Cityrail Havoc MKII....and my first Bridge Walk!

As the SMH reports, Cityrail services between Wynyard and Gordon were halted today after a section of roofing from a train carriage was blown off while travelling across the Harbour Bridge. The flying debris brought down power lines, causing rail delays.

This is not the first time that rail services have been cancelled on the north shore line, preventing commuters from crossing the harbour by rail. An earlier incident occurred a few months ago, creating huge delays as people had to wait for buses to replace trains.

I was at work in North Sydney today, and rather than join the crowd/mob of people (stretching around halfway down a city block) waiting for a train, a few workmates and I decided to go for a walk across the bridge. How exciting...it was the first time I'd walk across the harbour bridge.
We bypassed North Sydney station as well as Milson's point, taking only 30mins or so to walk from my building to Wynyard. I bet those poor souls waiting for buses at North Sydney were still standing in the cold by the time I was on a train.

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Working in the city - not all that fab

There seems to be a stereotypical view that office workers have relaxing jobs in a nice environment, and that if you work in the City, it's prestigious, or some bull like that. Let me tell you, it's neither relaxing, nor is it fun, nor is it prestigious in anyway.

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There are a few key factors that make working in the City really really crap:

Factor 1: Just because a lot of people who work in the city wear nice neat business suits and outfits, does not mean everyone does, and those who don't, get looked down on a little. And those who do are usually all grumpy snobs who push their way around because they think being in a suit makes them better than me.
Factor 2: Have you tried walking around the City in peak hours? Hell I tell you! Don't even make mention the public transport coughCityRailcough. You basically have to cram yourself into the damn trains (or buses) like sardines and sometimes you don't even get a chance of getting on (because the trains are always late, and by the time they come the station would be overloaded with people they don't fit on the lousy 6 carriage train they pulled in).
Factor 3: The sole reason I'll die young: smokers. Everyday I must push myself, gasping for air through the clouds of smoke everywhere I turn. I don't care if you smokers want to kill yourself, but please, don't kill me in the process too.
Factor 4: This is really the same as factor 3, but heck it needs reiterating - CityRail. Oh the wonders of late trains, and cancelled trains and trains that get stuck on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, two days before its 75th birthday. Now to put myself into perspective, I don't actually work in the City, I work in St Leonards, which is over the bridge. This sucks on many degrees - more expensive tickets, longer trips meaning less sleep in time, longer trips back, meaning busier trains, and the one I hate above all: once the trains screw up, you're screwed.

I took those photos shown above, of the number of people waiting for a bus (that does not exist) at St Leonards after the trains broke down on the bridge. I got to the station around 6:30pm or so, and started to wait for a bus since the trains had an undetermined amount of time to be fixed. There were no buses for about an hour, taxis were being called, people were fighting over taxis, and the buses just didn't come as every single one being sent out got filled up at North Sydney (how pathetic is that, so they didn't think to send a few out to St Leonards first?). I'll give them some credit, they eventually did, around 8pm or something, by then, the bus was filled up in about 1 minute. So after giving up completely, I found a few strangers to share a taxi back over the stupid bridge to Town Hall where trains were functioning properly.

So I hope that clears up some things about working in the City (or over the bridge), it's not all that fabulous and fancy and fantastic and fun - it sucks.

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