----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Roderick Smith rnveditor@...>
 Sent: Wednesday, 16 January 2019, 15:58
Subject: Sat.12.1.19 dailyl digest

Roderick.

190112Sa Melbourne 'Age':- Melbourne SC trumpeter.- Rokewood wind farm. with tdu.
190112Sa Metro Twitter - Flemington Racecourse trains. [showing the forward trains as return ones in error].

190112Sa Melbourne 'Herald Sun':- letters (rail-road).

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Heli-Adventures Tasmania | Destination Launceston
By Destination Launceston Just a quick flight from Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, Launceston is your gateway to northern Tasmania. | |

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Sat.12.1.19 Metro Twitter.
Teen charged after needles found in train seat. Transit police have charged a 16-year-old boy after a number of needles were allegedly found in the seat of a Watergardens line train on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on a Melbourne-bound train just before 8am when a man felt a pin-prick and located a number of needles in the seat.
A Fawkner boy has been charged with intentionally cause injury, recklessly cause injury, assault, assault with weapon and commit indictable offence whilst on bail.
He is in custody and expected to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Buses replace trains Flinders St (Federation Square) - Westall until the last train of Sun 13 Jan.
Frankston line: Buses replace trains Flinders St (Arts Centre) - Moorabbin until the last train of Sun 13 Jan.
Buses replace trains Frankston - Stony Point until the last train of Sun 13 Jan.
Sandringham line: Trains will run to an altered timetable, and will run direct to/from Flinders St while work takes place on other lines.  No trains will operate from Southern Cross to Flinders St. Take a tram along Collins St. [with horrible evening connections].
Belgrave/Lilydale/Glen Waverley lines: Buses replace trains Parliament - Burnley (Flinders St - Burnley during Night Network hours) until the last train of Sun 13 Jan. East Richmond: Take a maxi taxi to/from Richmond or Burnley.
9.54 Werribee line: Major delays (an ill passenger requiring medical assistance at Footscray).
- 11.40 Has the delay cleared?
- 11.45 We still minor delays affecting some trains.  [A result of down crossing up at Westona; delays propagate].
Flemington Racecourse trains today [as an image]
22.15 Minor delays South Yarra - Sandringham (police).
- 22.27 Trains are on the move again, with some minor delays.

Teen charged after sewing needles found in train seat 12 January 2019.
A teenaged boy has been charged over allegedly planting needles in a Melbourne train seat.
The 16-year-old from Fawkner is facing charges of intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, assault, assault with a weapon and committing an indictable offence whilst on bail.
He is currently being held in custody and will appear before the Children's Court at a later date.
The needles allegedly planted in a Metro train seat. Credit: Anthony.
The charges come after a commuter claimed he sat on around 20 needles in a seat on a Watergardens line train on Tuesday.
Anthony, who asked to be referred to by his first name only, said he boarded the crowded train at West Footscray Station just before 8am on Tuesday.
When he sat down he said he felt a little prick on his leg and buttock.
Anthony said he pulled out a number of sewing needles.
In a post to Twitter Anthony alleges that the needles were hidden beneath the fabric, until he sat down causing them to protude.
Needles allegedly found in a train seat on Tuesday.
"Word of warning when travelling on Metro. I had a lovely surprise this morning when I sat on a seat with around 20 needles sticking into it."
"They were under the surface so I didn't see them. Once I sat, they poked out."
Anthony later saw a doctor but was was not seriously injured.
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/teen-charged-after-sewing-needles-found-in-train-seat-20190112-p50qxy.html>

Sydney bus driver attacked with machete by passenger 12 January 2019.
A bus driver was allegedly attacked by a teenage passenger with a machete in Blacktown on Saturday afternoon.
A witness told Nine News that she was sitting at the front of the bus talking to the driver at Blacktown train station when she saw a teenager run from the back of the bus and attack the driver who suffered cuts to his face and ear.
A bus driver, who was attacked outside Blacktown Train Station.Credit:Nine News
“This guy just ran up from the back of the bus and started machete-ing this poor bus driver, about seven to eight times, just whack, whack, whack,” the witness said.
The driver, aged 30, managed to flee the bus and the attacker then walked away “calm, cool and collected”, the witness told Nine.
The driver was taken to Westmead Hospital and the alleged attacker was arrested when he showed up at Blacktown Hospital a short time later.
The driver will undergo surgery but is in a stable condition.
The incident follows a man has been charged in December after allegedly spraying a bus driver with a chemical substance in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
The 50-year-old attempted to board a bus on Flinders Street at Surry Hills, but was told he could not, as it was at capacity, police said. The man then abused the driver, before allegedly spraying him in the face with a chemical, believed to be a mouth spray.
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-bus-driver-cut-with-knife-by-passenger-20190112-p50r0h.html>

Melbourne airport to city: Cheap option for travellers.
Herald Sun January 12, 2019.
video: How the Airport Rail Link will work.
Cost-conscious backpackers have revealed a hidden hack to get to the city from the airport for just over $4.
But the budget journey — involving a bus and suburban train — is costly when it comes to time. While travellers can shell out $65 for a taxi, young international visitors are sharing their bargain alternative online.
It involves catching the Route 901 bus from Melbourne Airport to Broadmeadows railway station. They then catch a city-bound train.
At $4.40 for a two-hour myki ticket, it’s the cheapest way into the city, but not the fastest. The journey takes 70 minutes — and that’s the best possible scenario.
German traveller Stefanie Ammerer was among backpackers taking the route this week.
Stefanie Ammerer used the budget public transport option. Picture: Alex Coppel
The 24-year-old, who has spent two years travelling around Australia New Zealand and South-East Asia, found out about the alternative via friends.
“It takes a bit longer, but if it’s cheaper it’s always better,” Ms Ammerer said.
A trip from Melbourne Airport to the city costs $17.50 on SkyBus, which is a discounted fares for summer.
The price for an Uber was this week quoted at $50, while a taxi would cost travellers $65.
Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the Broadmeadows detour was a long-held secret among savvy visitors.
Even though Melbourne was now getting an airport rail link, he said the practice showed the importance of making sure fares weren’t too high or people on a tight budget would shun the service.
“You can go to Ballarat from Melbourne off peak for $10 — it would be funny if it would cost more to go to the airport than Geelong or Ballarat,” Mr Morton said.
Construction on the airport rail is due to begin next year.
The journey will take just 20 minutes.
NEW SKYBUS LINK.
20 MINUTE TRIP PLANNED FOR AIRPORT LINK.
MELBOURNE’S AIRPORT RAIL HISTORY.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-airport-to-city-cheap-option-for-travellers/news-story/f0ef12c9952388280b4273e93efc91d3>

New pics reveal scale of Metro Tunnel work ahead of arrival of monster borers
Herald Sun January 12, 2019.
video: Metro Tunnel archeological dig
Metro tunnellers have dug up enough dirt to fill 47 Olympic swimming pools ahead of the first of four mammoth boring machines arriving in Melbourne this month.
Exclusive new pictures obtained by the Herald Sun reveal the sheer scale of the massive operation as workers prepare the city for years of tunnelling.
Engineered in Germany and built in China, the first machine is now on a boat ­travelling west of the Philippines on its way to the Port of Melbourne.
When it arrives, a painstaking operation will begin to move the 1000-tonne structure along arterials and city streets, shutting down traffic at times around the port as it makes its way towards Laurens St, North Melbourne.
Thomas McCarthy and Shane Butchers at the site near Franklin St. Picture: Alex Coppel
Construction at the Franklin St site. Picture: Alex Coppel
Crane operator Todd Jopp at the site of Domain station. Picture: Alex Coppel
SCROLL DOWN FOR INTERACTIVE FISHEYE PICTURES
In May, it will be lowered into the ground with another borer and begin digging the twin tunnels that Victoria’s new high-capacity trains will eventually travel through.
Another two machines will begin digging south of the river later this year, starting at the Anzac station site and heading towards South Yarra.
Each tunnel boring machine will excavate about 10m every 24 hours over three years as they dig out twin tunnels stretching 9km each.
They are 100m long, 7.2m tall and big enough for workers to stand inside as it excavates tonnes of dirt.
Construction at the Domain station site. Picture: Alex Coppel
Construction at the site of Parkville station. Picture: Alex Coppel
At its deepest, the tunnel will be 37m below the ground and will travel under the Yarra River and City Loop tunnels.
More than a million artefacts, up to 180 years old, have been uncovered during early works on the massive project and 40,000 cubic metres of concrete has been poured as our five new underground stations start to take shape.
Acting Transport Infrastructure Minister Melissa Horne said the $11 billion project was a monumental engineering feat.
A tunnel boring machine on its way to Melbourne to be used in the Metro Tunnel. Picture: Rail Projects Victoria
“Construction on the Metro Tunnel will continue to ramp up this year, as hundreds of workers and four massive tunnel boring machines help build the tunnels and five new underground stations that will take Melbourne’s train network into the future,” she said.
“The Metro Tunnel is the next step to provide more regular and ­reliable services ­between the CBD and the suburbs, while slashing travel times by up to 25 minutes each way to some of the city’s key employment, education, health and tourism destinations.”
Acoustic sheds have been built around station sites in the CBD to protect residents from noise and dust and more will be erected this year as construction progresses.
Another six roadheader machines will be digging under the city at any time in 2019 as they build the massive caverns that will be the State Library and Town Hall stations.
MEGA RAIL PLAN $50B BOLT FROM BLUE.
NORTH EAST LINK TENDER KICKS OFF .
MELBOURNE’S FIRST SCHOOL UNEARTHED.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/new-pics-reveal-scale-of-metro-tunnel-work-ahead-of-arrival-of-monster-borers/news-story/346a95d93bf00317b08b640a9858725c>
* A project based on saturation propaganda.  This is Marge & the monorail in real life.  No real metro would have been designed without a station at South Yarra.  Calling it a 'metro' doesn't make it one.  The spurious figure of '100 800' extra peak passengers could have been  exceeded by better use of existing tracks, notably running double-deck trains on all routes, which would have required less engineering work.
* Double decker trains have proven to be slower, disembarking and embarking are a major disruption  It's why Sydney are replacing theres
* We had a double decker train from 1993-2006.  The thing was a disaster.  Always broke down and spent most of its life stored before being sold for scrap.  They add no value at all and are no quicker than our current trains.  It also could not operate on some lines due to the height.
* Both Andrew and Brent have fallen for the same propaganda.  Melbourne's train suffered from being an orphan, not part of a fleet.  The same trains ran reliably in Sydney.  Unlike those who fall for the propaganda, I have done the measurements of dwell  time.  Double-deck trains provide more capacity per track.  The amount of engineering required for spots with tight clearance is considerably less than the megabillion tunnel needed for the current single-deck solution, and would have helped all of Melbourne, not just two routes.
* What about the airport? This is the most importantly need train of all.
* Awesome, just a pity it takes so long. China would’ve done it in a year. Probably would’ve lost a few dozen construction workers in the process though.
* Just hope the tunnel boring machines are made of better steel than the stuff the Chinese supplied for the big wheel that failed due to rubbish steel from China. 
* Wonder how long it would take to tunnel under the Hume Hwy between Melb and Wodonga... Very fast train anyone? 45 Minute commute to the CBD with one or two stops at say Benalla and Broadford. 15 minute commute from Bendigo or Ballarat and 30 minute commute from Sale.
* the was that Victoria carries on you would think this is the first time these machines have been used.
* Wasn’t there a competition to name the machines?
* Hope it's more useful than the De-Sal plant! Or the NBN!
* people who were forced to use ADSL due to no other options before the NBN would disagree with you.
* You negative people will be forced to eat your words one day when we run low on water and use the de-sal plant to survive. It is the sort of thing you hope you never have to use, but nice to have it there, like insurance.
* you still can’t back up a desalination plant that has cost billions and provided nothing. I will eat my words now that this was a huge waste of money to satisfy the green vote and the unions. Massively over budget and over time. Damming the Mitchell would have been much better. Insurance is what you need when the going gets tough but the desal can’t even pump water. Just remember Leigh that emotions and feelings don’t trump facts champ.
* Read page three of this Sunday's paper.
* where are they putting all that dirt?
* In the Big hole created by the Labor deficit.
* Oh dear, sounds like we better keep on digging and digging!
* Just get on with it. London did this with the Tube 150 years ago and probably at 20 times the pace. A ten year build is ridiculously long.
* 4 machines x 10 = 40 metres per day. 9km is 9000 metres, so 9000 divided by 40 = 225 days which is less than 1 year. Where do you get the 3 years from.
* The article states 10 metres per day, not 40 metres. At 10 metres a day, that takes 3 years
* There are two tunnels each 9 km long.
* Each tunnel boring machine will excavate about 10m every 24 hours over three years as they dig out twin tunnels stretching 9km each.
That’s 2 tunnels Michael at 9km each, 18 km in total, yet the article doesn’t explain why it will take 3 years unless it means each boring machine will be going the distance of 9 km each. As for Jim who didn’t read your post properly...
* My cousin who works in the building industry works nearby a metro tunnel construction site Has shown me images and video footage that demonstrates how lazy, slow and incompetent the workers and managers are on this project. It’s a scandalous waste of Victorian taxpayers money. People praising this project just have no idea.
* Just like the Monash widening. My wife and I used to quell my annoyance by guessing ahead, how many "workers" were working and how many were watching. The same still happens right through Gippsland with huge bottlenecks because of lane closures and often no-one even there! I joke that if you got some mates with a truck, you could collect the orange "hats" and dump them in a heap at the end and become very popular, provided you didn't get caught!
* I imagine the person taking the videos is employed to do a particular job , NOT to spy on others.
* Exactly why we lost the ship building industry.
* More years of horror for Cranbourne Pakenham line passengers who’ve endured enough. Probably buses replacing trains every few months for the next six years then once it’s finished our trains won’t stop off at city loop stations. We will have to get off at town hall or museum station and catch a connecting train to flagstaff or parliament. Years of disruption only for it to end for us with more stuffing around when it’s completed.
* $11bn? This is a Labor project, no spare change from $30bn.
* Let’s see what the final cost is Probably get good odds on it doubling .
* Industry rumour a year ago put it at a total of $18 billion.
* The government continues to mislead Victorians by claiming that the Metro tunnel will be built for $11 billion.  Having conducted a detailed review of the costs included in the Business Plan it is simply unrealistic and unachievable.  Before construction even commenced it was confirmed that the cost of the rolling stock to deliver the claimed project benefits had been excluded from the $11 billion budget.  In addition, a miniscule 6.7% had been included as a project contingency when a typical provision for a complex project at a similar stage of development would have been more than 20%.  We deserve to be told what the expected real cost if this important project is likely to be, together will regular updates as construction continues.  This would be best practice in a major project being built by a public company.  It is a public project and we are the shareholders.
* Bet they didn't include the exorbitant wage rises the unions will demand once the project has begun!
* Why would you include rolling stock in a construction project cost?
* why would you think the labor government would be open and transparent about any deals they do, it’s never happened before !
* 10m in 24 hours is quicker than the Monash.
* Fantastic project.