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Roderick

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Sun.30.5.21 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Buses replace trains on sections of the Werribee line until the last train (level-crossing works).
Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: All trains direct to/from Flinders St all day (maintenance works). For Southern Cross or loop stations, change at Flinders St for trains from pfm 2 or 3.  [from these stations not stated].
Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Buses replace trains Caulfield - Pakenham until 6.00.
11.47 Buses are to replace trains Eltham - Hurstbridge (a van blocking track near Diamond Creek). Buses have been ordered, but may take some time to arrive.  Consider alternatives, shown at the PTV website .
- 11.57 Buses may take up to 30min to arrive.
- 12.05 Buses may take up to 20min to arrive.
- 12.17 Buses may take up to 10min to arrive.
- 12.37 Buses are in operation, adding 35min travel time.
- 13.21 Trains are resuming 
22.44 Pakenham line: Major delays (vandalism near Officer). Trains may be held/altered.
- 23.06 clearing
23.18 Major delays due to vandalism between Cranbourne and Dandenong.

From Sunday 30 May, Werribee bus Routes 439 and 443 will travel by amended routes following the removal of Cherry Street level crossing. There'll be minor changes to timetables and some bus stop relocations.  See https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/footer/about-ptv/improvements-and-projects/bus-and-coach/route-and-timetable-changes-for-routes-439-and-443
Route and timetable changes for routes 439 and 443
From Sunday 30 May 2021, bus Route 439 Werribee Station - Werribee South via Werribee Park Mansion and bus Route 443 Werribee Station - Southern Loop via South Werribee will travel an amended route across the recently opened road bridge connecting Tarneit Road and Princess Highway following the removal of the Cherry Street Level Crossing in Werribee.
To accommodate the amended route, there will be minor changes to timetables, with round trip journey times increasing by 6 minutes on Route 439, and 3 minutes on Route 443.
Two bus stops on Wattle Avenue have been permanently relocated a 1-minute walk west, closer to the Princes Highway and Wattle Avenue intersection.
Two bus stops on Princess Highway, near Tower Road, will no longer be serviced by Route 443. Passengers should use the relocated stops on Wattle Avenue instead.
View the new Route 439 and Route 443 timetables.

OPINION The boring factor (and how it will transform our city) Jon Faine. May 30, 2021
Many exciting events made headlines last week. Victoria fell victim to the Adelaide virus, Belarus cemented its place in the Top Ten Dictatorships list, and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff could not tell Senate estimates who or what he was investigating months after he was given exactly that task following Brittany Higgins’ revelations.
Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen would be proud.
Victoria went into lockdown again after a COVID-19 breach in South Australia’s hotel quarantine spread into the community.CREDIT:JAMIE BROWN
And to make things even weirder in the national capital, the $600 million allocated to a just announced gas power station in the Hunter could not be found in the just announced budget.
Closer to home, the state Treasurer could not provide any details of a key ingredient of the state budget. Apparently, no one knows precisely how a new windfall tax on property is to be calculated and charged.
And in a delayed finding last week from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, our all-time favourite shock-jock Alan Jones was busted – again – because back in 2019 he did not tell his audience that what he was saying on the radio happened to align with the interests of his program’s sponsors.
It was found that Jones had not disclosed that Star Casino was paying his radio station at exactly the same time as he was trying to bully the NSW government into granting Star planning permits for their new project.
Blow trumpets, send flowers - the Metro tunnel boring machine broke through slime and rock deep underneath Federation Square, completing the main engineering for a new underground railway link.CREDIT:MATT DAVIDSON
But another major milestone happened last week, one that will have impact long after many of those other significant moments have been forgotten. Although COVID and the lockdown dominate today’s thinking for obvious reasons, something far more boring will be of more lasting significance. And I mean boring, literally.
When the COVID epidemic is only relevant to historians and epidemiologists, something else that happened last week will shape the life of the city for generations.
Blow trumpets, send flowers - the Metro tunnel boring machine broke through slime and rock deep underneath Federation Square, completing the main engineering for a new underground railway link.
When completed in a few more years, this project permanently transforms Melbourne.
A quick reminder is worthwhile. John Brumby went to the people in 2010 offering a cross-city underground rail link. It was to join the south-eastern suburbs to those in the north-west, along the way linking the main hubs north of the city – the hospital and university precinct in Parkville and the airport – to the CBD and the south-eastern suburbs, whilst also providing a long-needed St Kilda Road rail connection. It was brilliantly conceived.
The Metro tunnel construction at Arden station.CREDIT:JOE ARMAO
Brumby narrowly lost that election, Ted Baillieu won and immediately set about re-imagining the “shovel-ready” project. Why? The Liberals wanted the alignment changed to provide for different stations, including one that connected the casino and convention centre to the underground network, even though it is but a two-minute walk to Southern Cross or Flinders Street stations. Planning started afresh, and for four years there was zero progress.
Upon the Andrews team being elected in 2014, the Baillieu/Napthine version was scrapped, the original Brumby project revived and now it is more than half done.
Metro tunnel construction.CREDIT:JOE ARMAO
It is not just an engineering breakthrough that was celebrated last week. Alongside the tricky technical removal of rock and soil, there was the removal of a dispute over money.
Major projects always cost more than is budgeted – anyone who has ever renovated their home knows all too well how every tiny change has massive cost implications. Magnify that a million times and you can understand how easily government infrastructure projects get out of hand.
The rail tunnel contractors had claimed a cost over-run with the state government of around $2 billion. The dispute was threatening to derail [sorry] the works. But with almost no publicity, and certainly no razzmatazz, it was quietly and commercially resolved, with the additional costs split 50/50 between the state and the builders.
The 2021 state budget papers claim that across 164 “Big Build” infrastructure projects, there is overall a 3 per cent cost over-run. This needs to be closely scrutinised – and will be, no doubt, when parliamentary committees get down into the detail.
But if indeed it stands up to scrutiny, then it is nothing short of astonishing. The international benchmarks of the OECD show that typically large projects cost 28 per cent more than budgeted.
The negotiations with the Metro rail contractors have been closely watched by the disputants on the cost blowouts on the parallel “Big Build” West Gate road tunnel under the Yarra River.
The project is stuck in a dispute about the cost of removing soil contaminated with fire retardant. The government claim the additional cost of removing contaminated soil is not their problem, as the contractors accepted risk and ought look to the soil-testing engineers and their insurers if something has gone wrong. Needless to say, the contractors do not see it that way.
Meanwhile, the road building continues – as anyone trying to navigate the maze of disruption en-route will attest. The hold-up is with the tunnelling works, and unless resolved there will be the absurd situation where the above-ground works on each end of the project will lead to a non-existent tunnel!
Boring as these projects might be, their impact will still be felt when COVID lockdown is something you tell your grandkids about.
RELATED ARTICLE New trains at the train maintenance facility in Pakenham East. Big Build’s transport blowouts are costing $5m a day
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-boring-factor-and-how-it-will-transform-our-city-20210528-p57w02.html
[The author has fallen for the propaganda. The tunnel does nothing for most of the system. The advance advertising claimed tangled congestion, which just isn't true. It is called a 'metro' when it isn't.  No real metro would have been built without a station at South Yarra.  The changing locations are inconvenient, and changing trains on Melbourne frequencies and unreliability is a nightmare. For a fraction of the price, the existing loops could have been signalled for 30 trains per hour run as 30, instead of 24 run as 23; Melbourne could have had double-deck trains on all lines.  Effectively, that doubles flow through the city centre.  The Transport Futures proposal to reconfigure the existing loops would have added more flow (but reduced convenience). Instead, PTV has espoused a deliberately-incompatible project, having learned nothing from Australia's notorious break-of-gauge problem since the 1850s, still being fixed. The tunnel has some merit, but not the ones used to justify its cost].

COVID and monorail nostalgia: be careful what you long for. Helen Pitt May 30, 2021
Have you noticed the sound of aircraft flying over Sydney again? I’ve been woken several times recently by the once familiar rumble of big planes zooming overhead. Last Sunday night I counted the jets taking off regularly about 9pm – every few minutes it seemed. I’d forgotten what they sounded like, as I’m sure anyone who lives beneath the flight path had.
Most of them are headed or returning from within the New Zealand bubble, but there are several still coming from or going to Singapore, San Francisco, Abu Dhabi and Tokyo. Their return made me pine for the quiet days of COVID-19 when our skies were free of jet fuel and our carbon load down to respectable levels.
Flights are increasing in and out of Sydney. CREDIT:LOUISE KENNERLEY
For most of 2020 it was hard to believe we once had No Aircraft Noise political party dedicated to removing noise pollution for Sydney residents. It happened without them thanks to an international pandemic.
Have you noticed, too, that petrol prices have risen as quickly across the city as property prices? On May 1, 2020, our local Caltex petrol station was selling E10 for 86.9 cents a litre. Last time I looked it was $1.29, but the average E10 price was more than $1.50 in the past week and some stations were charging over $1.70 for unleaded.
Petrol prices in 2020.CREDIT:HELEN PITT
Traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels, you can’t get a seat on the bus anymore and the light rail is packed. Even the CBD is returning to life, workers back in its offices, although restaurants and cafes, badly hit by closures and lack of staff, are turning patrons away earlier than they used to.
Our cousins in Melbourne might find this hard to believe as they endure yet another lockdown, but I find myself strangely jealous, wanting to cocoon again in a COVID-19 bubble of social isolation. I know that will sound odd: to be nostalgic for hard times.
Yet I hear many people talk of this past year in the way my parents’ generation spoke, at times sentimentally, about life during World War II, and their parents of the Great Depression. A longing for simpler times – when we had less choice and accepted our lot – even if it meant sacrifices and a loss of freedom.
I was reminded of this almost Proustian longing for lost time when I heard one of Sydney’s abandoned monorail stations was transformed into a sensory time portal last weekend – and as is happening again this weekend. The site-specific lighting and sound installation transform the dimly lit Chinatown monorail station at level five of the Number One Dixon Street shopping centre. It uses ambient sound samples from the past 20 years, such as melodies of songs and field recordings from the city.
Created by osmosis, a Sydney-based artists’ collective, as part of Create NSW’s “Play the City” program, the installation explores the idea of nostalgia as a form of healing, and the comfort we often find in familiar sounds and sights after turbulent times.
We might be hard-pressed to find someone longing for the monorail.
The monorail pictured on February 13, 1988. CREDIT:QUENTIN JONES
But it transported me back the building of this 3.6 kilometre, eight-station transport loop. Sydneysiders were soon sold on the idea of a Jetsons-esque elevated bullet train zipping above traffic.
The Herald campaigned heavily against what we then called the TNT Harbourlink and later Metro Monorail. When the then Labor transport minister, Laurie Brereton, announced it would go ahead, we warned it would become a white elephant.
It opened in 1987, just before Australia’s Bicentennial celebrations, and before long it regularly broke down, the air-conditioning faltered and people stopped using it. The futuristic monorail, suspended above the city, connecting Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business district, soon became a railroad to nowhere. It was dismantled in 2013, consigned to a very full dustbin of past Sydney transport mistakes.
I can’t help but wonder if the light rail might meet the same fate in 30 years. Will it disappear, not only like the monorail but also the tram system, once the most extensive in the Commonwealth but dismantled in the 1960s and replaced mainly with buses. The NSW government – or at least Transport Minister Andrew Constance – is planning to get rid of many of the buses now, too. Same old same old? (Constance might meet more opposition regarding the buses than his predecessors did when they removed the monorail.)
But let’s face it: if the past is another country, it’s not always one we’d want to visit. Or should revisit. By over-romanticising it, we can see it through a distorting lens. Nostalgia can be a dangerous drug.
And pining for COVID lockdowns might not be such a good idea, after all.
RELATED ARTICLE People outside a coronavirus testing clinic at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, NSW. 'Cleaning drawers doesn't do it for me': My corona diary after a week of WFHing
<www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/covid-and-monorail-nostalgia-be-careful-what-you-long-for-20210520-p57tsl.html>

Four commuters to win free public transport for a year in bid to boost usage. Stuart Layt May 30, 2021
The Queensland government is offering four “Golden Go Cards” to southeast Queensland commuters, as it tries to drive up passenger numbers on public transport in the wake of the pandemic.
Public transport numbers dropped off drastically due to COVID restrictions in 2020, and despite many aspects of life returning to normal in recent months, passenger numbers have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.
Without an increase in commuter numbers, some services will no longer be viable.CREDIT:TAMMY LAW
That’s a problem because, while public transport is already heavily subsidised, if the numbers fall below a certain point, particular services will no longer be viable.
In response, Transport Minister Mark Bailey announced a range of measures on Sunday, including a “Golden Go Card” that would grant the holder free public transport in southeast Queensland for a year.
“The Golden Go Card will be drawn every week for four weeks and is worth nearly $2000, and all you’ve got to do is register your Go Card online from [Monday] to be in the draw,” he said.
Mr Bailey also announced a six-month trial in which cyclists will be allowed to take their bikes onto the first and last carriages of trains.
He said the measure was in line with policies already in place in other states and would mean cyclists could greatly extend their journeys by linking bike paths to train networks.
Bicycle Queensland chief executive Rebecca Randazzo said they had been calling on the government to implement that measure for some time and were very pleased it was finally being trialled.
“We wrote to the minister back in March calling for this change in policy, as we saw great benefits for both the train network and the active travel network,” Ms Randazzo said.
“It helps Queenslanders find their 30 minutes of exercise a day, and also helps with road congestion and environmental concerns.”
Public transport patronage has been sitting at about 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels for some time, and Mr Bailey said the government was keen to get people back onto public transport.
“The reality is, there are some people who used to be public transport users who are now driving to work, and that’s increasing some of the congestion on our roads,” he said. “We’d like to see things get back into a bit more of a balance there.”
Mr Bailey said usage had fallen noticeably on Mondays and Fridays, suggesting more people were working from home on those days.
The government is expected to include patronage projections for southeast Queensland in June’s state budget.
Mr Bailey also outlined the continuing rollout of smart ticketing readers at 10 southeast Queensland train stations that will come on line from this week.
The devices will eventually be able to read all types of payment transactions, from Go Cards and bank cards to smart watches, and are designed to make travel easier for both locals and visitors to the city.
Entries for one of the Golden Go Cards can be made on the Translink website.
RELATED ARTICLE Brisbane buses are sanitised nightly at a multimillion cost for Brisbane City Council. How COVID hit SEQ's public transport usage - and how it could bounce back
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/four-commuters-to-win-free-public-transport-for-a-year-in-bid-to-boost-usage-20210530-p57whf.html>
* Yes, traffic is awful now. If people got back to using public transport, then it would flow a lot better - particularly for those people who unfortunately don't live near a train, who's bus sits in said traffic.
* Well that explains why traffic is pretty much as bad as pre-COVID even though heaps of people are working from home still.
* Maybe if the trains stopped at stations. Referring to the empty Petrie-City 24/7 express.
* Patronage is a vexed problem, but Brisbane's services are always thin when compared with Melbourne and Sydney, and certainly shouldn't be thinned to be worse. Having bikes on trains is a good call. Decades ago, there were hooks in ceilings, and bikes would hang vertically. That doesn't happen any more, but should. Otherwise a bike takes the space of three standees. I am a Melbourne resident: the epicentre of covid19 disaster in Australia. However, I wear my mask, and continue to use public transport, and have continued to be safe for over 12 months.
* The Minister for Transport, fitting in nicely in the State Govt of Distractions!
* It's absurd the money that is spent collecting money for fares that don't go anywhere near (less than 22% in the case of rail) covering the cost of operations. Why not just make all public transport free? Pay for it by putting a levy on roads or cars. The economic, environmental and lifestyle costs of providing for cars is enormous, when most (75%) car trips in SEQ are single occupant it's time to make a change to force people on to public transport.
* What a great idea to allow bikes on the train, except our train on Wednesday morning did not even have standing room for the overcrowded carriages so where will the bikes fit? Will they get priority or asked to leave if the carriage gets full?
* Cleveland to Central 1hr _ you are joke Queensland rail.
* " is worth nearly $2000". Clearly not looking at anyone who has to travel 10 zone or more

Five local coronavirus cases as Health Minister Martin Foley provides update. Mitch Clarke, Laura Placella, Wes Hosking, Jordy Atkinson, Mitch Ryan and  Tess Ikonomou. May 30, 2021 Herald Sun. 1141 comments
<www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/outbreak-fears-grow-as-pub-checkin-rules-widely-ignored/news-story/0d443c656cbae2ea331b47ed7ae24cef>

Sun.30.5.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' VLine board derails.  Acting chief is axed. TESS IKONOMOU
THE acting chief of Victoria’s regional rail operator will be replaced amid a corruption investigation into the public transport network.
VLine’s interim chief executive Gary Liddle, who replaced disgraced former chief executive James Pinder last October, will finish in the position on Monday, and will be replaced by the executive general manager operations, Paul D’Alessio. Mr D’Alessio currently has leadership responsibility for the entire passenger rail and coach operation.
A new CEO has not yet been appointed, after former V/Line chief executive James Pinder was sacked last year.
The Independent Broadbased Anti-corruption Commission probe heard in October that Mr Pinder received a $320,000 payment from cleaning company Transclean that helped him pay for the deposit on a property.
Herald Sun does not suggest Mr Liddle was investigated for or engaged in any misconduct.
There have also been three recent vacancies on the board, with one director having died and two resignations due to family commitments. Recruitment of their replacements is under way. Just four board members remain – chair Gabrielle Bell, and directors Rachel Thomson, Kevin McLaine and Tom Sargant.
According to the guidelines, V/Line directors are eligible to be paid between $20,182-$37,343 per annum, with the chair eligible for between $37,844 and $79,865.
The current chair is paid $60,000 and directors are paid $30,000, which has not increased since 2015.
VLine Corporation is a state-owned enterprise.
A government spokeswoman said V/Line’s services were important for regional Victorians to access jobs and services.
“With huge growth in the number of people relying on regional public transport, the Victorian government is committed to work with V/Line to ensure they have the right structure in place to continually improve their services,” she said.
The government is investing more than $4 billion to upgrade every regional passenger rail line in the state through the Regional Rail Revival program.
IBAC’s Operation Esperance public hearings were adjourned Thursday by commissioner Robert Redlich AM QC, as Victoria was plunged into a new lockdown.