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Subject: Thurs.7.1.21 daily digest

Roderick

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Thurs.7.1.21 Metro Twitter
Bridge Road renewal works, 11pm Sunday 3 January to 5am Saturday 16 January
wearing a fitted face mask is still mandatory when travelling on public transport right throughout Victoria, including regional areas.  Read our Top 5 Tips for travelling safely on trains, trams and buses in Victoria this Summer:
https://ptovic.com.au/about-us/publications-media/news/5-ways-you-can-travel-safely-on-public-transport-as-victoria-heads-towards-covid-normal
Glenroy level-crossing-removal works start on 7.1. Disruptions include: Glenroy Rd closed at level crossing 7 Jan to 28 Feb Buses replace trains, Craigieburn line 7 to 16 Jan. See road closure detours at http://bit.ly/2nHsGDJ.
- Trains will not stop at Glenroy from Wed 6 Jan [announced on 7.1, so probably not starting on Wed.6.1] to the last train of Thurs.7.1 (level-crossing works).  Shuttle buses will operate Oak Park - Glenroy - Broadmeadows.
13.01 : Buses replace trains Broadmeadows - Craigieburn (police).  Buses have been ordered, ETA 1 hour.
- 13.20: Consider alternatives.
- 13.30 & 13.50 ETA 30 min.
- 14.00 & 14.20 Buses have begun operation with more enroute.
- 14.40 All buses are in operation. 
- 16.54 Trains have begun to resume [whatever that means], with minor delays.
15.09 Lilydale/Belgrave/Alamein/Glen Waverley lines: Delays (an equipment fault near Parliament).  Trains may [ie will] run direct from Flinders St to Richmond.
- 16.31 clearing, but trains may still run direct.
18.26 Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Major delays (an equipment fault near Clifton Hill). Trains will be held/changed.
18.50 & 19.00 Buses replace trains Mordialloc - Frankston (a person hit by a train). Buses have been ordered, ETA 1 hour. Consider alternatives.
- 19.13 ETA 30 min.
- 19.20 Six buses have begun operation.
- 19.34 Eight buses have begun operation.
- 19.44 & 21.00 Ten buses are in operation.
- 21.52 Trains have resumed, with minimal delays.  First through trains: 21.13 ex Flinders Street; 22.25 ex Frankston.
Buses replace trains on sections of the Craigieburn line from 21.00 until 22.00 on Sat 16 Jan (level-crossing works).
https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/disruptions/glenroy-road-glenroy-road-closure-jan-feb [lapsed]

Public kept in dark after mutant virus seen in Victoria's second wave. Liam Mannix January 7, 2021
<www.smh.com.au/national/public-kept-in-dark-after-mutant-virus-seen-in-victoria-s-second-wave-20210107-p56sa3.html>

Sydney suburban commuters hit by face mask fines. Tom Rabe January 7, 2021
Police have handed out a dozen fines in two days to people across Sydney’s suburbs for failing to wear face masks on the city’s public transport network and in shopping centres.
Nine $200 penalties were issued to Sydney commuters on Tuesday and Wednesday, including one man who was fined twice on consecutive days, and 50 warnings were issued.
A total of 12 fines were imposed, according to NSW Police, after face masks were mandated on public transport and amid the latest coronavirus outbreak.
Police wearing masks in Sydney's CBD on Monday.CREDIT:STEVEN SIEWERT
Among those was a man at Blacktown Station who told police he didn’t have a mask, and had no intention of getting one, while another man at Glenfield Station said a mask wouldn’t work for him as he had a beard.
Transport for NSW acting secretary Howard Collins on Wednesday said while he was generally pleased with the uptake of face masks across the network, his department had identified areas of concern across the city.
While mask use on public transport is understood to be sitting well above 90 per cent, Mr Collins said it was lower in some outlying parts of Sydney.
“Someone said it’s a bit Machiavellian, but the further from the centre you go, the less compliance,” Mr Collins said.
“Most people are wearing masks ... there are a few that are being difficult, they will come across police and will face a fine or maybe charge for other offences.”
Two of the people fined on public transport were also accused of fare evasion, while a third person was issued with an infringement for drinking alcohol on the network.
Another man was fined at a Bass Hill shopping centre on Wednesday afternoon for not having a mask. He allegedly told officers he had been at the gym and left his mask in his car, but when he was handed a mask from another man, who police say approached the group, he refused to put it on and was fined.
Despite the recent coronavirus outbreak in Sydney, patronage limits have not been reduced on public transport.
Acting Transport for NSW secretary Howard Collins.CREDIT:RHETT WYMAN
The government expanded patronage in mid-December before the outbreak, increasing train capacity from 44 to 55 per cent and buses from 38 to 45 per cent.
Mr Collins said Transport for NSW was comfortable with how the system had operated during the most recent COVID-19 outbreak, with patronage this week sitting at just 30 to 35 per cent compared with 12 months ago.
He added that transport staff would not be tasked with issuing fines to commuters for failing to wear masks.
“My staff, who have done a valiant job on transport, are not going to police masking - that is for officials of the NSW Police to deal with it,” he said.
A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the network had run smoothly for the first day of the Sydney Test.
“Service frequencies are sufficiently catering for passenger demand, which is significantly lower than previous years,” the spokeswoman said. She added there had been “no major issues” with face mask compliance.
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<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-suburban-commuters-hit-by-face-mask-fines-20210107-p56sgt.html>

JANUARY 7 2021 Commuter chaos in Sydney after fatality.
A fatality has caused train delays across the Sydney rail network, resulting in packed platforms.
Commuter chaos across Sydney's train network after a fatality is causing long delays on several lines and making social distancing difficult on packed platforms.
Buses replaced trains in both directions between Strathfield and Parramatta after the death at Lidcombe on Thursday afternoon.
Some trains between Strathfield and Central were also cancelled.
Trains have now resumed, with buses supplementing some services, but significant delays remain.
NSW's Transport Management Centre is encouraging anyone travelling on the network to allow plenty of extra travel time, particularly on the North Shore and Western Lines.
Passengers packed on to crowded platforms took to social media to share their concerns over the growing delays.
Commuters, including cricket fans on their way home from the SCG Test, were crammed five people deep at some stations, making social distancing impossible.
Although most were wearing masks, the incident has sparked concern due to the two coronavirus outbreaks in Greater Sydney.
<www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7078367/commuter-chaos-in-sydney-after-fatality>

Thurs.7.1.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Letters.
* I SERIOUSLY doubt the half dozen people without masks on the No 11 tram I see daily have exemptions. Who is responsible for the irresponsible, Yarra Trams?