Fw: Wed.22.4.20 daily digest
  Roderick Smith

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Roderick

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Wed.22.4.20 Metro Twitter6.57 Craigieburn line: Minor delays (an equipment fault near Pascoe Vale).- 7.45 clearing.10.30  Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Buses are in operation, replacing trains between Oakleigh and Westall (a person hit by train). Journey times extended by ~25min [plus connection time]- Trains 'begin to resume' [have they or haven't they?], with minor delays.15.32 Lilydale line: Minor delays (police near Ringwood East). - 15.43 Now major.- 15.50 clearing.17.33 Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Minor delays after a faulty train at North Richmond.19.00 Lilydale/Belgrave/Alamein/Glen Waverley lines: Major delays (police attending to a trespasser near Flinders Street. - 19.15  All trains will run direct Flinders Street - Richmond.  Trains may be held/altered.- 19.27 clearing.19.00 Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: Major delays (police attending to a trespasser near Flinders Street).- 19.19 Trains may be held/altered.- 19.27 clearing19.03 Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines: Major delays while police attend to a trespasser near Flinders Street.- 19.17 All trains will run direct Flinders Street - Richmond.  Trains services may be held/altered.- 19.31 clearing.19.20 Werribee/Williamstown: Major delays while police attend to a trespasser near Flinders Street.  Trains may be held/altered.- 19.28  clearing.19.23  Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Major delays while police attend to a trespasser near Flinders St. Trains may be held/altered.- 19.29 clearingBuses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.10 until the last train (works).Sunbury line: Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Sunshine from 20.00 until the last train (maintenance works).Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: All trains will run direct to/from Flinders St from 20.45 until the last train (works).  From loop stations, take a Flinders St train from pfm 1 (specially-provided city circle?) and change.Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Upfield from 20.50 until the last train (maintenance works).Buses replace trains Epping - Mernda from 20.50 until the last train (works)?
Apr 22 2020 Travel and coronavirus: Why travelling is essential 
<www.traveller.com.au/travel-and-coronavirus-why-travelling-is-essential-h1nijz>

Sydney bus drivers resort to home-made masks amid COVID-19 crisis April 22, 2020
Sydney bus drivers are pleading with the state government to provide them more personal protective equipment amid the coronavirus crisis, with some resorting to making their own face masks.Drivers are being provided with hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes, but many still feel anxious about contracting COVID-19 given their constant interaction with the public.A NSW bus driver wears a homemade face mask whilst working.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer“There is a genuine concern that we haven’t got access to face masks,” a bus driver speaking on the condition of anonymity said.The driver, who works in Sydney’s eastern suburbs - a hotspot for transmission - said some staff were taking safety precautions into their own hands.“We’ve actually got a few drivers who are making their own [masks] ... a few blokes have got some hanging up on their lockers and circulating them through the day and then taking them home and washing them.”A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said masks weren't recommended but several measures had already been undertaken by the government to ensure driver safety, including taping off the seat closest to the driver and closing the front Opal reader.“In line with NSW Health advice, face masks are not recommended for the general public unless you are unwell and masks should be saved for people to use when they are sick,” the spokeswoman said."Transport for NSW is working closely with NSW Health and increased cleaning of hard surfaces at high traffic areas across the network, including on buses and bus depots, has been rolled out and will continue for the foreseeable future."Another driver said he had been purchasing cotton masks with his own cash from a local dress maker who had converted their business into fashioning protective equipment during the pandemic.The calls for more protective equipment come after a woman allegedly spat in the face of a bus driver this week. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has described the attack as "absolutely disgusting".Opposition Transport Minister Chris Minns said transport workers should be given the same protective equipment as other frontline employees."These are front line workers who need protection,” he said. "If the government can't source the masks, they should be honest and disclose that, but please stop this fatuous argument that the masks are not needed."One of the drivers said there were also fears within the workforce that the NSW government was going to extend school holiday public transport scheduling to lower the network frequency due to an 80 per cent drop in commuters, which could result in more people crammed into each bus.video NSW Premier coronavirus update NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian provided an update on ANZAC Day and COVID-19 alongside Acting Minister for Veterans Geoff Lee, acting president of RSL NSW Ray James, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant and NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller.“The only saving grace keeping the panic at bay is the fact the patronage has dropped significantly but that doesn’t get us away from the fact that we’re exposed,” the driver said.However, a TfNSW spokeswoman said there was no plan to reduce services.Rail, Tram and Bus Union division secretary David Babineau said the government had to come clean that the reason bus drivers weren't being given masks was because of a supply issue.Related Article President Donald Trump flips through a stack of papers as he speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, April 20, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) As the day unfolded: Australia records lowest COVID-19 case numbers in 24 hours since early March, Ruby Princess scheduled to depart Port Kembla on Thursday as nation's death toll stands at 74<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-bus-drivers-resort-to-home-made-masks-amid-covid-19-crisis-20200421-p54lpa.html>* Of course bus drivers should have masks. We should all be wearing them.* Masks are available from places such as Chemists Warehouse (I just bought them myself). Buy them, then make a claim on your tax return. Not an ideal solution, but fast. Until your work place supplies them.* How about providing them with Perspex screens, lots popping up in shops.* The drivers should be behind a protective perspex screen, like at Bunnings.* Get all public transport workers MASKS.* That would be an excellent idea, especially when they lift some of the restrictions and people start travelling regularly on public transport again.* Is there a shortage of masks? Loads of people walking around wearing them
Coronavirus shutdown won't slow Metro progress: Constance April 22, 2020Sydney’s multibillion-dollar Metro won’t be delayed by the coronavirus lockdown, as NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says work on the rail project could actually be accelerated during the shutdown.While most of the city is closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 5000 people remain working on the Metro City and Southwest project.Minster for Transport Andrew Constance says the Sydney Metro won't be delayed by the COVID-19 shutdown.Credit:Rhett Wyman Mr Constance on Wednesday said fewer commuters across the city’s network meant work could be sped up in the “rabbit warren” beneath Central Station, where workers have broken into 50-year-old underground platforms.The “ghost platforms,” which were built last century as part of the eastern suburbs line were never completed, but will soon house communications and power rooms supporting the $15 billion Metro.“The challenge for the construction sector is seeing where they can pick up the pace,” Mr Constance said.“We’ve got the ability with less traffic on our roads to actually increase productivity across our worksites because we’re able to get on with the truck movements.”A worker in the Sydney Metro's 10 metre deep 'station box' at Central Station.Credit:Rhett Wyman Mr Constance said the lockdown and economic downturn would not be used as an excuse for delays or more cost blowouts to the metro.“No ... we are going to be dependent upon public infrastructure in the months and years ahead to recover from this,” he said.The Herald revealed in February that the 30-kilometre line from Chatswood to Bankstown via Sydney's CBD, had blown out by at least $3 billion. Mr Constance has apologised for this and blamed overheated labour markets, which were not predicted by Treasury.Despite the price tag challenges, Mr Constance said big infrastructure projects would help the NSW economy recover post-pandemic. He also didn’t shy away from further asset recycling potentially being used to fund it.The Barangaroo construction area of the Metro rail harbour crossing.Credit:Nick MoirHe said the controversial measure of selling or leasing state assets to fund big projects had to be “in the mix” when considering how to pay for works.“It’s not just a case of tax and debt, we can be quite innovative, we’ve been like that in the past,” Mr Constance said.Both the opposition and unions have criticised Mr Constance’s post-pandemic response plan, which he revealed to the Herald earlier this week.But Mr Constance said there needed to be less partisanship over the coming months.“I respect the ideas out of the opposition and the union leadership more so now than ever before,” he said.“We need to be unified in our response because hundreds of thousands of people have lost work.”Sydney Metro chief executive Jon Lamonte said while there had been some supply chain challenges, his team were working towards the same timeline, which predicts the Metro to be operational by 2024.“No we have not pushed out the timeline at all, what we are doing is making sure we’re protecting the workforce and that’s key for us,” he said.About 270,000 Sydneysiders were using Central Station every weekday prior to the shutdown, with the government expecting that to grow to half a million when the Metro opens.Related Article Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance at the site of a metro train station last year. Second wave of mega projects 'silver bullet' to reviving NSW economy<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/coronavirus-shutdown-won-t-slow-metro-progress-constance-20200422-p54m8i.html>* The plea for increased public transport translates to providing more resources for peak travel rather than increasing the comprehensiveness of the areas served. Now that we have experience of working away from the CBD, the time has come to revisit the resources that should be concentrated on improving electronic communications. Who enjoys commuting? Serving the demands of commuters increases the subsidies required, we should be thinking about how these demands can be minimised.* Excellent news, despite the whinge-fest that will no doubt appear in the comments. We need more public transport (especially train lines) and finally we have a government that is delivering the largest upgrade to Sydney's rail system since Bradfield.* Please explain how 5000 workers can practice social distancing?* "...won’t be delayed by the coronavirus lockdown, as NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says..." And if it strikes the Metro workforce?* Isn’t is odd that Constance has stopped publicly pleading for funding and support for his fire ravaged electorate of Bega and refocusing his energy on Metros?* Great... we are all forced to stay home, no school, no jobs, 'social distanting' and fined if we breath in the wrong direction but the same government is letting their little project with 5000 workers keep moving. Charming.* "Mr Constance has apologised for this [$3 bullion blowout] and blamed overheated labour markets". Though I don't recall labour markets being "overheated" for several years, presumably this cost blowout will now vanish given the scale of unemployment we now face?* Good to hear that delays on the Metro project won't be delayed by the virus.* Keep up spending on Infrastructure, stop selling Assets off to private interests without suitable contractual protection for public interest. Do both and keep doing it.....* you do realise that LNP ethos doesn't include walking and chewing gum at the same time?* We do not object to public transport, we object to privatisation. The Government can borrow at zero %. Private businesses borrow at 5-10%. Tolls would be much lower if Governments retained ownership. That’s the issue, Mr Constance.* Constance is so out of his depth.* Given the apparent success of distance working and the time wasted in commuting, is any work being done on whether public transport growth projections may need revision?
Diamonds are a scientist's best friend for cutting-edge energy storage April 22, 2020<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/diamonds-are-a-scientist-s-best-friend-for-cutting-edge-energy-storage-20200422-p54m7a.html>

Too much space for cars at Brisbane's new super-park, says councillor April 22, 2020<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/too-much-space-for-cars-at-brisbane-s-new-super-park-says-councillor-20200421-p54lyt.html>


April 22 2020 Metro work continues at Sydney station Work is continuing on the next phase of the Sydney Metro project despite the coronavirus crisis.Major construction work is under way at Central Station as part of the Sydney Metro project, in the biggest upgrade to the city's busiest railway station in decades.Two underground metro platforms are being built as part of the upgrade, as well as an underground concourse that will help commuters move between the light rail, trains, the metro and buses.Work is under way to build a 27-metre deep metro station "box", with about 6000 tonnes of crushed rock being excavated every week.NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says it is fortunate work could continue during the COVID-19 pandemic.He says there are strict protocols in place to protect construction workers."More than 5000 people are currently working across the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project, and by the time the project opens, around 50,000 people will have worked on it," Mr Constance said in a statement on Wednesday."The upcoming Sydney Metro West project will support 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs."Work has broken into Central's co-called ghost platforms, which were built last century but never completed.The two unused platforms will house 17 communications and power rooms to support the metro.The underground concourse is expected to open in 2022 while construction on the Sydney Metro, extending from Chatswood through the city and to Bankstown, continues until 2024.The new standalone railway will include 31 stations and more than 66 kilometres of metro rail.<www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6731745/metro-work-continues-at-sydney-station>


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