As ever, accompanied with images for those who grew up on comic books.
Ironically, in the same issue as a full page ad for arithmetic courses for
parents so that they can keep up with their schoolchildren, and a big ad for
housing subdivisions at Westmeadows, only 17 km from the cbd.

There is only one valid point for building the new tunnel: serving more
traffic points. However, the blunt refusal to serve South Yarra destroys
much of that. 'This station is too hard to build, and too expensive,
because we want nine-car single-deck trains'. The solution was to scrap the
operating philosophy, run compatible trains, with an easier station design.
Option d (come north-south under South Yarra) would have worked, but the
quangos couldn't cope with that.
Given that the tunnel serves only Dandenong - Sunbury, there is considerable
merit in running all Traralgon Vlocitys through it, and on to Bendigo.
That frees up capacity on the underbuilt 'RRL' for airport trains.
The tunnel has been designed for failure from the outset: 23 tph, and
incompatible with everything else. Platform screens serve no purpose on a
suburban line, and don't turn it into a real metro.
Victoria spends money on four tracks to get the benefit of two.

The starting point was 1992: a double-deck train holding 2000 provided 43%
more capacity than a Comeng holding 1400. Anything which doesn't reach that
boost has been a waste of billions of dollars.
Those trains fitted all four existing loops, and all platforms, and could go
to Newport, Lilydale, Belgrave and Pakenham already.
Most remaining routes could have had the requisite clearances for trivial
work, leaving only the Clifton Hill group needing major work on three
tunnels: not cheap, but nowhere near the cost of the Swanston St tunnel.
Fallacies:
* 24% more capacity on the Werribee and Williamstown lines. Since those
ones don't go through the loop in peaks, nothing comes from the tunnel.
There is nothing for Altona because of the single-line choke. Running all
trains down via Altona and up via the straight could provide 6 tph (10 min
headways) to Williamstown; 6 tph to Werribee via Altona; 6 tph up the
straight (entirely Werribee expresses, or a mix of Werribee and Geelong fast
trains).
* Zero for Melton. The existing infrastructure could support 20 min
headways, but PTV withdrew the necessary rollingstock, and is withdrawing
more.
* 60% more capacity to Sunbury. Since the level-crossing projects have made
no provision for extra tracks, the VLine vs Metro choke has simply been
relocated. The two could coexist if Sydenham Watergardens had been built
with a Spanish layout for cross-platform interchange for overtakes in each
direction.
* 27% more capacity to Craigieburn line. It is possible to fudge down
overtakes at Essendon, and up at Broadmeadows. Essendon could be designed
properly with the level-crossing removal, but won't be.
* 71% more capacity to Upfield. The choke is the single line. On existing
infrastructure, it could go to 10 min headways (breathlessly), or at least
10 min to Gowrie, and 20 beyond. That is notionally a 100% increase in
capacity. It could do a Newport, and run from Melbourne SC pfm 8 north;
with one crossover, it could run from Melbourne SC pfm 8 south, and use the
spare capacity in the Clifton Hill loop.
* Zero for South Morang, Hurstbridge, Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein and Glen
Waverley. Hurstbridge could have had 20 min headways for years now; the
Burnley group could and should have had the 43%, also allowing all trains to
use the loop and not today's inconsisten mishmash.
* 45% for Pakenham & Cranbourne. Overtaking at Dandenong would let Pakenham
step up to 3 tph (20 min headways) stopping, and 3 tph express (some VLine;
some Metro). Cranbourne is locked onto 3 tph because of the single-line
choke. The overhyped level-crossing project is not providing any more track
capacity.
* 15% for Frankston. It could have had 100% by doing a Newport, and going
out of the loop.
* 48% for Sandringham. Since it doesn't go through the loop anyhow, there
is no increase, or any increase could have been in place already. Just
Flinders St pfm 13 to Sandringham could handle 15 tph unchanged; fixing the
signalling at Brighton Beach (something steadfastly avoided by DoT through
to TFV), could increase that.

Meanwhile, 'Lyle Ladlow' claims that driverless is essential for 2 min
headways. It isn't. That implies that he will provide 2 min headways to
the airport. He won't, even if his gimmick toys have to run at that
interval to provide the capacity. His one point of honesty: we will charge
a premium fare. Why to the airport, and not to Doncaster or to Monash
University?
The airport has to be handled in the wider context of northern and western
urban sprawl. Proper rail via either Albion or Broadmeadows, and continuing
to Westmeadows and Bulla or similar.
San Franciso Bart serves the airport with driverless trains, at ordinary
fares, and continues beyond the airport.
Rubber monorails are both rough and slow. Supposedly Haneda has increased
from 65 km/h to 80 km/h; I didn't feel Chongqing been any faster than 65
km/h.
Sydney has already scrapped its gadget bahn. People are mesmerised by magic
words (metro, monorail) and 1950s scifi comics, and our multiple qango
'planners' are too, but get the airspace to feed gullible politicians,
journalists out of their depth, the general public and (regrettably)
transport enthusiasts with wide experience and contacts than the lot.

Next to the blatant lies about the tunnel unscrambling the knot. There is
no knot to unscramble. That was done in the early 1970s, when the current
engineers hadn't even started university.
There is no knot when junctions are purely trailing or facing in the one
direction, and with no opposing flat movement. The only knotting in the
current layout was the result of Liberal treasury nobbling:
* Only two portals instead of three at North Melbourne. Worked around by
not running Newport through the loop.
* Only two portals instead of three at Richmond for the Caulfield group.
Worked around by not running Sandringham through the loop.
* Not a Y junction at Jolimont. Worked around by running clockwise all
week. Meanwhile, the flat junction at Clifton Hill was retained when PTV
got its much-desired second bridge to Westgarth. It could have brought the
second track right up to the existing bridge, and held down Hurstbridge
trains clear of down South Morang ones.

Resignalling the current loops to 30 tph would help, and doesn't need a
megamillion trial. Melbourne has several sections with 2 min headways: both
three-aspect and four-aspect signalling, using normal track circuits,
signals and train stops.

What could Melbourne have had? Every trunk route should have been expanded
to four tracks, in existing easments, with two-tier services. That provides
speed and capacity. However, the billions spent on level-crossing removal
for road benefits have blocked the prospect for 100 years.
We live with planners who can't plan, and transport agencies (increasing
weekly) who can't transport, and politicians who can politicise, but can't
think.

List of vital texts:
Simpsons 'Marge and the monorail'.
The full series of 'Yes minister'.
George Orwell 'Animal farm'.
The whole run of 'Razzle dazzle' from 'Chicago':
<www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-zEtAuKuUY>
Give 'em the old razzle dazzle,
Razzle Dazzle 'em.
Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it,
And the reaction will be passionate.
Give 'em the old hocus pocus,
Bead and feather 'em.
How can they see with sequins in their eyes?
What if your hinges all are rusting?
What if, in fact, you're just disgusting?
Razzle dazzle 'em,
And they;ll never catch wise!
Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle,
Razzle dazzle 'em.
Give 'em a show that's so splendiferous
Row after row will grow vociferous.
Give 'em the old flim flam flummox,
Fool and fracture 'em.
How can they hear the truth above the roar?
Throw 'em a fake and a finagle,
They'll never know you're just a bagel.
Razzle dazzle 'em,
And they'll beg you for more!
Give 'em the old double whammy,
Daze and dizzy 'em.
Back since the days of old Methuselah,
Everyone loves the big bambooz-a-lah.
Give 'em the old three ring circus,
Stun and stagger 'em.
When you're in trouble, go into your dance.
Though you are stiffer than a girder,
They'll let you get away with murder.
Razzle dazzle 'em,
And you've got a romance.
Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle,
Razzle dazzle 'em.
Show 'em the first rate sorcerer you are.
Long as you keep 'em way off balance,
How can they spot you've got no talents?
Razzle Dazzle 'em, Razzle Dazzle 'em, Razzle Dazzle 'em,
And they'll make you a star!

Roderick.