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Subject: Tues.20.7.21 daily digest

Roderick

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Tues.20.7.21 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works).
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Trains will not stop at Mooroolbark until late October 2021 (level-crossing works).
Buses replace trains on sections of the Ballarat & Geelong lines until Sunday 25 July. Buses are not stopping at Footscray and Sunshine. Passengers should catch a suburban train to Southern Cross. See https://bit.ly/36zd6wR
Buses replace trains Ringwood - Lilydale until 1.30 Sun 25 Jul (level-crossing works).
This night shot of Heavy Harry adorns the walls of our office at the Victorian Archives Centre.  VPRS12903 P1 item661/12.
14.17 Buses replaces trains Frankston — Stony Point (a person hit by a train). Buses have been ordered, ETA 1 hour.
- 15.01  & 16.00 & 18.00 Buses are in operation, adding 25 min.
17.26 Major delays (police near Cranbourne). trains may terminate/originate at Dandenong.
- 17.39  Delays clearing.
17.48  Belgrave: We've lost power to station lighting and facilities (a local AusNetServices power outage). Take extra care boarding and alighting. Additional staff are on-site to assist passengers.
- 19.34 Power has been restored to the station.  Take care when entering or exiting the station, as wider power outage is still affecting the Belgrave area.
20.14 Upfield line: Major delays (a motor vehicle collision at Boundary Rd level crossing near Fawkner). Trains may [ie will] terminate/originate at Batman.  Consider alternatives.
- Consider alternatives between Batman and Upfield.
- 20.42 clearing.
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Upfield from 20.35 until the last train (maintenance works).
Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Buses replace trains Parliament - Clifton Hill from 20.50 until the last train (maintenance works). From Flinders St, Southern Cross and loop stations, take a city-circle replacement bus to Parliament.
Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: All trains run direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (maintenance works).  From loop stations, take a train from pfm 2 to Southern Cross.
Lilydale/Belgrave lines: All trains will terminate/originate at Burnley from 21.00 until the last train (works).  From Southern Cross and loop stations, take a train to Flinders St, then a Glen Waverley train to Burnley.
Glen Waverley line: All trains will run direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (maintenance works).
Buses replace trains Mordialloc - Frankston from 21.00 until the last train (level-crossing works).

Cars that talk to trams and traffic lights begin trial on Australian streets. Ben Zachariah 20 July 2021. 2 comments
Melbourne will play host to a new trial, which sees cars, trams, and traffic infrastructure communicating with each other.
A program trialling technology which allows passenger cars to communicate directly with other vehicles and traffic lights will soon begin on the northern edge of Melbourne's central business district.
The trial, known as the Australian Integrated Multimodal EcoSystem (AIMES) and run by the University of Melbourne, will use two specially-prepared Lexus SUVs to test the system, as state governments look to make road infrastructure more intelligent in the coming years.
The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology – collectively known as V2X – mean cars will be more aware of traffic conditions, with the aim to significantly reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, car accidents, and traffic gridlocks in the city.
During the trial, Lexus RX450h SUVs will be able to communicate with trams, traffic lights, and emergency vehicles within the six-square-kilometre test area, which incorporates the suburbs of Carlton, Fitzroy, and Collingwood.
Before a driver has the opportunity to see or hear what is happening ahead of them, the system could, for example, warn cars and trams of an approaching ambulance with lights and sirens, while sensors in the traffic light grid could warn the ambulance of pedestrians crossing ahead, cyclists, or a broken-down car hindering access.
Lexus and its parent company Toyota began exploring the technology's potential in 2015, and now have more than 250,000 vehicles using the technology in Japan. In Europe, buyers get the V2X tech as standard on the new Volkswagen Golf.
Special software needed to be designed by Lexus Australia engineers to address Melbourne's unique traffic rules, which includes the notorious hook-turn.
It's the second such trial to be conducted on Australian soil, with the Queensland Government also partnering with Lexus to explore the concept on the streets of Ipswich.
"These … trials build on work which was conducted in Ipswich with support from Queensland Transport and Main Roads," a spokesperson for the University of Melbourne told Drive.
"Here in Melbourne, we have huge interest from [Minister for Public Transport, Roads and Road Safety] Ben Carroll, and [the] Victorian Department of Transport is looking at the data from Queensland to inform local decisions."
Another trial recently concluded in Melbourne, which used lidar (Light Detection and Ranging Sensors) within dangerous intersections to recognise potential hazards within two tenths of a second, which could potentially be relayed to a car with V2X technology.
The test area for the new trial is bordered by Victoria Parade, Hoddle Street, Alexandra Parade, and Lygon Street.
<www.drive.com.au/news/cars-that-talk-to-trams-and-traffic-lights-begin-trial-on-australian-streets>

Lockdown extended for seven days, nine new cases. Mitch Clarke, Laura Placella, Sarah Booth, Kim Wilson and Sarah Perillo July 20, 2021. 314 comments
The statewide lockdown has been extended for another seven days as a new exposure site linked to Sydney removalists emerges, while Victoria has declared South Australia a “red zone”.
video: Lockdown extended and red zone Victorians locked out Victorian Premier Andrews has extended the lockdown despite the strategy is unfolding exactly as expected and for at least the next two weeks,…
Victoria’s lockdown will be extended for a further seven days until Tuesday, July 27 at 11.59pm.
NEW EXPOSURE SITE LINKED TO REMOVALISTS...
VICTORIANS IN RED ZONES SHUT OUT...
Victorians are being urged to register their Myki cards for contact tracing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers
MORE THAN 300 EXPOSURE SITES
More commuters have been exposed to Covid, after a confirmed case caught a number of public transport routes.
An alert has been put out for the Lilydale and Belgrave line, while the route 96 tram has been declared a Tier One site between City Rd (stop 126) and Southern Cross Station (stop 122) for two trips taken on July 15.
Southern Cross Station and Blackburn Railway Station were listed as Tier Three sites, bringing the number of active public transport entries to 35.
It comes as the government urged commuters to register their Myki, so contact tracers can easily get in touch with them.
Twelve new exposure sites were added by the health department on Tuesday afternoon, bringing the total to more than 330.
The new sites span several suburbs including Derrimut, Richmond, Glen Iris, Carlton, St Kilda, Camberwell, Box Hill South, and St Kilda.
Overhear Coffee & Food in Camberwell has been added as a Tier 2 exposure site on July 14, 15, 16 and 17, with the office of Cricket Victoria in St Kilda also identified as a Tier 2 site on July 15.
‘TOO EARLY’ TO LIFT RESTRICTIONS...
PAIN MOUNTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES...
NEW QLD CASE CAME FROM VICTORIA...
VICTORIA ‘NOT READY’ FOR RULES TO EASE...
Southern Cross Station has been almost empty during the lockdown. Picture: Ian Currie
LOCKDOWN FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA...
NSW CASES DROP BUT STATE ON ALERT...
STADIUM PHOTO SHOWS HOW DELTA SPREAD...
CRITICAL WORKERS WHO COULD GET COVID NEXT Airport and hotel staff, taxi drivers and the Australian Border Force are some of the workers with the highest potential exposure to Covid-19, but the lowest rates of vaccination, it can be revealed....
<www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/states-fifth-lockdown-to-drag-on/news-story/12d892d2116428b76074a7d0bb7923ee>

Tues.20.7.21 Man dead in chaotic night of crashes on Melbourne roads Two people are fighting for life after a horror collision with a tram on Sydney Rd, with dramatic pictures showing the extent of the damage.
video: The tragic truth about road deaths in Australia Every year over a thousand Australians die in preventible road deaths, with the number set to spike around the holiday season. Watch to see more…
One man is dead, two people are fighting for life and two people were seriously injured after a chaotic night on Melbourne’s roads.
In Coburg, a car and a route 19 tram collided just before 6.30pm on Monday.
The collision occurred on Sydney Rd, with six occupants of the car – all aged in their 20s – initially trapped.
They were eventually freed and taken to hospital.
Two passengers, a Sunshine woman and a Point Cook man, are fighting for life.
The driver and another passenger, both men from Collingwood, sustained serious injuries.
Two other passengers, a Corio woman and a South Melbourne man, had minor injuries.
It is not known whether the blue sedan they were travelling in could safely seat six adults.
The tram passengers and the driver were assessed at the scene but were not injured.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the exact cause of the collision is being investigated.
A FRV spokesman said crews worked for almost an hour to safely free all six occupants, in what was a “delicate and complex operation”.
Sydney Rd was closed in both directions from Bell to Gaffney streets.
Two of the car’s occupants are fighting for life, while a further four were injured. Picture: Jason Edwards
More Coverage
How sky-high rail loop will change your suburb
State's fifth lockdown to drag on
<www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/man-dead-in-chaotic-night-of-crashes-on-melbourne-roads/news-story/7cb862ce60806aa49fff618cb7f4b2ac>

New rail loop set to transform middle Melbourne suburbs with high rise housing. Matt Johnston July 20, 2021
The new Suburban Rail Loop will pave the way for more high rises in the suburbs. See how your area will be changed by the plans.
video: Inside Melbourne's suburban rail loop. How the biggest rail project in Australia's history will change travel in Melbourne.
Suburban high rises would be green-lit around new stations as part of the multi-billion dollar rail loop being built under middle Melbourne.
Herald Sun has learnt that planning rules for some of the six Suburban Rail Loop station precincts – Southland in Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill — could pave the wave for high density housing towers.
This would allow for mini-metropolises that cluster jobs, housing and education together with transport hubs, but would significantly alter the surrounding landscape.
More detailed station footprint designs have also emerged, showing where existing properties will be acquired for the project’s underground hubs to be built using a cut and cover and “bottom-up” construction method.
The government is refusing to provide details on height limits proposed for each of the station areas, saying people would have to wait until an “investment case” is released.
If planning schemes were similar to Box Hill, where buildings such as Sky One and the Chen Hotel already soar about 120m, heights of 30-storeys or more could be allowed.
Stage One of the loop, which will run 26km from Cheltenham to Box Hill, is set to begin construction next year, despite many of the residents and businesses near to the stations still in the dark about project details.
Ange Pet Salon owner, Jason Gong, said project workers had inspected their Box Hill grooming shop and told him it’s possible the business would have to move – despite having a 10-year lease.
“I want to stay of course, it’s a good location,” he said.
“Our business is growing, we are known by a lot of people here now. If we do have to move we want to stay near here.”
Anges Pet Salon in Box Hill is one of the properties that may be acquired to make way for the Suburban Rail Loop. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
William Yang, who owns Whitehorse Liquor, also had a long-term lease and said people feared “if you get bought out by the government you don’t get a good deal”.
“None of us want to move, especially the hair salon they just signed a contract and then they say they might have to move,” he said.
Box Hill is set to be the largest and most complex underground station precinct, due to its length of 350 metres and the fact it crosses Whitehorse Rd and swallows some medium-density buildings.
The precinct is already classified as a metropolitan activity centre, which effectively allows for a mini-city to be developed about 20km from the CBD.
The area of Whitehorse Road in Box Hill where properties will be acquired. Picture: Andrew Henshaw
Glen Waverley is the most likely to have a similar density and height limit around the station, with some towers around The Glen redevelopments already 15-storeys.
Other areas, such as near Deakin University in Burwood, would be lower-scale due to the single-level residential housing nearby.
The Andrews Government refused to provide potential height limits, but said the station areas would be “thriving and vibrant places to live and to visit”.
It said Monash is a National Economic and Innovation Cluster, while Cheltenham is classed as Major Activity Centres, meaning they will be “major future activity and growth centres outside Melbourne CBD”.
Suburban Rail Loop Minister Jacinta Allan said the project “will trigger exciting opportunities to attract jobs, housing and services adjacent to world class public transport”.
More Coverage
Secret report reveals Suburban Loop’s impact
Airport should be part of suburban rail plan
<www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/new-rail-loop-set-to-transform-middle-melbourne-suburbs-with-high-rise-housing/news-story/7e9afb299f45850af77c388591fcb85c>
* Now does Moorabbin Airport Corporation understand why there can't be a station a their Airport.  Whoops,,,,,,,,!
* With high rise towers getting locked down on the whim of the government, who would voluntary want to live in one in the future?
* How can a Government compulsory acquire private property to build high rise apartment blocks by whom and funded by whom. If its private enterprise or public private it's not something a democratic Government would do. It's more like what we see in Communist or Dictatorships. John Mitcham
* No business case and all going on the credit card. What a joke
* They will do whatever they want and then tell you they did consultation.
* Parts of South Yarra and Box Hill are already over-developed as a result of too many high-rise apartment buildings. For that reason, I am strongly opposed to high-rise, high density buildings around train stations connected to the suburban railway loop. We need height and density limits and I would suggest building heights of no-more than 5 storeys in these locations.  
* Box Hill used to be a once nice green suburb, now filling with ugly huge highrises - 30 or more floors high and should not be built here.
* Oh joy!
* On a stay in Vienna, we noticed how many 3-4-5 storey old blocks of flats there were. And a fairly small square of lawn and garden, a tribute to Mozart.. Then, one day, the sun shone brightly . . . and the lawn was covered with folk eating ice creams. And, along the banks of the Danube, skin galore as folk sunbaked. The point is, many obviously don't have what most of us take for granted . . . . a GARDEN!
* where is the Rowville Rail Line? As usual most Governments both Liberal and Labor Parties are all talk and NO interest!It has been on the drawing Board for how many years??
* What about future virus’s? I thought the ongoing plan was to create more space for people not keep jamming them on top of each other. Obviously we are not learning & the mighty dollar keeps ruling. 
* It won't make much difference to the look of Box Hill. It already looks hideous with all the high rise buildings that have been built there.
* Leaving Melbourne, and Victoria for that matter, looks more appealing by the day. 
* There is no reason to stay in an overcrowded, crime ridden, dirty filthy city where local councils won't even let you empty your household garbage and you are forced in live in a shoddily built, tiny ugly depressing dogbox of an apartment.
* This is great, and will transform the city in a positive way. Although might be another nail in the coffin for the CBD. 
* It's not good long term planning. Look at the results Brunswick Flemmington, Carlton and Prahran high rise. Setting the area up for future slums and trouble!
* Just look at what is appending in Box Hill. A conglomeration of high rise towers that has absolutely ruined the area. Disgraceful local planning aided by the government. Is this what is planned for the other centres on the loop? Better get out now people. Your suburb is about to get unliveable.
* Andrews govt is utopia 
* Honestly, what is the point of this project? In reality they are just building two new stations (which will cater to students at Monash & Deakin)
* Interestingly, the biggest complaint Labor had about East West Link was there was no business case. Dan then promised all projects would have a business case. Then we had the ultra secretive West Gate Tunnel which still does not have a business case. Now we have Suburban Rail Loop which does not have a business case and we have Airport Rail which also does not have a business case. I guess honesty and transparency only count when you are bagging out the other side.
* I've lived in Victoria for all of my life but finishing my working life in Adelaide or Perth or Brisbane seems more appealing by the day.
* You are welcome in the Olympic city anytime.
* A planned increase in population around Cheltenham and Clayton (due to the Suburban Rail Loop stations) is one of the many reasons why we can't afford to lose the decades long Green Wedge parklands and Sandbelt Chain of Parks, which were planned for the Heatherton area where it is now proposed to put the SRL industrial train maintenance and stabling yard. A high density urban area needs to be balanced with public green open space, and the Bayside area of Melbourne has limited open space at the moment. The project just seems to be taking away parklands and replacing them with urban concrete buildings and infrastructure. Melbournians may be able to get around quickly by train, but where will they go to unwind, relax, play sports, go for nature walks etc. This project is being developed at the expense of community liveability, recreation, and mental health.
* There is already large scale medium to high density residential developments in these areas. The infrastructure is in place, makes complete sense to build and develop this area. 
* So much to look forward to. A crowded high rise apartment close to the station to take you to wrk and back. Little privacy not to mention a lack of trees, birds and even a small yard to sit outside in. Oh well, I suppose it’s the way to head for the socialist lifestyle. The living standards of the masses would go into decline while the socialist/communist leaders and entourage enjoy their own amply feathered nests. Have I become a cynical old lady? YOU BET! 🙄 (Dawn)
* Vertical slums in the long term.
* Talk about destroying the once great aesthetic of suburbia. Why do do think most people live in the suburbs, it’s because they don’t like the city. Don’t bring the city to the suburbs! I walked around the CBD last weekend and it has become a derelict slum of a place.
* So we are going to build covid incubation hubs! Good luck to anyone who lives in these new dog boxes. Actually, my dog has more room in her kennel than these new style apartments!
* How much more debt is being created by this secretive inept Labor Government for the Victorians who'll have to pay down for so many years to come? Thank God that I left Melbourne some time ago. Also let's hope that there will be enough Victorians left to use these infrastructures if they decide to still live in bankrupt state.
* Debt? What debt? Dan and his crew have no recollection of any debt.
* raise taxes... 
* When I moved into my home in 1980 I was guaranteed that no units would be built further than 2 streets away from railway line. Only 15 years later my street, small that it is, acquired 6 units on two sites, now we have 10 units on four lots and we are eight streets away from the railway line. Our council asked us a couple of years ago to fill out a questionnaire on what we wanted for the future in Knox, I didn’t bother as they had already destroyed it as far as I could see. Not only destroyed but shown that what ever the ratepayers wanted wasn’t what we would get. I do realise the Knox council is only partially to blame, most of the blame lays with VCAT.
* The people should be given not only a much bigger say as to how their suburb will be allowed to develop.
* The Burwood station should be inside Deakin.
* I don’t live in a suburb.
* Andrews is creating more slums around Melbourne! 
* The article says high rise housing will cluster jobs, housing and education with transport. It will also cluster the outbreak of covid or any future health threats to our existence. I suggest they design the buildings to accommodate future lockdowns with ground floor facilities for Health Department staff. Perhaps even reserved parking out front for the arrival of COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar to conduct site visits. Add on CCTV so live feed of the event can be streamed to the news outlets.
* Andrews and his little secrets
* Why don't they offer world class transport to the outer suburbs?  China wasn't interested?
* Box Hill and Glen Waverley are already full of high rises. God help the other suburbs.
* if the sky rail will make areas so vibrant - why not tell the residents the details early to build up their excitement
* "World class public transport" they can't provide that now, how is spending billions going to make it happen?
* This project will never happen.  Victoria is already forecasting to be $155B in debt by 2024/2025 which is 50% higher than NSW (and they have a more diverse economy to pay for things).  There's no budget currently for the predicted $50B+ for the SRL (that's Stage 1; don't even get me started on Stage 2).  That's before any of the latest lockdowns or this pandemic going on longer than any of us ever expected. This project has financial disaster written all over it. We are spending $2B just to prove whether this may or may not work.  There's no business case!!! Unbelievable.
* Andrews will just borrow the money from his colleagues in the CCP. 
* Since when has this Labor State Government ever worried about a business case? They use the mantra of "community consultation" of which they communicate within their own bubble and to hell with the community to get the answer they want. Who in their right mind believes this project will ever be built without budget blow out after budget blow out. Nothing this Labor Government has built has come in on time or within budget and this won't be any different!
* There will be no budget left for anything else.
* Cost overruns shown in southland overlay. It is on land that was previously gssworks so there will need to be soil removal there(and going by the western tunnel we know just how well and cheaply that goes). Plus that area is a local highpoint, so will need to dig very deep to even go close to going under nepean highway... i wonder how long that road will be shut ??? The whole thing is a debacle.
* It's not over the Gas Works, it is over existing parklands - also the photo used in the article is very old, there are now multiple apartment buildings on the western side of the parklands.
* Just what Melbourne needs. More high density housing. Melbourne, the most unliveable city in Australia.
* The alternative is a quarter acre block 100 km from the CBD !
* That's why a lot of my friends are leaving Melbourne. They've had enough. 
* Councils are already in the process of destroying that dream as well. No one is safe. 
* This has already happened at Moonee Ponds - massive high rises opposite the station and about a 10 min. walk from MP junction and trams to the city. Seems to have revitalised Puckle Street and Coles has invested in a big upgrade of their supermarket, so not all bad from what I can see.
* Agree having worked in the area for 4 years worked very nicely the mixture of residential and commercial. It’s a nice suburb that’s well serviced to the city. Metropolis style is the way to go
* Under the current circumstances this money would be better spent propping up small businesses that have suffered through Dan’s unreasonable and irresponsible statewide lockdowns. Dan loves to divert attention from his Government’s failings and provide some infrastructure candy at huge expense and without any business case to support them. Useless or not, the opposition gets my vote simply to get rid of this government that none of us can afford. 
* Dan's "Big Build" was always support for his CFMEU bosses, nothing to do with getting Victoria moving. But why would you think Andrews would worry about small business and sole traders, they don't pay union fees so they can look after themselves!
* Nobody is catching a train from Cheltenham to Box Hill, going to be a waste of money.
* They think we need a Cheltenham to Box Hill rail, which nobody does, but leave the Eastern freeway a bottleneck nightmare purely because it was an opposition project.
* Box Hill used to be great- now it's just awful.  Just to think that you will be able to jump on the train at one dump and get off at another dump.
* I would occasionally for dumplings.
* Sounds vile. Sky rail all over again.
* No other ideas than perpetual population growth, aka The Population Property Ponzi. That's Big Melbourne @4, @5, @6, @8, @10 million projections over the last 15 or so years. Every new planning scheme pushes up the population. There is no true wealth or prosperity in it. Plenty of detriment though. As most can see as soon as they step out their front door. Or onto their balcony. The only supporters are the direct beneficiaries - mostly vested interests in the property and development sector, including construction unions.
* Still no plan to connect places that don’t have rail… Rowville rail please.
* Its taken more than 50 YEARS to get close to even starting a rail link to Melbourne Airport. There will be flying cars before this is even close to finished.
* No details provided because there is no planned business case, they have a thought bubble announce it and then work out how to do it. This lack of planning is why everything this government does blows out in cost, all on borrowed money which we pay for.
* Labor never have a business or any other case for anything they do...just so frustrating
* Where are all the protesters who chained themselves to building equipment when the East-West link started? Oh,  that's right. This is a Labor project.
* without the high rise developments there is no business case for loop.
* This is it in a nutshell.  It ONLY works if you give up all the air rights to developers.
* Such a common sense project for the long term mobility of our City. More than happy to have high density developments help pay for it, makes sense to have people living near transport hubs where they are not reliant on personal cars.
* But people will be working from home more in the future, resulting with less cars on the road. Is it really sensible?
* Common sense = are you happy for your Great Great Great Great Great Grandchildren to be still paying for it? There's no money for it!
* I've spent time in the high rise apartments in China. Very claustrophobic. 
* When this project is complete it will be the world's biggest ghost train through a city decimated by reckless government spending and policy... Hope my grandkids enjoy the ride, after all, it is their shout!
* You're wrong about the grand kids.  Try their great great grand kids! They'll still be paying for it in 2100.
* High density around the new station makes total sense and would be very good.
* ... yeah a lit of sense with covid running around!
* And it hides the ugliness of the train line which is also good! Not so good for the people who have houses in the area which will back onto the monstrosity of the train line and the ugliness of the high rise! No backyard tree in the world will hide that!
* because families who want to live in houses close to public transport and shops aren't allowed to live there? VCAT have agreed with me 3 time so far.
* A story about hypotheticals rather than facts.
* More propaganda but still no business case or costing. Does it "stack up"? What a complete and utter joke!
* The biggest joke is the Opposition with a leader nobody knows or votes for !
* The rudderless Andrews government swerving from one disaster to the next, running around in circles not knowing what to do, stupid knee-jerk reactions, massive misuse of public funds and mass hypocrisy. Now that is laughable!!
* Don't need to know who they are, they are not Labor or Greens so will get my vote.
* Don’t profess to comment for all Victorians thanks , never voted for Andrews never will
* That means it will go ahead and the Labor government will just tax us more to pay for it!

Stony Point line closed after person hit by train. Lucy Callander July 20, 2021 Mornington Peninsula Leader
Commuters will face delays of at least an hour after an emergency on the Stony Point line. Here’s what we know.
The Stony Point line runs between Frankston and Stony Point and has nine stations including one at Tyabb. Picture: Hilton Stone
The Stony Point line was closed on Tuesday after a person was hit by a train.
Leader understands the incident happened near Bittern station about 2.30pm.
Buses have been ordered to replace the train services but commuters are being advised it may take an hour for them to reach the Mornington Peninsula stations.
Passengers were warned once buses arrived journeys between Frankston and Stony Point would take an extra 25 minutes.
Vic Traffic urged motorists to be vigilant for extra buses and pedestrians near the nine stations on the line.
The line had reopened on Sunday after being closed from July 16-18 for scheduled works.
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/south-east/stony-point-line-closed-after-person-hit-by-train/news-story/a101c1537a581816ca4f7ba4d2b32261>

20.7.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Treasurers vote tilt revealed
JOSH Frydenberg was among MPs in the “top 20 marginal seats” who pitched sites in their electorates for millions of dollars in funding for new railway station car parks.
The audit office has revealed that the federal Treasurer and Energy Minister Angus Taylor also provided back-of-the-envelope budgets for the projects ahead of the 2019 federal election.
The problem-plagued commuter car park scheme came under the microscope of a Senate hearing on Monday, and follows a scathing Auditor-General report that reveals 30 out of the 47 car parks were in Victoria, 25 in Liberal seats.
Staff in the office of then urban-congestion minister Alan Tudge in 2018 “canvassed” Liberal politicians and candidates in the “top 20 marginals” for works that could be funded under the Urban Congestion Fund, the committee heard.
A spreadsheet detailed how their talks were tracking, while a staff member from the Prime Minister’s office — who played a role in the sports rorts saga — was also involved.
“Ministers and two ministerial officers handled the canvassing process,” Australian National Audit Office spokesman Brian Boyd said.
Labor Senator Katy Gallagher slammed the fund as “professional rorting” after it was revealed a competitive process was rejected.
The audit office argued the projects were not election commitments or based on merit, a claim staunchly disputed by Infrastructure Department officials.
Mr Boyd said the Doncaster project was the “ultimate fail", because it had not been eligible at the time it was approved.
The findings come after a series of Herald Sun revelations about the program, which Liberal insiders have admitted was used to sandbag MPs in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs before the 2019 poll.
Herald Sun in May revealed that the government dumped five projects at Brighton Beach, Balaclava, Mitcham, Kananook and Seaford stations, and allocated an extra $87.8m for car parks at Frankston, Heathmont, Ringwood Ferntree Gully and Berwick stations. jade.gailberger@...

20.7.21 Melbourne 'Herald Sun' Car-tram collision. MITCH RYAN
SIX people were rushed to hospital on Monday night after a car and tram collided in Coburg.
Emergency services were called to Sydney Rd just before 6.30pm, where they found multiple occupants of a vehicle trapped. It took emergency personnel almost an hour to safely free the occupants of the car before they were attended to by paramedics.
All of the vehicle's occupants were taken to hospital - two in critical condition and two in serious condition, while the other two suffered non-life threatening injuries.
All passengers on the tram and its driver were assessed at the scene and were not injured.
Sydney Rd was closed in both directions near Gaffney St, while emergency services attended the incident.
The cause of the collision is being investigated by police.
They are encouraging anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.