-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Smith [mailto:rodsmith@werple.net.au]
Sent: Friday, 19 January 2018 4:06 PM
To: 'transportdownunder@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: daily digest, Fri.19.1.18

Attachments:

180119F Melbourne 'Herald Sun' - St Kilda Rd.

Roderick

Metro Twitter, Fri.19.1.18
14.34 Because of 'extreme' hot weather today, heat related speed
restrictions are in place. This may cause delays of up to 15 minutes.
[Melbourne has had these temperatures since 1854; today's managers and
engineers can't cope, don't try, and don't care].

Brisbane to Sunshine Coast in 45 minutes under new rail proposal 18 January
2018 .
45 minute train trips between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are being
touted in a proposal pushing for billions of dollars in federal government
rail funding.
The North Coast Connect project would see the long-awaited duplication of
the line between Beerburrum and Nambour and add a new rail spur connecting
the region's main coastal hubs to Brisbane for the first time.
The proposal would need to run significantly faster trains. Photo: Rob
Homer.
It has been put together by a 26-member LNP political bloc dubbed Team
Queensland, to be delivered by a consortium including development giants
Stockland, Smec, Urbis and KPMG, according to Sunshine Coast MP Ted O'Brien.
The Member for Fairfax said the project was one of 11 shortlisted for a
share in $20 million of federal funding to develop a business case, with
three winners to be chosen within a month.
"I don't think there is any greater game changer for the regions of Moreton
Bay and the Sunshine Coast than fast rail," he said, calling on Labor MPs,
state and local governments to form a "unity ticket" behind the proposal.
A state government spokesman welcomed the proposal but called for more
detail.
"What the LNP need to understand is that none of these proposed new rail
lines will work without Cross River Rail to open up the network," he said.
"The only way extra capacity on the Sunshine Coast can work is if there are
no bottlenecks further down the line."
The Turnbull government made $10 billion available for National Rail Program
funding last year, prompting a pledge from "Team Queensland" to secure as
much of it as possible for the Sunshine state.
Mr O'Brien was hesitant to name a total cost for North Coast Connect at such
an early stage but suggested it could be in the ballpark of $5 billion,
"give or take one or two billion".
The proposal was the only Queensland project to remain in the running for
the business case funding, which the MPs hoped to use to press their case
for NRP funds.
To achieve a 45-minute trip between Nambour and Brisbane, or 30 minutes from
Beerwah, trains would need to be able to travel between 150km/h and
200kmh/h, far in excess of current average speeds, Mr O'Brien said.
That would mean the rail line from Brisbane to Beerburrum would need
upgrading, along with significant changes to rail alignments in the
Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade Project.
The new 40-kilometre rail spur would connect the Sunshine Coast Airport,
Mooloolaba, Maroochydore's new town centre, Kawana, Caloundra and the Aura
mega development at Caloundra south, Mr O'Brien said.
"Duplication of the Beerburrum to Nambour rail line has been a high priority
and the need to improve commuter travel to Brisbane is a no-brainer. Well,
right now we have the opportunity to pursue an even better solution," he
said.
Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher, who is expected to announce
funding next week, said the business cases should demonstrate faster rail
travel times through new or upgraded rail infrastructure.
"In addition, business cases must outline initiatives that will increase
housing choices by opening up regional areas, encourage job and career
opportunities, and improve access to specialist services for people in
regional areas, as well as major events," he said.
Mr O'Brien said the proposal could revitalise Sunshine Coast hinterland rail
towns but admitted the fast trips would only be possible on express
services.
"I'm fairly confident but, I've been involved in so many commercial
transactions over the years that it's silly to be overly confident," he said
of next month's funding announcement.
"There's some way to go yet.
"There's always a risk, coming out making very clear of your intent before
you've got any deal signed and sealed but I think it's necessary to test the
pulse of the community."
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/brisbane-to-sunshine-coast-in-
45-minutes-under-new-rail-proposal-20180118-p4yylb.html>

St Kilda Rd to slow down to a crawl by the end of February as Metro Tunnel
work ramps up.
Herald Sun January 18, 2018.
YEARS of traffic chaos are looming for motorists as Metro Tunnel work ramps
up, with a key stretch of St Kilda Rd to be reduced to one lane by the end
of February.
Thousands of drivers in Melbourne's southeast will face a congestion
nightmare when the construction of Anzac Station turns the busy road into a
bottleneck for up to four years.
Preliminary work is underway and the Herald Sun understands St Kilda Rd will
officially be reduced to one lane in each direction between Toorak Rd West
and Dorcas St by late February.
Acting Public Transport Minister Luke Donnellan said preparations for the
lane closures had already begun.
"These changes will be disruptive and we thank people for their patience
while we deliver this desperately needed project," he said.
"The Metro Tunnel will give Melbourne the world class public transport
system it deserves - allowing for more trains, more often for passengers in
the suburbs and regions all across Victoria."
Reducing St Kilda Rd to one lane each way is expected to bring widespread
delays to the city's transport network, with the arterial carrying 3000 cars
and 8000 tram passengers in peak hour.
Motorists have been urged to avoid the area if possible once the changes are
introduced and to allow for up to 15 minutes of extra travel time.
Traffic snarls are also set to increase on alternative routes with roads
such as Punt Rd, Kings Way and Canterbury Rd to bear the brunt of drivers
avoiding the area.
Work will begin soon to adjust tram tracks on St Kilda Rd, believed to be
the world's busiest tram corridor, to keep services operating over the next
four years.
The Andrews Government is currently rolling out $8 million of enhancements
around the area and will use 29 Bluetooth monitors and 32 CCTV cameras to
provide real-time traffic updates.
In total, $25 million is being spent to prevent Melbourne's traffic from
grinding to a halt during the life of the multi-billion-dollar project.
The completed tunnel is due to open in 2026.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/st-kilda-rd-to-slow-down-to-a-crawl-by-t
he-end-of-february-as-metro-tunnel-work-ramps-up/news-story/d336bf9f9f4a0227
8d45a54539ac9002>
* Acting Transport Minister - where is the real Transport Minister and the
others? Still on holidays!
* Are we sure he is the right minister, seems they don't now who is who
themselves.
* Congratulations to the Andrews Government for thinking if the
future...after all it is predicted that Melbournes population will be 8
million by 2040..what would it be like if nothing was done..
* So why was the East West link contract torn up and why is this budget
blowing:disruptive/historic tree destroying project not including the
pivotal South Yarra railway station? Methinks a looney left driven agenda
from the beginning.
* Could have been worse ..in their 4 years the Libs did NOTHING.
* Planning for the future? Exactly: a future of state Labor governments at
the beck and call of thuggish trade union bosses.Great stuff.
* This "project", and I use the term very loosely, will do nothing for
public transport in Melbourne, let alone Victoria.
The problem, is not the loop, as this government keeps lying about, it is
all to do with signalling, and could have been solved with an upgrade, and
running trains more frequently during peak.
De-coupling the two busiest lines from the rest of the network, and removing
direct access to the sports and entertainment precinct from them, as well as
Southern Cross Station, our main country and interstate, as well as our
connection to the airport is mad, and will only drive more people into cars.

And still no answer to Dans hypocritical comment about ALL trains needing to
go through Flinder St station.
but we allknow, for you it is all about the side, and not what is best for
the state.
* Wait until they shut Albert Park for the Grand Prix.......it will only get
worse!
* If you choose to DRIVE your car to work, along St Kilda Rd and into the
CBD each day, then you deserve to be delayed and inconvenienced as much as
possible.
* Courier vehicles and taxis etc notwithstanding, there are too many people
selfishly choosing to use a single-occupant vehicle on already-choked roads,
and they generally wonder why traffic is so bad!
* sadly it's cheaper for those single occupant drivers to drive than it is
to catch public transport. Not to mention a lot of them aren't within
walking distance of a station or tram. Think before you speak.
* That is pretty much rubbish. The daily cap for a MYKI fare is well under
$10. If you think you can drive the length of St Kilda Rd in congested
traffic, then pay for a parking spot in the CBD, and then drive back along
the same route, for less than $10 a day...you're sadly in denial.