zt_tram_future

=What is the future development for trams?= Melbourne's trams are looking very good for the future because the State Government has invested alot of money to make Melbourne's trams more functional. With the money that the Government has funded into the tram network, they have been able to improve Melbourne's tram service.

$175 million has been spent on 59 trams, improving such things as; floors, external steps and interior seating and creating "super stops" for easy embarking and disembarking, such as Swanston Street. Another $7.2 million was spent on refurbishing the current trams. The Yarra Trams have also invested $150 million in light rail trams. Light rail trams are trams that have lower capacity and are not as fast.

The future is going to bring many interesting changes to the tram industry. The trams are going to eventually increase in number, making it easier to get around and more helpful to the public. More and more new trams are coming into our system which are cleaner and have better technology. The technology is continously evolving, as seen on the picture above.

= Myki = = = Discussion started in 2003 that Melbourne needed a new ticketing system for trams, trains and buses. Myki was suposed to start in late 2007 but was delayed one year and started in late 2008. The first Myki test run was in Geelong, one of the 8 Myki destinations. The other 7 Myki destinations were: Melbourne, Moe, Morwell, Traraglon, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Seymor. Myki also has 5 different types of cards: full fare, child, concession, seniors and short term. There are different prices for these cards; for a full fare the price is $10, child is $7, concession is $7, seniors is $7 and a short term is $3 but is only available for 2 hours.

The way you purchase a Myki ticket is by going to one of the big silver machines and selecting the sort of ticket you want, after the ticket comes out you go and swipe the ticket on the little green machine where it shows the hand holding the Myki card.

In 2009, Myki machines were installed in the Metropoliton areas. 17,000 pieces of equipment were installed that are related to the Myki machines. There are 23 pieces of equipment installed in each tram to run the Myki machines.

There are negatives and positives with the Myki machines. Some negatives are : it costs $1.35 billion dollars to run the Myki machines and before you leave the tram, train or bus you must swipe off or be charged the cost of the whole trip. Some of the benefits of Myki is: it calculates the best price for the passengaer when they purchase their ticket.

History of trams | Why does Melbourne have trams | Tram stations and depots | Future development | Engineering and technology | Mind map | Chris' reflection | Michal's reflection homepage

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