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Sent: Friday, 20 August 2021, 11:17:47 pm AEST
Subject: Mon.17.5.21 daily digest

Roderick

 
"210517M-Melbourne'Age'-2018-disabled.tram.protest.jpg"
 "210517M-Melbourne'Age'-tunnel-ss.jpg"

 "210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-CaribbeanGardens-a-train.jpg" with ATN & v-n
"210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-CaribbeanGardens-b-chairlift-ss.jpg" with ATN
"210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-FlindersSt-aquarium-ss.jpg", as ugly from the front as it is from Flinders St viaduct.
 "210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-FlindersSt-hotel-ss.jpg" trams
 "210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-FlindersSt-station-ss.jpg" 
"210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-GlenHuntly-station.jpg"
"210517M-Melbourne-'HeraldSun'-SeaLake-silo.jpg"  with v-b & ATN

Mon.17.5.21 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Sunbury until the last train of Wed 19 May (works).
7.39 Belgrave line: Delays up to 20 minutes (a track-equipment fault at Upper Ferntree Gully).
- 8.22 Delays up to 10 minutes and reducing after the fault has been fixed.
13.36 Parliament: No lift access between platforms and street level (an outage). Passengers travelling to Parliament requiring lift access alight at Melbourne Central or Flinders St.
- 14.13 Lift access has been restored.
13.30 Frankston line: Buses replace trains Caulfield - Moorabbin (a person hit by a train). Replacement buses ordered, ETA 60min.
- 13.40 buses ETA 45min.
- 13.47 Passengers on-board the 12.57 ex Flinders St, this train will terminate at Glen Huntly. Replacement buses will depart from Royal Ave.
- 14.00 Replacement buses ETA 30min.
- 14.22 Replacement buses eta 20 min.
- 14.30 Limited replacement-bus service operating.
- 14.40 Buses operating, adding 45min journey time.
- 16.25 Trains resuming, with major delays.  First trains: 16.07 ex Flinders St; 15.49 ex Frankston.
14.23 Werribee/Williamstown lines: Changes are in effect because of a disruption on the Frankston line. Trains may change destinations at Flinders St.
17.37 Craigieburn line: Major delays clearing after a motor vehicle struck Racecourse Road underline bridge at Newmarket, and an equipment fault near Broadmeadows.
17.35 Melbourne Southern Cross: An external power fault is affecting the Bourke St end of the station. Lifts, escalators and ticketing equipment aren't working.  The Collins St end is unaffected.
- 18.53 External power has been restored.
- "brief"? Sounds as if it was almost the whole of the evening peak.
- 20.26 An external CitiPower fault is affecting the Bourke St end of the station. The Collins St end is unaffected.
- I arrived on a Skybus, and it was pitch black.
Buses replace trains between Blackburn and both Belgrave & Lilydale from 20.30 until the last train (maintenance works), also Tues.18 & Wed.19.
Buses replace trains Epping - Mernda from 20.50 until the last train (works).
0.05 Lilydale/Belgrave/Alamein/Glen Waverley lines: Major delays (police attending to a trespasser at Flinders Street).  Trains may be held/altered.
0.08 Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield Lines: Major delays (police attending to a trespasser at Flinders Street). Trains may be held/altered.
- 0.21 Clearing.

COVID-19COVID-19 IN AUSTRALIA
New cases Reported May 17 (Updated 11.31am): 0 locally acquired;  4 in hotel quarantine.

State’s ‘Big Build’ under scrutiny as price tag hits $81b. Timna Jacks April 19, 2021. 144 comments [mainly political sniping]
The size of Victoria’s infrastructure pipeline has almost doubled since Premier Daniel Andrews took power in 2014, growing to nearly 90 projects costing taxpayers a total of $81 billion.
A fresh analysis of six years of state budget data by Victoria’s Auditor-General reveals that in 2015 — Mr Andrews’ first year as Premier — Victoria was set to build 48 projects, mainly transport, and costing $32 billion.
Premier Daniel Andrews at the State Library station, part of the Metro Tunnel project, in November.CREDIT:JASON SOUTH
This had increased to 87 major projects by 2019, costing taxpayers $81 billion, the analysis, published on the Auditor-General’s website on Monday, shows.
The Premier, who took office vowing to do away with years of inaction on transport infrastructure, is now pumping $800 million a month into the delivery of his signature “Big Build” pipeline, with projects reaching a cost and scale never seen before.
Over the next 11 years, the government will build five new tunnels in Melbourne, including two of the state’s most expensive road and rail projects — the $50-billion Suburban Rail Loop and $16-billion North East Link.
But key questions remain about the merits of some of these projects, with the government failing to provide the final cost, business case and key supporting evidence, such as patronage figures for the Suburban Rail Loop and the $8 billion to $13 billion airport rail link. Both were promised before the 2018 election.
Major projects already under way are also beset by problems: the $11-billion Metro Tunnel has blown out by $2.7 billion, while the $6.7-billion West Gate Tunnel could also face a $3-billion overrun and is already running about three years late.
The Auditor-General is now embarking on a wide-ranging survey of Victoria’s major infrastructure projects costing $100 million or more, with an upcoming audit to provide a progress update on timelines and project costs.
In response the Andrews government took a swipe at the watchdog – which is responsible for auditing government spending – dismissing the data the Auditor-General had used as historic, saying it had been published out of context and had produced no new findings.
“The dashboard has no new information – it has all previously been publicly disclosed in budget papers,” a spokeswoman said on Monday.
video Looking at Victoria's big infrastructure projects How well is Victoria's main infrastructure projects progressing.
“The majority of our projects are on time and on budget, supporting thousands of jobs – and the cost of not building would grind our growing state to a halt.
“The government will continue to deliver the projects Victorians voted for...”
The Auditor-General is warning of signs of further delays and budget blowouts. Of all projects committed to in the 2019-20 financial year, a third had changes to their estimated completion date, the analysis shows. The price tag of 30 per cent of projects had changed.
Initial plans to deliver a batch of 50 new E-Class trams by December 2018 has been delayed to the end of this year.
The government’s estimated cost of the $2.2 billion high capacity metro trains – which were delivered to the network more than a year and a half late – has risen by nearly $1 billion on initial estimates, the analysis finds.
The $440 million Murray Basin Rail project has run over budget by $200 million and was set to finish in 2018, but is still being built due to the need to re-rail nearly 90 kilometres of track that was built using low-grade materials between Maryborough and Ararat in 2017.
Research on mega-projects by the Grattan Institute’s transport and cities program director, Marion Terrill, found there was just one transport project in Australia worth more than $5 billion a decade ago. Today there are nine currently under construction and their total cost has already blown out by $24 billion.
The research warned that politicians were frequently avoiding doing business cases on major projects. In Victoria, five of nine large projects examined by Grattan were committed to without a business case.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Transport Minister Jacinta Allan inspect works on the Metro Tunnel in February 2020. CREDIT:JOE ARMAO
Of the remaining four, business cases were either done after the government promised to build the project, or at the time it committed to them.
“The whole point of a business case is to inform the decision makers about the benefits of a proposal, so it’s the wrong way around to decide and then do a business case,” Ms Terrill said, noting business cases carried out after a project was promised could lead to a biased outcome.
Ms Terrill has called on the government to be more transparent about infrastructure spending.
Just as publicly listed companies are obliged to update shareholders on investments, so too should the government regularly update taxpayers about any delays or cost blowouts to projects they are funding, she said.
Ms Terrill says there should be a central, publicly accessible register that tracks projects costing half a billion dollars or more, including the contract value, details of the tender process, the bidders and any changes to contracts over time.
Opposition transport infrastructure spokesman David Davis said the government was far too secretive about the true cost of infrastructure projects. He lambasted the government’s decision to omit budget paper four, which outlines spending on all capital projects, from last year’s state budget.
He said it was impossible to track spending on individual road and rail upgrades when the government only provided overarching figures of a package of works and refused to confirm the cost of specific upgrades after they are built.
“The failure to provide the cost of completed level crossings is a travesty,” Mr Davis said.
“They’ve failed to provide a proper business case for the Suburban Rail Loop — the largest infrastructure project in Australia’s history, and budget paper four, which is the first time in living memory that a government has hidden actual spending time listed for completion of projects.”
RELATED ARTICLE Big projects, bigger bills: Massive construction boom comes at a cost
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/big-projects-bigger-bills-massive-construction-boom-comes-at-a-cost-20190610-p51w5d.html
RELATED ARTICLE Premier Daniel Andrews said the state's strategy for containing the spread of COVID-19 was working. The road to recovery: Are Victoria's mega-projects still worth it?
RELATED ARTICLE The Metro Tunnel site in South Yarra.  Mega-project secrecy slammed by former infrastructure boss
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/state-s-big-build-under-scrutiny-as-price-tag-hits-81b-20210416-p57jvi.html>

Is the super loop getting in the way of real public transport upgrades? John Hearsch President of Rail Futures Institute May 17, 2021 
The Victorian government’s “Big Build” is a massive program of large infrastructure projects designed to stimulate the state’s economy by creating thousands of construction and supply chain jobs in material and supporting services.
“Big Build” includes the Metro Tunnel, airport rail, 75 level crossing removals, West Gate Tunnel, North-East Link and Suburban Rail Loop.
The final cost of all “Big Build” projects is unknown but is certain to exceed $100 billion. Other than SRL, all should be completed by 2029 and hopefully start generating the benefits on which their business cases were supposedly based.
The standout project in the “Big Build” is SRL. As far as we know, it is the only one whose overall scope and timelines remain unknown, also the only one without any known cost estimate and no business case. Nevertheless, it will undoubtedly be the most expensive of all “Big Build” projects and absorb a significant proportion of the state’s transport budget for many years.
It might take a few years after COVID-19 vaccination is widespread and Australia’s international borders are again open, but wide agreement exists that public transport usage will progressively return to pre-2020 levels and then continue to grow.
Individual daily commuting may reduce due to teleworking, but congestion will make private car use increasingly problematic. Melbourne’s principal road network has little residual capacity to absorb much additional traffic, let alone from a population expected to grow to around 8 million before mid-century.
Peak-hour traffic on Punt Road.CREDIT:EDDIE JIM
Public transport therefore needs to bear an increasing share of urban travel demand but will only do so when more users see it as an effective substitute for at least part of what the car can deliver. Ultimately, this requires an inter-connected network of public transport services, where possible within walking distance of homes, with turn-up-and-go frequencies and easy interchange between routes enabling a far wider choice of origin and destination locations than at present.
Part of that network needs to include multiple orbital routes that provide cross-suburban travel linking existing rail and tram lines.
It is no coincidence that four orbital SmartBus routes introduced over a decade ago have stood the test of time and remain among the best patronised of all Melbourne buses. However, SmartBus has never been further developed to provide additional high-frequency orbital routes. Now, Suburban Rail Loop proposes to plough massive resources into a single corridor without demonstrating real benefits for Melbourne’s wider transport needs.
Rail Futures Institute has proposed many public transport projects that would contribute significantly to a far better connected and user-friendly network, and at much lower cost and within a shorter timeframe than SRL. Such projects remain largely absent from the government’s transport agenda.
Construction of Arden Station in the Metro Tunnel project.CREDIT:JOE ARMAO
Government budgeting is not a zero-sum game. The SRL is by far the largest, costliest and has the longest time scale of the “Big Build” investments, but is it sucking the oxygen out of the state’s capacity to fund other much-needed investments? Are lower-cost improvements being neglected while this lop-sided capital investment program in transport continues?
Critically, a priority allocation should be funding for planning City Loop reconfiguration to coincide with completion of the Metro Tunnel. This would add the equivalent of 16 freeway lanes of rail passenger capacity through the heart of the CBD. Planning should also be underway for the Metro 2 tunnel from Newport to Parkville.
Rail electrification to rapidly growing outer suburbs such as Melton, Wyndham Vale and Clyde is long overdue as is duplication of some remaining sections of single line in the metropolitan network.
Many stations, metropolitan and regional, have sub-standard passenger facilities that need upgrading and many remain non-compliant with disability access legislation.
A small band of disability advocates campaigning for better access to trams back in 2018.CREDIT:JASON SOUTH
Hundreds more tram stops with level boarding access and new low-floor, high-capacity trams are urgently needed.
Selective extension of existing tram routes to railway stations, or to connect with other tram lines and bus routes are modest projects with immediate benefits.
Much of the metropolitan bus network is poorly patronised and is performing well below its potential to be a key part of a well-connected network. It needs extensive re-design and service improvements.
Walking and cycling remain low government priorities – notwithstanding community support for safe pathways to stations – and despite their potential to encourage commuters away from short-distance driving and relieving pressure on station car parking.
Rail Futures will be searching the forthcoming state budget detail in the hope that some of these urgently needed projects are funded.
If not, the view will be reinforced that the massive funding for Suburban Rail Loop, now and into the future, is inhibiting the improvements our public transport system needs right now.
John Hearsch is president of the Rail Futures Institute.
RELATED ARTICLE Premier Daniel Andrews at the State Library station, part of the Metro Tunnel project, in November. State’s ‘Big Build’ under scrutiny as price tag hits $81b
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/is-the-super-loop-getting-in-the-way-of-real-public-transport-upgrades-20210516-p57sc6.html>

May 17 2021 Australia international border closures: Should we adopt the UK's 'traffic light' approach to arrivals?  Michael Gebicki
Passengers arrive at London's Heathrow airport. The UK has introduced a 'traffic light' system for dealing with arrivals from different countries.  Photo: Getty Images
Could the UK's new traffic light model for entry work for Australia?
The UK's handling of the coronavirus hasn't been a stellar success. Underestimating the severity of COVID-19, botching the response, failing to impose social distancing, contact tracing or mask wearing and allowing Brits to travel freely and return without quarantine until mid-2020 saw the UK record cataclysmic infection rates and more than a hundred thousand deaths from COVID-19.
Having acknowledged its failures, the UK government has now instituted an effective mass vaccination campaign and a revised border control strategy. From May 17, 2021, the UK is adopting a three-tier 'traffic light' system to determine who may enter and under what conditions.
The crucial factor is which countries incoming travellers have visited in the 10 days before arrival. Anyone seeking to enter the UK and who has been only in countries on the green list must take a COVID-19 PCR test on the second day after arrival. Apart from that, they're free to travel at will provided they abide by national restrictions governing, for example, social distancing and mask wearing.
Those who have been in any country on the amber list must quarantine in the place they're staying for 10 days and take a COVID-19 test on days two and eight.
Only British and Irish subjects, or those with UK residence rights, can enter the UK if they have been in a country on the red list in the previous 10 days. They must also quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel and take a COVID-19 test on days two and eight.
Along with 11 other countries, Australia will be included on the green list from May 17. However you would jeopardise that status if you were to arrive in the UK after a transit stop in Qatar or the UAE. Transit stops en route to the UK are considered 'visits', and all these countries are on the red list. If your transit stop took place in Singapore, which will join Australia on the green list, you could enter the UK and travel at will with only the requirement for a PCR test on day two.
How could this work here?
Before our government allows us to travel overseas for holidays and opens the door to let travellers from countries with low infection rates enter, it will need to modify our quarantine system.
Instead of the one-size-fits-all approach that consigns every incoming traveller to hotel quarantine – except for those currently coming from New Zealand – Australia will need to implement a graduated system that categorises incoming travellers based on where they're coming from. The UK model with its three-tier traffic light system is simple and fit for purpose, but it could be improved.
Right now, anyone travelling to Australia must be tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours prior to flight departure, and show evidence of a negative result at the airline's check-in desk. That needs to stay in place.
Hotel quarantine for incoming travellers is a band-aid, not a long-term solution, and it's proven to be a leak in our defences. Dedicated quarantine facilities with trained staff are required. If Australia can transition to home-based quarantine for residents returning from countries on the amber list, that should limit the need for extensive dedicated facilities.
When could this happen?
Latest indications are that the Australian government does not intend to relax restrictions to allow overseas leisure travel until mid-2022. Key to the relaxation of border controls is the COVID-19 vaccination program. Until our population is sufficiently vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the government is not likely to open borders either to welcome international travellers or to allow Australian residents to travel freely without the need to quarantine on return.
With respect to its vaccination rollout, Australia's performance has been woeful. The UK has now fully vaccinated over 27 per cent of its population, second only to the USA. For Singapore the figure is 22.5 per cent. France, 12.1 per cent, Mongolia 19.6 per cent. As of May 12, 2021, Australian residents have been given 2.8 million vaccine doses. The Department of Health isn't revealing how many Australians have been fully vaccinated but the overwhelming majority have received only one dose. Anything like herd immunity is still a long way off.
Having botched the vaccine rollout, the government needs to keep us locked in, and the rest of the world locked out. Anyone who wants to travel overseas for a holiday has become collateral damage for the government's ineptitude.
It also comes at a cost. The tourism industry and the education sector have taken a massive hit from the border closures. As long as those closures are in force the government will face continuing pressure to prop up the tourism industry, and shouts from Qantas for more hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
See also: Soon we'll no longer feel sorry for Americans, we'll envy them
See also: What most people don't get about our international borders debate
<www.traveller.com.au/australia-international-border-closures-should-we-adopt-the-uks-traffic-light-approach-to-arrivals-h1vusn?

Five commuter car park projects scrapped by Morrison government. Tom Minear May 17, 2021. 235 comments [nearly all political sniping; very few on the technical issues]
The Morrison government’s election promise to build car parks at suburban train stations is in tatters, with more builds entirely scrapped.
video: How do Australia's train networks compare to one another? A comparison between Australia's different train networks.
The Morrison government has abandoned plans to build new car parks at five Melbourne railway stations in the latest blow to its problem-plagued 2019 election pledge.
Five projects — at Brighton Beach, Balaclava, Mitcham, Kananook and Seaford stations — worth almost $50m have been dumped, along with the $70m extension of Thompsons Road in Officer South.
Herald Sun understands planning complications and a lack of funding means the government will also struggle to deliver its full commitments to commuters at several other stations including Boronia, Surrey Hills, Narre Warren and Sandringham.
The decision to abandon five projects in Melbourne’s southeast comes just weeks before the Australian National Audit Office releases its investigation into the commuter car park fund.
Kananook railway station in Seaford. Picture: David Smith
Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher told the Herald Sun he was aware of the audit, and that the ANAO had been in discussions with his departmental officials.
He said the decision to abandon the car park upgrades — more than two years after they were promised — reflected “advice from either the Victorian government or the local council that either there’s no suitable sites or there’s no feasible design options”.
Opposition infrastructure spokeswoman Catherine King said the program had been “one rolling disaster from a government that cares only about announcements and not delivery”.
“In the heat of an election campaign the Morrison government went ahead and made these promises in a desperate attempt to win headlines and votes,” she said.
Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake (Getty Images)
“Once the election was over, so was their interest in delivering for these Melbourne communities.”
Herald Sun revealed earlier this year that thousands of car parks promised for 30 railway stations would not even be under construction before the next election, that high-risk parks loomed as the only option in several areas, and that the South Morang upgrade had already been quietly dumped.
Last week’s federal budget added $87.8m to the government’s $405m car park package and locked in multi-deck parking at Frankston, Heathmont and Ringwood stations.
Only two new car parks promised in 2019 have been completed — at Beaconsfield and Hurstbridge stations — and just two more are under construction at Craigieburn and Croydon.
Mr Fletcher said it was “unsurprising” that some of the 145 projects in the government’s urban congestion fund had required specific attention as he reviewed them since taking over the portfolio late last year.
He said Frankston City Council recently had a “change of heart” on the need for new parking at Seaford and Kananook, and he would be willing to consider any alternative proposals.
Labor MP Josh Burns, who represents the seat of Macnamara, said the government had proposed the Balaclava car park on land that was already committed for social housing.
“Had the federal government bothered to talk to the City of Port Phillip or the Victorian government before they announced the $15m Balaclava commitment, they wouldn’t be having this embarrassing backdown,” Mr Burns said.
Mr Fletcher maintained the $120m had been reallocated to other Victorian projects, as last week’s budget included an extra $510m for road upgrades in the southeastern suburbs.
Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar, the member for Deakin, said it was “really disappointing” that the state government “determined that they are unable” to build the Mitcham station car park.
More Coverage
The suburbs still waiting on train car park promise
Suburbs that could lose station car park upgrades
Just my comment, which was published:
* If the state government could provide better bus connections, and properly-designed interchanges, some of the parking wouldn't be needed.  However, it has never once designed an effective interchange: the newer they are, the worse they are.  Parkiteer cages have been a quiet achiever; some stations are so busy that two cages have been provided.  Conversely, in my hilly suburb, the cage is always nearly empty.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/five-commuter-car-park-projects-scrapped-by-morrison-government/news-story/8d64a740ff8d702819384497e226a7e4>

Caribbean gardens market Scoresby: Chairlift, trains up for sale. Kimberley Seedy May 17, 2021 Knox Leader
The community was devastated when Scoresby’s Caribbean Gardens and Market closed, but some popular attractions could be making a comeback.
Caribbean Gardens train.
Some of Caribbean Gardens and Market’s historic rides could come to life again, with two popular trains and a chairlift for sale.
The owners of the popular market, which shut in 2020 after 55 years of operation, have listed the items for sale online, through an expression of interest process.
According to the market website, the owners want the “train and chairlift to be removed from Caribbean Gardens grounds and relocated to a place that can utilise the equipment”.
The Caribbean Gardens chairlift is for sale.
Caribbean Gardens acquired the rides in 1970, with the chairlift relocated from Whistle Stop Amusement Park in Frankston.
The trains have 11 carriages each, with 3.2kms of railway also up for grabs.
The operational chairlift, which stretches 306m one-way, includes 32 double chairs.
According to the website listing, the ride has been regularly maintained and crack tested.
It includes five towers, plus the start and finish towers, along with the 14 tonne counter weight.
The future of the site is still unclear, with many community members desperate to see it reopen to the public.
Former customers flooded the market’s Facebook page earlier in the year, calling for the market to make a comeback, or for some of the site to reopen.
Many families have fond memories of visiting Caribbean Gardens and Market over its 55 years of operation.
Many wanted to see the public given access to the lake, garden and playgrounds at the privately-owned site.
Suzy Strati said she understood why the market had to close.
“However, all the rides that everyone’s kids loved should be available. Also the Japanese gardens, boat cruises, etc. Why not turn it into a mini adventure theme park. Keep some of it alive,” she said.
Established in the 1970s, Caribbean Market welcomed more than 40 million visitors during its 55 years of operation.
COVID-19 forced the suspension of the market for the first time in its history.
“Unfortunately, as a privately-run market under the current circumstances it is unviable to reopen,” the market’s website states.
“The property has been nurtured for three generations by the Spooner family and continues to be masterplanned as a community precinct.”
More Coverage
Community push for access to beloved market site
Thousands of punters want iconic market saved
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/outer-east/caribbean-gardens-market-scoresby-chairlift-trains-up-for-sale/news-story/214d2157eeab4a7a48c9da721ea03ae3>
*  How long before the site is carved up for housing.
* No doubt they will have a hefty price tag. Would be cheaper to start from new.

Frankston trains: Man dead following Glen Huntly incident. Brittany Goldsmith May 17, 2021  Caulfield Glen Eira Leader
An investigation is underway after a man was struck and killed by a train in Glen Huntly. And commuters are facing lengthy delays.
A man has died after he was struck by a train between Glen Huntly and Ormond stations.
It’s believed the man was hit near Woodville Ave, between Glen Huntly and Ormond train stations about 1.25pm.
“The exact circumstances are yet to be established and an investigation into the incident is ongoing,” A Victoria Police spokeswoman told the Leader.
“Police will prepare a report for the coroner.”
Replacement buses have been arranged along the Frankston line between Caulfield and Moorabbin with first services expected to arrive about 2.40pm.
Passengers have been advised to add one hour to their travel time or organise alternative transport.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/frankston-trains-man-dead-following-glen-huntly-incident/news-story/3c23807868865e83a583dfff3f8ddb90>
* We need more sky rail to keep separation between pedestrians and trains
* Whenever this happens, Police, PTV and Metro can't cope. The system should be designed with more crossovers, and such incidents should result in running trains in both directions over the unaffected track, and police just have to learn to cope with what can be spared. The biggest single cause of service disruptions is police demands, ahead of equipment failure and 'operational incidents' by a long way.

Mon.17.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' West wild for freight. Truganina has goods in terminal tug of war. MATT JOHNSTON with v-n & ATN

Mon.17.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Pedestrians, cyclists centre stage with ATN

Mon.17.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' State budget needs to deliver real outcomes
...Metro Tunnel is $3.6bn over budget, and the West Gate Tunnel is $3bn over budget and at least two years late. Getting on top of its cost overruns and project failures must be a higher priority than allocating billions of dollars to a suburban rail loop with no business case.
And how does it think it will pay for it anyway? Perhaps by special taxes along the route?...
LOUISE STALEY IS VICTORIA’S SHADOW TREASURER

Mon.17.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Letters:
* I HAVE just received an email about face masks on public transport. What about bus and tram drivers? I have seen so many either not wearing masks or wearing them ineffectively.
* I can’t wait until our population hits seven million. You can’t move on roads now during peak hour. And try and find a car park. Most carparking at shopping centres was built 30-40 years ago. Why aren’t they fixing this now?
* THE miracle in the west has happened — the flyover for the airport rail. Something that can’t be shifted to Toorak.
* WHY is the platform 13 escalator at Flinders Street Station not permanently going up? I’m sick of climbing stairs.
* Going over our heads. SUNSHINE and Albion residents having a sky rail imposed on their suburbs (“West not wild for airport ‘sky train’ ”, HS, 13/5) is the latest example of the Andrews government overriding community opinion.
With the bridge-like structure to be some 50m above ground, the visual impact and noise it will carry out over the suburbs will be immense.
After all the problems associated with the Dandenong rail corridor, including cost overruns and noise impacts, it seems the government has learnt nothing about infrastructure building. These sky rails are set to scar the