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Sent: Friday, 10 March 2023 at 09:41:00 pm AEDT
Subject: Fri.10.6.22 daily digest

Roderick

 "201031Sa-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-Richmond-e-a-tram-pub-ss-foratn.jpg"

"220610F-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-1974-train.conductress-ss.jpg"  with ATN & v-n

 "220610F-Metro-Twitter-Preston-a-ss.jpg"
 "220610F-Metro-Twitter-Preston-bBell-ss.jpg"
"220610F-Metro-Twitter-Preston-c-ss.jpg" 
"220610F-Metro-Twitter-Preston-d-ss.jpg"

Fri.10.6.22
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.
Mernda line: Trains will run to an altered timetable until Sep 2022 (works).  Trains operate on a single track Thornbury - Regent, and trains will not stop at Bell or Preston.  Shuttle buses operate Thornbury - Bell - Preston - Regent - Reservoir. No access to station facilities during this time.
Buses replace trains Sunshine - Sunbury until the last train of Wed 29 Jun (works).
9.29 Dandenong station: Owing to lift works, there will be access changes to platform 1/2 9am-4pm today.
- 11.10 I just had to struggle down the stairs with a 20kg load. Metro staff at bottom watched me, but didn’t offer to help. I got to the bottom and the your staff member says “sorry ma’am the lift is not working”. Unacceptable.
- 12.34 Lift access on platform 1/2 has now been restored.
11.17 Craigieburn line: Major delays clearing for trains through Pascoe Vale after a police action.
Here's the first look at the new Anzac station platform The steel frames have been installed in preparation for the platform screen doors - an exciting first for Melbourne's rail network! These screen doors will be a big step towards improving passenger safety.
* Singapore had these doors 30 years ago
* Do we have the ability to stop the train in an accurate position so the doors line up?  Walling off the platform from the tunnel has been around for decades, but why hasn’t it been used here?
* One reason has been the fact we run three (maybe four?) different types of trains on the network all with varying carriage lengths and distances between doors.
* Very Tokyo
* I particularly like how they've rolled out the red carpet.
* Tell them I'm running late.
* good job
13.54 Pakenham/Cranbourne lines: All trains direct to/from Flinders St (an equipment fault near Flinders St). From loop stations, take a train from pfm 4 to Richmond. From Melbourne Southern Cross, take a train from pfm 11 or 13 to Flinders St.
- 14.10 Citybound trains resuming via the loo, with minor delays. First trains: 13.06 ex Pakenham; 13.29 ex Cranbourne.
13.57 Werribee/Williamstown/Frankston lines: Minor delays through Flinders St (an equipment fault). Trains may use altered platforms at Flinders St and Southern Cross. Trains may terminate/originate at Flinders St.
14.01 Major delays (police near Upfield). Trains may terminate/originate at Batman.
- 14.22 clearing.
We've been busy in Preston! Trains are now running on the new elevated rail bridge; four level crossings are gone for good. Our crews are working on the second rail bridge and new stations at Preston and Bell.

Jun 3 2022 The rules for travelling with pets in Australia: Airlines, hotels and more. Paul Chai
For pet owners, any progress is welcome. Australia has some of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with the RSPCA putting the pre-pandemic figure at 61 per cent of Australian households owning a pet of some kind with 40 per cent of them being home to a dog.
We also have some of the most restrictive laws concerning travelling with pets,  but the rise in pet ownership is forcing the industry to change.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES  Obedient dachshund dog sits in blue pet carrier in public place and waits the owner. Safe travel with animals by plane or train. Customs quarantine before or after transporting animals across border.
Despite the above rule change, you can only book your furry friend on as cargo. If you want the same flight as your pet it is suggested you book the pet transport first and then book your own seat on a plane, not the other way around, as there are less places in the hold so your pet's seat will be harder to find. For now, the most practical way to travel Australia with your pet is to hit the road.
<www.traveller.com.au/join-the-pet-set-travelling-with-your-furry-friend-h24243>

Public transport fare rise to be kept to a minimum, new Opal app to bundle with Uber.  Matt O'Sullivan June 10, 2022
The NSW government has indicated it will keep any increase in public transport fares next month to a minimum due to concerns about the rising cost of living.
With a decision on Opal fares imminent, Transport Minister David Elliott sought to assure commuters on Friday that ticket prices for the next 12 months would be considered with “their hip pocket in mind” amid surging inflation.
“We’re very conscious of the cost to families ... and I’m also very conscious of the fact that we’re going to get people back on public transport again,” he said. “Rest assured that the government is very, very conscious of the cost of living.”
NSW Transport Minister David Elliott says the government is “very, very conscious” of the cost of living.CREDIT:STEVEN SIEWERT
The state’s pricing regulator will advise the government on the annual rate of increase to fares from July. Last year, the increase in ticket prices was pegged to the rate of inflation, resulting in a 1.5 per cent rise – much lower than the regulator’s recommendation of a 5 per cent jump.
The NSW government will also spend $568 million on a major upgrade to the Opal ticketing system, which senior transport officials say has been pushed to its limit and is now “very old technology”. The Opal system was progressively rolled out over several years from 2012, ending paper tickets.
It is also expected to announce on Saturday funding in the upcoming state budget for preliminary work on fast-rail lines, including one from Sydney to Newcastle and the Central Coast. Federal Labor also promised during the recent election campaign to set aside $500 million for a fast rail link to Newcastle in its first federal budget.
Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes.CREDIT:DOMINIC LORRIMER
As part of the planned ticketing system upgrade, about 10,000 people over the next year will trial an app known as Opal Plus, which will allow users on their mobile phones to bundle access to public transport, Uber and other ride-share, electric bike rentals, taxis and parking.
Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes said the roll-out of the next generation of the Opal system was about increasing the way people could access different forms of transport, especially between their homes and train stations and bus stops.
“It’ll be like a subscription service – like a Netflix for transport,” he said.
“When you’re on the tram or on the light rail, or on the train, you’ll be able to order your ride-share or your e-scooter or your e-bike as a way to get you to and from home rather than having to rely on private motor vehicles.”
Stokes said the technology would reduce the need for families to have a second car to shuttle people between their homes and stations. “It’ll revolutionise our transport system ... [and] make a real difference to people’s family budgets,” he said.
He assured people that they will still have the option to use plastic Opal cards.
Late last month senior government officials told a budget estimates hearing that the existing Opal system had been pushed to its limit after a decade in use, and any modifications to it were “very, very challenging” and expensive.
The existing contract for the Opal ticketing system with technology company Cubic is due to expire in 2024.
RELATED ARTICLE Parramatta at centre of NSW’s high-speed rail future composite ‘Radically faster’: Parramatta at centre of NSW’s high-speed rail future
<www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/public-transport-fare-rise-to-be-kept-to-a-minimum-new-opal-app-to-bundle-with-uber-20220610-p5asto.html>
* Announcing a fair rise and new privatized business partnership as though its a good thing. How very LNP. I'm just thrilled - not.
* Watch Labor complain and watch people incorrectly believe that fares are going up by 5% because the regulator recommends it.

Fri.10.6.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  First female conductor.
SOCIETY’S attitudes to women in work have come a long way since Australia’s first “train conductress” made a pessimistic prediction 48 years ago.
In 1974, The Herald newspaper reported that Eileen O’Connor, 35, of Mitcham, had been appointed by Victorian Railways to spread a “mother image” among passengers on the long interstate train runs.
According to The Herald, Miss O’Connor was the first train conductress in the history of Australian railways.
“It’s a breakthrough into the ranks of male chauvinism,” Ms O’Connor said, with a smile.
“Women can do as well as men in most jobs with the railways.
“But I think it will be a long time before we see women guards and train drivers.”
Miss O’Connor joined 83 male conductors.
She had been with the Victorian Railways for l5 years in other jobs, including “station mistress” at Heatherdale suburban station.
Victorian Railways chairman Bill Gibbs offered a guarded response on whether more women would join Miss O’Connor.
“The recruitment of further train conductresses depends on how the scheme develops,” he noted.

Fri.10.6.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Letters:
* CRAIG Richards, Bicycle Network CEO, states that the City of Melbourne received only four submissions against the protected bike lanes (Opinion, 9/6). Perhaps those who wanted to voice an opinion were still stuck in traffic. I recently crossed the CBD on a
Saturday evening and witnessed just a handful of bikes among hundreds/thousands of cars creeping through the city.
* STEPHANIE (50/50, 7/6), yes, there are so many silly street signs, but what about decayed street signs? They never seem to get replaced. Try finding your way in the night, it's bad enough during the day.
* MAYBE if bike riders were registered, this issue of inner-city bike lanes would be a no-brainer.
* DOESN'T CBD stand for Central Business District, not "Central Bicycle District"? And I'm a roadie.  While I'm on the topic, to all the "suits", get back to work in your city offices, not your loungeroom.