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To: Tdu Transportdownunder transportdownunder@...>
Sent: Saturday, 13 April 2019, 12:38
Subject: Mon.22.3.19 daily digest.

Roderick.
Mon.18.3.19 Metro twitter.
5.06 Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Buses will replace trains between Parliament and Bell/Heidelberg (late-running maintenance works).  12 buses have been ordered but will take 60 min to arrive.  Consider alternatives.
- 5.18: 22 buses have been ordered, but will take 60 min to arrive.
- 5.55: 37 buses have been ordered, but will take 60 min to arrive.
- useless.
- Is this going to be in the afternoon as well?
- Train services are expected to resume within the next hour.  We do not anticipate issues for tonight.
- How long is the travel from Bell to Flinders Street?
- Brochures usually say allow an extra 45/60 minutes but it should take less than that depending on traffic and time it takes to load/unload passengers at replacement stops. Don’t worry about touching on and off.
- It’s always great fun.
- How long is the “late running”  maintenance works?
- When do you think trains will start running?
- Alternative transport; by using the word "alternate" are you suggesting that only every second rail replacement bus will carry passengers?
- Are trains running to the city from Hurstbridge? It’s confusing.
- 60 min? You couldn’t have seen this BEFORE people were already on trains. Joke. Absolute joke.
- Joke. Why weren't we told before we got on the train at Macleod?
- Approx when will trains start running?
- Do you think you can communicate in plain English? When. Will. Trains. Actually. Run. Per. The. Service. You. Charge. Us. For?
- When will these works be completed?
- 6.24 Trains are now running to Flinders St.
- 6.32 Trains are now resuming, with delays.  The first will be 6.03 ex Mernda and 6.00 ex Eltham.
- The weather could not have been better over the weekend. What possible excuse could you have for not finishing on time other than poor planning?
- Better cancel those 37 buses, trains are running again.
- You suckers can’t even complete scheduled maintenance on time and you have the balls to expect people to pay for your pathetic service? I will never be paying for your service again.
- Make up your mind!
- Are you for real, me expecting the usual hectic mess of unplanned train replacement buses, I've made other transport arrangements. Now you're telling me, I'm stuck on a slow as tram ride into city, when I could of just almost stayed on my normal train afterall. DAMN IT.
- Are you serious? First you say that the line is suspended, buses organised no idea when it will be resolved. 15 min later you say a train that left over half an earlier will be running the full way in. How is anyone meant to plan around such incompetence?
- Get your act together.
- 7.10 Let’s just cancel every train from Eltham though. Excellent work.  Metro fail.
- 7.38 resolved, but the train is still cancelled...and you will ask us to move up so that two trainloads of peak hour passengers can squeeze in one train but the train is already full and we are only at Reservoir... what a way to start the week.
- 7.41 What is going on with the train around North/West Richmond? Stop, start, stop, start.
- 7.43 There is currently congestion in the area.
- 7.45 Minor delays because of impacts from the earlier service disruption this morning.
- Another stellar effort. Zero chance of boarding any of the peak trains so far... I’ll send you service updates of your overcrowding levels this morn if you like?
- “altered” means cancelled.
- thanks for closing the line this morning (not sarcasm).  I decided to ride my bike into work for the first time this year, couldn’t be happier.
- Monday morning peak hour and two cancelled trains; you should have kept those buses. I’ll be sending my Uber payment to you because I need to get to work on time.
- Whilst we appreciate that problems will occur, increasingly it’s hard not to feel that customers are an interruption to Metro’s line-closing “maintenance” program.
- Why can't you add extra trains when this happens I've missed two because cancelled and packed
- Remember it's the government/PTV who schedules the services, Metro just operate it on their behalf. The issue with adding additional services to those lines is the fact the track between City-Clifton Hill is shared by two lines.. This constrains the amount of trains that can... [A regular management apologist.  Adding more trains to cover disruption aftermath is an operator responsibility].
- along this section of track, particularly as there's a mix of stopping all stations/express services. If you remove the express trains, there would be some ability to fit in extra trains but ultimately we need a seperate set of tracks (ie Metro Tunnel 2) to boost line capacity  [The management apologist again.  The Clifton Hill tunnel carries only 17 tph when it is signalled for 24 tph, and could be signallined for 30].
- Minor delays? I'm 50 minutes late so far.
- So are the trains running? I keep getting notifications of a 15 minute delay and then a cancellation.
14.49 Sunbury line: Minor delays (police).
- 14.55 clearing.
Mernda/Hurstbridge line: Buses replace trains Parliament - Bell/Heidelberg from 20.0pm (maintenance works).
[the rest of the day is missing]
Melbourne Express, Monday, March 18, 2019
8.36 A traffic incident is interrupting tram services in Toorak Road. Route 58 trams are diverting via Commerical Road.  A limited service is running between Orrong Road and Toorak. Consider trains between the city and South Yarra.
There are  still 15-minute delays on the Hurstbridge and Mernda lines after earlier late-running maintenance works.
7.54 'Thumbs up' for Punt Road works. Motorists are taking Victoria's first "continuous flow" intersection in their stride, with few delays and traffic flowing well on the new Punt Road's first real peak-hour test.
....Drivers will be fronted with a P-turn to turn right from Olympic Boulevard into Punt Road.
The turn will take them a few blocks out of their way (along Church Street)..
6.52 It's back to normal on the Mernda line after earlier delays. Still slow for Hurstbridge though, with waits up to 20 minutes after earlier late-running maintenance.
5.42 Buses will replace trains between Parliament and Bell/Heidelberg (late-running maintenance works).  More than 20 buses have just been ordered but will take up to an hour to arrive.  Punters have been told to consider buses and trams.  A full list of alternative transport options for affected commuters is available.
<www.theage.com.au/melbourne-news/melbourne-express-monday-march-18-2019-20190318-p514zx.html>

Several injured after tram shooting in Dutch city of Utrecht March 18, 2019
Utrecht: Dutch police are investigating a possible “terrorist motive” in a shooting in a tram in the Netherlands, which has left several people injured and, reportedly, at least one person dead.
According to early reports a man opened fire at 10.45am local time on Monday on the tram in the west of the city of Utrecht, then fled the scene by car.
Rescue workers are installing a screen on the scene following a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands.Credit:AP
Police were searching for the car from helicopters. There were multiple reports of a shootout or siege involving heavily armed police at a nearby residential property.
In a statement, police said there were "multiple wounded" and the attack was "probably" the work of one man. Police were "searching for the shooter with all possible means".
"At this moment the police consider several scenarios, including the possibility of a terrorist attack," the statement said.
“A man started shooting wildly,” one eyewitness to the original attack told nu.nl.
It was unclear from early reports if the shooter was inside the tram or outside at a tram stop.
A spokeswoman said police suspected there was one fatality.
"Several shots were fired in a tram and several people were injured. Helicopters are at the scene and no arrests have been made," said police spokesman Joost Lanshage.
AD.nl reported a woman was hit in the chest by several bullets. Two people were lying injured on the street and another in the tram.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, which was quickly cordoned off. Injured people were taken to a special emergency hospital by helicopter and motorway lanes were closed to allow ambulances access.
Emergency services attend the scene of a shooting in Utrecht, Netherlands.Credit:AP
A reporter for De Telegraaf reported seeing a victim on the tram track covered with a white sheet, and another being resuscitated in an ambulance.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke briefly about a “worrying situation” developing in the city, and broke off from meetings to consult with a crisis team.
Witness Jimmy de Koster, who lives nearby, told De Telegraaf that he saw several shots fired and a young woman lying on the ground pleading “I have done nothing”.
“I heard ‘bang bang bang’ three times. Four men walked quickly towards her and tried to drag her away and then I heard ‘bang bang bang’ again and those guys let go of her. It was chaos..”
Another eyewitness said they saw an inured person running out of the tram, NOS reported.
The victim had blood on her hands and clothes. "I took her into my car and helped her," the witness said. "When police arrived she was unconscious."
Schools in the area were told to keep their doors shut, and extra police were deployed to train stations and mosques elsewhere in the Netherlands.
The Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCSC) said the attack had "all the characteristics of a terrorist attack". It raised the terror threat level in Utrecht to the highest level.
<www.theage.com.au/world/europe/shooting-in-tram-in-dutch-city-of-utrecht-20190318-p515aj.html>

Short, sharp downpours contribute to Brisbane commuter chaos March 18, 2019..
Storms dumping heavy downpours in minutes across south-east Queensland have contributed to a chaotic afternoon commute for Brisbane residents, affecting roads and trains alike.
After Brisbane copped a drenching about 2pm, new storms appeared on the horizon for the Gold Coast, Gympie and Rainbow Beach, with a small but fierce storm rolling straight toward Coolangatta and Miami just after 5pm.
The severe storm rolls in above Brisbane City.Credit:Toby Crockford
Caboolture saw between 40 and 50 millimetres of rain on Monday afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned of a larger storm tracking toward Hervey Bay and Fraser Island across Rainbow Beach at 5.15pm.
"The rainfall rates were quite high. In 10 minutes, Brisbane recorded almost 10 millimetres, Kingaroy got more than 14 and Lismore in northern New South Wales got 11," Weatherzone meteorologist Jacob Cronje said.
"Today was a good day for storms, the rest of week will still see a bit of risk of showers and storms, especially on Wednesday and Thursday."
The wild weather saw debris falling from a Brisbane office building.
In Brisbane and down to the Gold Coast, trains and buses were affected by multiple crashes and severe weather alike.
TransLink warned at 5pm that Ipswich and Rosewood line trains were delayed 90 minutes in both directions due to both severe weather, and a customer needing medical assistance.
Ipswich and Darra line trains were also affected by delays of up to 30 minutes, while Gold Coast trains outbound were also delayed by up to 20 minutes due to severe weather.
Springfield and Beenleigh lines also had 15 minute delays and the Nambour to Central 4.30pm train was delayed nearly an hour due to severe weather, expected to arrive at Central after 7pm.
On the roads, a seven-car and bus pile-up on the Centenary Motorway at Jindalee blocked the motorway for much of the afternoon with a diesel slick contributing to the multi-vehicle mess.
A multi-car crash at Jindalee on the Centenary Motorway south of Brisbane caused chaos on Monday afternoon.Credit:Queensland Ambulance Service
Five patients were taken to hospital for minor injuries from that crash.
Congestion built throughout the city's arterial roads from the crash, with a southbound left lane of the Centenary Motorway opening just after 5pm.
The motorway and Western Freeway were already thoroughly congested from that crash, giving commuters a long drive home.
Moggill Road, Milton Road and Coronation Drive were all affected, with a southbound crash on Hale Street contributing to the issues.
The Hale Street crash was cleared before 5.30pm with congestion lingering.
However, a fresh crash on Kelvin Grove Road northbound in the centre lane before Herston Road sparked fresh warnings from Queensland Traffic to expect more delays.
South of Ipswich, two children were killed in another serious crash at Peak Crossing at 2.45pm, also involving a woman aged in her 30s and another child.
The rescue helicopter was called for that crash.
Meanwhile, in the far north, Tropical Cyclone Trevor is bearing down on the eastern Cape York Peninsula Coast as a category 2 cyclone.
It's expected to make landfall tomorrow as a category 3,crossing the coast near Lockhart River on Tuesday evening.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/short-sharp-downpours-contribute-to-brisbane-commuter-chaos-20190318-p5159c.html>

School bus changes to see students cross busy roundabout in peak hour March 18, 2019.
Parents are concerned Transport Canberra's new public transport network will put students at risk, forcing them to cross dangerous roads and adding excessive time to trips between home and school.
Alison Simmons is worried about the safety of her children, after changes to the network mean her children's school bus has been replaced with convoluted possible trips involving multiple buses and either walking or bike riding.
Sisters Cerys Simmons, 12, left, and Rhiannon Simmons, 14, right, wait with classmate Harry, 14, centre, to cross the busy roundabout at the intersection of Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent, one of the suggested routes when their school bus is cancelled at the end of April.Credit:Jamila Toderas
The suggested route option for Cerys, 12, and Rhiannon, 14, to get from their home in Fadden to Alfred Deakin High School by 9am is to cross the congested roundabout at the intersection of Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent, catch a bus to Woden and then change on to a school bus service for the final leg.
"They can't [cross the roundabout]. That's why I don't know what to do. It's too dangerous," Ms Simmons said.
Ms Simmons said she stood to earn less each month if she picked her children up from school.
"It's basically a service that was there that's been taken away," she said.
"We couldn't take part in the consultation process because no one knew how they would be impacted."
The executive officer of the Association of Parents and Friends of ACT Schools, Jenni Rickard, said the new network was disappointing and while some schools had successfully advocated to retain services, others were ignored.
"It is disappointing because the number one cry from the community is their concern about the safety about children," she said.
Brindabella Christian College principal Christine Lucas said there would be serious increases in travel times.
Cerys, left, Rhiannon and Harry, crossing the busy roundabout at the intersection of Erindale Drive and Sternberg Crescent.Credit:Jamila Toderas
"My concern remains as it has been, that the consultation process did not really respond to the needs of the college community," she said.
"We lost a couple of families at the end of last year in anticipation to the cuts of bus routes. That wasn't just dedicated bus routes, that was change that we had already been told about."
ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations spokeswoman Janelle Kennard said the council was concerned children were at risk of being killed or injured crossing busy roads to and from school.
"Our concern is not so much the distances the students will have to walk to get the bus – up to half-a-kilometre – but that groups of teens will need to cross busy roads, some well outside the school's 40 kilometre an hour zone," she said.
Reaction to the new public transport network has been mixed from community councils, with some frustrated by the prospect of longer journey times and others pleased with the response to the feedback they provided.
Woden Valley Community Council president Fiona Carrick was concerned about the reduction in services frequencies from Woden to the city in peak hour.
"Basically the number of services reduce from 60 to 40 over the 7am to 9am period and further reduces to 23 services in school holidays," Ms Carrick said.
"Under the new timetable, during school holidays it looks like the number of services will be more than half of what we currently have."
Inner South Canberra Community Council chair Marea Fatseas and the Old Narrabundah Community Council's Bronwyn Shirley both pointed to the loss of a direct bus service to the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets and the Canberra Railway Station.
"This has implications for people carrying luggage ... and groceries," Ms Fatseas said.
Ms Shirley said there was no adequate crossing from the rail station to Canberra Avenue to catch the new R2 rapid bus service.
But Weston Creek Community Council chair Tom Anderson and Belconnen Community Council president Glen Hyde said the changes were better than expected.
"Weekends are still a little light on but it did improve," Mr Hyde said.
Mr Anderson echoed the concerns about weekend services but said the network was better than anticipated.
"I think in essence they've done a pretty good job of listening to what the community asked for," Mr Anderson said.
The redesigned public transport network starts on April 29, with light rail expected to start at the same time.
Related Article ACT Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris unveiling the plans for the Rapid bus network for Canberra in April 2018. New bus network will start April 29, Transport Canberra says
<www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/school-bus-changes-to-see-students-cross-busy-roundabout-in-peak-hour-20190317-p514xr.html>

Construction union threatens legal action against Victoria Police
Herald Sun March 18, 2019A powerful construction union is considering taking Victoria Police to court after it claims officers booted its safety inspectors from a level crossing removal worksite.
The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union is seething after three of its officials escorted off the Aviation Rd level crossing site last week, with the union saying they were threatened with arrest if they didn’t leave.
The CFMEU said its officials were safety inspectors and had a legal right to be on the Laverton construction site to inspect the safety procedures put in place to lift 80 tonne concrete panels.
The union has said Victoria Police had forced its officials to leave after being given “political guidance” of the “anti-worker” federal construction watchdog — the Australian Building and Construction Commission.
But Victoria Police say the two men were asked to leave because they breached the conditions of their right of entry permit.
CFMEU assistant secretary Shaun Reardon has flagged the union is considering suing builder McConnell Dowell and Victoria Police for hindering and obstructing its officials in potential breach of the Fair Work Act.
Both Victoria Police and WorkSafe were called to the site on Thursday morning after the contractor — an alliance led by builder McConnel Dowell — disputed its officials rights of entry.
WorkSafe inspector granted two union officials access to the site.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the two men were then asked to leave after they breached their right of entry permits and had caused a disturbance. She said officers “supervised” the men’s departure and no arrests were made.
“This was done after work site officials asked them to leave and discussions were had with officials at the union headquarters.
“Police remained on site for five hours to ensure workers on site were safe and could continue to perform their job.”
She said Victoria Police had held discussions with the building industry watchdog the Australian Building and Construction Commission and WorkSafe during the incident.
But Mr Reardon said the incident was a disgusting “use of tax payer dollars and of the Victorian Police Force”.
He has written to a number of Andrews Government ministers — including police minister Lisa Neville complaining Victoria Police were acting under the political guidance of the “anti-worker” Australian Building and Construction Commission.
“CFMEU urgently calls upon you as the Minister in charge to investigate the actions of Victorian Police, and the possible unlawful guidance and relationship between Victoria Police hierarchy and the federal government’s anti-worker  ABCC.”
Level Crossing Removal Project chief executive Kevin Devlin said safety on work sites was a core value and it expected all parties to comply with “strict safety and security protocols.”
Australian Building and Construction Commission said it was aware of an incident and reviewing what had occurred.
A WorkSafe spokesman said its inspectors had attended the site after an occupational health and safety dispute.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/construction-union-threatens-legal-action-against-victoria-police/news-story/707dde7c5ce1e395e827ce4d96c9f8dc>