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Subject: Wed.27.1.21 daily digest

Roderick

"1927-Footscray-SteveKing-HCVC-b-forATN-ss.jpg" [Historic Commercial Vehicle Club]
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Wed.27.1.21 Metro Twitter
5.38 and/or 15.38 Laverton station: Both lifts are not available. Passengers needing lift access alight at either Williams Landing or Newport and see station staff for assistance.
- Wouldn’t Aircraft be a better option? No lifts and closer to Laverton?
Aircraft may assist some passengers, but Williams Landing is a staffed location and can quickly provide assistance if a taxi is required.
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Upfield from 20.20 until the last train tonight (maintenance works).
Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: All trains direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (works) place. From loop stations take a Swanston St tram to Flinders St [the usual copout].
21.04  Glen Waverley line: Buses will replace trains Burnley - Darling (a train fault at East Richmond). Buses have been ordered, but may take over 60 min to arrive.
- 21.14 Journey time extended by approx. 25min. 
- 21.20 A mini bus shuttle will operate between East Richmond and Burnley.
- 21.33 Trains have resumed, with major delays.

NSW COVID-19 restrictions to ease from Friday, but hospitality venues still have to wait. Lucy Cormack January 27, 2021
...Masks will will remain mandatory...on public transport...
<www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-covid-19-restrictions-to-ease-from-friday-but-hospitality-venues-still-have-to-wait-20210127-p56x5z.html>

Fremantle commuters and students to be slugged with new parking fees under council plan. Peter de Kruijff and Marta Pascual Juanola January 27, 2021
...The introduction of the fee was brought about to combat the lack of parking available for residents and beach-users because of commuters and university students taking up free spaces and taking a CAT bus to get to the CBD or station...
<www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/fremantle-parking-law-change-to-slug-students-and-commuters-20210123-p56wby.html>

JANUARY 27 2021 $137 million to be spent upgrading Commonwealth Avenue bridge. Sally Whyte
Commonwealth Avenue bridge will get a much needed upgrade. Picture: Jamila Toderas
The federal government will spend $137 million to upgrade the Commonwealth Avenue bridge, in a project that will extend the life of the bridge by at least 50 years.
Infrastructure Australia added the bridge to its list of priority projects for Australia late last year, saying the project had a "strong strategic and economic case" and would deliver a "net benefit to the economy".
The work to be completed will increase the load-bearing capacity of the bridge so it can handle current traffic and future expected volumes. Infrastructure Australia's evaluation report of the bridge found it had reached its traffic-carrying capacity more than three years ago, and problems would worsen under the weight of Canberra's growing population.
Pedestrian pathways will be widened and vehicle safety barriers will be replaced to meet current safety standards, and the bridge's superstructure will be strengthened to prevent structural damage.
The upgrade has been foreshadowed by the federal government since the 2019 budget, when research into the business case for the upgrades was funded. The push to upgrade the bridge was given an extra boost last year when it was added to Infrastructure Australia's list of nationally significant projects.
The National Capital Authority will be responsible for delivering the project.
But the funding is not part of the ACT government's second stage of light rail, which is set to cross the bridge as it runs between Civic and Woden. The decision on whether to approve stage 2A of light rail, from Civic to the start of Commonwealth Bridge, currently sits with Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
It means further work could be needed when it is time to build a light rail connection from north to south Canberra, but with the complex approvals required for the route through the Parliamentary Triangle, work on stage 2B of the project is a long way off.
ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja said the funding was part of an "investment bonanza" for Canberra.
"This includes $500 million for the Australian War Memorial, $115 million for the Monaro Highway, $88 million for Molonglo Bridge, $20 million for William Slim Drive and $150 million for upgrades to the Barton Highway," he said.
"This is what the Australian government's $110 billion nationwide infrastructure investment program is all about: getting Australians home sooner and safer while creating jobs and economic stimulus to lay the economic foundations for recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic."
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who is responsible for infrastructure and transport, said the funding was a win for the capital.
"This investment ensures this important piece of infrastructure can continue to function safely for the next 50 years and beyond," Mr McCormack said.
"This investment will also back Canberra's construction workforce and economy at a critical time, with the bridge upgrade expected to create more than 700 jobs.
"We are particularly pleased the majority of construction materials to be used for the project, such as the steel and concrete, are manufactured in Australia."
READ MORE:
Commonwealth Avenue bridge's $124 million upgrade declared infrastructure priority
'Probably off the cards': NCA backs away from bridge replacement
Canberra light rail: Decision in hands of Environment Minister, Sussan Ley
<www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7101136/137m-to-be-spent-upgrading-commonwealth-avenue-bridge>
* Seeing that the ACT Government isn't involved in this infrastructure build, there is a very high likelihood that it will finish on time and on budget.
* I can't wait to see in 50 years when the toy train is finished years and 40 years out of date and cost 500 billion ..hahahahahahaha
* I don't know why barr hasn't build extra lanes leaving the over priced dust bowl
* build a temp bridge at a cost of a billion .then the new bridge at a cost of 4 billion then the toy train set 20 plus billion ..outstanding barr and co and while we are going build 1000s of defective apartments all around it. I love it when plans come together
* I don't want to be ungrateful to the (competent) Federal Government but it would have been a nice piece of infrastructure if we could have an ACT Government. For an outlay of about 20 cents we would have a massive improvement over what we've currently got and the remainder of the $124m would help repay the Covid debt where the whole of Australia wins. $124m return on 20 cents is unbeatable. The other aspect is the ACT hasn't got any idea of how to build any of this other stuff unless we count a collapsed bridge, crane turnovers, worker wacked by a concrete pump and the general inefficiencies of roads taking eons to build while they are littered with idle machinery and about 3 people in high-vis doing zip per kilometre of disastrously managed interim traffic measures. Its engineering with a very small 'e'.
* I've often thought that instead of politicians paying $800k for a top-level bureaucrat, they could just outlay $20 for a nodding dog and plant it on their desks. Whenever they want some advice, they just tap the dog on the forehead and they'll get exactly what they'd get from the bureaucrat. It saves $799,980 in the first year and $800k for each year after that! Let's see this efficiency dividend applied to politicians!
* The business case seems to assume the existing bridge is only two lanes in each direction and the upgrade will make it three lanes. But is already three lanes!
* but the ACT Government has already laid-aside one lane each-way for the toy-train so you shouldn't believe anything your eyes are telling you.
* No, the ACT Government has not laid-aside any lanes for light rail. You are lying.
* The Left still can't take jokes, despite the fact that they are the major source of such jokes (many (most?) not actually funny) about the Right.
* I don't think you will find this project makes any provision for the tram. It will never be built.
* Really? So relocation of services that would facilitate the tram will not be done during this work so as to facilitate much of the cost of stage 2 being hidden in other budgets? Why not? It certainly happened in stage 1.
* Weren't the bridge footpaths improved and safety barriers replaced not that long ago?
* The ACT Government has been completely captured by the construction and property industries. Maybe some of you more enlightened in these industries could do the ACT Government's job for it? If not, the whole system needs to be dissolved and rebuilt from the ground up, because the current situation is getting past ridiculous.
* Well done Zed, continues to gain federal funding for the region. Wasn’t a certain incompetent CM (also treasurer who cannot balance a budget) claiming this sort of funding was not likely under a returned LNP? Maybe said CM could go cap in hand to the federal government to bail out his hospital fiasco more chance of Morrison delivering hospitals in Canberra than Barr.
* Zed didn't do anything. It is work that has been planned for a long time. It is an election year, that is why Zed is pretending that he is doing things for Canberra, after so long standing in the background for photo ops as the LNP shaft Canberra!
* Correct the work has been planned for a long time even when RGR was in they were “planning” however it’s under Morrison with Zed as our local member that the “funding” has been allocated.
* Get rid of the bridge altogether, that will help to solve the North/South Canberra divide by removing it altogether.