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Subject: Mon.17.1.22 daily digest

Roderick

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Mon.17.1.22 Metro Twitter
Aircraft: No ramp access to platforms until late 2021 (pedestrian-underpass works). [no reopening has been announced yet]
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works.
Buses replace trains Westall - Pakenham/Cranbourne until the last train of Thu 3 Feb (works).
Mernda/Hurstbridge lines: Buses replace trains Parliament - Clifton Hill from 20.25 until the last train (works take place). From Flinders St, Southern Cross or loop stations, take a City Circle bus to Parliament.
Buses replace trains North Melbourne - Upfield from 20.35 until the last train (maintenance works).
Glen Waverley line: All trains will run direct to/from Flinders St from 21.00 until the last train (maintenance works).
Lilydale/Belgrave/Alamein 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 and change to a Glen Waverley train to Burnley.
Sunbury/Craigieburn/Upfield lines: All trains 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.
Hurstbridge line: Major delays (police near Watsonia). Trains in the immediate area will remain at platforms.  Trains may terminate/originate at intermediate stations.
- 21.13 clearing

Mont Albert Village: Community censoring concerns on LXRP’s new accounts. Kiel Egging January 17, 2022 Whitehorse Leader
Community members claim they’ve been censored on new social media pages created by the state government to promote traders near a level crossing removal in Melbourne’s east.
The Union Rd level crossing in Surrey Hills, which will be removed for an underground rail trench. Picture: Josie Hayden
The state government has denied claims “independent marketing experts” are controlling interactions on social media accounts promoting traders near level crossing works in Melbourne’s east.
The Level Crossing Removal Project say they created Facebook and Instagram pages at the request of traders in the Mont Albert Village and on Union Rd Surrey Hills in late December.
The “commercially focused” accounts come after months of consultation with local traders on how they could be supported while construction for the $631m project was taking place.
They were created despite an existing Facebook page for the village strip already having more than 650 followers.
The accounts are being managed by a third party and will be handed over to traders to operate once construction is complete.
Mont Albert resident Lindsay Wynne claimed she had an “innocent” comment asking about the page’s creation removed last month, and has since been banned.
She claimed up to seven other community members also had their comments hidden, which were later returned.
Ms Wynne said LXRP hadn’t publicly stated their involvement on the accounts and felt the pages could create “division and angst” in the community.
“It’s wonderful they (LXRP) are getting involved and supporting local traders, but why isn’t it advertised?” she said.
“It flies in the face of open and transparent conversation.”
Rail Corridor Residents Group spokeswoman Suzannah Aumann said she felt the new accounts had a “high level of spin” and questioned their creation when similar pages already existed.
Page operators updated descriptions on the accounts to reflect they were an initiative of the LXRP following Leader’s inquiries.
An LXRP spokesman said no community members had been blocked or restricted from interacting with the pages, apart from those who appeared to have fake profiles or linked to spam.
The spokesman said the pages were “moderated in line with community guidelines as part of our trader support initiative that is being delivered during project”.
“All content is informed by the traders themselves and at the completion of the project, each trader precinct will have established brands and followings to carry them into the future, further encouraging people to shop local,” the authority wrote.
The project includes the removal of level crossings at Union Road, Surrey Hills and Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert, and construction of a new combined station on an underground rail trench.
The works have already angered some residents after trees in an unofficial avenue of honour for fallen local WW1 soldiers were cut down on Churchill St last month, to make way for a hi-rail access pad.
The LXRP did not reveal the name of the third party operating the accounts or how much money was being spent on its services.
More Coverage How driver shortage will impact public transport in Vic
<www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/mont-albert-village-community-censoring-concerns-on-lxrps-new-accounts/news-story/7937970ef0422ce181de3c5e6073505b>

Mon.17.1.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Airport line.
Melbourne Airport Rail will connect Melbourne Airport to the rail network for the first time, getting people to where they need to go with easy transfers to metro and regional lines and trips into the heart of the city in around 30 minutes.
Trains will run from a new station at the airport to Sunshine Station, then through the Metro Tunnel into the CBD before continuing on to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
So far this year we have sought community feedback to help us shape the project scope and how we manage potential construction impacts.
We are now seeking feedback on:
— Planning and environmental matters
— Walking and cycling connections.
Complete the survey
Let us know what matters to you by completing the online survey at airportrail.vic.gov.au/survey or calling 1800105105.
You can learn more about Melbourne Airport Rail by visiting airportrail.vic.gov.au.

Mon.17.1.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  VLine.
VICTORIA’S regional rail network has again been hit with Covid-related disruptions.
VLine confirmed about 160 staff were in isolation after being close contacts or testing positive.
It is believed that a “small” number of services in the southwest region had been affected early last week due to staff shortages.
But no trains were cancelled on Thursday or Friday. A VLine spokeswoman said in the event of a cancellation the rail operator would arrange alternative transport or ask passengers to travel on the next service, depending on what would be the quickest option.
“The health and welfare of our staff and passengers is our priority, and we’re working closely with the Department of Transport to ensure any disruption is minimised,” she said
Public transport passengers are urged to allow extra travel time and check the PTV website or app within an hour of travel to ensure their service is running smoothly.
Disruptions led to the cancellation of several peak hour services last September, and buses replaced all trains between Warrnambool and Melbourne.