-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Smith [mailto:rodsmith@werple.net.au]
Sent: Friday, 28 July 2017 10:29 PM
To: 'transportdownunder@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: snippets, Sun.16.7.17

I haven't got the Sunday HS photos, but I will have the Monday Age ones.
All gooey artists impressions, smokescreens and mirrors to hide the overall
shoddy design of the project.

Attached:
170716Su Metro Twitter:
- 870712Su South Melbourne, up three-car Hitachi (Australian Rail Maps).
- Sunbury, police helicopter (Matt Hall).

170716Su Melbourne 'Herald Sun':
- cheap power. with tdu.
- letters, energy. with tdu.
- Metro contract.

Metro Twitter, Sun.16.7.17
Today's historic pic: A 3-car Hitachi train from St Kilda approaches South
Melbourne, Vic, July 12 1987, exactly thirty years ago today.

Roderick

14.42 Sunbury line: Minor delays for services Sydenham Watergardens -
Sunbury (police).
- 14.56 now major.
- 15.04 Trains are moving, but major delays.
15.51 Major delays Macleod - Hurstbridge (a vandalised train).
16.14 Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Minor delays (a trespasser on rail lines
near Springvale).
- 16.28, now major.
- 16.30 Are trains moving or are they stopped until further notice?
- 16.38 clearing.

Melbourne tunnel, Degraves St underpass to be overhauled.
Herald Sun July 16, 2017.
THE dingy Degraves St underpass will be overhauled as part of a system of
new underground walkways to connect Flinders St station with the new CBD
South station.
It means commuters will be able to avoid traffic in Swanston St and Flinders
St when changing trains to and from the tunnel.
A new artist's impression of CBD South reveals how the station would work
under City Square, with two street-level entrances for easy access,
including from Flinders Lane.
An exclusive look at an artist's impression of CBD South station, to be
built under City Square.
Premier Daniel Andrews stood in the City Square construction site on Sunday
to announce the construction giant that lost the East West Link project had
been handed a $6b package of work to build the tunnel.
Lendlease led the winning consortium, which will build the twin 9km tunnels
and five new underground stations.
The competitive tender process resulted in several design improvements to
the Metro Tunnel, including at the CBD North station under Swanston St
between La Trobe St and Franklin St.
One entrance will now be stationed on La Trobe St opposite Melbourne Central
to reduce congestion around Swanston St.
The Franklin St entrance will include public open space featuring terraced
seating and a timber canopy, designed to protect commuters from the weather
while also providing views of the Melbourne City Baths.
Work on the project has already started and Mr Andrews said major
construction on the tunnels and stations would begin early next year.
The winning consortium includes John Holland, Bouygues Construction and
Capella Capital.
The rest of the project's $11 billion price tag covers the tunnel entrances,
other station upgrades and signalling changes.
More than 5000 jobs are expected to be created by the tunnel project and the
government has mandated 85 per cent local content.
Mr Andrews said the government was "building the turn-up-and-go train system
Victoria has been waiting for". Construction is due for completion in 2026.
LENDLEASE-LED CONSORTIUM WINS $6 BILLION TUNNEL PACKAGE.
..Melbourne Metro forks out for free coffees.
..St Kilda Rd trees may not return for decades.
..Walkway to link station to university.
..'No benefit' from new South Yarra station.
..Tunnel 'must leave legacy for city'.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-metro-rail-project-degraves-st
-underpass-to-be-overhauled/news-story/7c1948851569fcbe25f15f10b525ff0c>
* Will Degraves St subway be linked to the Flinders St tram stop? Will the
south station be linked to the Swanston St tram stop? Latest spin: 'turn up
and go'. Just not true: Cranbourne is restricted to a train every 20
minutes; Pakenham every 10 min if lucky; Sunbury also every 10 min. In an
earlier spin release, PTV revealed that the new tunnel will be fit for only
23 trains per hour, and so can't accommodate airport trains.
* "The construction giant that lost the East West Link project had been
handed a $6 billion package of work to build the tunnel"
I wouldn't call that a loss, more like a bonus for them with Andrews'
generosity.
* They build one station in 6 years.....but will import 150,000 per year
into the State, so that in 6 years, almost 1 million more people will be
using that one station. And Andrews calls that a success story?
* Why would they be using the station? It's not as if they need to go there
to collect their unemployment benefits.
* I don't understand how a government which espouses climate change and all
the nasties that go with it, can dig tunnels next to the bay. It's not like
Melbourne is 100 feet above sea level. It's a contradiction of actions.
* Unlimited supply of money, where does he get it from ?
* It's called a surplus, something the federal liberal's are unfamiliar
with. You're obviously a Lib supporter.
* No mention of the Union involved. AWU was the Union for EW Link and
reason Dan ripped up the contract. I bet my bottom dollar Lend Lease have
learnt their lesson when dealing with Chariman Dan and now have the CFMEU
signed up.
* If Metro had a station/interchange at South Yarra that would save a lot of
congestion on Metro and the changing of trains within the Metro tunnel and
The Loop. Of course if they worked it out correctly people going to, say,
Southern Cross from Dandenong should not have to change. Simply every
second train goes via The Loop the other via the Metro Tunnel.
* And this just shows how poorly planned this project really is. Assuming
passengers travelling on the loop do interchange at Flinders Street. Here
is how their journey will proceed. They will disembark at one of the
platforms at Flinders Street. Travel up to street level, walk over to
Degraves Street underpass, travel back down to below the street, walk the
better part of 250 to 300m to get to CBD South, and then down at least 2
sets of escalators to get to the other platform. In total they will cover
nearly 500m to 600m to interchange between train services. Do you think
they will do that or continue to do what they currently do and catch a tram
in Swanston Street after getting off the first set of escalators?
* Yet look at Sydney - you can walk underground all the way from World
Square to Town Hall Station - roughly 7 blocks
* That might be the case, but I doubt that it is as complicated as the
interchange between stations will be for the metro tunnel. These types of
projects rely on simplicity to make one choice more attractive over another.
This project fails that key criteria.
* As the Degraves Street Underpass runs under the platforms at Flinders
Street Station, under Flinders Street itself and across to Degraves Street,
you can cross off "Travel up to street level, walk over to Degraves Street
underpass, travel back down to below the street" and replace it with "take
the steps down from the platform to the Degraves Street Underpass".
* having attended RMIT I can tell you that the corner of Swanston & Franklin
is an absolute wind tunnel - one in their right mind would spend time
sitting there
* So the platforms looks about 7 floors down, with only one narrow access
point onto the platforms. That will be fun at peak hour!!!
* I watched beautiful trees being felled yesterday and not one protestor in
sight. If the Libs were behind this it would be anarchy on the streets. How
come? But we do desperately need better pub transport
* I would prefer more pubs. Then I wouldn't need transport. I could
walk.....or stagger.
* 'Premier Daniel Andrews stood in the City Square construction site on
Sunday to announce the construction giant that lost the East West Link
project had been handed a $6 billion package of work to build the Metro
Tunnel." This is the only story here. Just another pay off using
taxpayer's money by Chairman Dan to cover his incompetence.
* EWL was a dud deal for the Victorian taxpayer. Great for Consortium
profits though.
* And labor supporters keep pushing this line, in the hope that they,a nd
the rest of us will one day believe it. Hasn't happened yet, and never will.
* Sovereign risk, sovereign risk, sovereign risk.
* So the article is about how the Degraves St underpass will be overhauled
with new underground walkways to connect Flinders St station with the new
CBD South station, with no images or info on how the Degraves St underpass
will be overhauled with new underground walkways to connect Flinders St
station with the new CBD South station.
* Just imagine it any way you want. but make it dark, dingy, smelly, and
graffiti riddled.
* Will this be the new undercover accommodation for the city's homeless? And
Daniel Andrews hasn't included any graffiti on the walls in these pictures.
* Where is Labor Government getting the money from to pay for this project?
We still haven't been given any answers to this question.
* check your and your children's pockets.
* How can they have just decided who will do the work, when work has already
started?
* it's all done in many different stages that's how .
* On all the places where the work has started, they list it as "early
stage". These are the actual contracts for work on the tunnel and station,
rather than the works to get access needed to dig out the tunnels (the part
that is ongoing).
* Big job, you note they won the tender for $6 billion dollars of work, $11
billion dollar project.
Main work doesn't start till next year. Preparatory drilling work tenders
announced some time ago.
* Just another smokescreen showing us what it will look like so that he
thinks it will makes us except 6 years of chaos.
* 6 years of NO chaos for me .... They only time I go into the city is maybe
to a theatre
* So you would prefer a lifetime of inconvenience for train travellers and
road users than 6 years of inconvenience in and around upgrade works?
* Did you mean "accept"? Well, unfortunately the work has to be done at some
point. It's now, or potentially in the future when the traffic could be even
worse.
* In China, they managed to build 2,000 kms of fast train rail and all the
accompanying stations.....in 2 years. But then again, they didn't have
Dan's union buddies doing that project!
* I would prefer infrastructure that helps and doesn't hinder train travel
through the city.

July 16 2017 Metro Tunnel: Melbourne's changing face revealed as consortium
named for $11 billion project .
Sweeping arches, skylights, a floating timber canopy:
More design details have been released for Melbourne's Metro Rail project -
above and below ground - as the preferred bidder was announced for the $11
billion project.
More videos What will new metro tunnel stations will look like?
The state government has released artist impressions of the designs of
several new stations as part of the Melbourne Metro Rail Project. Vision:
Supplied (Victoria Government).
Construction giant Lendlease, which missed out on building the dumped East
West Link, will now get a $6 billion slice of the massive construction
project.
A consortium called the Cross Yarra Partnership, led by Lendlease and
comprising John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital, has won
the bid and will now negotiate a final contract with the state government.
A concept image of the Metro Rail project's new underground stations. Photo:
Supplied .
Construction of the tunnel is expected to disrupt the city for the next
decade and create more than 5000 jobs while building the rail tunnel and
five underground stations.
The consortium's proposal, which will be refined in the coming months,
features wide platforms at the five new underground stations - Arden,
Parkville, Domain, CBD North, CBD South - and above-ground open spaces with
additional entrances to help with over-crowding.
The Parkville station promises an entrance at the doorstep of the Royal
Melbourne Hospital, while underground walkways will connect train lines at
Flinders Street Station and Melbourne Central, allowing passengers to
transfer to City Loop trains.
In South Kensington, a new suburb will be built around the new Arden station
while Domain station will feature a "floating" timber canopy that sits below
the tram interchange.
Premier Daniel Andrews toured City Square as a consortium led by Lendlease
won the bidding process to build the Metro Rail tunnel and five stations.
Photo: Darrian Traynor Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allen said it was
important that the new stations fit in with the landscape of Melbourne,
particularly at Domain, which is close to the Shrine of Remembrance.
"The designs that have been released today reflect that careful thought to
world's best design," she said.
City Square has been cleared for construction of the Metro Rail project.
Photo: Darrian Traynor .
"We are moving into a tremendously exciting phase."
Premier Daniel Andrews said there will be significant disruption during
construction, but there was no alternative in order to build the needed
capacity on the rail network.
Melbourne will be transformed when five new stations are built. Photo:
Supplied .
The City Square site in the CBD has already been cleared for tunnelling
works in order to speed up the construction process.
"This is the progress that we need," he said while touring the site.
A concept image of the new Metro Rail stations. Photo: Supplied .
"When you come back in a few years' time, it will be a very different City
Square."
Opposition planning spokesman David Davis said an expansion of South Yarra
station needed to be included in the project - and it was not too late to do
so.
A concept image of the new Metro Rail stations shows vast archways and
natural light. Photo: Supplied .
"This is an historic mistake, short changing not just those in the immediate
vicinity but the long term capacity as well," he said.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2018 and completed by 2026.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan promised the new stations will "fit
in" with the city's urban architecture. Photo: Darrian Traynor .
<www.theage.com.au/victoria/metro-tunnel-melbournes-changing-face-revealed-a
s-consortium-named-for-11-billion-project-20170716-gxc4yi.html>