The girls traveled up to Sydney on the XPT. We spent the night before double checking the details. Kirsten had been told that there was regional rail track works and the trip from Southern Cross to Broadmeadows would be by bus and therefore we had to be at southern cross 40 minutes earlier at 7:50 am. I thought then that it would be better to meet the train at Broadmeadows.
I called the Victorian number and asked if we could catch the train from Broadmeadows. The lady said yes. Then it realised I had not asked for the departure time. I called back. This time I was told that they could not advise me on this train as it was run by another company. They have me the number for the other company. (It is a NSW train.)
I called NSW Country Link. They said that yes, we could catch the train from Broadmeadows and it leaves at the much more reasonable time of 8:54.
On the morning we got up at 6:00 am aiming for a 7:00 am departure. But we did not get away until 7:15 as Krysta, whilst saying goodbye to the cats, let one escape and Kirsten had to recapture it.
The drive to Broadmeadows Station was quite uneventful and very easy. Google maps brought us in at the back of the station, which turned out to be a good thing. It was the location of platform 3, which is the standard gauge platform. As we drove up we saw the busses. They had quite a good arrangement. A man with a clipboard came up and asked us if we were catching the train and let us know that it would leave in about 15 minutes, it was not yet at the station, but it was in its was and would be there soon. We had no sooner walked onto the platform when the train arrived.
I must admit, I wonder why they would replace the train with buses. As far as I know the broad gauge line, which takes a different route, was still going. So they could have replaced the train with a train. I guess the interstate train rivalry prevents such cooperation.
The girls had been well behaved all morning. And were very excited. They had even put up with playing I spy on the car trip to save battery power on the iPads. I think that the railways would do well to provide USB power outlets on the trains.
The time came and the train headed off to Sydney. Kirsten contacted me from the other end. To let me know that they got there safely. She had turned off her phone for the trip to conserve power.