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Subject: Fri.9.10.20 daily digest

Roderick

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 "201009F-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-Vinelander-A71-ss.jpg" with ATN & v-n
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Fri.9.10.20 Metro Twitter
Buses replace trains on sections of the Upfield line until the last train of Sun 15 Nov (level-crossing works at Coburg and Moreland).
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Craigieburn from 20.20 until the last train of Sun 11 Oct (maintenance and renewal works).
Buses replace trains Newport - Werribee from 20.20 to 6.00 Sat. (works).
Buses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.30 to 7.00 Sat (works).
Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: All trains run direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (works). From loop stations, take a Flinders St train from pfm 1.
Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: All trains run direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (maintenance works). From loop stations, take a train from pfm to Richmond.

Sat.23.3.19 Metro twitter
Mernda line: Buses replace trains Bell - Epping until the last train of Sun 24 Mar (level-crossings works).
- 2.05 has a bus arrived yet? The bus frequency is 30-40 minutes until 3am.
- 8.45 Buses replace trains Thornbury - Epping; trains run Flinders St - Bell and Epping - Mernda.
- 9.01 Because of level-crossing removal works, High Street (Reservoir) is closed at the crossing until 5.00 Monday 25 March. Detours will be in place.
Buses replace trains Burnley - Glen Waverley until the last train of Sun 24 Mar (maintenance works).
Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines: Buses replace trains Flinders St - Caulfield until the last train of Sun 24 Mar (works).  Express buses depart from Arts Centre).  All-stations buses depart from Federarion Square (Russell St) until 7.00, then from Parliament until 22.00 today.
- I wanted to get from Caulfield to Richmond, and was told that there were only express buses to Flinders St. The website says that there should have been a stopping all stations option.
- There are all stations buses operating.  However, because of heavy traffic conditions affecting the inner suburbs around Sth Yarra and Toorak, an express bus to Flinders Street and connecting with a train towards Richmond may be a faster option.
- 12.22 Takes over an hour on a bus to get from Caulfield to Richmond for the footy.
- 19.27 I suggest that everyone allows at least 3 hours for additional travel time...leaving MCG was embarrassing.
Sandringham line: Buses replace trains Flinders St - Sandringham until the last train of Sun 24 Mar (project works).  Between 7.00 & 22.00, buses will operate to/from Parliament.
- The PTV app doesn’t mention this!
- Our metroNotify is showing this weekend's planned works for the Sandringham line.
- The PTV app just says no city loop trains.
- We don't manage the PTV app or website, but will follow up with them.
3.59 Buses will replace trains between North Melbourne and Werribee (an overhead power fault near Southern Cross).  Buses have been ordered but may take over 1 hour to arrive, consider alternative transport.
- 4.13 Consider Night bus route 945, City - Geelong Rd - Tarneit - Hoppers Crossing - Werribee - Wyndham Vale.
- 4.45 Buses will replace trains between North Melbourne and Newport.  A shuttle train will operate between Newport and Werribee.
- 4.46 Eight buses have been ordered, but may take 1 hour to arrive.
- 5.08 Eight buses are enroute.
- 6.20 Buses are operation.
- 6.26 I've been at Newport for over an hour and not one bus has been seen.
- 6.30 The first has turned up now.
- 7.34 Nine buses are in operation.  Anticipate buses to be in operation until at least 10.30.
- 8.30: 12 buses are in operation, with an extended journey time of 45 min [total or additional?].
- 9.00 Trains are expected to resume at ~12.30.
- 11.31 Trains are expected to resume at ~13.00.
- 12.30: 17 buses are in operation, with an extended journey time of 45 min.  Trains are expected to resume at ~14.30.
- 14.00 Trains are expected to resume at ~15.30.
- 15.30 Trains are expected to resume at ~16.00.
- Buses are replacing trains on this line so much lately you might as well run the buses on the train tracks!
- 15.48  Trains are resuming, with major delays.  First trains: 15.25 ex Werribee (due out of Newport at 15.52); 15.47 ex Flinders St.
- Stop changing ya mind. Is it 15.00, 15.30 or 16.00? METRO = SHAMBLES.
- I don't mind the updates; they're helpful, as we know that we need to now travel by car.  What’s annoying is that there is no reference to the fact that the time keeps being revised (from 13.30).
- I agree, but they need to stop beating around the bush. If they need until 18.00 to fix it, just say it; don’t say “ maybe 15.30”.
- Channel 9, can you do a follow up on this? Over 8 hours of no trains on the Werribee line.
- 16.40 My daughter has been waiting at North Melbourne for 40 min, shunted from one platform to the other, lift not working, escalators not running and she can barely walk.  She has only just got on a train!  Disgraceful.
- Stop giving false information that trains have resumed. I could have taken a Vline but came to Werribee station instead, thinking that trains have resumed.  At the last minute you cancelled the 16.25, although it was ready to leave
the platform! Vline is more reliable now.
4.14 Craigieburn/Sunbury/Upfield lines: There will be minor delays; trains will depart from platforms 1 and 2 at North Melbourne.
- 6.11 Passengers at Southern Cross, board tram 70 in Spencer Street [it doesn't run in this street] and change at Flinders St for connecting services.  [hard to guess what is happening.  Are three routes flighting  through the loop,
then reversing direction?].
- 8.30 Major delays (an overhead power fault near Melbourne Southern Cross).  All trains will not stop there.  Take a Collins St tram to Swanston St and walk a block to Flinders St.
10.41 [and to after 14.50] Minor delays.  Some [all?] trains will not stop at Southern Cross.  Catch a train from pfm 8 (to North Melbourne) or 10 (to Flagstaff) and change.
- 17.20 Can we still have some train at St Albans?  I've been waiting, and neither of the trains which should be at 17.14 and 17.34 is here.
- Are you travelling citybound? The two were cancelled because of the earlier disruption [consecutive services, leaving a 1 h gap].  The next at St Albans is scheduled for 17.54.
0.22 Cranbourne line: Minor delays (police attending to a trespasser near Lynbrook).  Trains will be held.
- 0.49 Now major, but clearing.

St Kilda: Population, history, sights, entertainment and crime
Jordy Atkinson October 8, 2020 Port Phillip Leader
Long before the grinning face of Luna Park lit up St Kilda the suburb was a glitzy hub for Melbourne’s wealthy elite. Now it’s perhaps better known as a mecca for tourists, hangovers and a fiery foreshore curse. Here’s a look at postcode 3182.
Peak hour at St Kilda Junction in 1956. Traffic was thrown into turmoil when the roundabout was demolished in a “shock move by St Kilda Council, which caught the police by surprise).
Nearly everyone who grew up in Melbourne has a St Kilda story.
Most photo albums contain wholesome family pictures of kids paddling at the beach or posing in front of Luna Park’s Mr Moon.
It has even been immortalised in a song by iconic Aussie crooner (and St Kilda resident) Paul Kelly — who doesn’t love seeing the “sun go down from St Kilda Esplanade”.
But the suburb with a saintly name has also been a playground for many a sinner — from its red light district and the notorious Gatwick hotel through to wild backpacker parties and even some chilling crimes.
Gatwick Hotel in Fitzroy Street before it was transformed into luxury apartments.
Lady of St Kilda on the rail bridge above Carlisle St has been targeted by vandals numerous times.
But in case you were wondering, the popular beachside area isn’t named after a holy figure — there is no such person as Saint Kilda — but rather a schooner which moored in Port Phillip Bay for much of 1841.
On a grazing licence, the ship’s master and early settler Lieutenant James Ross Lawrence fenced off a misshapen triangle at the foreshore.
The area had three tracks along its perimeter, which Lawrence named Fitzroy St, The Esplanade and Acland St.
Acland St was named for Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, the owner of the ship which brought Lawrence from England.
That ship was The Lady of St Kilda.
By the late 1800s, St Kilda was a fashionable suburb for the rich and with a population of almost 20,000 it was the city’s most densely populated area, with plenty of sprawling bayside mansions and hotels.
The Palais Theatre taken in 1966.
Astor Theatre circa 1936.
By 1894, the depression showed signs of turning and St Kilda started coming to life again.
In the early 20th century, Luna Park and the neighbouring Palais de Danse opened, bringing affordable entertainment to Melbourne’s blossoming population.
Later the suburb became known for its loose bars and brothels and an unsettling string of fires and arson attacks which sparked talk of the “fiery curse of the foreshore”.
In 1968 the Palais de Danse was destroyed by fire and later replaced by The Palace, which went up in flames in 2007.
Former owners of the St Kilda Pier kiosk, Judy and Colin Kerby, in 1986.
St Kilda Beach in 1957.
Esplanade Hotel in 1984.
The St Kilda Pier kiosk burnt down in 2003 and later rebuilt, and the famous Stokehouse restaurant got a makeover when it was gutted by fire in 2014.
Later that same year a fire razed the beloved Donovan’s restaurant, which has also been rebuilt.
The suburb has also been the home of live music in Melbourne, with fledgling groups and big name bands alike regularly playing at popular venues including the Espy and The Prince of Wales.
Former Mayor Bernadene Voss with Dolly Diamond and police officers at the unveiling of St Kilda’s rainbow road in 2018. Picture: Penny Stephens
Luna Park, 1987.
It’s also home to a rainbow road, just a hop, skip and jump from where Australia’s first Pride Centre will open — honouring St Kilda’s longstanding reputation as a safe place for the LGBTIQ community.
The historic Junction Oval, where the first ever match of elite Aussie Rules was played in 1870 between South Yarra and Albert Park, was once the official home of the St Kilda Football Club, before the Saints moved to Moorabbin in 1964.
St Kilda has also seen its share of grisly crimes, including the brutal unsolved murder of sex worker Tracy Connolly in 2013 and the 1968 abduction of little Linda Stilwell as she played with her siblings on St Kilda beach.
And what became of the Lady of St Kilda? It was shipwrecked in 1844 near Tahiti.
MORE:
ST KILDA VENUES WE USED TO LOVE
ST KILDA TREEHOUSE TOWN DOWN IN FRONT OF CRYING CHILDREN
DRUG OVERDOSE RATE RENEWS CALLS FOR ST KILDA INJECTING ROOM
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/st-kilda-population-history-sights-entertainment-and-crime/news-story/b3ec330fb17b0740504feb8f4346c58b>
* Wish they'd never updated the Espy - wrecked it.
* Love it.
* Born and lived there before the gentrifications 1950s
* In the 50's lived in a room with my parents . The room was part of the Presbyterian Church on the cnr of Barkly st and Alma rd. I went back to live in a flat on my own in the late 70's $25 a week. My mother was mortified that I was surrounded by "Sex and Sin" I loved living there was so close to everything. And I felt safe despite it's reputation back then.
* My late mother arrived at Station pier and lived in St Kilda for a few years after arriving from Ceylon via Fremantle in 1953.

Transport Minister calls time on Sydney's 'iconic' Manly ferries. Matt O'Sullivan and Tom Rabe October 9, 2020. 148 comments
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says time is up for Sydney's world-renowned Freshwater ferries – immortalised by Australian Crawl's song Reckless – that ply the Manly to Circular Quay route.
The first of the four ferries is set to be removed from service next year, while the others are likely to be retired as early as 2022.
A Freshwater ferry on its way to Manly on Friday.CREDIT:DOMINIC LORRIMER
The plan to retire the largest vessels in the government-owned fleet has been described as devastating by ferry enthusiasts, who warn it will leave a large gap in capacity over summer months on Sydney's most popular harbour route.
While acknowledging their importance to the community, Mr Constance said the Freshwater-class ferries were costly to maintain and "their time has come".
"[The Freshwater-class is] at the end of its life after 40 years and we are running a modern-class ferry fleet," he said. "My preference is to maintain and try and keep at least one of the vessels on the harbour going ... but, that said, we're yet to make that final determination."
Graeme Taylor, from community group Action for Public Transport, said the Manly ferries were part of the fabric of the city, and were an international tourist attraction. "It is just devastating. They are iconic," he said.
Mr Taylor said their retirement would reduce capacity on the Manly to Circular Quay route significantly, leading to longer queues at ferry wharves and gridlock on arterial routes such as Military Road on the north shore during weekends as people sought other ways to get to Manly.
The government intends to use three new Emerald-class ferries to replace the Freshwater vessels.
But Mr Taylor said the newer ferries were much smaller, warning that there would not be nearly enough capacity to transport large numbers of people over summer months.
Named after beaches in Sydney's north, the first of the double-ended ferries, the Freshwater, was launched in 1982, followed by the Queenscliff less than a year later, the Narrabeen in 1984 and the Collaroy in 1988.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance.CREDIT:RHETT WYMAN
They can each carry about 1000 passengers, compared with the Emerald-class catamaran vessels that have capacity for about 400 people.
The looming retirement of the Freshwater ferries comes three years after Sydney's last two Lady-class ferries made their last regular sailings after four decades of carrying passengers.
Lavender Bay artist Peter Kingston, who unsuccessfully campaigned to save the Lady-class ferries, said the retirement of the large double-ended Freshwater ferries would be a huge loss to the city.
"They have lost the plot. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing," he said of the government. "Their scale is right for Sydney Harbour."
Asked this week whether Sydneysiders were too sentimental about ferries, compared to buses and trains, Mr Constance said: "Yes."
RELATED ARTICLE Manly ferry Sydney's 'beloved' Manly ferries face prospect of last sailings
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/transport-minister-calls-time-on-sydney-s-iconic-manly-ferries-20201009-p563ph.html>

Health alerts issued for trains, venues across Sydney visited by COVID-19 cases Rachel Clun October 9, 2020
The list of venues and public transport routes attended by positive COVID-19 cases continues to grow, including suburbs from Palm Beach and Parramatta, as more locally acquired cases have been diagnosed.
Despite the fact all five local cases confirmed on Friday had been linked to known sources, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was "obviously" concerned as there was a "wide range" of suburbs the recent cases had visited.
A public health alert has been issued for 10 different train and bus trips across the city.CREDIT:KATE GERAGHTY
Ms Berejiklian said it was important for everybody in those suburbs to monitor for symptoms.
"Even if they haven't been to any of those locations listed, there's always a chance the virus could still be lurking in those communities," she said on Friday.
On Friday afternoon NSW Health issued an alert for venues in north and north west Sydney.
Anyone who had been to Palm Beach Fish & Chips on October 5 between 3.45 and 4pm, S-Mart Eastwood on October 5 between 7.30pm and 7.45pm, and Aldi Eastwood on October 6 between 11am and 12pm was considered a casual contact.
Casual contacts should monitor for symptoms, and get tested if even the mildest symptoms occur, a NSW Health spokesman said.
A positive case also visited Monopole restaurant in Potts Point between 6pm and 8pm on Sunday, October 4.
While NSW Health was contacting staff and patrons who were considered close contacts, a health spokesman said anyone who was at the venue at that time should monitor for symptoms.
The cases also caught public transport around the city. Ms Berejiklian said while there has not been a recent case of transmission on public transport, it was always a risk.
"We always encourage, highly recommend mask use on public transport," she said.
Anyone who caught the following trains or buses should monitor for symptoms:
Train from Parramatta at 14.41, arriving at Town Hall at 15.31 on October 4
Train from Town Hall at 17.29 arriving Kings Cross 17.50 on October 4
Train from Artarmon at 23.18 arriving Central 23.48 on October 4
Bus replacement from Central at 23.48 arriving Strathfield 0.15 on October 5
Train from Strathfield at 0.15 arriving Parramatta 0.45 on October 5
Bus 550 from Epping Station, Beecroft Rd, Stand D at 17.08 to Smith St after Phillip St, Parramatta 17.41 on October 6
Train from Moss Vale 4.52 arriving Liverpool 7.09 on October 6
Train from Liverpool 16.58 arriving Moss Vale 19.12 on October 6
Train from Moss Vale 4.51 arriving Liverpool 7.08 on October 7
Train from Campbelltown 13.31 arriving Moss Vale 15.50 on October 7
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/health-alerts-issues-for-trains-venues-across-sydney-visited-by-covid-19-cases-20201009-p563qp.html>

Bayswater 'Bunnings trestle table' station design scrapped after fierce backlash. Marta Pascual Juanola October 9, 2020
The state government has unveiled new designs for the long-awaited Bayswater station after fierce community backlash sent earlier plans back to the drawing board.
Previous designs released in June were mocked on social media due to their resemblance to a Bunnings trestle table, prompting angry locals to petition to Parliament for a re-think.
The new station design is inspired by the metal fluting on Transperth trains.
On Thursday, Planning Minister Rita Saffioti announced the plans had been amended to "reflect community feedback", in what she said was the biggest consultation campaign in WA's public transport history.
The new artist's impressions show plans for landscaped gardens on the street, with corrugated iron finishes mimicking the metal fluting on Transperth trains along the elevated train tracks, and commercial spaces on the ground floor.
The controversial 'Bunnings trestle table' shelters have also been removed and two escalators have been incorporated into the station, which originally only featured stairs and lifts.
"The new designs are a great outcome for the local community and public transport users, drawing on both local rail heritage and the natural world that surrounds us," Ms Saffioti said.
Original designs were first unveiled to much fanfare in 2018 and included plans for a curved station design with wide shelters and alfresco dining areas on the ground floor.
Metronet documents show they were supported by more than 300 community members, but in June the government amended the plans to reveal a much simpler concrete station design.
The plans attracted criticism online, with social media users calling the transport hub an "absolutely disgusting concrete monstrosity".
Paul Shanahan, the chairman of Future Bayswater, the community group behind the petition, said the plans released on Thursday were a vast improvement from those unveiled in June.
Bayswater station redesign. CREDIT:STATE GOVERNMENT
But he said the government was yet to address ongoing community concerns about the road layout and plans to build an obstructive 10-metre high viaduct running through the heart of town.
"These are just sketches and we've been through this before. We had some really lovely sketches and then when the design came out it was completely different," he said.
"We will be keeping an eye on it as we have been for the last three years. Unfortunately, once bitten twice shy. It happened before, we are just going to make sure it doesn't happen again."
The construction of stations at Ellenbrook, Whiteman Park, Malaga, Noranda and Morley will be the state’s biggest public transport project since construction of the Mandurah train line.
The shelters of the Bayswater train station were the source of social media jokes for their resemblance to a Bunnings trestle table.
The stations will connect 21 kilometres of rail in the north-eastern corridor to the redeveloped Bayswater station and on to the city. Work is due to begin within the next two years.
More than 3000 local jobs are tipped to be created and supported across the life of the project, while more than 11,700 passenger boardings are anticipated on the line from the first day of operation, up to 18,070 daily boardings by 2031.
RELATED ARTICLE The shelters of the proposed Bayswater train station have been the source of social media jokes for their resemblance to a Bunnings trestle table. Furious Bayswater locals call for redesign of 'Bunnings trestle table' train station
<www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/bayswater-bunnings-trestle-table-train-station-design-scrapped-after-fierce-backlash-20201008-p5639x.html>
* They didn't even put barricades to stop accidental track access eg prams rolling onto tracks? Did the unions stepped in because they see it as an enabler to driverless operations?
* Since when did us Aussies become so darned precious? Let's just get back to functionality and forget about trying to be cool. Try being grateful.
* Architects should never be allowed near public transport. Their total passion is to 'make a statement' to impress other architects, and describe their product using an inner language. If you hadn't told me that the vertical metal fluting was 'inspired' by the horizontal fluting on trains, I would never have guessed. What counts more is accessibility, particularly for people transferring from bus to train, and shelter from climate. So far Australia's best suburban station is Kelmscott: maximum practicality, and minimum self indulgence.
* So how much did this backflip cost us? All just to satisfy some people who are probably not happy with the new design either.
* Zero protection from prevailing wind, winter rainstorms, heavy weather generally. Open train station with no concerns for human passengers.
* "Inspired"?