Even in the best transit systems, services are sometimes interrupted due to unforeseen events.

This section aims to reduce the impact of disruptions and get you moving again.

Train

Keen observation, network knowledge and taking informed gambles can all get you home quicker when train services are disrupted. The first question to ask is if doing anything can speed your journey or whether it's better to wait it out.

Information

Information that is accurate and complete is perhaps the rarest commodity during a major disruption. Though most stations have automated announcements and 'green button' next train information, they become less responsive and accurate during some types of service interruption.

While major stations are staffed, the network (particularly in the CBD area) is so complex and requires so many people to run that no one individual can have full information. This is particularly where trains, platforms and stopping patterns are modified at short notice.

When information about an accident has just come through, details may be sketchy and the facts (which affect the services that can run and what passengers are told) take time to become known. Pay attention to announcements and displays, but be aware that some may be missing, blank or incorrect.

Train cancellation and disruptions advice is provided by Connex, Metlink and archived on Twitter. Network-wide disruptions, for instance during storms, can make the above websites unavailable or slow due to high traffic.

If you're away from a computer, updates are provided on ABC Radio (774 kHz) during the morning and afternoon peaks. Passengers with definite travel patterns can also obtain cancellation advice from the SMS Updates service (though note accuracy lessens if arrangements change or during severe disruptions).

In-depth reporting of major incidents is sometimes provided on 'The Age' and 'Herald Sun' websites.

Hints

* If you're in the City Loop intending to travel to a suburban station and there is any hint of major delays, get out of the Loop! Catch a train (any train) to either Flinders Street Station or a major junction station on your side of town (eg Richmond, Jolimont or North Melbourne). Some disruptions involve the Loop only and direct services may still be running.

* If you're in the City Loop intending to travel to a suburban station and the trip takes you via Flinders Street, again get the first train to Flinders Street (even if it is not on your line). Trains may be swapped to another line or altered to run direct. The chance of missing a connection is reduced if the first available service is taken.

* If you're at Flinders Street intending to travel to a suburban station, consider getting the first available train to your nearest major junction station. Passenger information displays seem to be more reliable at suburban stations. Also if you do need a taxi, it's a lower fare.

* On the other hand, If you're at Flinders Street intending to travel to a suburban station, sometimes it's best not to get the first available train to the nearest junction station. If the next train you board is the first after services resume, it may be harder to get a seat.

* Take advantage of less busy counter-peak services to get to an intersecting tram or bus route or a station where you're more likely to be able to board the train. For example if you're at Southern Cross Station travelling on the Burnley, Caulfield or Clifton Hill groups, take trains to Flinders Street on Platform 11 in the afternoon peak to board your train at Flinders Street.

* If trams are included in your back-up plan, note that some types of disruption (eg power failure) affect them as much as trains. Check if there are any regular bus routes that go your way, either direct to where you need to go or via a railway station on another line. The latter could be useful if there is an incident on your line only. Choose direct routes with the best service frequency and longest operating hours to minimise waiting. The chance of getting a seat may be higher if the service is less well-known and/or departs from an unstaffed station.

* If only part of your line is out of service, it could be wise to alight a few stations before the end. If you pick one with good regular bus services, you can use these instead of being one of hundreds at the terminus (who may not all fit on the first replacement buses that arrive).

* It can take a while for Rail Replacement buses to arrive, particularly if you're on the first train affected by the disruption or if is during the morning peak period (when many buses are used for school services). Your back-up plan should assume the worst (ie no information and no rail substitute services) to cover this eventuality.

* If disruptions are expected to be longer than about 40 or 60 minutes, it may be worthwhile to catch trams and buses if these operate from your station. See the list of stations with city tram and bus services. These alternatives do not usually save time for shorter disruptions, so educated guesswork is required.

* As mentioned above, Green buttons can be unreliable during service disruptions. Part of this is because there is a limit to the number of information requests it can process, and people tend to push buttons more when something is amiss.

Tram

Information

Real-time information is provided at some CBD tram stops. Elsewhere passengers can use the mobile phone-based TramTracker system to provide arrival information for the next three trams. Again reliability may fall when services are interrupted. Newspapers report tram disruptions much less than train disruptions, but they may be mentioned on radio traffic and accident reports. Another source to try is the Metlink website.

Hints

* Similar comments as made for trains with regards to planning for disruptions apply.

* As with trains, buses may sometimes be ordered to provide a replacement service. However compared with the tram there is usually little or no reduction in travel speeds.

Bus

Information

Real-time information is provided at some SmartBus stops. Bus problems tend to be very localised and little bus disruption advice is provided in the city-wide media or transport websites. However traffic accident reports on the radio may be relevant if on a bus route. Phone numbers for bus companies are provided on timetables (both stop-mounted and leaflet) and this is probably the best avenue for service enquiries.

Hints

* Again it's important to know if the trip can be made with other train, tram and bus services. Where buses are infrequent it may be preferable to take a train to a junction station and back out again if you have good grounds for believing a service has been cancelled (rather than merely late).

Causes of service disruptions

Train

Many things can interrupt or modify train services at short notice. The following are the most important:

* Track, point and signalling faults In extreme cases trains are unable to operate through a particular station. Other times, when there is a choice of lines, trains may still run but are switched to use other platforms. Where electrically-controlled points fail, they need to be moved by hand. When signals fail a manual system (where staff deliver slips of paper authorising drivers to proceed) is substituted to maintain safe distances between trains. All of these can delay services or result in early terminations and cancellations.

* Storms and/or lightning strikes Storms can blow trees across tracks or cause power cuts and flooding. This may mean that trains cannot run on part of a line and are replaced by buses, extending travel times up to 30 minutes or more. Storms are often city-wide affecting several lines. The ability to provide replacement buses is often limited, especially during peak periods. Lightning's effect is more localised and can damage substations (which provide power to a part of the network) and/or signalling equipment. The effect is generally late-running and cancellations similar to track, point and signalling faults.

* Power cuts These may be city-wide and are most frequent during storms and very hot weather. Speeds may be reduced, leading to late-running. If trains cannot reach their next starting point in time, services may be cancelled. Other times power cuts may be more isolated, for instance confined to one line (or group) or the City Loop.

* Car/Pedestrian/Trespasser accidents These most often occur at crossings and may involve drivers or pedestrians. Trains may have to terminate at stations either side of the accident, with substitute buses being ordered to carry passengers. Where a death is involved services cannot resume until the State Coroner has visited the site. Replacement buses may take twenty or thirty minutes to arrive and their availability depends on if them not being used for other purposes (eg regular route or school services).

* Faulty trains Common faults include doors (which can be damaged if forced), loss of tractive effort, braking and the air conditioning system. Functioning of the latter is necessary where trains do not have windows that open.

* Lack of trains A consequence of line blockages, late arrivals (trains in the wrong position when required) or a large number of faulty trains. The latter occurred in early 2007 when braking difficulties with the new Siemens trains caused many to be taken out of service and a temporary reduced timetable implemented.

* A previous cancellation Where a 'stopping all stations' train does not run, an express service may be modified to stop at the stations it normally bypasses. The cost of this is delays for express passengers and (possibly) for those travelling in the opposite direction on a later train. However if this is not done, some stations may be left with long gaps between trains which is also unsatisfactory.

* Passenger causes This can range from ill passengers awaiting medical assistance, people standing in doorways to criminal activity where the train is held awaiting police. Even small delays can compound if they cause the train to lose its timetabled 'slot' when passing points or entering the City Loop.

* Vandalism and theft Can result in damaged trains, which if severe enough and no substitute is available, results in cancellations. Often cancellations happen in pairs; if a from city service does not arrive, then a later to city service does not run. Theft of critical items (eg copper cable) can kill power or signalling and disrupt services.

* Shortage of drivers Can be due to higher than forecast attrition, sickness and absenteeism, and a failure to recruit and train in sufficient numbers. Because driver training is a slow process, any backlog causes months of high peak period cancellations, such as ocurred on former National Express lines during 2004-2005.

Though trains convey the image of weight and solidity (each 6-car set weighs 250 tonnes), the rail system as a whole is fragile. It requires hundreds of things to happen correctly for each train to run smoothly, and only a few not to for trains to stop.

Tram

Tram delays are common due to heavy car traffic, though cancellations are rare. Away from the route's origin, longer than timetabled gaps between services occur due to 'bunching', where the first (delayed and crowded) tram stops at every stop while following (less full) trams catch up.

Late trams may be 'short-shunted' - terminated early and sent back to their origin - to prevent further delays. This is why tram drivers sometimes ask passengers to leave a late-running tram (even though it hasn't reached its formal terminus) and wait for the next one.

More serious disruptions may occur due to car accidents blocking trams or the actions of vandals making a tram unserviceable. Derailments can prevent other trams passing. Power cuts or downed overheads can remove electricity from trams. Network-wide, storms can result in downed trees, overhead cable damage or unusually heavy traffic, again blocking trams. Tram speeds may be reduced during power cuts or restrictions where many homes are without power.

Bus

Because of their smaller scale and lack of a centralised power and signalling system, fewer things tend to go wrong with buses than trains. Unlike trains, buses can more often detour around road blockages.

Bus delays are more common than outright cancellations. The main causes of hold-ups are road accidents, traffic snarls (including those caused by faulty railway boomgates) and vehicle failure. Storms and local flooding can cause waits of up to two hours. Thunderstorms that disrupt trains have a compounding effect due to the crowding of rail passengers on buses.

More routine delays are due to traffic congestion and/or the lack of effective bus priority. Regular passengers soon know which routes are most delayed with examples including 216/219/220 through Melbourne CBD and 888/889 along Springvale Road. For some trips use of a parallel route (eg 55 or 703) may save time or offer greater reliability even if a longer walk is required.

Compared to trains and trams, the impact of cancelled buses is both lower (due to generally lower passenger numbers) and higher (due to generally lower service frequencies).

Summary

The above has been based on the formula:

Response = Knowledge + Preparation + Information

Knowledge is what you know about the transport network. This may include local bus and tram routes and extend to things like service levels, travel times, connections and stop locations. Preparation is the use of this information to develop a personal service disruption plan for trips that are frequently made (train passengers may find this link useful). Information includes displays, announcements, levels of crowding and other things seen and heard during the disruption.

Information, along with knowledge and preparation (plus how you feel on the day) is what determines your response. Most important is timing; K and P must be done now, while I waits until the disruption.