American author Marianne Wiggins said: “What thrills me about
trains is not their size or their equipment, but the fact that they are
moving, that they embody a connection between unseen places.”
For Bacchus Marsh commuter Jim Scott (pictured), there are no
unseen places on his train route – he’s been riding the rails to and
from Melbourne since his high-school days in the 1970s.
“I’ve travelled more than 500,000 kilometres since I first started commuting,” he said.
Mr Scott, who recently retired after more than 28 years in finance
and sales with Australia Post, said he made the most of the Ballarat
line commute.
“I’ve got to know quite a few people over the course of time and
usually I’m chatting with someone or reading a book, might have music
going,” he said.
“Over time I’ve got to know regular faces … they come and go.”
Mr Scott said he had witnessed several major collisions and
accidents during his years of commuting, but one in particular stuck in
his mind.
“A couple of young fellas were mucking around when they had the
old red carriages, and one accidentally opened the door and fell out the
back of the train,” he said.
‘‘He survived but he was badly injured, broken legs, the whole lot.”
Mr Scott said he hoped Bacchus Marsh station would be upgraded soon, and that one day the line would be electrified.
“Given the number of people who are catching trains out this way,
and that it keeps on growing, it’s something that definitely should be
looked at,” he said.
‘‘Public transport is an important service.”
For Mr Scott, train travelling will become a relic of his school and working life.
He said he wasn’t “too impressed” with the myki system and was happy it was only recently rolled out on the Ballarat line.
“When I get down to Melbourne now, I’ll probably drive,” he said.
