-----Original Message-----
From: Roderick Smith [mailto:rodsmith@werple.net.au]
Sent: Saturday, 21 July 2018 8:55 AM
To: 'transportdownunder@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: Thurs.19.7.18 daily digest

Attached:

180716M Melbourne 'Age' - Baxter electrification.

180718W Metro Twitter - Altona bustitution.

180719Th Melbourne 'Age' - Austria, Florisdorf.

180719Th Metro Twitter:
- Geelong delays.
- unreadable delays.
- cat on a platform.

1890719Th Melbourne 'Herald Sun':
- letters, transport.
- Metro changes.

Roderick.

Thurs.19.7.18 Metro Twitter.
5.31 Werribee/Williamstown lines: Buses to replace trains Laverton -
Footscray and Williamstown - Footscray (equipment faults in the Newport
area). Buses have been ordered but may take over 60 minutes arrive, consider
alternate transport.
- 5.53 Is there currently no train service between Williams Landing and
Melbourne Southern Cross?
- 5.57 Buses have been ordered but may take over 45 minutes to arrive.
- 6.01 Line suspended Laverton to Footscray.
- 6.28 This is is bad. Will it be fixed by evening?
- 6.57 Trains are resuming.
- 7.01 Trains have resumed, with delays up to 20 minutes.
- 7.57 Any chance you can get your web peeps to fix the mobile site so you
can read the whole of the text please.
- 8.06 Two days in a row now I've missed my coffee catch up thanks to
cancellations or diversions. Wow.
- 8.06 Any indication when a train might stop at South Kensington? Hundreds
of people can't understand the inaudible announcements.
- 8.08 We have an express train stopping in next 2 minutes.
- 8.08 We've been here well over 20 min, might need to update your delay
timeframes.
- 8.13 And when will the next be? Unsurprisingly it's full. People can plan,
only if they receive accurate information.
- 8.16 Our Train Control Centre is directing addition services to stop at
South Kensington, next one in about 5 minutes.
- 8.49 Thanks. The frequent Werribee to city train has helped, but also
blocking the road to the other opposite side parking space at Laverton (RAAF
side). Too frequent is no good too me think.
13.36 Major Delays - between Darling and Glen Waverley (police).
- 15.37 So there been no updates and the website says 'good service'. Any
news at all?
- 15.38 It's all clear now, with trains running normally .
16.45 Hurstbridge line: Minor Delays (a train fault at Parliament).
19.22 Major Geelong & Ballarat delays are being experienced; bus
replacements have been initiated after a train hit an empty car near Deer
Park. No injuries have been reported.
- 19.29 More information please. Geelong travellers have been directed to 3A
and there's tumbleweed.
- 19.29 Where are these imaginary buses?
- 19.32 An empty car? Did someone just leave their car in the goddamn way
for a train to hit?
- 19.37 I hope that whoever left the vehicle there gets charged.
- 19.37 Attempts are being made to send Geelong trains via Werribee. [Why
only 'attempts'; surely that should be procedural?]
- 19.39 Thanks! Frozen fingers crossed.
- 19.42 Can you organise some games for us to play here at Platform 3A?
Also, coffees would be nice. Ta.
- 19.46 You should have got this train! They are doing buses at Geelong to
the other stations!
- 19.54 It was stuck on the tracks and the driver got out just in time.
- 19.54 Are the coaches coming from Southern Cross? Or close to Ardeer? It's
been close to 2 h stuck in the train.
- 20.02 Damn. I just didn't trust the level of information coming from the
station staff. Right now they've got us listening for announcements at 2A.
Still.
- 20.02 Cold at Ardeer; buses would be good!
- 20.03 Fair enough. It was leaving and they said I couldn't get on and then
they let me on and we didn't leave right away.
- 20.05 Seriously, if you're going to keep us waiting on a platform, offer
us a coffee or something, just a tiny little gesture that you care even a
little bit.
- 20.06 Please speak to station staff or call 1800 800 007 for more
information.
- 20.07 A huge thank you to VLine staff who stood in the rain and
coordinated buses. Evacuation from train was orderly and safely managed in
difficult circumstances.
- 20.07 Will these delays and replacements carry on until tomorrow morning?
- I asked the same question. On Wednesday there were cancellations because
of a train hitting a tree the night before. Hopefully they can schedule it
so it doesn't affect peak hour services.
- It depends on whether trains are 'out of position' and drivers having
time left on their rostered shifts to drive any required empty ones to
Geelong or other stabling yards.
- 20.08 Is the train driver ok?
- 20.08 No buses for us stuck in Ardeer. We have been here for 2 hours.
- 20.09 You can't just expect buses to turn up at a moment's notice. You
need drivers that most often or not have to give up going home on a wet
yukky night after a long day already and come in already tired, probably had
no dinner and don't know where they'll end up!
- 20.09 So compensation across the board then?
- Normally payable for VLine passengers when delays of 60 minutes or more
occur. Typically one free return ticket or equivalent on one's myki. See
VLine and PTV websites.
- I'm familiar. This ain't my first rodeo.
- 20.16 Have you travelled on VLine during even a slight problem? There is
no/little/late replacements, no apologies from any of the management, no
comp, no sympathy, NOTHING. They still have the guts to make you touch on
for a replacement that's 3 hrs late and doesn't even take you home.
- 20.19 Has the car and tracks been cleared yet? Or is the damage on the two
trains so bad that they can't be moved?
- 20.20 There is a tow truck at the scene.
- 20.21 Okay, cool. And then after that the people at Southern Cross will
have to wait for the train at Deer Park to get back to SC station so we can
then go home?
- 20.22 Think about the process though. Vline call bus company. Company has
to find a driver that can do it, driver has to get ready and get to depot.
Then has to get bus ready, then has to head to wherever. Long slow process.
- 20.33 The staff were kind, also thankful to the driver for stopping so
safely but a good hour to get everyone moving when we were only minutes from
Deer Park is a worry.
- 21.06 Yeah I get that. You think that VLine would have some kind of
contract given how unreliable their service is.
- 21.07 I don't think VLine schedule in the hitting of trees and abandoned
cars.
- 21.13 I understand but they surely would have contingencies for damaged
trains.
- 21.56 Do you know when the buses finally arrived?
- 21.58 I got picked up about 19.50 and the last people were getting on a
bus then.
- 0.14 Might want to review you incident management procedures - wasn't
your finest hour. How about carrying a loud hailer/megaphone on trains so
your team can better direct and inform the hundreds of people standing
around in the dark and rain?
20.08 Cat waiting patiently for the train this morning.
Melbourne Express: Thursday, July 19, 2018
9.00 Delays on the Werribee and Williamstown lines are now minor as
peak-hour draws to a close. The windy weather is set to get more wild though
- rain and possible hail will be on the way from this afternoon.
8.40 The Williamstown and Werribee lines are delayed and overcrowded after
being entirely suspended earlier this morning.
Metro Trains has said the equipment fault that caused the pain is fixed and
services are returning to normal but commuters are pretty unhappy with the
delays and sardine-like conditions.
8.32 I just wanted to pass on how much our carriage enjoyed our train
driver's morning message on the Upfield line arriving at North Melbourne at
8.31. Always lovely to have such a cheery driver who clearly enjoys his job.
Give that man a raise for brightening our days!
7.33 The Williamstown line is back up and running after being suspended
earlier but there are still major delays. There are also major delays on the
Werribee line. Metro Trains has said the problem was equipment faults at
Newport. Some of our clever data and transport reporters recently revealed
Melbourne's building peak hour. Here's a handy interactive they made to help
you figure out when you should start driving to work.
6.10 The entire Williamstown line is suspended and level crossing removal
works are affecting the Werribee line with bus replacements running.
<www.theage.com.au/melbourne-news/melbourne-express-thursday-july-19-2018-20
180719-p4zsa8.html>

Victorians could be paid to power down on hottest days this summer 19 July
2018.
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorians-could-be-paid-to-power-down-
on-hottest-days-this-summer-20180718-p4zs8s.html>