FW: snippets, Tues.21.11.17
  Roderick Smith

-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Smith [mailto:rodsmith@werple.net.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 21 November 2017 11:22 PM
To: 'transportdownunder@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: snippets, Tues.21.11.17

I'm back from 3 great weeks on the Murray, but with very restricted and slow
internet access.

Links:
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-hunt-for-the-best-signs-around-austr
alia/news-story/e89be5788bab3989001a4bfceccb15a8>
<www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/wheres-the-vision-in-australias-big-in
frastructure-projects-says-expert>

Attached:
171120M Melbourne 'Age':
- W tram.
- stored art tram.

171121Tu Melbourne 'Herald Sun':
- letters. motorbike safety, congestion, energy. with tdu.
- bollards.
- police photo.
- wires down.

171121Tu Melbourne 'Age':
- wires down.
- hot morning, tram.

Roderick.

Metro Twitter, Tues.21.11.17
7.05 Third party incident at Market St: Route 58 trams are diverting via
Elizabeth St, Victoria St, Swanston St and St Kilda Rd between Stop 20
Domain Interchange and Stop 12 Flemington Rd.
Shuttle trams are operating between: Stop 19 Royal Children's Hospital -
Stop 2 Market St/Stop 3 Collins St and Stop 21 Bowen Cres - Stop 116 City Rd
via Kings Way.
Passengers may consider Upfield line trains between Royal Park Station & the
City as an alternative. bus routes 216, 219, 220, 234, 236 may also be
disrupted.
All 605 services are diverting around the area in both directions, missing
stops in Queens Street. Expect delays.
8.15 Passengers may consider Upfield line trains between Royal Park Station
& the City as an alternative. Also consider Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston
or Sandringham line trains between South Yarra Station & the City.
Bus routes 216, 219, 220 are diverting via Flinders St and Clarendon St.
Routes 234, 236 are diverting via Flinders St, Clarendon St and Whiteman St.
Repairs continue to overhead wires and infrastructure under the rail
overpass at Flinders St and along Queensbridge St. We expect this disruption
to continue for approximately eight hours in time for the PM Peak.
Route 58 trams continue to divert via Elizabeth St, Victoria St, Swanston St
and St Kilda Rd between Stop 20 Domain Interchange & Stop 12 Flemington Rd.
Shuttle trams are operating between Stop 19 Royal Children's Hospital & Stop
2 Market St and between Stop 21 Bowen Cres & Stop 116 City Rd via Kings Way.
bus routes 216, 219, 220 are diverting via Flinders St and Clarendon St.
Routes 234, 236 are diverting via Flinders St, Clarendon St and Whiteman St.
9.00 We expect this disruption to continue until 3-4pm approximately.
Repairs continue to overhead wires and infrastructure under the rail
overpass at Flinders St and along Queensbridge St.
Passengers may consider Upfield line trains between Royal Park Station & the
City as an alternative. Also consider Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston or
Sandringham line trains between South Yarra Station & the City.
Route 58 trams are diverting via Elizabeth St, Victoria St, Swanston St and
St Kilda Rd between Stop 20 Domain Interchange and Stop 12 Flemington Rd.
Shuttle trams are operating between Stop 19 Royal Children's Hospital & Stop
2 Market St and between Stop 21 Bowen Cres & Stop 116 City Rd via Kings Way.
bus routes 216, 219, 220 are diverting via Flinders St and Clarendon St.
Routes 234, 236 are diverting via Flinders St, Clarendon St and Whiteman St.
9.54 Passengers connecting with Route 58 tram services from South Yarra,
Flinders Street and Flagstaff stations, please note service changes are in
place. Service changes currently apply on the Route 58 due to emergency
overhead wire & infrastructure repairs under the rail overpass at Flinders
St and along Queensbridge St.
13.13 Route 58 trams have now resumed along normal lines following the
earlier disruption. Delays may still occur.
Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Buses replace trains Caulfield - Dandenong
tonight after 8pm because of level-crossing works.
Buses replace trains Nth Melbourne - Upfield tonight after 8pm because of
maintenance and level-crossing works.
Buses are replacing all trains Coburg - Upfield until last service on Sunday
17th December because of Camp Road work.

Melbourne Express: Tuesday, November 21, 2017
7.16 Technicians are still working to repair power and tram lines on
Queensbridge Street after an oversized truck brought down lines in the CBD
this morning.
Queensbridge Street inbound is expected to remain closed between Flinders
and Power streets for several more hours.
Traffic is heavy in the Southbank area.
Traffic chaos after a truck brought down lines in the CBD. Photo: Channel
Nine
6.36 3AW Breakfast is reporting Flinders Street has reopened to trams after
a truck brought down power lines this morning.
Queensbridge Street outbound has also reopened but remains closed inbound
between Power and Flinders streets.
Expect delays. Route 58 trams are skipping William Street and are diverting
via Elizabeth Street.
6.20 A truck has brought down power and tram lines in the CBD this morning,
shutting down Flinders Street and causing traffic chaos.
Flinders Street is closed to all traffic - including pedestrians - between
Queen and William streets after an oversized truck pulled down tram lines in
Flinders Street at 4.30am this morning.
The truck then turned into Queensbridge Street, pulling down more tram and
power lines before coming to a stop outside Crown Casino.
Technicians are rushing to have Flinders Street open as soon as possible but
Queensbridge Street will be closed between Flinders and Power streets for at
least another 4 to 6 hours.
Motorists have been told to avoid the CBD with travel times expected to
balloon.
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-express-tuesday-november-21-2017-20171
120-gzpdnh.html>

The latest International Energy Agency projections confirm coal will still
be king in 2040.
Herald Sun November 15, 2017. with tdu.
75 comments
<www.heraldsun.com.au/business/terry-mccrann/the-latest-international-energy
-agency-projections-confirm-coal-will-still-be-king-in-2040/news-story/1377b
92383495fba7ad8b2034c08c561>

November 20 2017 Fate of Melbourne's iconic W-Class trams up in the air.
The rattle of the W-class tram is a sound familiar to all Melburnians.
Over the years, thousands of people have huddled on them to get to their
chosen destination.
Victoria's state government is looking for new homes for dozens of
Melbourne's iconic W-class trams. Photo: Supllied .
Some have got married on them; others have enjoyed a meal while catching a
glimpse of the city by night.
The trams have been in operation for nearly a century, but now the fate of
almost 200 of the cultural icons, sitting in storage in a leaky shed in
Melbourne's inner west, remains up in the air.
Michael Leunig's art tram pictured exposed to the elements in 1993. It is
now in storage in VicTrack's Newport rail yards. Photo: David Johns
The state government has completed an audit of Melbourne's retired fleet of
W-class trams and has handed the audit's findings to a reference group that
will decide their fate.
Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said about 200 of the trams remain in
storage at the Newport railyard in varying conditions, but it was hoped a
new home would be found for a few.
"Some of them are in OK nick, some are in not-so-great condition,
unfortunately, so we do need to think carefully because they're an important
part of our history and heritage," she said.
Six have since been upgraded to W-Class 8 standard allowing them to carry
passengers again and another 27 have been deemed to have similar potential,
while three are being used as restaurant trams.
Twenty other specially painted art trams have been identified as having
cultural value, along with two themed trams and six historic advertising
trams.
The cost of restoring the most trams to a condition where they are able to
carry passengers is about $2 million.
Ms Allan said a small number of W-class trams still operated on the City
Circle tourist line, which carried about three million people per year.
Between 1923 and 1956, a total of 752 trams were produced across various
workshops.
From those original trams, 224 remain on VicTrack's register, the majority
of which are in storage.
As part of the audit, external and internal visual inspections were
undertaken with a grading scale assessing each tram's condition and
suitability for future purposes.
"We have to understand the condition that the various trams are in, and if
there is a reuse for them, how that can be done safely," Ms Allan said.
Melbourne Tram Museum deputy chairman Russell Jones said the trams were
unique to Melbourne and were a part of the rich historical tapestry of the
state's public transport system.
"We'll all mourn then to some degree," he said.
"They were designed specifically for Melbourne, and they don't really occur
anywhere else in the world. People just have a real emotional connection to
them because they've been a part of our streetscape for so long.
"Everybody travels by tram, no matter what social class you are, so everyone
from Melbourne feels a real connection to them."
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/fate-of-melbournes-iconic-wclass-trams-up-in-the
-air-20171120-gzp16e.html>

November 21 2017 - 9.31 CBD traffic chaos after truck brings down tram lines
..
Commuters through the CBD can expect delaysafter a truck brought down tram
lines in the early hours of Tuesday morning, closing some of the city's
busiest streets and major tram lines.
A large truck carrying an excavator brought down tram lines before coming to
a stop near Crown Casino at about 3.50am.
Traffic chaos after a truck brought down lines in the CBD. Photo: Channel
Nine .
A police spokeswoman said the truck brought down a number of tramlines on
Queensbridge Street before bringing more down as it attempted a u-turn at
the intersection of Flinders, Queensbridge and Market streets.
Flinders Street and Queensbridge Street were closed to traffic as crews
worked to restore the lines and several tram lines were closed.
But Vic Roads spokesman Chris Miller said that by 6.45am traffic was flowing
on all but one road in the CBD.
"Flinders Street is now operating normally but Queensbridge Street is closed
to inbound traffic and has one lane open outbound between Powers and
Flinders streets," he said.
"So we're asking motorist who would normally use that route to use King St,
Spencer St or Saint Kilda Road instead."
Mr Miller said the most motorists would now only face the normal morning
grind.
"Queensbridge isn't the busiest street in city so it will effect the few
people who use it, but we're not expecting it's going to have a knock-on
effect around town," he said.
"Because it happened so early in the morning a lot of the traffic hasn't hit
the city yet.
"So we're not expecting delays, or at least nothing beyond the normal
morning traffic."
As of 7am, the route 58 tram was still affected by the incident.
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/cbd-traffic-chaos-after-truck-brings-down-tram-l
ines-20171120-gzpdya.html>
~8.40 Route 58 trams continue to divert via Elizabeth St, Victoria St,
Swanston St and St Kilda Rd between Stop 20 Domain Interchange & Stop 12
Flemington Rd.
9.00 Third party incident at Market St:
- We expect this disruption to continue until 3-4pm approximately.
- Repairs continue to overhead wires and infrastructure under the rail
overpass at Flinders St and along Queensbridge St.

Roads closed in Melbourne CBD after truck brings down tram lines.
Herald Sun November 21, 2017.
TRAM diversions remain in place in Melbourne's CBD after an oversized truck
crashed into overhead wires early this morning.
Commuters were warned to expect major delays after parts of Flinders St and
Queensbridge St were shut down.
NEW BOLLARDS FOR FLINDERS ST, FED SQUARE
Yarra Trams said Route 58 services, disrupted earlier after the incident,
had resumed on their normal route but some delays could occur as work
continues.
"Yarra Trams response crews are working to restore services as quickly and
safely as possible," a spokesman said.
VicRoads said one lane of traffic remained closed in both directions at
Power St and the Flinders St rail bridge.
The large truck brought down tram lines early this morning while driving
down the busy street and became hooked on more of them as it attempted to
perform a U-turn near Queen St.
The truck that clipped the powerlines came to a stop near Crown Casino.
Picture: Nicole Garmston.
The truck was carrying an excavator. Picture: Nicole Garmston
Roads are expected to remain closed until lunchtime. Picture: Nicole
Garmston
Its believed the truck, which was carrying an excavator, continued over the
William St bridge before coming to a stop near Crown Casino.
Flinders St has now been reopened in both directions, while Queensbridge St
also has one lane open in each direction.
Reminder - Service changes currently apply on the Route 58 due to emergency
overhead wire & infrastructure repairs under the rail overpass at Flinders
St and along Queensbridge St. More info: https://t.co/4o6NrUBV43
- Yarra Trams (@yarratrams) November 20, 2017
Delays are expected to continue as crews work at the scene.
Motorists have been advised to use King St or St Kilda Rd as alternative
routes.
Route 58 trams in both directions are diverting via Elizabeth St, Victoria
St & Flemington Rd along Route 59.
Shuttle trams are running between the Royal Children's Hospital and City Rd
via Kings Way.
Authorities work to fix powerlines that were hit by a truck. Picture: Nicole
Garmston
It may take until midday to fix the powerlines. Picture: Nicole Garmston
No one was harmed.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/roads-closed-in-melbourne-cbd-after-truc
k-brings-down-tram-lines/news-story/462d25b190283b2f57a732c9339c3944>
* The bridge referred to in the story is Queens Bridge located opposite
Market St NOT William St.
* The excavator will come in handy when it comes time for him to dig himself
out of this one.
* Truck drivers. Holding up traffic on a daily basis.
* Truck drivers. Providing food and petrol and equipment on an hourly basis
Back on your bike son. This country comes to a complete and utter stop
without trucks.
Are you going to pedal power food and foods around the country?
Push bike riders.
Holding up traffic on a daily basis.
* and providing tail gating, bullying, aggression, smacking into clearly
marked low bridges, ripping down overhead lines and destroying suburb's
peace and quiet with overly loud and unnecessary brake exhausts.
* Another day, another truck trashes it.
* He was probably stumped by those confusing diversion signs with the
roadworks. Been there, done that, though my own truck wasn't high enough to
bring down powerlines.
* Fancy that, a truck driver that doesn't understand road signs. The
industry is a joke.
* You've obviously never been on the Monash when they're doing roadworks.
Those diversion signs are a joke. I don't know how many people ended up lost
in the city the other weekend when they wanted to get through the tunnel to
the Eastern Suburbs, me included. And I wasn't driving something you can
turn around on a five cent piece.
* No, I don't know the Monash all that well, however, I do live near the
Napier Street Bridge in Footscray, which has been hit 70 times in 12 years
by trucks, whose drivers don't understand basic road signs or even know the
height of their own truck. Like I said , the industry is a joke.
* Mathew Guy will fix this with a $4 billion investment to remove traffic
lights at intersections.
Public transport investment (or maintenance for that matter) is a waste of
money in Liberal world. Right?
* Still have to take the goods from the train station to the store. Good
luck doing that on a pushbike
* Yes I suppose you're right. Nothing wrong with a tangled mess of sagging
overhead power lines across every other street is there?
That's modern public transport in these parts right?
* give them a bloody tape measure surely they should know how high their
load is
* I'm already at work, no delay for me.
* Looks like the truck is legal height, the trouble is that the Tram
company, power companies and the phone companies don't maintain the overhead
lines, I am a truck driver and have bought down a few lines even though I
was well below the legal height.
* And you can tell from a photo... maybe you missed the part about the
excavator on the back?
* Truck may be at legal height, however he has a duty of care also mate.
* not sure what 'legal height' means, but it stands to reason that tram
lines are at a height where the tram pantograph can contact the line.
I think the normal thing is, most trucks should not use the same route that
trams do.
The fact that this guy was trying to do a U turn actually shows this to be
true.
* Legal height is 4.3 metres unless you have an oversize permit. He
obviously got lost and made a major stuff up trying to get out of it.
Fortunately many people's major stuff ups are forgetting to order the milk
for the office coffee break.
* Pathetic 'blame others' excuses - you yourself have admitted the likes of
you are part of the problem.
* You would think the company would do it's due diligence and check height
requirements of the roads. Nah, that would be too much hard work.

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