----- Forwarded message ----- To: Tdu Transportdownunder transportdownunder@...>
Sent: Wednesday, 10 July 2019, 09:30:00 pm AESTSubject: Mon.8.7.19 daily digest
Roderick.Yahell has moved back to showing something on the web, but only 50%.  That is balanced by cutting direct email people from 100% to 50%. Eight photos herewith.
190704Th Melbourne 'Herald Sun' - Middle Park.
190708M Metro Twitter - Flemington Racecourse in 1989 (Australian Rail Maps).
190708M Melbourne 'Age':- letters (infrastructure, housing, electric cars).- energy (gas, AGL). with tdu

190708M Melbourne 'Herald Sun':- letters (rail, road, energy).- crowding.

190708M Adelaide 'Advertiser' - tram-works map.

Mon.8.7.19 Metro Twitter
Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines: Buses replace trains Caulfield - Flinders St until the last train of Sun 14 Jul (works).- Do Cranbourne passengers have to change at Dandenong? Are there Cranbourne and Pakenham trains departing from Caulfield?- Depending on the time of day you're travelling, a shuttle service between Dandenong and Cranbourne will operate.Timetable information: https://d26s8o1k1a4y18.cloudfront.net/1562199542774/train-4-2019-07-08-2019-07-11.pdf- Why can't Cranbourne and Pakenham alternate departing from Caulfield? It's a stuff around as it is.- The works guide shows an express bus from Federation Square to Caulfield, but this bus frequency guide (https://www.metrotrains.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Cranbourne_Pak_Frank_8-12_July.pdf) shows only the all-stops bus from Parliament. Is that express bus running? If so, please provide a frequency guide for that one too.- All express buses are operating from and to Fedeeration Square with a frequency of 5 minutes during peaks and 10 minutes off-peak.- You did a great job by having a bus replacement straight from Cranbourne to Parliament. Less stress, saves time and less complaint. Awesome start of the week.- Can you please confirm that is there a bus from Cranbourne to Parliament? What is the schedule?- It is only for morning peak time.- By just 10 seconds we missed the Cranbourne train from Dandenong. We need to wait for another 20 minutes, a pain. Why is it that Cranbourne has no direct trip to Caulfield? Looks like Cranbourne line is been punished.- Late at night, the trains really need to wait for the buses at Caulfield. It's unfair to the passengers that they don't match up. We arrived at Caulfield at 22.14, just in time to watch the train depart, next one not for half an hour! Have a heart.- Buses are subject to local traffic conditions and our trains generally must keep to timetable to minimise delays along the line and for scheduling requirements [ie for management convenience].- Uber then.- I did get an uber, but you're woefully missing the point. If we're told "get THIS particular bus to connect to the Frankston line" then it's unfair on the commuters to have the train leave 30 seconds before the bus arrives...it's not a random connection after all.- I'll have luggage with me during the bus replacements.  Is there an easy way to make my journey smoother?- If you're travelling with luggage, we recommend travelling off-peak where possible. Depending on availability, buses may be fitted with luggage racks. The use of under-side luggage spaces is at the discretion of drivers.- I should be catching it offpeak, so hopefully that makes things easier. Buses replace trains Frankston - Stony Point until the last train if Sun 14 Jul (works).Sandringham line: Trains will run to an altered weekday timetable while works on the Pakenham/Cranbourne and Frankston lines take place.14.23 Hurstbridge line: Minor delays (police attending to a trespasser on tracks near Eltham).- 14.26 clearing.15.29 Sunbury line: Minor delays (an ill passenger requiring medical assistance at Albion).- 15.40 clearing.Exactly thirty years ago today, trains await completion of the day’s racecard before transporting patrons home from Flemington Racecourse, July 8, 1989.  You can travel by train to Flemington Racecourse only on  days when races or major events are held there.- Needs to be all the time. Could be every 20 minutes but it must be every day considering population.  Werribee racecourse too.  Lot of residential buildings popping up in that area and it would be good to give them a service.- They used to line up like that after football as well.  Now Metro crowd controls while announcing trains are arriving in about 10 mins time...could not organise a chook raffle. There were just under 56 000 people at MCG yesterday.- I feel hot just looking at those old trains.- Yet we still don't have a station at the airport.- There are some timetabled weekday services. One or two a day - I saw a 5pm FSS-racecourse last week - it ran express [probably an RMIT exam train, certainly not daily].17.51 Belgrave/Lilydale lines: Minor delays (an unruly passenger at Box Hill).- 18.02 We got past Box Hill, but you terminated our train at Ringwood.  You are crap.20.04 Minor delays (police near Werribee). Trains may terminate/originate at Laverton.- 20.10 clearing.Buses replace trains Heidelberg - Hurstbridge from 20.40 (maintenance works).
Melbourne Express, Monday, July 8, 20198.45 routes 57 and 82 have resumed after an earlier disruption.7.54 Because of a traffic incident in Maribyrnong Road, there are no route 57 trams between Stop 32 Sandown Street and West Maribyrnong and no Route 82 trams between Stop 42 Clyde Street and Moonee Ponds.7.21 Building sparks more train pain. Commuters will take another whack over the next few weeks as the government embarks on the next stage of its Metro Tunnel "big build".There are works alerts current for the Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham and Stony Point lines, while Sandringham services are running to an altered timetable. Buses are also replacing trains on the Gippsland line.Buses will replace trains between Caulfield and Flinders Street on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines until July 14, extending to Westall and Moorabbin on July 13 and 14.6.01 TrainPain Part II. Want to know if your commute is affected? Check out our interactive here.6.00 Building 'blitz' sparks more train pain.  Commuters will take another whack over the next few weeks as the government embarks on the next stage of its tunnel construction.There are works alerts current for the Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham and Stony Point lines, while Sandringham services are running to an altered timetable. Buses are also replacing trains on the Gippsland line.Buses will replace trains between Caulfield and Flinders Street on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines until July 14, extending to Westall and Moorabbin on July 13 and 14.Read more here. Peeved with your public transport or see something worth sharing? Get in touch via email or Twitter.5.44 They're back on the buses on the Cranbourne, Frankston and Pakenham lines, thanks to works for the state government's building blitz. Services have also changed on the Sandringham and Stony Point lines. We'll have more on that in a moment.<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-express-monday-july-8-2019-20190708-p52514.html>
Jul 8 2019 World's longest continuous zip line draws tourists to Lika, Croatia 
<www.traveller.com.au/worlds-longest-continuous-zip-line-draws-tourists-to-lika-croatia-h1g0ur>

Rostered day off for construction workers slows rail upgrade 'blitz' as commuters face major delaysThousands of commuters faced major delays on train lines today as a construction blitz kicked off. Or at least that’s what we thought. It turns out the union gave its workers a rostered day off..Herald Sun July 8, 2019video: A comparison between Australia's different train networks.A rail construction blitz which has forced the closure of several railway lines has stalled today because workers are on a rostered day off.Commuters on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines are facing lengthy delays as services between Caulfield and Flinders Street are replaced by buses until Sunday.The shutdown started on Saturday to enable work to ramp up on the Metro Tunnel project, as well as on level crossing removals along the Frankston line.Premier Daniel Andrews and Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan inspect Metro Tunnel works earlier this year. Picture: Sarah MatrayBut there has been little activity on worksites today as the major construction unions had booked in a rostered day off for their workers.The construction blitz was scheduled around the winter school holidays, when fewer commuters are using the network.Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne said there had been a “phenomenal” amount of planning, and that the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority had suggested “when they want to schedule those occupation works”.“We need to take the advice of experts,” she said.Football fans were affected by the public transport shutdown over the weekend Picture: Tim Carrafa“There is some workforce on holidays today, but I would like passengers for their patience as we get on with … the biggest upgrade of metropolitan and regional rail that we’ve ever seen.”Ms Horne said work had started on the weekend, with some progress also made overnight on the Ballarat line.But Opposition public transport spokesman David Davis said the government should have “kept the line open and not inconvenienced commuters” when construction could not happen..“Work is not being carried out on a number of projects, despite the system being closed down in some areas,” he said.“You would have thought the government would have done the work to ensure that … when it’s got a major closure, that there is work on almost every day during that sequence.”Acting Premier Lisa Neville urged commuters to be patient during the “difficult disruptions”.“There are significant bits of work that are happening,” she said.“There is a lot of planning that goes into this around a lot of activities across Melbourne, when you have the least amount of people on the system, looking at opportunities to minimise disruption.”CONSTRUCTION BLITZ SHUTS DOWN RAILWAY LINESCOMMUTERS MISS OUT ON REFUNDS FOR DELAYS<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/rostered-day-off-for-construction-workers-slows-rail-upgrade-blitz-as-commuters-face-major-delays/news-story/be19899f1d75d1a9df2e88a3a13c1eb6>* It's bad enough having engineers and managers who can't cope, but that is made worse by the saturation propaganda, with a politician spouting a fed script, in particular 'the biggest upgrade of metropolitan and regional rail that we’ve ever seen'.  None of the work needs the shutdowns on this scale.  PTV/Metro have never once organised effective substitute services, and the public shouldn't fall for “There is a lot of planning that goes into this around a lot of activities across Melbourne, when you have the least amount of people on the system, looking at opportunities to minimise disruption.”* Can they take the rest of the week off?  For those of us who actually worked today, it was an awesome drive to work in the Western Suburbs.* Why not have the Gippsland VLine trains operate from/to Dandenong instead of buses all the way?* This is going from bad to worse with no end in sight.* As my father said just before: only in Victoria. Well, maybe South Australia too.* When are we putting the Hammer & Sickle onto the flag of Victoria?* No hammer and sickle on Dan's CFMMEU flag.* What an embarrassment.  So while everyone has to drive to their destinations, stuck in traffic for what we all thought was the start of the week of tunnel excavations the idiots coincide it with an RDO.  Nothing against having an RDO, go for it but surely someone in the government saw this as a possibility.  You just look like a pack of incompetent fools.  * Everyone should get there facts right, the government or yourself don't pay for these RDO's there paid for by the private company's that employ these worker. Don't forget that these large company's make massive profits and it's only fare that they reward there workers that a lot of the time work 6-7 day weeks plus overtime with a RDO every now and then. I would like to know how much money some of these CEO's receives when theses jobs are completed on time and under budget?  Stop bagging the workers that help these company's make money for there shareholders, there's plenty of Love too go around.* We pay for rdos ourselves. it comes out of our pay each week.* Massive profits? Typical profit, EBIT, for the large construction companies is 4% of revenue.* I agree that the employer pays for the RDO.  The issue here is that the Unions are saying they called the RDO today, rather than the employer and this goes to the crux of the problem.  Why would a major project that impacts on hundreds of thousands of workers enable a Union to call a RDO today?    Unions now only represent less than 14% of workers yet seem to wield power far beyond its representation and employers and the long suffering non unionists put up with it.  The major question is why was today an RDO when public transport is highly compromised and I bet the answer is - because we could!* This is really hard to understand... is it serious? Surely not.* We voted for this . Thanks Dan for your proactive action. John Cain promised this work and Dan is delivering!* Wrong answer Minister Horne, take full responsibility and resign.  Something so basic is not an oversight, it’s appalling incompetents. 
Melbourne station crime: Dandenong retains top spot.
Greater Dandenong Leader July 8, 2019Springvale station has rocketed into the top ten stations for crime. Picture: Wayne TaylorSpringvale station has rocketed into Melbourne’s top 10 stations for crime, with offences at the busy hub more than doubling in the past 12 months.The number of offences spiked from 54 in 2017-18 to 114 for the April 2018-March 2019 period, according to the latest Crime Statistics Agency data.But Dandenong’s notorious reputation as the most dangerous station in suburban Melbourne remains with the station cemented at number one, despite hitting a five-year low of 354 offences.It is well ahead of second-placed Sunshine (193), despite being down from 396 in 2017-18.Public order and security offences (164) account for most of the crime, with property and deception (50) and crimes against the person (49) the next highest.But the spike at Springvale station has police concerned.Property and deception (29) account for the most offences closely followed by public order and security offences (25).Several robberies and assaults, including a vicious bashing, have occurred at or near the station in the past year.“The incidents which have occurred at Springvale train station are not linked to a specific group of people,” Transit South Local Area Commander Inspector Martin Hardy said.Police crackdown on crime at transport hubs in the southeast.He said population growth was a “likely contributor to a rise in some crimes”.“Other reasons for the increase can be attributed to ongoing encouragement to report sex offences and other anti-social behaviours,” he said.“Springvale is a busy area, which sees a large number of people using the train station on a daily basis.“Every person has the right to use the public transport system and feel safe.”Dandenong station retains top spot on Melbourne’s crime riddled station list.video: How do Australia’s train networks compare to one another?  A comparison between Australia’s different train networks.Other stations — excluding city loop and regional stations — to make the top 10 are Ringwood (163), Footscray (146), Newport (113), North Melbourne (104), Frankston (103), Werribee (93) and Broadmeadows (92)..The stats come as transit police vowed to crackdown on crime at transport hubs and shopping precincts across the southeast.Acting Sergeant Daniel Burton said Operation Recalcitrant aimed to improve public safety by deterring criminal offences.“We recognise the need to focus on transport hubs and will continue to regularly focus our operations on these areas to ensure public safety and reduce crime,” he said.The operation runs until Thursday.<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/melbourne-train-station-crime-dandenong-retains-top-spot/news-story/0a7f5fc634cb336ef289fb2971e140c2>
Commuters caught up in traffic chaos as trams shut down for three weeksMon.8.7.19 Adelaide AdvertiserCBD commuters will be given a reprieve after Monday’s traffic chaos on King William St – with changed lengths of traffic light cycles.video: Traffic chaos in Adelaide's CBD Commuters are facing three weeks of traffic chaos as restrictions hit one of the city's main thoroughfares.Frustrated motorists will be given longer green lights on King William St and “more appropriate” traffic light cycles after yesterday’s peak hour nightmare. Drivers faced the first day of headaches as tram services halt for three weeks. Traffic on King William St is restricted to one lane in each direction between Victoria Square and South Tce while a $17.5 million tram line upgrade is completed.The Traffic Management Centre will monitor the changed lengths of traffic light cycles over the duration of the works, a Transport Department spokesman said. “The project has a total of 10 people currently on site helping to manage traffic and pedestrian access,” he said.Traffic was jammed between South Tce and Victoria Square yesterday, and one veteran commuter said the congestion was “the worst I’ve seen in 20 years”.One driver complained of lack of notice, saying he wasn’t aware of the works and therefore didn’t leave enough time to get to work on time.“Why is this happening now … I think we’ll have to find another way in,” he said.City South tram line replacement: proposed traffic and parking arrangementsRob May usually gets off the tram at Victoria Square but had to walk to work in the rain due to the tram terminating at city south. Making matters worse, just south of the CBD, in Unley, motorists are also facing heavy King William Rd restrictions for a $15.5 million upgrade. It has been left a ghost town as major works yesterday shut off all vehicle access to the majority of the stretch.Food Works employee Taimoor Hemze has noticed how quiet the road has been all month, and he is getting less than half of his normal rostered shifts as a result.“We usually have two workers at the same time but now there’s only one at a time,” he said.“I used to get four or five shifts a week and now I’m only getting one or two.”Construction on the tram line along King William St. Picture: Tait SchmaalResidents say noise from the works has added to the disruption, because the road works begin at 4am.“The noise was terrible … it’s been like this for the past four weeks, it’s shocking,” resident Joe Lofaro said.Another local, Sasha Mitrovic, said many traders wouldn’t survive long enough to reap the benefits of the upgraded road. “It’s just the truth, and it’s what’s going to happen,” she said.The two projects were timed to coincide to minimise disruption.<www.adelaidenow.com.au/messenger/east-hills/commuters-face-heavy-restrictions-as-trams-shut-down-for-three-weeks/news-story/97a8b423c24bedcc3bb9186b001c2a35>