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Sent: Wednesday, 5 December 2018, 16:33
Subject: Tues.4.1.18 daily digest

Links: <www.domain.com.au/news/two-million-australian-homes-now-have-solar-789490>

Roderick.
Tues.4.12.18 Metro Twitter.
Classic Metro 'we can't cope, we don't try, we don't care'.  What are the 'upgrades', and why do they need bustitution at all?  If bustitution really is needed, the useless TfV is supposed to bring PTV and VicRoads into one fold, and should have provided a bus lane on either the freeway or the highway for the duration.  No official from any of the quangos tried to ride a bike from Pakenham to Westall, or walk their dog, or carry their surfboard.  Metro is absolutely incapable of providing effective bustitution.  If the fines applying to train delays were applied to advertised bustitutions, Metro would soon find that it is more cost effective to do work under in-traffic conditions, just like engineers did for decades before PTV/Metro.
Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Buses replace trains Westall -Pakenham/Cranbourne until last train on Sun 16 Dec while 'upgrades' take place.  Further changes apply until the last train on Sun 23 Dec.
- 7.02 Bus delays on the line too.  I think that they're supposed to be every 10 min? Its been 15 min and still no bus to city.
- 7.27 The Monash says thanks.
- 8.11 Why these buses are taking the Monash beggars belief. 50 minutes from Berwick to Stud Road.
- 8.36 Berwick - Westall took 1.5 hours.
- 8.46 Can you tell your bus drivers not to use the Monash.  Everybody knows that there is heavy traffic on that route. Plot, plan and talk to each other to identify the best route.  It took 2 hours from Berwick to Westall.
- 8.53 Princes Highway is already gridlocked because of higher traffic volume caused by the inclement weather [Metro bleat].
- 9.06 You knew that this was coming, and knew that it would be for three weeks. How about working with VicRoads to get some priority for the buses? You can’t just blame the traffic.
- 14.51 5 hours a day on commute; we need better management and resources.  Get some priority for buses on roads.
- 16.29 I'm yet to see a direct bus between Pakenham and Westall.  Are they running?
- 17.53 The airconditioning in Ventura bus 1511 does not work, and it has no windows.  Please ask them to remove this bus from Cranbourne trips before someone becomes medically unfit.
- 20.24 If we borrowed Ivan Milat to run this, there'd be temporary bus lanes on the Monash and noone would argue with him.
14.20 Upfield line: Major delays (police request). Trains may be held.
- 14.38 clearing.
14.28 Hurstbridge line: Minor delays (equipment fault near Diamond Creek).
16.32 Minor delays (a track fault near Sandringham).
16.44 Glen Waverley line: Minor delays after a tram blocked Glenferrie Rd level crossing near Kooyong.
- can you feel the tension of Metro calling out YT?
16.57 Belgrave/Lilydale lines: Minor delays (a trespasser near Heathmont).
- 17.28 clearing.
- 17.52 Minor delays (an ill passenger at Box Hill).   Trains may be held [despite Box Hill having three platforms].
- 18.01 clearing.

Melbourne Express, Tuesday, December 4, 2018
8.40 Tram delays at Doncaster Road, bus might be better option.
- 8.39 Route 48 trams towards Docklands are delayed due to a collision in Doncaster Rd.
- 8.43 Passengers for the city may consider bus routes 200 or 207 in Doncaster Rd to connect with Route 109 trams at Kew Junction.
- 8.47 Route 48 trams have resumed after an earlier disruption. Delays may occur as we restore the timetable.
8.33 There are minor delays on the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines. Every other line going just fine.
Is PETA carrying on like a pork chop?  PETA isn't happy. The animal rights group wants us to stop using meat-based metaphors.
"Be the guinea pig" becomes "be the test tube" and "more than one way to skin a cat" becomes "more than one way to peel a potato".
6.52 The Hurstbridge line has minor delays - up to 10 minutes - but every other line is moving as planned.
Free train travel.  It's been a long and arduous year for commuters on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland lines. And to be honest, there's only so much patience you can buy with free muffins.
So passengers persisting with public transport during the next Pakenham/Cranbourne construction blitz will get free travel on the replacement buses.
The free travel will apply during works from December 1 to 23.
Metropolitan tokens or VLine tickets will be issued for free onward travel across zones one and two. If you normally buy a weekly or monthly pass, hold off. Passengers with an active myki pass will be able to claim a refund.
<www.theage.com.au/melbourne-news/melbourne-express-tuesday-december-4-2018-20181204-p50jzj.html>

'New weapon': courts offer hope for driving serious climate action 1 December 2018.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/new-weapon-courts-offer-hope-for-driving-serious-climate-action-20181130-p50jb0.html>

Unexpected changes to Melbourne train destinations probed by ombudsman 4 December 2018.
Metro Trains is being probed by the public transport watchdog over complaints about trains changing destinations while commuters are still on board.
The probe was revealed in the Public Transport Ombudsman's annual report, released on Tuesday, which found reliability and punctuality copped the most complaints from commuters.
In a bid to meet its punctuality targets, Melbourne's rail service sometimes changes the destination of a train after it departs Southern Cross and arrives at Flinders Street - a practice known as transposing services.
This is done on incoming trains arriving late at Flinders Street - where the train is scheduled to wait for a few minutes as drivers change over - to avoid delays flowing onto other lines.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said transposal services should be kept to a minimum, and called on Metro to switch the train's destination before it departs Southern Cross, rather than waiting until commuters  are on board.
"It's not really clear why it happens at the last minute after people have boarded the train," Mr Bowen said.
A Melbourne train on the city's railway. Credit:AAP.
The ombudsman's report also highlights that V/Line is considering e-ticketing options for parts of the country rail service still using outdated paper tickets.
VLine confirmed it was looking into e-ticketing and was preparing advice for the government on how this could be rolled out.
The regional rail service is also considering on-board coach ticketing systems that would be equipped with options to pay by card.
A key problem with VLine's paper tickets is they can only be printed at specific outlets. This means people need to make a separate trip to pick up their ticket before travelling.
It comes as complaints about punctuality and reliability overtook Myki ticketing complaints in becoming the biggest commuter bugbear this year, the report found.
The high number of rail upgrades, level crossing removal works and road works have driven up complaints about disruptions by more than 100 per cent to 138 issues raised this year.
Nearly 1100 people complained about service delivery on the public transport network - a rise of 40 per cent.
Commuters took issue with infrequent train replacement buses and inadequate signage and announcements during rail shutdowns.
There were also safety concerns over the lack of crowd management at temporary stops, with disruptions putting pressure on other nearby rail lines, trams or buses.
The number of complaints about train replacement services rose by 50 per cent, with the ombudsman now investigating bus replacement services on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines (buses are replacing trains on sections of the lines for most of December).
The ombudsman is also probing the reimbursement of Hurstbridge line commuters who were forced to use buses for an extra week during rail crossing works earlier this year.
"Public transport operators need to be more effective in ensuring that information is provided to consumers promptly and in a targeted manner," the report stated.
"There need to be well defined procedures in place to minimise the significant impact of public transport works and disruptions on the community."
Overall, trains had the biggest spike in complaints about service delivery, with V/Line facing a 75 per cent increase and Metro Trains a 68 per cent increase.
Yarra Trams saw a rise of 29 per cent in service delivery issues and Transdev an increase of 51 per cent.
In response to service delivery complaints, a Metro spokesman said trains were often changed due to ill passengers, vandalism and infrastructure faults.
"Train controllers make real-time decisions to alter some services with the whole network in mind to reduce delays to more passengers, and maintain the timetable."
Related Article Kangaroos cause delays on V/Line trains
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/unexpected-changes-to-melbourne-train-destinations-probed-by-ombudsman-20181203-p50jwv.html>
* I think the bigger problem is Metro gaming their performance targets by dumping trainloads of passengers at Richmond when City Loop trains are running late. This happens every day.
* I've lost count of the times I have boarded a train on the Frankston line only to discover that it was changed to Werribee at the last minute. Not just that, but more often than not there will be 3-4 trains leaving for Werribee within a 10 minute time frame from Flinders St. What in the world is so special about Werribee that they get all the service?
* This has been going on for decades. This watchdog must have been chasing cats.
* Have been on a Glen Waverley train- at Flinders St it said stopping all stations, once we got going it was announced it was express to Darling. About 50 people hopped off at Darling, crossed the platforms to board the city bound train.
* Victoria' public transport system seems to be completely out of control, and the time has come to conduct, as the politicians love to say, a "root and branch review" to be undertaken by a completely independent body. By and large the long travelling Victorian public are being taken for fools and there is no firm evidence to suggest that there is any meaningful oversight of the various operators, who seem to a law unto themselves. No doubt fares will rise again on 1 January with no commensurate improvement in services. It is time the Government (of any political persuasion) took the matter seriously. Whilst the recent State election saw lots of promises for long term eye-catching projects the major parties were quite silent regarding plans for the here and now - i.e. how to improve current services
* Yep, this happens regularly in the PM peak on the Caulfield group. Many times I've boarded a train at Flinders St thinking it's my Dandenong-bound train, only to notice looking out the window going through the loop that it has become a Carrum or Mordialloc train. What makes it worse is the far Richmond end of platform 7 doesn't have a PID screen, so you really are in the dark sometimes. Some drivers have taken to making announcements before departure, which is reassuring.
* This has happened multiple times at southern cross, the screen says South Morang, then it becomes a Greensborough train. Having to jump off at Watsonia and catch an uber is frustrating and costly!
* this happens frequently. it is a dangerous practice and must be stopped. i have called metro 6-7 times about this issue. all i'm told is that flinders st is the main point in the system and "anything"" can happen once a train gets there. I was told that I should know this.  I said this was a dangerous practice and should be banned. my greatest concern is that most of these changes are not announced at flinders st. very few people stick their head out to confirm the destination on one of the few and inadequate tv screens. the signage of platform numbers is also grossly inadequate. imagine a child alone on a train, going home after school - same train each day - now imagine it changes destination without warning. no announcement. an elderly family member, a tourist, they need help and english could be limited.. going to a new place to meet someone. their hotel. they could end up anywhere. imagine it's at night! it has happened to me and i have lived here 17 years.  I have even had the bizarre situation of a train driver refusing to leave flinders st because he has disagreed with control - and the man with the blaring impossible to understand microphone - of his destination.. the train driver was right and was applauded by passengers when he refused to leave until control understood what was going on! metro needs to lift its game. these are very serious issues.
* This article only makes sense with reference to the morning peak for Caulfield and Burnley groups, or the Northern group in the afternoon. It is hardly that much of a problem, except for the few people getting on to a train at Flinders Street.
Much worse is the despicable short-shunting of trains, particularly Hurstbridge trains which operate at forty minute to an hour frequency. Getting kicked off a train at Macleod for no apparent reason and having to wait up to an hour for the following train is appalling service.
* That is very old fashioned thinking that people only travel to the city in the morning and away from the city in the afternoon. Melbourne's train system needs to drag itself out of the 1970's.
* This happened regularly when I travelled from Ormond or Hughesdale - announcement at Richmond (and often JUST after leaving Richmond) that train not going via the loop. Major hassle when you get normally off at Parliament to walk across the road to Casselden Pl for work.
Also happened again on Sunday on Frankston-CBD train.
* and you shouldn't be expected to pay for such an abysmal service.

Morrison's softened energy 'big stick' may be harder to challenge 4 December 2018.
<www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/morrison-s-softened-energy-big-stick-may-be-harder-to-challenge-20181204-p50k4h.html>

Sydney's share bikes take 22,000 city trips a week 4 December 2018.
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-s-share-bikes-take-22-000-city-trips-a-week-20181130-p50jbk.html>

Light rail excavation caused gas leak that forced closure of Central Station entrance.  4 December 2018.
Dozens of workers had to be evacuated from a light rail construction area near Central Station and an entrance of the station was closed after a gas pipe was struck during excavation work.
Fire and Rescue NSW responded to reports of a gas leak just before noon on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for ALTRAC Light Rail said workers were undertaking excavation works in Zone 13, Eddy Avenue "when an unmapped service pipe was struck".
Work was immediately stopped as the area was secured, she said.
Police enforced a 200-metre exclusion zone around the site, near the corner of Pitt Street and Eddy Avenue, including a pedestrian entrance to the station.
"A low pressure gas main on Eddy Avenue had been ruptured," a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said.
"Thirty workers in the light rail area were evacuated as a precaution."
Two fire crews and eight firefighters worked with the rail fire service to manage the leak before the gas company Jemena isolated and stopped the gas flow.
Southbound lanes of Pitt Street were closed due to the gas leak, and motorists diverted at Eddy Avenue. One lane re-opened about 1.30pm.
One westbound lane of Eddy Avenue was also reopened to traffic after initially being closed to traffic in that direction.
The entrance to Central Station at the corner of Pitt Street and Eddy Avenue was closed to pedestrians, but trains were running normally and the entrance has since reopened.
Buses are not stopping at Railway Square, and light rail services have resumed in both directions after briefly ceasing operation between Central and Convention Centre.
Emergency services remain on site and commuters are advised to allow plenty of extra travel time.
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gas-leak-near-central-closes-pitt-street-to-traffic-20181204-p50k32.html>

Pedestrian safety review accepted by Brisbane City Council 4 December 2018.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/pedestrian-safety-review-accepted-by-brisbane-city-council-20181204-p50k89.html>

'Carnage': Woman rushed to hospital after crash involving truck, buses and cars 4 December 2018.
....Route M41 buses are diverting and missing two stops and are delayed up to 60 minutes, and some route 501 buses are delayed up to 20 minutes.
<www.canberratimes.com.au/national/nsw/woman-airlifted-to-hospital-after-crash-involving-truck-buses-and-cars-20181204-p50k21.html>

Lime wants to roll out more scooters on Brisbane streets 4 December 2018.  11 comments.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/lime-wants-to-roll-out-more-scooters-on-brisbane-streets-20181204-p50k1c.html>

Major Brisbane bus delays after small fire on Queen Street 4 December 2018.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/major-brisbane-bus-delays-after-small-fire-on-queen-street-20181204-p50k86.html>