----- Forwarded message -----

To:australiantransportnews@... australiantransportnews@...>
Sent: Friday, 14 August 2020, 12:20:29 pm AEST
Subject: Tues.26.5.20 daily digest

Tues.26.5.20: An eastbound light loco passed Surrey Hills (Melbourne, Vic.) at around 14.00; the return move passed at 14.53.  AFAIK this was for driver training or maintaining route currency.

Roderick

 "171219Tu-MetroTwitter-20.39delays.jpg"
 "171219Tu-MetroTwitter-21.13delays.jpg"

 "171221Th-MetroTwitter-Heatherdale-ss.jpg" 

"171225M-MetroTwitter-761219Su-133761-Eltham-470M-WestonLangford-ss.jpg"

 "200525M-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-high.rise-a(rest.not.downloaded)-ss.jpg"

 "200526Tu-Fairfax-Drive-train-freeway-ss.jpg"

26.5.20 Metro Twitter
Buses replace trains on sections of the Frankston line until the the last train of Sun 26 Jul (level-crossing works).
Buses replace trains Frankston - Stony Point until the last train of Sun 26 Jul (level-crossing works).
- is it possible to know why there are no express trains when the buses run? The trip is already made longer by the buses it would be nice to at least get the express trains.
- The track and signalling layout at the temporary terminus at Moorabbin does not allow for the full utilisation of all three platforms, which would otherwise be used during normal express running operation.   As a result, only two platforms are in use, which in turn limits the total amount of trains. In order to run a regular and frequent peak service, an all stations service is in operation between Flinders St and Moorabbin.  [that should have been fixed as part of the mega project.  Is the new Cheltenham any better than every other three-platform station?].
5.39 Major delays Pakenham - Dandenong while police attend to a trespasser.
- 7.19 clearing.
- Don't these trespassers ever sleep?  It's been happening often on the  Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines
8.25 Sunbury line: Citybound delays (an 'operational incident' near Keilor Plains.
- 8.37 Clearing.
10.43 Upfield line: Minor delays Coburg - North Melbourne while authorised officers attend to trespassers.
- 10.44 Clearing.
14.57 Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Citybound delays (a train fault near Caulfield).
- 15.01 clearing.
More cleaning, more often.
- We’re disinfecting and sanitising all services and stations every day. We’ll keep doing this for as long as we need, to help keep you safe.
- We are sanitising high-touch surfaces frequently throughout the day, so hold on for your safety.
- Sanitising and cleaning should be occurring throughout the day. I boarded a train at Parliament after 4pm and there were plenty of used tissues everywhere.
- Gross! That's disgusting.
- Thank you. Hope YT is doing the same and you can both maintain it as a long term strategy - it will help reduce spread of colds, flu, gastro as well as COVID-19. Cheap tissues in vending machines at stations would also be great so that people can cough/sneeze into tissues.
- Tokyo has carriages for women only. Maybe a carriage for those at higher risk?
- Trains aren't being deep cleaned at night, I catch the first train from Belgrave or sometimes Glen Waverley: the trains are filthy. No hand sanitiser at stations. NSW trains have spots to sit on. Impossible to social distance on a crowded train.
- Every day? It should be more like every 90 minutes or before and after every destination on all lines every day. Not just one and be done for.
- It should be every hour each day.
Buses replace trains Clifton Hill - Mernda from 19.15 until the last train (maintenance works).
Buses replace trains Newport - Werribee from 20.15 until the last train tonight (works take place).
Buses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.30 until the last train (works).

26 May 2020 COVID-19 breathes hope into the future of cars as buyers shun mass transit
Could COVID-19 revive the car market?
The coronavirus crisis has breathed new hope into the future of the automobile as experts believe many consumers will move away from mass transit in favour of a vehicle that can provide personal space.
The global boss of Mercedes-Benz, Ola Källenius (pictured below), told a video conference with international media overnight that consumers around the world were starting to once again embrace the idea of their own passenger car.
Until the coronavirus crisis led to lockdowns and social distancing requirements around the world, the automotive industry was bracing for a downturn in global sales as more consumers adopted ride-sharing or car-sharing services and purchased fewer motor vehicles. 
However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has prompted many people to reconsider their choice of transport.
“It’s too early for final assessments of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius. “But there are (several key learnings) I think are important.
“The founding fathers of this company – Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz – gave us individual mobility,” said Mr Källenius. 
“Now we are reminded of how important the car – our own protected, safe zone – can be. It means freedom.
“Individual mobility is valuable and should be protected, but we need to take it into the future with new technologies.”
Mr Källenius said most Mercedes-Benz factories were beginning to ramp up production after pausing during COVID-19 lockdowns – and customer interest in new models was gradually improving. 
“Most of our showrooms around the world are now open again and customers are coming back in – especially in China,” said Mr Källenius. 
“There, we’re almost back to normal in terms of showroom traffic. So I have cautious optimism.”
In Australia, many states have introduced restrictions on how many people can ride in a bus or a train in peak commuting periods and have asked office workers to stagger their start and finish times to avoid overcrowding in lifts and on public transport.
However, transport experts have warned there will be gridlock on the roads if everyone drives to work.
<www.drive.com.au/news/covid-19-breathes-hope-into-the-future-of-cars-as-buyers-shun-mass-transit-123678.html>

Joint state and council committee to tackle 'missing links' in active transport May 26, 2020
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/joint-state-and-council-committee-to-tackle-missing-links-in-active-transport-20200526-p54wku.html>

Australia shows how policy can stifle renewable energy future May 26, 2020
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/australia-shows-how-policy-can-stifle-renewable-energy-future-20200526-p54wea.html>

Tues.26.5.20 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' letters.
* THIS might be the wake-up call to stop our government’s foolish cash grab by selling off our country’s valuable infrastructure, ports, farms, real estate, resources and so on, to China and other foreign countries for short-term gain that will prove to be longterm pain.
* Renewables exposed  WELL said, Peter Thorogood — at last the Michael Moore film Planet of the Humans gets a mention. When the ABC refused to air it, we knew it would be worth watching. And it was certainly an eye-opening expose of renewable energy — or rather the “con” of renewable energy and its billionaire beneficiaries. Who would have thought that electric cars are not designed to be recharged from solar but at night, when we don’t usually drive them?
Or that every solar farm in the US comes with a back-up gas-fired generator — for when the sun don’t shine? Not everything which is promised is true.
* Labour costs too high. WE are told Victoria is headed for an infrastructure-led recovery. Infrastructure spending, particularly in Victoria, does not have a value-for-money component. Unions in Victoria are the beneficiary of the “Big Build” philosophy of the State Government. Labour costs per square metre in Victoria are second only to the city of New York. In Victoria, a labourer costs $55 per square metre, compared to Toronto $49, Munich $41, Amsterdam $36 and London at $35. An entry-level labourer received in excess of $143,000 per annum on the CityLink Tulla widening. With the Commonwealth grants system as it is, these costs are pushed out to other states, thereby adding to the national debt level.
* Grattan Institute says that a fast rail up the east coast of Australia, about 2600km, would take 50 years to plan and build. They built the first transcontinental Canadian railway in four years in the 1880s, in a lot harsher conditions. Are we training monkeys to build ours?