----- Forwarded message ----- To: Tdu Transportdownunder transportdownunder@...>
Sent: Friday, 12 July 2019, 09:23:53 pm AESTSubject: Thurs.11.7.19 daily digest
Roderick.So far so bad today.  15/18, 1/1, 1/1, 1/2, 20/35
four herewith
190711Th Melbourne 'Age':
- letters (petrol, coal, water). with tdu.

190711Th Melbourne 'Herald Sun':
- letters (rail, drones, energy, water).
- train streaker.
- tunnel, South Yarra and water.
Thurs.11.7.19 Metro Twitter
Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines: Buses replace trains Caulfield - Flinders St until the last train of Sun 14 Jul.- 5.10 Springvale to Caulfield was cancelled; no early notice; staff didn’t know what happened.  I’ve spent too much money on Uber for your useless service.  I may be late and fail to connect my next train because of your shit work.- Thanks for taking Cranbourne passengers feedback on direct express replacement buses.  I hope that you will continue it. I guess that you realised finally that Cranbourne passengers are the worst affected by rail disruptions, because of extended journey times and additional unnecessary connections.- How about a designated bus lane on the M1 when buses replace trains?Carrum station closed for months.- We can see how the destruction of Carrum is going along Nepean Hwy with all the trees cut down. What happened to all the wildlife in those trees? Those animals had to go somewhere?Buses replace trains Frankston - Stony Point until last train of Sun 14 Jul.Sandringham line: Trains will run to an altered weekday timetable.8.16 Craigieburn line: Minor delays clearing after a train fault at Coolaroo.- Bullshit minor delays, I got on at Newmarket at 8.20, and am still not at Parliament at 8.47. Get your shit together.8.49 Lilydale/Belgrave/Alamein/Glen Waverley lines: Minor delays clearing after an ill passenger at Richmond.13.43 Minor delays (a train fault near Craigieburn).- 13.53 Trains may terminate/originate at Broadmeadows.- 14.02 clearing.17.24 Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Minor delays (an equipment fault near Clifton Hill).- 17.53  Delays are up to 15 minutes.- It’s been well over 15 minutes now. Any idea when the trains will be running? I left Parliament on the 17.37.- Your train is awaiting authority to enter the affected section. We anticipate that your train will be at least 18-20 min late at Clifton Hill. The train may stop suddenly approaching Clifton Hill.- Your announcements at Flinders St pfm 1 are not audible.  Please fix your microphone/speaker equipment.- We'll get the PA's checked out.- The announcements on the train are too quiet and inaudible.- Metro is an absolute shit show.- 18.01 Trains may terminate/originate at intermediate stations to reduce congestion. [ie, we can't cope]- 18.23 A big thanks to the driver of the Mernda bound train currently approaching Clifton Hill station, keeping us informed.- 18.27 Mernda line: Major delays (an ill passenger requiring urgent ambulance assistance at Rushall, and the fault near Clifton Hill).- In-train message pathetic from driver; I can’t understand what’s happening.- How do I check platform displays when I’m on the train?- 18.35 clearing.18.14 Glen Waverley line: Minor delays (a passenger incident at Burnley).- 18.27 Clearing.18.38 Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: Outbound delays (police at Flagstaff).- 18.45 clearing.20.21  Frankston line: Minor delays (a loss of external power affecting signalling equipment near Chelsea).- 21.00 Now major..- 22.13 Now minor and clearing.
Melbourne Express, Thursday, July 11, 2019* 9.16 There are minor delays on several lines, including Alamein, Belgrave, Lilydale and Glen Waverley lines because of an earlier ill passenger at Richmond.* 8.50 Burst water main blocks Victoria St.  The major city street is closed in both directions between Elizabeth St and Swanston St due to a burst water main.
* Fancy checking out Melbourne's underbelly? Deep beneath Fed Square, there's a network of tunnels and trenches, a vast array of arteries criss-crossing under the streets for an equally mind-boggling number of purposes. Underground, the tremor of a passing train is a visceral experience. There's also, according to Fed Square, abandoned building projects, half-stocked restaurants and any number of discarded plans. The landmark’s underbelly will be open at the end of this month for Open House Melbourne. Tickets to the tour go on sale from 8.30am tomorrow.  The one-hour tours depart every 10 minutes and run for an hour. Bookings are required and the cost is $5.* 7.41 There are minor delays on the Craigieburn line, along with the bus replacements on the Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham and Stony Point.* 5.41 commuters are still on buses on the Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham and Stony Point lines. There is a good service on all other lines.<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-express-thursday-july-11-2019-20190710-p5262r.html>
'Swarm' of protesters to disrupt Brisbane CBD in peak hour on Thursday July 10, 2019. 24 comments
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/swarm-of-protesters-to-disrupt-brisbane-cbd-in-peak-hour-on-thursday-20190710-p525xm.html>

Metro rail tunnel dig to tap into Melbourne's drinking water
Herald Sun July 11, 2019Melbourne’s drinking water will be used to top up the city’s groundwater levels as Metro’s tunnel project cuts through the inner city.The Metro rail tunnel water monitoring site on Boathouse Drive, Melbourne.Melbourne’s drinking water will be injected underground to manage sub-surface water levels while the Metro rail tunnel is being built under the city. Although the exact volume of water is not yet known, the process will tap into the city’s potable water reserves over the coming years.Metro contractors have installed a large-scale underground water monitoring and top-upsystem to maintain groundwater levels and movement during tunnelling.Recharge wells and injection points are being installed at Boathouse Drive and Flinders Walk. The injection points are to monitor water levels underground as the tunnel is being dug.“Installation of these wells involve scanning the area, saw cutting, non-destructive digging, and the use of a drill rig, and takes approximately two weeks to complete,’’ a Metro spokesman said.Metro Tunnel works in South Yarra. Picture: Sarah MatrayGroundwater monitoring work would affect surrounding buildings or trees, he said.“All works undertaken as part of the Metro Tunnel Project are designed to minimise impacts on residents and businesses in the surrounding areas.’’Five new stations and twin 9km rail tunnels are being built under central Melbourne, linking South Yarra to South Kensington. The project, costing more than $11 billion, is due to be completed in 2025.Monash University civil engineering Professor Jian Zhao said the amount of water required was hard to estimate until tunnelling began next year.“But I expect it to be minimal,’’ he said.Metro will pay commercial rates for the water.Melbourne University Associate Professor of geotechnical engineering Guillermo Narsilio said the underground geology of the tunnel differed along the route.“The hydro-geological conditions vary, so the ‘topping-up’ flow will also vary from site to site, from relatively little near the Parkville station, to perhaps relatively more at Anzac and Arden stations,’’ Assoc Prof Narsilio said.The rate of topping up would be similar to the pumping out of water out of the excavations during construction, he said.DAY OFF SLOWS RAIL UPGRADE BLITZTERROR-PROOFING PLAN FOR METRO TUNNEL<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/metro-rail-tunnel-dig-to-tap-into-melbournes-drinking-water/news-story/6f7abbab28e66f1848c6226e2aa82789>
Thurs.11.7.19 A man could face a fine after he was filmed sliding down a train naked on the Lilydale line.video: Naked man slides down Melbourne train Well, this is not your everyday commute.Passengers on the Belgrave line on Sunday morning bore witness to a slip-and-slide of another kind.A streaker decided to bare all and was cheered on by bystanders as he “penguin slid” across the floor of the train.A witness told the Herald Sun that the liquid used to lubricate the floor of the train was water.Even though the mercury barely tipped over double digits this week, it did not sway the man from attempting the feat on a cold winter’s night.However, Metro has condemned the actions and urged passengers to report any similar behaviour.“Passenger safety is Metro’s number one priority and this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable on public transport,” the statement read.“If passengers witness anything of this nature on board a train, we urge them to press the emergency call button to alert Metro staff or to call police.“People must be considerate of their fellow passengers, which means behaving in a respectful way.”<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-train-streaker-slips-and-slides-across-metro-train/news-story/06d59c9197b3420b684d67685276ee3e>
Vacant land prices reveal suburban divide in the southeast [as ever, the link between transport accessibility and price]Cranbourne Leader July 11, 2019A new report has revealed a gulf in vacant land prices between Cranbourne North and East. But if you’re looking for a bargain, this waterfront suburb, where empty lot prices dropped 72 per cent in three months, may be worth a look.The REIV says people looking to buy vacant land should be aware of council guidelines around subdivision and what can be built on the land.The latest vacant land prices and sales have revealed a tale of two Cranbournes.On the one hand, the median price for a lot in Cranbourne North shot up 41 per cent — from $308,500 to $435,000 — in one year..During that same period the Cranbourne East median dropped 10.2 per cent — from $352,000 to $316,000, the latest data reveals.The Victorian Property Sales Report for the December quarter also showed a rise in empty land median prices by more than 30 per cent in Lyndhurst, Berwick and Narre Warren South.Ray White Cranbourne sales development manager Russell Muir said there had been a “glut” of supply in Cranbourne East and less demand for the area.“There were about half a dozen developers releasing land there, whereas in Cranbourne North the new land release had been held off for a long time and it’s one of those highly sought-after pockets,” he said.Realestate.com.au listings show a 375sq m lots in Cranbourne East up for $280,000 — $300,000 while same sized plots in the north are listed for more than $369,000.Being closer to Berwick, with access to more infrastructure and train stations also made the north a more attractive prospect with people willing to pay higher prices, Mr Muir said.Safety Beach could be the place to snap up a bargain, with the median price dropping 72 per cent when compared with the previous quarter.video: Buy now: Why house prices are about to go upThree key reasons the housing crash is over, according to Commsec's Tom Piotrowski.The median was $607,500 for July-September 2018 for the suburb and sank to $167,500 in October-December.But there were only four sales settled during the period and the drop could be due to sales of marina berth lots, which classify as land, in the waterfront area.Mr Muir said vacant land sale prices could also be skewed or inflated depending on the number of sales, the size of lots for sale and the amount of land released during any given quarter.As the data related to settled sales and settlements could take up to 120 days, some sales made during this period may not be reported until the January-March 2019 quarter.Real Estate Institute of Victoria vice president Leah Calnan said suburbs with the highest growth in median prices were those in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and consistent with what the institute had seen the property market.“Melbourne has seen the highest growth in vacant prices, on a per square metre basis, compared to other capital cities,” she said.“It shows that despite the doom and gloom, Victorians are still prepared to invest in pursuing the great Australian dream of home ownership.”“Victorians interested in purchasing vacant land should ensure they are aware of council guidelines around subdivision, be aware of what the property may have been used for previously and hence whether they will be required to perform remediation work and importantly consider the location.”Median vacant land prices in the southeastMORE:Station safety fears rising in MaroondahWHICH MELBOURNE SUBURBS HAVE THE HIGHEST RENTS?CHILD HOMELESSNESS: ‘OUR NATIONAL SHAME’<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/vacant-land-prices-reveal-suburban-divide-in-the-southeast/news-story/d75bb9dfa621d3b164d0ea371f1692f2>
Climate change activists disrupt Brisbane CBD traffic July 11, 2019. 21 comments<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/climate-change-activists-disrupt-brisbane-cbd-traffic-20190711-p5265r.html>