I think this is the first positive thing I have ever said about Melbourne train service provider Connex. I feel like it is such a momentous occasion it deserves to be mentioned in the title of this post.

More than a few months ago I registered the Twitter account @ConnexMelbourne. I posted my email address and said if Connex wanted the account all they had to do was contact me. Eventually they did.

I handed it over without much reluctance, although I kind of wish I asked for a yearly Metcard or something now. Anyway, it sat unused for quite some time. Just as I was about to get frustrated it finally became active.

As Twitter slowly becomes mainstream, users often complain they can’t see the use for it because Facebook status updates. But here’s a perfect example for you after having a light bulb moment today.

Catching a train into the city on my journey home from Uni I was browsing Twitter on my iPhone. I noticed the @ConnexMelbourne account said the train line for my ride out of the city was significantly delayed.

This meant as soon as I got into Flinders Street Station I could jump on an alternate train line without wasting time and potentially missing a connection.

My one critique, it would be great to establish an account for all of the train lines so I have the option to only subscribe to the ones I want. But still, I’m happy to put up with it for now. Great work Connex.