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Roderick

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Sun.23.5.21 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Werribee line: Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Newport/Williamstown until the last train (works).
Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines: Buses replace trains city - Caulfield until the last train (maintenance works).
For SupanovaExpo at Showgrounds today, the best way is train from Southern Cross.  Trains depart every 20 min from 9.40 to 18.15.
12.32 Pakenham/Cranbourne/Frankston lines: Major delays as we recover from a police action at Caulfield.
13.10 Frankston line: Major delays (a power-supply fault at Bentleigh). Trains may be held at available platforms.
Earlier this week, we lifted the first beams of Manchester Road rail bridge at Mooroolbark into place: four done, 52 to go.  See https://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media/news/manchester-road-beam-lift.
20.05 Frankston line: Major delays (an overhead-power fault near Glen Huntly).
- 20.32 clearing.
22.08 Sunbury line: Major delays (a near hit with a trespasser near Albion). Trains may terminate/originate at Sunshine.
- 22.19 Consider alternatives.
- 22.50 Clearing.  The 22.46 ex Sunbury will originate at Sydenham Watergardens at 22.57.
Buses replace trains South Yarra - Frankston from 20.00 until the last train (works).

COVID-19 IN AUSTRALIA
New cases Reported May 23 (Updated 8.41): 0 locally acquired; 1 in hotel quarantine

Police to enforce mask-wearing on public transport. Timna Jacks May 23, 2021. 106 comments
Mask-wearing on Melbourne’s public transport network will be more heavily enforced as police prepare to embark on a two-week blitz.
Nearly half of Victorian commuters are wearing masks incorrectly or not at all on Melbourne’s trains and trams, as police prepare to bolster their presence on the network, with roving patrols to start on Monday.
video Police cracking down on Melbourne commuters who refuse to wear masks $200 fines from tomorrow.
Government data shows 49 per cent of commuters either did not wear a mask or wore it incorrectly on trains. This was the same for 46 per cent of commuters on trams.
Compliance rates plummeted in April compared with March, when 32 per cent of commuters dodged mask rules on trains and 24 per cent of commuters on trams.
Officers will first adopt what police describes as an “educative approach” by offering a mask to those not wearing one, but people who reject it without a valid reason will be liable for a $200 fine.
The blitz will start on May 24 and finish on June 6.
Superintendent of the police transit division Andrew Humberstone said police were responding to concerns from people within the community about diminishing mask compliance on public transport.
“As part of these patrols, police will not only be engaging with those not wearing a mask without a valid reason and offering them a face covering, but also providing reassurance to the rest of the travelling public that a rule designed to protect everyone’s health and safety is still being respected,” he said.
Mr Humberstone acknowledged it was easy for commuters to forget to wear their masks, as face coverings are no longer required to be worn as extensively as before.
“Given face coverings aren’t as ingrained in our daily lives as they were last year, we also understand it may be easy to forget to pack a mask as you rush for the train in the morning or leave the pub after a few post-work drinks, so we will always be adopting an educational approach and providing anyone not wearing a mask with the option of one.
“We will also be on the lookout for any criminal or anti-social behaviour as part of these patrols, ensuring the travelling public not only is safe, but feels safe on our trains, trams and buses.”
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said: “We need every single Victorian to play their part in protecting the precious gains we’ve made against the virus, to keep our state safe and open. We know that sometimes people just forget their masks when travelling – and we’ve got you covered, with transport staff and police handing out masks in busy public transport areas over the coming weeks.”
Authorised officers employed by rail, tram or bus companies do not have the authority or powers pursuant to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act and therefore are unable to enforce Chief Health Officer directions.
But they will have a heightened presence at 121 railway stations in the metropolitan area and four in regional Victoria in the evenings. All other stations will be patrolled by mobile protective service officers who will be visible on trains and at stations.
Thousands of free face masks are available for passengers at more than 80 Metro train stations and 50 V/Line stations across the public transport network.
RELATED ARTICLE Less people are wearing masks on public transport, which is still mandatory. The worst train and tram routes for mask wearing
RELATED ARTICLE One-third of N95 masks – highly-protective masks used in hospitals and hotel quarantine – failed government testing, placing doctors and nurses at risk of COVID-19 infection. A third of N95 masks fail government tests, putting medics at risk
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/police-to-enforce-mask-wearing-on-public-transport-20210523-p57ub8.html>

Europe takes on cheap flights and landlords in race to net zero emissions. Latika Bourke May 23, 2021
London: Trains instead of flights...
Last month France passed a law banning domestic flights of less than two-and-a-half hours where train routes also exist...won’t apply to connecting international flights...It will apply to eight routes inside France...
The convention, comprising 150 randomly-selected members of the public, recommended that the ban be imposed on flights of up four hours where other transport was available...
...Austria...last year banned flights of three hours where train travel is possible. it wants to impose a EUR30 (AUD47) tax on flights less than 300 kilometres...
<www.smh.com.au/world/europe/europe-takes-on-cheap-flights-and-landlords-in-race-to-net-zero-emissions-20210519-p57t34.html>

Researchers predict an extra 374 motorists a year will be killed or hurt by heavy vehicles. Tess Ikonomou May 23, 2021.  40 comments [with ATN]
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/researchers-predict-an-extra-374-motorists-a-year-will-be-killed-or-hurt-by-heavy-vehicles/news-story/7f0182d1fb2d4d08fd61c9a4520b4589>

Sun.23.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Tram upgrades to cause delays.  TESS IKONOMOU
MOTORISTS and rail commuters can expect travel delays as Melbourne’s tram network undergoes a series of upgrades from June.
A new tram stop will be built on Toorak Road outside the South Yarra train station, adding crucial level-access platforms, tram shelters, a bike lane and improved paths for pedestrians under a $10m boost to the precinct.
The works will prepare Route 58 – which travels from Toorak to West Coburg, and is one of the city’s busiest – for higher capacity E-Class trams set to hit the tracks for that journey in October.
Toorak Road will be closed between Punt Road and Chapel Street from June 11-19, with buses replacing trams on Route 58 between Stop 22 (Toorak Road/St Kilda Road) and the Toorak terminus.
The Flinders Street Station stop will be transformed into a bigger platform and have new access ramps to help ease overcrowding, with 365,000 passengers visiting it each week.
Almost 600m of tram tracks will be replaced along Swanston Street and St Kilda Road.

Sun.23.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Letters:
* Wear the mask. Recently, I travelled to Tasmania and was shocked at how many people were not wearing masks at the airport and even on the plane.
The latest community transmission cases in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne suggest Covid-19 is still out there. It’s still a requirement at the airport and on public transport. It’s not a choice for the few people who think it is.
If you’re reading this not wearing a mask, at the airport or on a plane, please wear one. If you’re reading this not wearing a mask on public transport in Melbourne, please wear one. I wear mine for my safety and the safety of others.
* Maintain blitz on ugly graffiti everywhere.  ACTION on graffiti in the CBD is well overdue. (“Get tough on graffiti vandals”, Editorial, 15/5).
For years of returning to Melbourne, my first observation was how graffiti was engulfing both the city and suburbs. Our metropolis was projecting a tired, shabby, Third World look.
The spread of graffiti was easy to trace. First, stations were the favourite target. Lack of response from authorities then emboldened vandals to tag commercial properties adjacent to stations. Next they tagged community assets further afield such as scout halls and sporting clubs. Finally, private property became fair game for taggers.
This diffusion of graffiti occurred simply because of an inadequate response by authorities, including the courts in failing to deliver sentences sufficient to deter vandals.
The blitz in the city is welcomed but needs to be extended to the suburbs. Policing and prosecutions need to be more than spasmodic but applied consistently and continually. Tougher sentences need to be imposed. Victoria must be free of this ugly environmental eyesore.