Labour Day is a work day for me as it is not treated as a public holiday by my employer, the University of Melbourne.
I immediately felt the difference when I arrived at Westona train station in the morning on Labour Day. There were only two cars parked at the station and the trains run according to a Saturday timetable.
Most if not all suburbs see reduced services on weekends relative to weekdays. However, for the residents in Altona and Seaholme, weekend and night trains are equivalent to better services. This is because these services are spared the changes introduced last year. They run more frequently and proceed beyond Newport or Laverton. With these services, Altona passengers do not need to connect trains at Newport or Laverton and can reach their destinations in a much shorter time. How long this state would remain is unknown as it appears that Altona is always picked as the sacrificial lamb on the chopping board to effect new changes that will bring benefits to other parts of Melbourne.
Anyway, when I reached North Melbourne station, I was pleasantly surprised to see four Route 401 buses waiting for me. On some days, there is such a long queue of passengers that I need to wait until the 4th bus to get a boarding space.
