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

To:australiantransportnews@... australiantransportnews@...>
Sent: Wednesday, 17 May 2023 at 05:12:39 pm AEST
Subject: Fri.15.7.22 daily digest

Roderick

"220502M-'SMH'-PendleHill-station-PendleInn.hotel-s-foratn.jpg" 

"220715F-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-Metro-drone-b-Werribee.line-s.jpg" 
"220715F-Melbourne'HeraldSun'-Metro-drone-a-ss.jpg" 

See Australia’s most scenic train daytrips at escape.com.au/traintrips

Fri.15.7.22 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.
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 on sections of the Lilydale & Belgrave lines until the last train of Sun 24 Jul (works).
Frankston line: Trains will run to an altered timetable until late Aug 2022 while project works take place. Trains will stop all stations Caulfield - Cheltenham in both directions, all day.
Heading to the Manchester United vs. Melbourne Victory match tonight? Let's go with PT. There'll be extra train and tram services to help you get to and from the 'G. 
16.35 Hurstbridge line: Major delays (a track-equipment fault at Eltham). Trains may terminate/originate at intermediate locations.
- 17.05 clearing;
17.21 Frankston line: Major delays clearing after an earlier 'operational incident' near McKinnon.
20.28 Metropolitan trains via Southern Cross: Delays clearing after a police action near Melbourne Southern Cross.
Buses replace trains Heidelberg - Hurstbridge from 23.20 until the last train of Sun 17 Jul (maintenance works).
Mernda line: Buses replace trains Clifton Hill - Epping from 1.00 Sat 16 Jul until the last train of Sun 17 Jul (works).

Fri.15.7.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Letters.
* MY wife and I took a trip into the CBD. First time for a very long time. The bike lane issue was of no consequence to us as we travelled by public transport. However, we could not help but notice how filthy the streets and footpaths were. Surely if the powers-that-be what to entice people back into the city, then at least give the place a good clean They seem to manage this very well in Europe.
* It's a motorist's world.  YOUR editorial makes the valid point that our means of transport must be a choice (“Put brakes on anti-car councils”, 14/7) but I wish I had more choice in Boroondara
For health and environmental reasons, I tried cycling to work for a while, but had one too many close calls on roads designed only for cars
There were no bike lanes or routes and speeding drivers frequently cut me off. Breathing exhaust fumes wasn’t pleasant, either. We have a long way to go in making real choices safe and healthy.
I applaud any local government that slows down traffic. It benefits everybody, including kids getting to school and pedestrians crossing roads. It also saves fuel.
* Electric avenue.  PRIVATE vehicle transport is essential to get into, out of and around Melbourne. Yes, “not everyone has the ability or choice to use bicycles, or the new plague of electric scooters”. Road registered, insured motorcycles and scooters are not mentioned in the editorial. Commuter motorcycles are a real alternative to single occupant cars for a significant and growing number of Victorians. The 2021 census shows car ownership increasing in the inner suburbs. As electric motors take over from petrol engines, electric motorcycles will become more popular. Electric motorcycles are being made in Melbourne. These machines benefit those who must use cars by reducing traffic congestion and freeing up parking space. They benefit commuters by saving time and money. Victoria should allow small electric motorcycles to be used on car licences, as in other states.

Fri.15.7.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Metro anti-graffiti drones.  REGAN HODGE
METRO has been testing the use of drones over Melbourne’s railways to combat graffiti vandals and trespassers.
Metro has employed four full-time drone pilots to operate two drones when required in a trial to monitor intruders and graffiti vandals from the skies.
The metropolitan rail network last year recorded more than 3000 incidents of trespassing alone, equating to almost 60 reports a week.
The trial, which began in May, is being run on the Werribee line, across sections of the track that are difficult to monitor with fixed cameras or that are well away from the public eye.
Drone footage shown to Herald Sun shows a man walking along the tracks before attempting to run away from the drone, only to be detained by awaiting officers.
“Trespassing is incredibly dangerous and the safety of our community requires everyone to be aware and alert around trains,” Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said.
Metro is looking to introduce the program on more lines and closer to the city, saying a single trespasser at one of the city’s busiest stations had the potential to disrupt the journeys of up to 50 000 train passengers.
The initiative also aims to continue decreasing the amount of graffiti appearing across the network. It has dropped by 35 per cent in the past four years.
In 2018, there were an average of 66 graffiti or vandalism-related incidents per month. This has dropped to 43 a month.
Metro Trains has more than 60 graffiti removal specialists to combat the issue, which costs the rail service more than $l0m a year.
“Graffiti vandalism is ugly, illegal and an issue we continue to tackle across the network,” Metro chief executive Raymond O’Flaherty said.
“Metro’s resolve to tackle graffiti on the rail network has never been stronger; for every train that is vandalised, that’s one less train getting passengers where they need to go. Our specialist network security and surveillance officers work with police to track vandals, catalogue their tags and provide intelligence and CCTV to help make arrests.”
In 2021, Metro removed more than 22,000 square metres of graffiti each month — enough to cover the entire MCG surface.

Fri.15.7.22 Melbourne 'Herald Sun'.  Public-transport patronage.
CONCERNS about the rising cost of living, especially high petrol prices, are being used to persuade commuters back on to public transport.
The latest Let's Go campaign emphasises the relative affordability of trains, trams and buses. The push says travellers can save by not paying for petrol and parking.
"So you have a little extra to spend at the shops. Chaching!" one sponsored Instagram post said.
Transport patronage is still recovering from the lows of 2020, when passenger numbers were just 9% of pre-Covid levels.
Average weekday patronage is now about up to 60 to 70 per cent, but the latest Omicron wave may push numbers back down.
Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said the network was safe. clean and reliable.
Mask dodgers were continuing to deter some travellers. but few were being fined. Herald Sun reported this week that since February, just 58 people had been fined for not wearing a mask on public transport.