Fw: Tues.5.3 daily digest.
  Roderick Smith


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Roderick Smith rnveditor@...> Sent: Saturday, 9 March 2019, 15:51
Subject: Tues.5.3 daily digest.

Still no photos, and no point while yahell is such a failure.
Roderick.
Tues.5.3.19 Melbourne Express was again devoted to bushfires.
6.50 Princes Freeway has been reopened to traffic both ways between Pakenham and Warragul after the Bunyip fires.  Speed set to 40 km/h between Tynong Road and Tonimbuk Road. Some local roads remain closed.
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-express-dargo-fire-burns-out-of-control-but-emergency-warning-downgraded-20190305-p511qq.html>Tues.5.3.19 Metro Twitter.
6.32 The 6.14 ex Upfield has been delayed ~15 minutes (a train fault).
- 6.49 The 6.14 has been terminated at Gowrie.  The 6.32 ex Upfield has originated from Coburg.  The next ex Upfield departs at 6.50.
7.15 Cranbourne/Pakenham lines: Minor delays citybound and service alterations (an equipment fault near Westall).
- It's 'Allow for extra travel time Tuesday'.
- Is there any day in the year when your services can run on time and without alterations?
- Thanks again for the wonderful service.  Nice to see that you have updated your app.
- 8.55 Not a minor delay. I attempted to board at Carnegie around 8.00, and had to wait for the fifth train until I could get on.  Then I was offloaded at Richmond to change for a loop service.  All up it took close to an hour to get to Flagstaff from the time I arrived at Carnegie.
13.30 Craigieburn line: Minor delays (a faulty Vine train at Roxburgh Park)..  [Arrogant Metro, always quick to blame VLine and never apologising when Metro fouls VLine, notably on the Pakenham line].
- 13.42 clearing.
16.04 Buses replace trains Darling - Glen Waverley (a person hit by a train).  Buses have been ordered, but will take over 60 min to arrive.  Consider alternatives [the standard copout].
- 16.08 alternatives [as a graphic].
- 16.10: 25 buses have been ordered.
- 16.30: 30 buses have been ordered [ie five more].
- 16.50 Eight buses are in operation, with an additional 22 enroute
- 17.00 Nine buses are in operation, with 27 more enroute.
- 17.10: 17 buses are in operation, with 19 more enroute
- 17.40: 36 buses are in operation, with an extended journey time of up to 45 minutes.
- 17.50 Trains are expected to resume at approximately 19.00.
- 19.06 Trains are now resuming, with minor delays.  The first will be the 18.39 ex Flinders St.  Buses will still be replacing trains from 20.15.
16.50 Frankston line: Major delays (an equipment fault near Moorabbin).
- 17.24 This has cleared, but now we have an equipment fault near Edithvale, causing minor delays.
- How about you replace the faulty equipment so it doesn't happen again instead of bandaid fix job?
We have extra trains trams to get you to the game/match at AAMI Park tonight [no mention of getting you home again].
- Will there be additional replacement buses for the Belgrave/Lilydale line? Or still only every half hour?
- How hard would it have been to start the works at 22.30?
- Or do it tomorrow.
- Will those extra services actually run, and on time?  That's the question and gamble we all take.
Buses replace trains Ringwood - Belgrave from 20.00 (maintenance works).
Buses replace trains Richmond/Caulfield - Glen Waverley from 20.15 (maintenance works).
Belgrave/Lilydale lines: Buses replace trains Parliament - Camberwell from 20.30 (maintenance works).

Making the switch: What will Canberra's commute look like in the future?
This city will be largely petrol-free within a generation, but we should make the switch as soon as possible. March 5, 2019. 7 comments.
In 25 years' time, how will people get around Canberra? Mostly in electric cars, buses, light rail, bikes and on foot. Many of the cars will be self-driving and shared, dropping off or picking up, with no parking needed in city or suburban centres. Diesel and petrol engines will be unusual and considered a nuisance.
More people will live close enough to their work and shops to walk and ride, which will be made more attractive through better foot and bike paths. The transport system will be better integrated, linking up the different modes.
video Carmakers at electric cross roads
The car industry meets at the Paris Motor Show this week, facing hazards ranging from the rollout of costly electric vehicles and tightening emissions rules to potential trade restrictions.
We will have more space, better air and less noise – an even more people-friendly Canberra. Underpinning that vision is denser housing, much more investment in better urban spaces, and the electric transport revolution.
Canberrans commute mostly by car. This won't change quickly, so a shift to cleaner cars is important. You wouldn't know it looking at traffic in Australian cities, but electric vehicles are coming. Electric cars are technically superior: their drivetrain is simpler, cheaper to produce and lasts longer, requiring little maintenance and repairs. Now that batteries are much better and cheaper, they will be the technology of choice.
The total cost of owning an electric car will likely be on par with conventional cars in the 2020s. Their energy cost is lower, and far lower if charged on rooftop solar, which many in Canberra can do. You can choose the size of the battery pack and thus the range. Plug-in hybrids have no range limits.
The rollout of electric cars is slower in Australia than in most other developed countries. That's because we are low down the priority list for car producers, fuel here is relatively cheap, there are no government incentives to speak of, public charging infrastructure is scarce and range anxiety is still widespread. But it will happen, and we can speed it up.
The ACT government already uses some electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars, and will buy only "green" vehicles from 2020. Supply chains are being developed and public charging points are rolling out. ACT government green cars will enter the second-hand market. By then, there will also be a greater range of new electric cars at more affordable prices.
Car-dependent Canberrans won't stop driving, so switching to electric-powered vehicles will be a crucial part of meeting the ACT's carbon-reduction targets.Credit:Graham Tidy
Electric-car owners enjoy registration and duty discounts in the ACT, and they will soon have transit-lane access and more dedicated parking. That falls short of the generous benefits offered in many European countries and some states in the United States. But it seems the federal government will support electric vehicles in some form, and fewer incentives will be needed as their prices come down.
What can you do if you own and use a car, and want to be part of that change? For now, simply hang on to your car, and buy a green car when it becomes affordable. Most importantly, do not buy a new petrol or diesel car, because it would likely still be on the road in the 2030s. And of course, see which of your trips you can make by public transport, bike or on foot. If footpaths or bike paths on your commute are substandard, as some are, tell the ACT government.
“For now, hang on to your car, and buy a green car when it becomes affordable.”
This is tough for car dealers, but the solution for them is straightforward: get green cars into the showroom. The car service and repair industry will shrink as electric cars rise, and many petrol stations will disappear. The change will be gradual, so there is time to prepare.
Replacing oil with carbon-free electricity in road transport will be a big part of cutting greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It is central to achieving the ACT's emissions-reduction targets in coming decades, as road transport – mostly cars – makes up about two-thirds of the ACT's annual greenhouse-gas emissions other than from electricity generation. Canberra's electricity will be 100 per cent renewable from the early 2020s, so cutting transport emissions will be crucial for further emissions reductions in line with the ACT's targets. Charging electric cars will be carbon-free in Canberra.
Buses also matter. Even if the light rail is greatly expanded, buses will carry much of Canberra's public transport. Electric buses are already commonplace in China – the city of Shenzhen runs an all-electric fleet of 16,300 buses, and China overall adds almost 2000 electric buses to the country's system every week. Gradually, electric buses are coming into the transport systems of Western cities. They are more expensive to buy, but their running costs are lower.
The ACT government trialled electric and hybrid buses. Credit: Rohan Thomson
Canberra recently tested two electric buses; that test has ended. Meanwhile, the ACT ordered 40 new diesel buses in 2018 to expand the fleet of about 450 buses.
Electric buses will require some changes in routes and practices at the depot, which surely can be accommodated. Buses last for decades, and buying new diesel buses is at odds with the ACT's emissions targets, unless they are to be sold second hand to other cities. Going all electric sooner is better.
There is really nothing that is not to like about a green, people-friendly transport system for Canberra. It'll take time to get there, and the time to make a start is now.
Frank Jotzo is a professor at the ANU's Crawford school of public policy and a member of the ACT Climate Change Council, a body advising the ACT government on climate change and paths for action. He commutes mostly by bike, and sometimes by hybrid or conventional car. He looks forward to the age of the affordable electric car.frank.jotzo@...
Related Article We need public transport, cycling and walking to play a bigger role in our lives, and almost all cars, buses and trucks to run on electricity or hydrogen. Can a growing city cut carbon emissions to zero?
<www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/canberra-s-future-commute-20190301-p51146.html>

NSW's $90 billion infrastructure spend crucial for jobs boost, says government March 5, 2019.
The Berejiklian government says its infrastructure plans will be crucial to the state's prospects as new Treasury figures show major projects will support more than 100,000 jobs a year over the next four years.
As political combat over rail and road spending intensifies ahead of the state election, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said infrastructure investment would be the "mainstay of the economy".
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said infrastructure investment would be the "mainstay of the economy".Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Modelling by NSW Treasury shows the government’s current plan to spend $89.7 billion on public infrastructure over the next four years will support an estimated 107,000 jobs directly and indirectly each year.
With economic headwinds expected to pick up in the future, government infrastructure spending is set to become more important to the state economy.
Mr Perrottet said the “challenging although not completely pessimistic” outlook for the state’s economy meant infrastructure investment would be vital in NSW.
“The mainstay of the NSW economy, or a significant contributor of that, has been infrastructure and the jobs off the back of that,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Continued investment is incredibly important to economic growth going forward. Our public investment over the next four years is crucial to our prospects and our biggest threat to that is Labor running on a platform of cancelling projects and higher taxes.”
While the analysis only provided “broad estimates” it underscores the importance of infrastructure spending to the NSW economy.
As the election campaign started in earnest yesterday, the government stepped up its attack on Labor, claiming it would cancel critical projects that would send the state backwards.
"Labor is cancelling the west harbour tunnel, Northern Beaches Tunnel, the F6, South West metro, stadiums ... some of these projects are well underway,” Mr Perrottet said.
"We have a strong pipeline of infrastructure projects underway, but Labor has not made it clear where they are reallocating the money."
Labor has said it would prioritise the new metro rail line from the CBD to Parramatta and Westmead. The government says it will start this project next year.
But Labor will defer two major road projects – the first stage of the F6 extension in Sydney’s south and the Western Harbour Tunnel and BeachesLink.
The conversion of the Bankstown to Sydenham rail line into a Metro system will also be put on the backburner should Labor be elected.
Shadow Treasurer Ryan Park said Labor would spend “the same amount” on infrastructure as the Coalition but shift the emphasis to public transport, schools and hospitals.
“It’s not a matter of the quantum, it’s a matter of the priorities,” he said.
Mr Park said Labor’s infrastructure spending program would provide an equivalent level of support to the state economy as the Coalition’s plans.
He claimed an ALP policy to prioritise local procurement and jobs in government projects meant Labor’s infrastructure spending could provide a bigger economic boost than the Coalition’s program.
The NSW economy has performed strongly in the past few years but growth has slowed recently amid a cooling housing market.
The state’s half yearly budget review, released in December, said "the drivers of growth are shifting” and that public spending infrastructure was set to become a “key source” of economic strength.
NSW Treasury will release an independent pre-election budget update on Tuesday.
NSW government’s infrastructure pipeline is expected to contribute a half-a-percentage-point boost to growth in 2018-19 from public investment, which is around five times its long-run average contribution, and a quarter-of-a-percentage point boost in 2019-20.
Unemployment in NSW has reached a record low of 3.9 per cent but figures released yesterday suggested conditions in the labour market may soften.
ANZ's monthly measure of job advertisements dropped in February for the fourth month in a row and are now 4.3 per cent lower than a year ago.
Related Article: A high, steep shot from over the International Towers at Barangaroo, facing north over the Rocks and Circular Quay. 'NSW will probably start to slow down': Sydney and the state's dream economic run may be over.
Related: Your guide to each seat in the NSW state election
<www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-s-90-billion-infrastructure-spend-crucial-for-jobs-boost-says-government-20190304-p511pm.html>