Fw: Fri.25.3.22 daily digest
  Roderick Smith

----- Forwarded message -----

To:australiantransportnews@... australiantransportnews@...>
Sent: Monday, 26 September 2022 at 01:25:37 pm AEST
Subject: Fri.25.3.22 daily digest


Roderick


Richmond Jn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngsam-PT-to

Fri.25.3.22 Metro Twitter  
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works? [reopened by July]
Pakenham line: All trains will not stop at Hallam until the last train of Sun 1 May (level-crossing work).  Shuttle buses will operate Dandenong - Hallam - Narre Warren.  No access to station facilities or platforms during this time.
...Pl. 2 or 3 and change at Flinders St for connecting train.
14.52 Mernda line: Major delays and clearing due to an earlier VictoriaPolice request near South Morang.
15.36 Craigieburn line: Major delays and clearing due to an earlier track fault near Broadmeadows.  Select services may terminate/originate at intermediate locations
Belgrave/Lilydale lines: Buses replace trains Camberwell - Box Hill from 8:30pm Fri 25 Mar to last train Sun 3 Apr, while project works take place.
Hurstbridge line: Buses replace trains Parliament - Heidelberg from 8:40pm Fri 25 Mar to last train Sun 27 Mar, while maintenance works take place. Note: Buses replace trains Flinders St - Heidelberg during Night Network service hours.
Mernda line: Buses replace trains Parliament - Reservoir from 8:40pm Fri 25 Mar to last train Sun 27 Mar, while maintenance works take place. Note: Buses replace trains Flinders St - Reservoir during Night Network service hours.
18.33 Werribee/Williamstown lines: Major delays due to multiple equipment faults near Newport. Select services may terminate/originate at Newport.
- 18.44 Werribee line: Major delays due to multiple equipment faults near Newport. Select services may terminate/originate at Newport/Laverton.
19.00 [not Friday? Belgrave/Lilydale/Glen Waverley lines: All trains direct to/from Flinders St, not via City Loop all day, while maintenance works take place. From City Loop stns, take train from 
- 21.24 Alamein line: Buses replace trains between Camberwell & Alamein due to a Fire Rescue Victoria request. All buses are in operation.  Extended journey time of 20min. 
- 23.42 Alamein line: Train services have resumed between Camberwell and Alamein after an earlier Fire Rescue Victoria request. First trains:  11:59pm Camberwell to Alamein service.  12:16am Alamein to Camberwell service. 
 Mernda line: Buses replace trains Parliament - Reservoir from 8:40pm Fri 25 Mar to last train Sun 27 Mar, while maintenance works take place.  Note: Buses replace trains Flinders St - Reservoir during Night Network service hours.
 Hurstbridge line: Buses replace trains Parliament - Heidelberg from 8:40pm Fri 25 Mar to last train Sun 27 Mar, while maintenance works take place.
0.45 Cranbourne - Pakenham lines: Delays up to 20 minutes due to a trespasser on rail lines between Westall – Dandenong. Police have requested trains stopped and to hold at available platforms until the situation is clear.
- 1.17 Cranbourne - Pakenham lines: Delays up to 40 minutes due to a trespasser on rail lines between Westall – Dandenong.  Police have requested trains stopped and to hold at available platforms until the situation is clear.
- 1.21 clearing


Mar 25 2022 Traveller Letters:
* Australia needs high-speed trains, for one obvious reason. Michael Gebicki, in his regular column (Traveller, February 21) suggests that "with few exceptions, high-speed train lines do not return a profit or even pay their way." I'd suggest an emerging global oil supply shock will render all transportation dependent on petroleum fuels much less competitive with existing high-speed and fast rail services. Countries that don't have existing high-speed or fast rail, like Australia, will now be much worse off. The Brent oil price averaged around $93.75 per barrel for the first three weeks of February before Russia invaded Ukraine. It's been mostly above $110 since. Energy analysts suggest there's plenty of room for substantially higher prices in the coming months with a deepening global oil supply deficit as existing storage reservoirs are depleted. The era of cheap oil has ended. Buckle-up; from now on it's going to be a wild ride!
The skyrocketing oil price will make rail travel a more viable option, writes one reader. Photo: AP
* I must disagree with Michael Gebicki putting the kibosh on the idea of a bullet train from Brisbane to Melbourne. This is seen by you, and it seems, the Grattan Institute, purely in economic terms, and for business travellers, which ignores the social and future needs of the taxpayers who live in this area and are not well served by current travel options. The current travel is piecemeal and at a snail's pace. It would revolutionise travel and tourism in those areas, at the moment it would take days to travel by rail from Melbourne to Brisbane. Honestly, if it can be achieved so well overseas, surely to goodness it can be done here. More folk would relocate out of the major cities if this travel was available.
<www.traveller.com.au/traveller-letters-australia-needs-highspeed-trains-for-one-obvious-reason-h22mxr>

Fri.25.3.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Bus-driver strike.  KIERAN ROONEY
VICTORIA’S bus network could grind to a halt and spark commuter chaos as more than 3200 drivers threaten to walk off the job.
The issue is set to be a powder keg in a state election year after bus disputes sparked headaches for Labor in 2018.
The militant Transport Workers’ Union is negotiating new pay deals with every major passenger bus company in Victoria and is proposing to strike as it pushes for wage increases, improved conditions and a better work-life balance.
Rolling strikes would create chaos for hundreds of thousands of commuters and gridlock for drivers as more people are forced to use cars.
The talks include the state’s biggest passenger operator, Kinetic, which replaced Transdev in a new contract with the state.
Others voted for protected industrial action at Ventura, CDC and Dysons, with more than 3200 bus drivers represented across all businesses.
If workers at all companies walk off the job at once during the negotiations, it could be one of the biggest strikes in recent memory.
Union members are currently voting over the strike action, with results expected to be known next month, but it is expected to win support.
TWU is seeking to replicate talks held with trucking companies last year in which they secured inflation guarantees that boosted wages alongside the consumer price index.
Since then, labour shortages, supply-chain pressures and the conflict in Ukraine have pushed up the CPI and delivered larger pay increases to workers in these sectors.
TWU state secretary Mike McNess said that wages need to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“These are the claims of the essential bus drivers who have fronted up every day of the pandemic,” he said.
“They have risked their own health and the health of their families to make sure that Victorians kept moving.
“In turn, they are asking for fair conditions and financial security for the future.
“Bus operators and the Victorian government know that TWU members have been integral to essential public transport services continuing throughout the pandemic.”
Kinetic’s southern executive general manager, Daniel Head, said that the company remained committed to negotiating a fair deal.
“Since we took over operations of the Melbourne bus franchise only seven weeks ago, we have been meeting with the TWU regularly and in good faith,” he said.

Fri.25.3.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Letters.
* I have just visited Melbourne and loved the city. We took the train from Somerville to Flinders St but we were so disappointed with the graffiti on the way in. Also graffiti all over the city. Please, Melbourne City Council, if you want visitors. clean up your city.