiculy the M crosses under the East river, runs through Manhattan, crosses the river again, runs through nothern brooklyn and then curves back up into Queens... I transferred to the G train, famous for being the only regular subway line that does NOT enter Manhattan, and then to the L train, which has a transfer back to the M a few stops short of my home station. I ride the G, ride the L, go up to the M platform... THE SAME EXACT M TRAIN THAT I WAS ORIGNALLY ON PULLS IN.
I love hacks like these. I actually do something similar to this when I come home. From Glenferrie Station, sometimes the train goes counter-clockwise going toward the city so that means I'll get to Parliament first. It's always fun remembering wheres the closest door to get to the escalator the fastest and then if I was in luck, could walk on the Mernda train without a second to spare since my arrival time and departure time was a minute apart (although alot of the time the first train was slower than my second trains departure time). It's only happened to me twice but another time I got lucky and got an express 5 minutes or so after I missed. God I love problem solving and adventure it takes me on
Even better is when you do the same to catch a missed Belgrave/lilydale train. just walk across the platform when you get to Parliament! Another way to catch a missed Belgrave/Lilydale train is to take a direct train to Richmond.
TIL: Austrailian railways don't use 24 hour time. In the uk the platform announcement would say sixteen fourteen and would be written as 1614 in the timetable (Safe to assume this isn't 4am lol)
It's a mixed bag here, V/line uses 24 hour time a lot more, including on timetables. A lot of Australians can't read 24 hour time fluently, it never used to be taught in school. They do teach it now though apparently.
Also a smart move is if your train was running through the loop and then to a shoulder station like Richmond or north Melbourne. If you miss it, there may be a direct train to that shoulder station to hop on and best the original train. I've had this happen, missing a Craigieburn train, but it's wasting time in the loop, so I hop on Werribee, get off at North Melbourne and get on the Craigieburn train I missed
I used to have to go to Swinburne's Lilydale campus and the loop movements meant it was super easy. I would catch an Upfield train, change at Flagstaff, cross across to Platform 4 and switch to an outgoing Lilydale train that was passing through the loop. That said, you still had to check at Flinders in case it was becoming a Glen Waverley or Alamein train
that pov shot of you running up the parliament escalator was like a horror movie. im always scared im going to smash something open if i so much as move on those
Also an alternative option is to take a train to Richmond using any service which goes direct to Richmond from Flinders Street station like a Sandringham, Frankston or Blackburn service for example! :)
@@arkie14 i think hes talking about the burnley group maybe since sandringham and frankston lines go direct to richmond while if you missed your belgrave, lilydale/camberwell or glen waverley service at flinders they go via the loop and take time before getting to richmond
the old parli run, helps loads when school gets out and getting into flinders misses my train by 2 minutes, sunbury/upfield services always coming in clutch to make that pesky greensborough service
Even better is when you have to catch a bus replacement which never arrives on time and the bus driver has no idea if his bus is stopping at your station so you have do some quick calculations because there are meant to be 2 limited express bus replacements but one that stops all stations, and when you finally catch the right one your journey is 20 minutes longer than the equivalent train journey.
This is true, I've tried this hack for fun, it was an Alamein service that I *missed and then hopped on a Craigieburn Train. This won't work on the Caulfield Loop (as it goes around the city loop first) and the Northern Loop only in certain situations (Flagstaff to Sthn Cross, take a Dandenong Train), but if you're coming in from the North to Dandenong, use Flagstaff.
Another hack I found was to take the Burnley trains during arvo and then switch to the Dandenong trains at Richmond, saves me from traveling around the whole city circle the long way.
Great video Martin. I live on the Sunbury line. We have a similar hack, if we miss a city loop train, take next to North Melbourne. Generally we can catch.
I sometimes do the same in the city circle in Sydney, if I'm at town Hall or st James or something like that and I miss my train, I will just catch next train to Central and get on the train I missed at central
I've done that, sort of. I've missed upfield services at SCS going to coburg (it was heading into melbourne and around the loop). So I caught a cross-city train up to North Melbourne, got off at North Melbourne and caught the train I had missed.
omfg istg i had a lucid dream at the first place, i was on the train tracks and there were trains coming and going, i was somehow avoiding them, and i got onto that spot he was at in the first scene, ive NEVER watch this vid or have ever caught a train in melbourne before
i come into flinders on the burnley group trains at about 4pm and have to switch to the northern group but more often than not, i just stay on until flagstaff and i’ve beaten the trains i could’ve gotten at flinders
@@JordysRailVideos yeah i’ve done this before actually, switched at north melbourne for the northern group, i usually regard switching at north melbourne easier for a sunbury too because 1. there’s a chance you’ll stop at south kensington and possibly compromise getting an earlier sunbury train and 2. the escalators and ramps go down onto the platforms, whereas at footscray you have to touch off, walk to the entrance to the concourse and then touch back on once you reach the way down to platform 2 north melbourne is just more convenient
When did they start mixing up the direction trains travelled through the Loop? It used to be every line ran one direction in the morning and then everything switched direction at 12pm. It was so frustrating when you had to get from Flinders to Southern Cross in a hurry (I live on a V-Line route) but it was the wrong time of day and you'd have to do the Loop. It's faster to walk between some of the Loop stations sometimes.
The Northern Loop always ran in the opposite direction to the others, but yes there were times when you couldn't get between certain stations. I talk about it in this video: ruclips.net/video/3m_NYdwO4FI/видео.html
I'm in the northern group, and usually do the exact opposite of this just to get the slightly earlier Upfield train when going home (my city work is at Southern Cross Station). I'm always envious of how much emptier the other trainlines are, hopefully this will change for the better in the future. Remember not to run up the escalators.
Partly because they do driver changes there a lot, partly because of the way the timetabling is done - ie the train becomes a new service at FSS. Neither are particularly good excuses in the modern world however!
Northern Line user here, it would work, assuming if the train is going around the loop to North Melbourne and u're catching a train via Southern Cross but in any other circumstances it won't work
I've recently moved to the Northern Line and have done sometimes used the Werribee train to run Southern Cross-North Melbourne and try and catch the train there but it's much harder than going from FSS-Parliament.
Very neat trick! Though for all the running, I must ask, how much time did you save compared to just waiting for the next Mernda train from Flinders? I'm definitely a dan of your work but the footage with train noise in the beginning while it does set the scene is a little unpleasant on the ears and I could probably do without it.
It gets argued about a bit on the internet, but I'm going with the spelling that actually matches the spelling of the city. Yes I know it's not pronounced 'bourne,' but neither is the 'bourne' in Melbourne.
I googled it and both spellings are common, depending on where you look. The Maquarie lists your spelling as the main one, but lists mine as an alternative spelling.
I laughed so hard at the start when you just casually walked off because I assumed you were going to try and hotfoot it to parliament
Haha me too... I was thinking "Mate! Run!!". But the man had a plan.
Lol
@@jaewardtattoo same
I just had a similar moment of genius on Friday night. I was coming home from dinner from a restaurant in Fitzroy at about 7:15 PM, and decided to get the Route 96 tram back to Southern Cross to get my V/Line train back to Traralgon at 7:27 PM leaving Southern Cross, but didn't realize the next tram was 10 mins away, so I waited for the tram, hopped on at around 7:23 PM and realized I wasn't getting to Southern Cross in time, so I looked at the timetable, saw that the same train leaves Richmond at 7:38 PM, which left me enough time to get off the tram at Parliament, get a Belgrave service to Richmond which arrived as soon as I finished running down the escalators to Platform 4, and then got to Richmond with 2 minutes to spare and caught the Traralgon service I missed at Southern Cross. It felt pretty good at the time not gonna lie.
My father is a former driver and when we would go on train trips late at night and missed our train we would get a train from platform 5 northern group to 'catch up' to our mernda at Parliament. Unlocked so many mems, thanks.
Mernda speedrun any% (City Loop cheese)
ah yes, the infamous Northern group timesave.
The challenge is in speed reading the timetable screens as you work out which platform to run to.
On most days the trains are usually at the same platforms so just learn which is which.
@@dylanshadowstar9779 But some stations are served by trains from more than one line and usually those lines operate from different platforms. So if you're looking for the fastest way to get from Flinders Street to South Yarra, you're trying to compare the Sandringham, Cranny, Pakky and Franga lines while navigating a path through hundreds of other people, all seemingly heading in the opposite direction to you and getting in your way, as well as weighing up in your head whether you're in the mood to deal with Cranny/Pakky/Franga people or whether you'd rather just wait for the Sandy train and be 10 minutes late!
@@RiffRaffMama.you’re right. It’s not just speed reading the route names but also speed reading the stops it’s serving. It’s a lot but super satisfying when you nail it down
if you miss a burnley loop train at finllinders street you can take any caufield group train and vice versa at parliament and skip the entire city loop altogether
did this and actually caught an "earlier" dandenong train at richmond, shortening my trip time
Did something... in a similar spirit. I live in New York and the closest line to my house is the M, which is also the closest New York has to a circular line. the two terminals are less than 2 miles from each other. Theoreticly a fast walker could beat the train.
I had an errand that brought me up to the other end of the line and instead of walking or taking a bus, I took the M, but I got off to try an experiment. I got off and used a route that added three transfers to what would have been a long loop trip. bassiculy the M crosses under the East river, runs through Manhattan, crosses the river again, runs through nothern brooklyn and then curves back up into Queens...
I transferred to the G train, famous for being the only regular subway line that does NOT enter Manhattan, and then to the L train, which has a transfer back to the M a few stops short of my home station. I ride the G, ride the L, go up to the M platform...
THE SAME EXACT M TRAIN THAT I WAS ORIGNALLY ON PULLS IN.
I love hacks like these. I actually do something similar to this when I come home. From Glenferrie Station, sometimes the train goes counter-clockwise going toward the city so that means I'll get to Parliament first. It's always fun remembering wheres the closest door to get to the escalator the fastest and then if I was in luck, could walk on the Mernda train without a second to spare since my arrival time and departure time was a minute apart (although alot of the time the first train was slower than my second trains departure time). It's only happened to me twice but another time I got lucky and got an express 5 minutes or so after I missed. God I love problem solving and adventure it takes me on
I do this when I can on the way home from Uni. Saves so much time if you get it right
Even better is when you do the same to catch a missed Belgrave/lilydale train. just walk across the platform when you get to Parliament!
Another way to catch a missed Belgrave/Lilydale train is to take a direct train to Richmond.
TIL: Austrailian railways don't use 24 hour time. In the uk the platform announcement would say sixteen fourteen and would be written as 1614 in the timetable
(Safe to assume this isn't 4am lol)
It's a mixed bag here, V/line uses 24 hour time a lot more, including on timetables. A lot of Australians can't read 24 hour time fluently, it never used to be taught in school. They do teach it now though apparently.
Also a smart move is if your train was running through the loop and then to a shoulder station like Richmond or north Melbourne. If you miss it, there may be a direct train to that shoulder station to hop on and best the original train. I've had this happen, missing a Craigieburn train, but it's wasting time in the loop, so I hop on Werribee, get off at North Melbourne and get on the Craigieburn train I missed
I used to have to go to Swinburne's Lilydale campus and the loop movements meant it was super easy. I would catch an Upfield train, change at Flagstaff, cross across to Platform 4 and switch to an outgoing Lilydale train that was passing through the loop. That said, you still had to check at Flinders in case it was becoming a Glen Waverley or Alamein train
I did this 2 years ago after missing a Hursty at Flinders Street...hopped on a Sunbury train and managed to make it!
Sandringham line is no turning back, no other chances if you miss it.
that pov shot of you running up the parliament escalator was like a horror movie. im always scared im going to smash something open if i so much as move on those
Also an alternative option is to take a train to Richmond using any service which goes direct to Richmond from Flinders Street station like a Sandringham, Frankston or Blackburn service for example! :)
Only problem is Mernda line doesn't go to Richmond, it goes to Jolimont-MCG
@@arkie14 i think hes talking about the burnley group maybe since sandringham and frankston lines go direct to richmond while if you missed your belgrave, lilydale/camberwell or glen waverley service at flinders they go via the loop and take time before getting to richmond
My favourite hack is taking swapping from city loop trains to Flinders st direct services at Richmond station to save some extra time in the morning.
The only richmond station is at Sydney
@@Speedyali123 Na Mate, cannot tell if you pulling my leg or not. Richmond is also in Melbourne.
@@ALFA-XL- ok
Ya u have to be familiar with the loop operations with no delays or loop schedule changes. Great video!
this should be a dream montage (POV: You miss your subway train in Melbourne)
the old parli run, helps loads when school gets out and getting into flinders misses my train by 2 minutes, sunbury/upfield services always coming in clutch to make that pesky greensborough service
Clever. Didn't really know that different lines take opposing directions in CL these days until seeing your videos
The best Podcast ever to educate our youth and parents Thanks a lot.
Even better is when you have to catch a bus replacement which never arrives on time and the bus driver has no idea if his bus is stopping at your station so you have do some quick calculations because there are meant to be 2 limited express bus replacements but one that stops all stations, and when you finally catch the right one your journey is 20 minutes longer than the equivalent train journey.
me being on the burnley group I also sometimes just get a different train to Richmond and hope I get it there, sometimes involving some sprinting
You could also grab a tram out the front of flinders to jolimont to catch it works sometimes
At that point you could just run from Flinders to Jolimont lol
This is true, I've tried this hack for fun, it was an Alamein service that I *missed and then hopped on a Craigieburn Train. This won't work on the Caulfield Loop (as it goes around the city loop first) and the Northern Loop only in certain situations (Flagstaff to Sthn Cross, take a Dandenong Train), but if you're coming in from the North to Dandenong, use Flagstaff.
Another hack I found was to take the Burnley trains during arvo and then switch to the Dandenong trains at Richmond, saves me from traveling around the whole city circle the long way.
Great video Martin. I live on the Sunbury line. We have a similar hack, if we miss a city loop train, take next to North Melbourne. Generally we can catch.
The Easi guy on the train with his bike is very much Melbourne
If you miss an upfield at southern cross you can take an opposite direction train (southern line maybe? its been a while) to flagstaff and catch it
the good ‘ol switcharoo as I call it, however, people with low-iq’s don’t understand this life hack.
I used to do this all the time on the 80s at uni. Miss one didn't matter.
I used to live in Melbourne, and I've tried this sort of play but with varying degrees of success. This was fun 😅
Or taking the Frankston to Richmond to beat the Lilydale/Belgrave/GW around the loop
Ha ha ha this is great. Even though I knew you would make it, I was still nervous for you watching this.
I sometimes do the same in the city circle in Sydney, if I'm at town Hall or st James or something like that and I miss my train, I will just catch next train to Central and get on the train I missed at central
Even Wynyard!
Then I only had 20 seconds to spare at Central
17:06, 17:05:17 I arrived
I've done that, sort of.
I've missed upfield services at SCS going to coburg (it was heading into melbourne and around the loop). So I caught a cross-city train up to North Melbourne, got off at North Melbourne and caught the train I had missed.
The passengers onboard the 153M: I have seen that person back at the beggining...
you'd be the only person i know that signs in with the QR code.
I was really just recording it as part of the history of the time. Well aware it didn't/doesn't do anything.
You can do similar antics in the Sydney city circle as well :) Train hack!
Used a few hacks on the City Circle in Sydney on my visits down there. It is definitely handy though that every train comes through Central twice.
Been doing this lately. Thanks it saves quite a bit of time.
such a good watch
my favourite way to go is head to central platform 23 to catch my airport train when i miss it at town hall 😏
omfg istg i had a lucid dream at the first place, i was on the train tracks and there were trains coming and going, i was somehow avoiding them, and i got onto that spot he was at in the first scene, ive NEVER watch this vid or have ever caught a train in melbourne before
Lucid dreams are whack. I've only ever had 3, but that moment you realise you're where you dreamed about is freaky as.
I'm the peak I do this and often make a train that gets me home earlier then if I get on at flinders
Very useful but also a fun game of cat and mouse
I thought you were just gonna book it to parliament lmao
i come into flinders on the burnley group trains at about 4pm and have to switch to the northern group but more often than not, i just stay on until flagstaff and i’ve beaten the trains i could’ve gotten at flinders
Now do the one for missing your afternoon train from Southern Cross for the Northern Group of lines.
No, do the one where you're running late for the last V-Line home.
That'll be easy, go to platform 14 and getting a train to either North Melbourne (Craigieburn or Upfield) or Footscray (Sunbury) and change there
@@JordysRailVideos yeah i’ve done this before actually, switched at north melbourne for the northern group, i usually regard switching at north melbourne easier for a sunbury too because
1. there’s a chance you’ll stop at south kensington and possibly compromise getting an earlier sunbury train and
2. the escalators and ramps go down onto the platforms, whereas at footscray you have to touch off, walk to the entrance to the concourse and then touch back on once you reach the way down to platform 2
north melbourne is just more convenient
When did they start mixing up the direction trains travelled through the Loop? It used to be every line ran one direction in the morning and then everything switched direction at 12pm. It was so frustrating when you had to get from Flinders to Southern Cross in a hurry (I live on a V-Line route) but it was the wrong time of day and you'd have to do the Loop. It's faster to walk between some of the Loop stations sometimes.
The Northern Loop always ran in the opposite direction to the others, but yes there were times when you couldn't get between certain stations. I talk about it in this video: ruclips.net/video/3m_NYdwO4FI/видео.html
On the Mernda train there were two Filipinos in front of you
Yea?
I don't think so... because what is very important for me is getting a seat.
Yes I’ve been doing this on occasions for years
Don't get on many Comebgs these days so was weird to hear that particular beeping noise sgain
What about Sandringam that doesn't go around a loop 🤩🤩
Great work!
do trains still run counter-clockwise at all? this could've been such a cool hack to skip the city loop when i lived in clifton hill
Yeah some of the other tunnels run counter-clockwise at various times, but Clifton Hill group is always clockwise.
to perfect your hack you need to get on the perfect carriage where the doors open by the escalator exit
I came finder street on my line way home upfield, once I arrived I saw it leaving like 1 millisecond
Try getting a tram from fed square to Melbourne Central next but I think u won't be able to make the same train
the only problem with this is you won't get a seat for a long train trip if you travel during peak
Oh man it feels good, I've been doing this for a while and knowing it's actually a thing is nice :)
Does this work with pakenham line
Is this only doable because the train took longer time to stop at Southern Cross ( or maybe Flagstaff or Melbourne Central) ??
No, I believe it was running on time.
Boss move
I'm in the northern group, and usually do the exact opposite of this just to get the slightly earlier Upfield train when going home (my city work is at Southern Cross Station). I'm always envious of how much emptier the other trainlines are, hopefully this will change for the better in the future.
Remember not to run up the escalators.
Why do Melbourne trains dwell for so long at Flinders street?
Partly because they do driver changes there a lot, partly because of the way the timetabling is done - ie the train becomes a new service at FSS. Neither are particularly good excuses in the modern world however!
yes i miss the TAITS
Does this work the other way around if you miss a northern line train?
It would definitely work from Southern Cross. It would be a close call from Flinders St, but probably possible in some circumstances.
Northern Line user here, it would work, assuming if the train is going around the loop to North Melbourne and u're catching a train via Southern Cross but in any other circumstances it won't work
I've recently moved to the Northern Line and have done sometimes used the Werribee train to run Southern Cross-North Melbourne and try and catch the train there but it's much harder than going from FSS-Parliament.
Ha …. Nice one! 👍
nice im going to try this
7:33 Filipino speaking 😁
oh nice
so smart hehe
I used to do this sometimes lol
Very neat trick! Though for all the running, I must ask, how much time did you save compared to just waiting for the next Mernda train from Flinders?
I'm definitely a dan of your work but the footage with train noise in the beginning while it does set the scene is a little unpleasant on the ears and I could probably do without it.
For the Mernda line, potentially 20 minutes in the off-peak. If it's a Hurstbridge train you could save 40 - or 80 if the next one gets cancelled!
jeez!
👏
Melburnian* why do so many people get this wrong
It gets argued about a bit on the internet, but I'm going with the spelling that actually matches the spelling of the city. Yes I know it's not pronounced 'bourne,' but neither is the 'bourne' in Melbourne.
@@Taitset first time ive ever heard that, never seen it argued ever before.
I googled it and both spellings are common, depending on where you look. The Maquarie lists your spelling as the main one, but lists mine as an alternative spelling.
first