Au revoir Connex

An era has ended in Melbourne, with the much-maligned public transport provider Connex failing in its bid to renew its contract to operate the city's rail services. The newly formed consortium, Metro Trains Melbourne, which is headed by a Hong Kong company, will take over rail operations, while a group led by the French firm Keolis Downer EDI will pick up tram services. Having wasted at least one lifetime waiting on Connex trains to arrive (despite the hefty price tag associated with the city's rail services), I can't be surprised about the demise of Connex. However, it remains to be seen if the new management can improve the current state of affairs, which is due in part to long-term underinvestment in infrastructure.