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Subject: Thurs.22.5.22 daily digest

Roderick

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Thurs.19.5.22 Metro Twitter
Flinders St: still with a lane closed for tunnel works? [reopened by July?  Closed again by Nov.]
Campbell Arcade (Flinders St station) is closed until 2024. The exit from the Myki gates within the subway will  also be closed. No pedestrian access between the arcade & Flinders St. Use Elizabeth & Swanston St entry/exits. Platform  interchange via that subway will be available until mid 2022.
Buses replace trains on sections of the Mernda line until the last train of Sunday 29 May (works).  When trains return, they'll bypass Preston & Bell for around 3 months.
11.05 Lilydale/Lilydale/Glen Waverley/Alamein lines: Major delays (a track-equipment fault between East Richmond and Burnley).  Trains may depart from altered platforms.
- 11.31 Delays up to 15 min.  Passenger travelling to or from East Richmond catch a route 70 tram to/from Richmond.
- 11.57 fault fixed; delays clearing.
Buses replace trains between Ringwood and Lilydale from 20.30 until the last train of Monday 23 May (level-crossing works).
Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: Buses replace trains Caulfield - Westall from 20.30 until the last train (works).

New train fleet could be on the tracks within months after NSW government and rail unions talks.  Tom Rabe May 19, 2022
The NSW government will consider making modifications to its new intercity fleet, in what would be a significant backdown from a long standoff with rail unions over safety concerns with the multibillion-dollar trains.
Transport Minister David Elliott on Thursday said he would take a proposal to cabinet in coming weeks that would see modifications made to the fleet, only if it did not void their warranty. A breakthrough between the two sides could result in some of the new trains running in August.
A new intercity fleet train sits idle in a Central Coast maintenance facility amid a prolonged stand-off between rail unions and the NSW government.CREDIT:TOM RABE
The NSW government and rail unions have been at odds over the future of the new fleet, which were slated to enter service in 2019, with train workers refusing to staff them over safety concerns.
The industrial stand-off has exposed divisions within senior ranks of the Perrottet government, with Elliott and Employee Relations Minister Damien Tudehope at odds over how to deal with the union.
While Tudehope last week declared the government would not consider making any modifications to the fleet, on Thursday he appeared to soften his stance.
“Minister Tudehope said he would reserve judgment until he saw the detail from Transport on the timetable for the trains to be in service, costing of any proposed modifications to the trains, and terms of a new enterprise agreement,” a spokeswoman from his office said.
“And of course that any modifications do not impact on the safety of the trains and meet the approval of the safety regulator.”
Elliott said the safety and welfare of rail workers, together with the best interests of commuters, were at the heart of negotiations.
“The package I take to cabinet will include modifications to the [new intercity fleet], as long as those modifications do not breach or compromise existing warranties,” he said.
“I intend to take the package of preferred claims and modifications to the NIF to cabinet as soon as the schedule of work and the associated costs are finalised.”
Senior government sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have said that while the total cost for modifying the intercity fleet would cost more than $1 billion, the physical modifications themselves could cost about $300 million.
NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Alex Claassens said his union was committed to getting some of the new fleet on the tracks by August if the government agreed to their calls for improved safety on the trains.
The union claims the trains are not safe to operate because guards cannot properly see out of them to check platforms are clear on approach and departure from stations.
“We are committed, provided they agree to the modifications that we have requested, to have a few trains on the tracks by August,” Claassens said.
“We will wait with bated breath with the result of that [Expenditure Review Committee] process.”
As part of the enterprise agreement negotiations, Elliott has also asked the union to consider dropping a final veto power over new transport assets, which has been at the centre of the prolonged NIF stand-off.
Elliott said this was to avoid future extended delays regarding the introduction of new technologies.
Opposition transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said the government had been caught out trying to provoke industrial action last week.
“What a difference a week makes. This embarrassing backdown from Damien Tudehope exposes the blatant political games the government has been playing with our transport system,” she said.
In a statement, the RTBU said that Tudehope, Elliott and Transport for NSW had agreed to make the safety changes to the NIF fleet that its members had been calling for.
“We will again be holding them to that commitment,” the RTBU said.
RELATED ARTICLE NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet during question time. ‘D-Day’: Perrottet enters fray on train fleet industrial dispute
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-train-fleet-could-be-on-the-tracks-within-months-after-nsw-government-and-rail-unions-talks-20220519-p5amt5.html>
* I'm waiting for the times that someone is sick in carriage 10 and the only state rail person on the train is the driver in carriage 1 - and he can't get between carriage 1 and 10 as they are two different vehicles. This is all part of a poorly planned and arrogantly organised by the ex transport minister and his predecessor, by the ex premier and her predecessor - unless i have missed a generation
* But this is how the Liberal party does these projects. I am a volunteer in the hospital sector and NSW Health pretends to listen to consumers then used consultants to ram though what it wants - and the end product is second rate and cheap. All the marketing is how they 'listened to consumers/stakeholders" and its bollocks.
* In Blue Mountains there are no guards at most of the train stations outside of "peak hours". Who's going to help people in wheelchairs to get on the trains? How much would it cost to upgrade security cameras and lighting on small train stations in the Mountains and on Central Coast to make them safe? All the changes that had to be made to tunnels (they were too narrow) and platforms (too wide) already cost hundreds of millions, so Government is just wasting time and money to "make a stand" against the Unions.
* Overreach and hyperbole from both sides.
* $1b to install a manual switch to open the guard's doors on 64 trains? Ludicrous. $64,000 would be excessive.
* I'm a business owner who is all about efficiency and cost savings, but never at the expense of client service. When I commute to Sydney and back from the Central Coast I want a well staffed train for passenger safety and service. Why don't the trains have a steward or stewardess with a trolley that goes from carriage to carriage selling refreshments? That's what you get on a European trains - maybe that's why so few people travel by train in NSW. They even serve alcohol on trains in the UK, in NSW you get fined! (pathetic) The NSW Liberal government has a nanny state, nickel and dime mentality... and no vision, especially when it comes to public transport, (unless it's the light rail - which of course is rubbish)
* A trolley service on a double deck train is problematic. Every carriage would have to be equipped with some form of lift. Perhaps you should use the XPT so that you can enjoy a trolley service and alcohol.
* Driverless trains... Really? Just read "the right way the wrong way and the railway... " You'll see why robots shouldn't drive trains.
* Better send copies of that book to all rhe driverless railways around the world that seem to be operating fine
* How many of them operate heavy coal and freight trains on the same tracks?
* Driverless trains are predominately on their own separate rail tracks. Automation cannot predict human drivers that ignore or forget the rules, or cope with a derailment from the adjacent track (Coal & goods freight for example).
* Yes. Brainwaves by people who don't understand the issues of running driverless trains on the same tracks as heavy coal and freight trains. How is a driverless train going to detect a kangaroo standing on the tracks - and yes it does happen on the intercity lines that pass through national parks.
* So we waste a billion dollars of taxpayer funds to protect guard jobs?
* And we will keep paying tens of millions in salaries to them every year that could be going to more nurses and teachers.
* I mean... how dare we care about passenger safety by having guards on trains.
* an AI system utilising current camera technology and AI pipelines could replace all guards across the network for less than 50M. no need to spend 1B dollars. what a farce.
* The trains are meant for the Blue Mountains line. I take it you haven't been there in winter months at 6 a.m. when it is pitch dark and foggy. Visibility 20m, if that. No AI can cope with that.
* Except there have been cases of people who have been severely injured (limbs amputated) because the driver was unable to see that someone had fallen or was trapped in a door, before moving from the platform. That's what the guard is there to do. Make sure that the entire length of the train is clear.
* The Real Story is this. Union is only worried about protecting Guard jobs, not safety - safety is the public messaging lies. As the guard views the platfom via PC Monitor from inside the train, the longer term plan is a call centre opertaor would do this remotely, and a single opertaor could then manage a dozen trains easily (and so they should). Resulting in Guard Redundacies.
* Absolutely. Guard jobs are a joke (I know one and the stories he tells are farcical). Should have been moved to other areas decades ago. RBTU is a classic dinosaur trade union that outlived its usefulness in the 1800’s.
* I would like to know that when I am travelling somewhere and there is a problem that there is someone on the train to get help from
* At certain stations that are on a curve with large gaps between platform and train guards are an important part of the safety process. The othervthing is a driver would have to at signals and CCTV over a train of 100 metres. Saying guards are not required is simplistic if you do not do the job yourself
* Really? You think the guards don't do anything? We have platforms that curve. It is impossible to see the entire length of the train on those platforms. It's why there is still station staff there... They stand at the centre, and help tell both the guard and the driver that the train is clear to leave. There have been cases in other states, who got rid of their train guards, of people being severely injured - including limbs being amputated because they had fallen or were caught in a door and the driver had not seen them on their monitor... and the driver could not hear the yelling of others on the platforms for the train to stop. Guards DO have a safety purpose.
* Who authorised the dangerous design that now requires rectification? Who’s decision was it to not consult the guards before approval of the current design? These were $1B decisions. More wasted taxpayer money.
* When TfNSW buy a new train a crew cab committee is established that comprises union members. The committee is then actively involved in the design process through the review of cab mock-ups. They do this with the support of engineers, human factors specialists and safety specialists. The RTBU would have you believe that they are not consulted, but this is not true.
* Consulted yes. But the government taking action on what was agreed clearly did not occur.
* that works in other countries except Australia
* Not true. Other new NSW trains in service that have gone through a similar process are a testimony that the process works. This is all about a union protection of jobs.
* Just get on with more conversions to Metro and driverless operation. Will eventually get the union dinosaurs out of the way who pretend “safety” is an issue to try & preserve jobs that should have been transferred to other areas decades ago (and already have been in many parts of the world). Driver only operation runs perfectly fine in lots of places - why is NSW different? Answer of course is that it isn’t. Apart from the political game playing of the RBTU. Who of course will do more and more of this leading up to the next State election.
* Well said Julian! Isn’t it somewhat ironic that one of the reasons for keeping the guard’s door closed is for THEIR safety. They could fall out of the moving train, and they are vulnerable to being pelted with foreign objects. The RTBU is cynically playing of the safety card is all about keeping jobs for their members. You are right, there are very few other railways with this practice, and they operate perfectly safely. In any event, CCTV cameras are far more effective on curved platforms anyway.
* How can fixing the alleged safety issue cost $300m? Guards on current trains just stick their head out the door to check the platform. Surely these trains have a door on the guard's compartment. Another outrageous claim and disruption by this recalcitrant union.
* Billions of dollars in investment lie idle because: "The union claims the trains are not safe to operate because guards cannot properly see out of them to check platforms are clear on approach and departure from stations." Give me a break! Surely there is a solution to this? Closed circuit television? While metros and trains in China run on time with incredible efficiency, our investment sits idle on the Central Coast. Give me a break.
* There is no way on earth we should follow China on anything
* There is a solution - the trains as they are currently designed. The design is as a result of extensive safety and human factors input. As Julian has pointed out there are many other railways that operate safely without a guard standing at an open door.
* Incorrect. These trains were a CHEAP option that Constance, Gladys and Perrottet went for because it 'saved money'. Except they didn't fit the platforms west of Springwood, they didn't fit the tunnels to go to Lithgow. So they had to spend MUCH MORE than they 'saved' to modify the platforms and tunnels.
* Show more replies
* Wish the union would consider having reversible seats as a required safety feature, otherwise their members will be cleaning up a lot of spew.
* Reversible seating is a popular preference, not a required safety feature.
* It may surprise you, but rearward facing seats are generally safer in the event of a collision as they provide better head support in that orientation.
* So, why don't they have them in aircraft?
* That decision was all on Gladys and Constance. They made that decision when they decided to go with these cheap overseas made trains. Don't blame the union.
* Trains, Light Rail, Ferries, West Connex? Is there no end to the ability of the NSW State Government Transport management to waste taxpayers' money? Their specialisations appear to be not fit for purpose design and white elephants.
* Surely they are equipped with modern technology such as a video camera system.
* A video camera cannot come to your aid
* My goodness. Who has guards anymore?
* Why shouldn’t we?
* Why should we? They cost a lot that could be paid to teachers that are desperately needed
* Prisons?
* Trains that need safety.
* Maybe should have not wasted tax payer money fighting with the union in the first place . LNP state and federal are proven to be poor economic managers , this is another example to add to the long long list
* It was only non-Sydney folk suffering for this impasse. How many votes are there?
* Plenty. Sydney is not the centre of the universe!
* And simply made them here which would have resulted in safety being met, trains that fit in the corridors of the mountains and employed locals who in return would have stimulated the economy by spending their wages
* All of the safety analysis and review work with appropriate mock-ups and scenario analyses took place in NSW with union members being consulted during the process. Don’t always take the union’s rhetoric as fact.
* The input from the union and end users was ignored. See backward facing seats and cctv cameras that don't adequately cover the platform edge gap
* And the 'doesnt fit in the tunnels' bit was always opposition political games. The fact is most trains on the network couldnt fit those tunnels. It was the plan from day 1 to widen those tunnels so theres one consistent size for the whole network. Its a bit more logical than the political attack story that everyone forgot those tunnels are narrower
* The public deserves to know more information on this. Guards should be roaming the train and checking tickets, at each stop they should be able to hold one set of doors open whilst others close to ensure safe boarding. This is how the UK manages the fleet and is a better experience. You know that there is a guard patrolling the train and safety whilst boarding (busy stations they can use platform staff to reduce dwell time)
* I agree with you. That was my experience when I worked in the UK for some years.
* You can fit the whole of the U.K. and its 60 million people into NSW almost 3 times over! That makes a huge difference to running a railway in NSW compared to U.K. practices. Our situation is much more similar to North America.
* The primary role of train guards is the safety of boarding/alighting passengers. Their secondary role is on-time train running. With 2 minutes between many suburban stations (including passenger boarding/alighting), guards don’t have any time free to check tickets (scan Opal cards). Remember, Sydney currently uses its train system as a mini tube/subway. Transport officers & police are employed to check tickets (and issue formal warnings & fines), and handle any serious safety and security issues.
* And there should be people there who can assist passengers.
* Wouldn’t that be nice. Apparently it is less hazardous to stand at the open doorway of a moving train than it is to patrol the train! That is guards remain cosseted in their compartments, not out and about and accessible to passengers.
* Guards are not ticket inspectors. The guards responsibility is to ensure the safety of passengers on the train as the get on and off.

Flood forces Brisbane council to pause projects for ‘biggest-ever rebuild’.  Cloe Read May 19, 2022
Several Brisbane projects will be paused as the council prioritises fixing flood damage, with the lord mayor warning under the usual pace “we would be lucky to be finished before the Brisbane 2032 Games”.
About 200 buildings, 100 sports fields and 285 kilometres of roads were affected by the February 2022 flood, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
The council said the damage bill would be up to $330 million, three times more than the cost of the 2011 flood.
Stage 5 of the North Brisbane Bikeway will also be cancelled.
Pontoons and ferries were damaged during the widespread flooding.
“So we’re going to pause work on additional green bridges, so we can rebuild flood-impacted roads bridges and bikeways.
“We’re going to pause upgrading several parks, so we can rebuild playgrounds, playing fields and sports clubs across Brisbane.
Flood-affected assets included 198 buildings on community-leased facilities, 106 sport fields, 74 car parks, 285 kilometres of roads, three bikeways, seven pontoons, 4282 street and bikeway lights, 863 parks, 300 playgrounds, 40 public barbecues, 25 park toilet blocks, 22 public pools and 77 parking meters.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/flood-forces-brisbane-council-to-pause-projects-for-biggest-ever-rebuild-20220519-p5ampi.html>