One-Eyed Richmond Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: one-eyed on January 31, 2007, 03:48:09 AM
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150 years on and they still can't get it right :nope
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Rubbery rail figures
Geraldine Mitchell and Jacqueline Freegard
Herald-Sun
January 31, 2007 12:00am
CONNEX is covering up the true number of late trains plaguing the rail system and leaving frustrated commuters waiting at platforms.
The private rail operator, which pockets hundreds of millions of dollars a year from the Government, has only admitted 42,501 trains ran late last year.
But the real figure is much higher as Connex only counts a train as late if it runs six minutes or more overtime.
Any train that arrives before that period is considered on time.
But Connex has refused to tell the Herald Sun how many trains arrive in that six-minute window.
In other developments:
IT has been revealed cancellation numbers topped 5000 in 2006.
MARCH, May and February were the worst months for punctuality.
A SECRET report emerged showing the Bracks Government was warned four years ago Melbourne would face a shortage of trains.
Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the actual number of trains that did not run to timetable would be huge.
Mr Bowen said Connex's definition of "on time" did not correlate with the working population.
"Most people, if they go to a job, couldn't say to their boss they were on time if they were 5 1/2 minutes late," he said.
"It wouldn't be acceptable, and it shouldn't be acceptable for a train system either."
But Connex spokesman Andrew Cassidy said its definition of on time was a "common measurement tool" which had been used in Victoria for several years and was recognised around the world.
It comes as a report, drafted in 2003, warned there would not be enough trains to cater for the growing commuter population, even before the current brake problems emerged with the Siemens fleet.
Greens MP Greg Barber said the Bracks Government was to blame for the train shortage problem.
"Until they buy more trains, there's no guarantee these services will return, leaving us all squashed like sardines in the remaining trains," Mr Barber said. "The Government should ditch the contracts, take back responsibility for the system and invest in more trains and services."
But a spokeswoman for Acting Public Transport Minister Tim Pallas, Louise Perry, said the Government acted quickly after identifying the need for more trains in 2003.
"We purchased five extra trains that year, in addition to the 31 that had been ordered shortly before the Metropolitan Train Plan, and immediately moved to investigate and plan the purchase of more trains to ensure we had enough trains on the network," Ms Perry said.
Connex's Mr Cassidy refused to guarantee the remaining 41 trains in the 72-strong Siemens fleet would remain on track.
Mr Cassidy said extra carriages had been added to the suspect trains to help with braking.
Trains would also reduce speeds near stations and boom gates would come down earlier.
Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu called on the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to investigate.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21145552-661,00.html
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I know someone who works for Connex. The brakes on the trains are the least of their problems. Most of the tracks need replacing and the signalling is outdated which limits the speeds of the trains :shh. 80 years of neglect is catching up with the system fast. You can't service a 21st century city with a 1920's network. The Victorian Governments of the 50s, 60s and 70s have a lot to answer for for not forward planning, maintaining and upgrading the system as the city expanded. Now it'd cost billions and billions of $$$ to fix the system properly which the current Government of either persuasion won't obviously spend. So they just tinker around the edges and just pass the too hard basket onto their successor.
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FARE increases will be suspended for at least three months to try to placate commuters plagued by rail chaos.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21156630-661,00.html
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I know someone who works for Connex. The brakes on the trains are the least of their problems. Most of the tracks need replacing and the signalling is outdated which limits the speeds of the trains :shh. 80 years of neglect is catching up with the system fast. You can't service a 21st century city with a 1920's network. The Victorian Governments of the 50s, 60s and 70s have a lot to answer for for not forward planning, maintaining and upgrading the system as the city expanded. Now it'd cost billions and billions of $$$ to fix the system properly which the current Government of either persuasion won't obviously spend. So they just tinker around the edges and just pass the too hard basket onto their successor.
Perhaps that's why the previous State Govt (read The Kennett govt) were so eager & quick to privatise the network :shh or is that being to cynical :whistle
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Perhaps that's why the previous State Govt (read The Kennett govt) were so eager & quick to privatise the network :shh or is that being to cynical :whistle
I wouldn't say you were cynical lol ;).
The Victorian Railways was a loss-making venture for the State Government. Even as far back as 1961 it was making losses. Privatisation if done properly was not a bad idea but the Kennett Government screwed it up by splitting the system into two :banghead. One to Connex and one to National Express (M-train/M-tram). How do you get competition to improve the quality of the service when each company is running separate parts of the system ???. Also how do you improve the service when the private companies hire most of the managers that couldn't run the system when it was run by the State :-\.
The latter M-train was a total disaster mainly because it was a pigheaded B of a company. It was no surprise when they fell over. The problem now is M-train purchased the faulty Siemens trains and Connex, who took over the whole system and inherited them, needs to fix them. Connex isn't blameless but they sponsor the Tiges so I better be nice to them :rollin
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Victorians to pay for $18b Melbourne transport plan
Geraldine Mitchell, Ashley Gardiner
April 02, 2008 11:30am
VICTORIANS have been challenged to accept up to 10 years of disruption, and higher taxes and charges to allow an $18b Melbourne transport plan to go ahead.
A major city road tunnel, an underground rail link and a new western suburbs rail line costing $18 billion are the key projects required to get Melbourne moving again.
But Victorians could be slugged with a property tax, congestion tax, higher tolls and increased public transport ticket costs to pay for it.
And the projects could take at least a decade to build.
International transport expert Sir Rod Eddington today released his much-anticipated East West Needs Assessment report.
The two big ticket items identified as critical are;
A new 17km rail tunnel linking Melbourne's fast-growing western and south-eastern suburbs - from Footscray to Caulfield. It would be Melbourne's first `metro' style passenger line.
A new 18km cross-city road corridor, possibly a tunnel, running from the Eastern freeway to the Tullamarine freeway providing a much-needed alternative to the West Gate Bridge.
And third, a new rail line linking Werribee and Deer Park in the western suburbs would be critical to the expansion of Melbourne's rail network.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Sir Eddington challenged Victorians to swallow the pain of "extremely expensive and disruptive" projects against the long-term gain.
In it, he details 20 recommendations he considers critical for Melbourne's growth and calls on the State Government to act immediately.
Sir Rod said the cost of congestion, ranging from delays, unreliable trip times, rises in vehicle costs, business costs, air pollution, noise and amenity impacts, would rise significantly to an estimated $3 billion a year.
Full article at:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23471232-661,00.html
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They haven't shown the full details so we'll have to wait and see but if that Footscray to Caulfield tunnel line is his suggestion to fix our rail system then he's living in fairyland.
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Here's the website for the new operators
http://www.metrotrains.com.au/
Original name :P
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I know someone who works for Connex. The brakes on the trains are the least of their problems. Most of the tracks need replacing and the signalling is outdated which limits the speeds of the trains :shh. 80 years of neglect is catching up with the system fast. You can't service a 21st century city with a 1920's network. The Victorian Governments of the 50s, 60s and 70s have a lot to answer for for not forward planning, maintaining and upgrading the system as the city expanded. Now it'd cost billions and billions of $$$ to fix the system properly which the current Government of either persuasion won't obviously spend. So they just tinker around the edges and just pass the too hard basket onto their successor.
Sam old same old.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/why-our-rails-cant-cope-with-the-heat-20131218-2zl3t.html
::)
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The Dandenong railway crossings are the worse of all. Clayton, especially, is a nightmare getting through during peak hours. The whole suburb becomes gridlocked. You're better off taking a scenic route to Westall Rd which has a 3-4 lane 80km overpass. Great to see these level crossings biting the dust over the next few years.
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SKY rail will run nine metres above the ground on the Dandenong/Pakenham/Cranbourne rail corridor, with the project expected to start later this year.
Animation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYT5F-gcr40
The $1.6 billion project to remove every level crossing between Caulfield and Dandenong also includes five new stations to be built at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park, and upgraded signalling and power along the corridor.
The innovative design centres on three sections of modern elevated rail, which will create 225,000 square metres – the equivalent of 11 MCGs – of community open space for new parks, playgrounds, sporting facilities, car parking and a range of other uses that will be chosen by locals.
This modern design built over the existing rail line will also spare passengers and drivers years of disruption during construction. The majority of the work can be completed with trains and roads running normally.
We are inviting the community to have their say on the proposed designs by visiting our Your Suburb, Your Say engagement portal from 8 February 2016.
(http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0003/39036/Murrumbeena-Station-WEB.jpg)
http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/news/proposed-designs-unveiled-for-caulfield-to-dandenong-corridor
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/sky-train-project-to-start-on-pakenhamcranbourne-line-this-year/news-story/e2e434c8e7097eb4e64f3b3ca8289a06
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The business case for the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel:
Cost: $10.9 billion (to come from: State $4.5b, Fed $4.5b, Private $1.9b)
Benefit/cost ratio: $1.10 for every $1 spent. Increased to $1.50 per $1 spent if wider economic benefits are included.
Major construction to begin in 2018.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-metro-rail-project-an-economic-coup-says-premier-daniel-andrews/news-story/5882480edd19d6fc0f2406a2fe70c5d4#load-story-comments
Good luck Victoria getting anything for PT infrastructure from the Federal Government ::).
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Good luck Victoria getting anything for PT infrastructure from the Federal Government ::).
There is an election this year, stranger things have happened.
But can we trust the bastards.
Can we trust any of the bastards.
:banghead
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The business case for the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel:
Cost: $10.9 billion (to come from: State $4.5b, Fed $4.5b, Private $1.9b)
Benefit/cost ratio: $1.10 for every $1 spent. Increased to $1.50 per $1 spent if wider economic benefits are included.
Major construction to begin in 2018.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-metro-rail-project-an-economic-coup-says-premier-daniel-andrews/news-story/5882480edd19d6fc0f2406a2fe70c5d4#load-story-comments
Good luck Victoria getting anything for PT infrastructure from the Federal Government ::).
"What kind of person throws a brick with a note attached thur a window and asks for five billion dollars "
- some fed gov stuff
I swear they are Ll bloody monkies these Polly puppet gimps
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The business case for the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel:
Cost: $10.9 billion (to come from: State $4.5b, Fed $4.5b, Private $1.9b)
Benefit/cost ratio: $1.10 for every $1 spent. Increased to $1.50 per $1 spent if wider economic benefits are included.
Major construction to begin in 2018.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-metro-rail-project-an-economic-coup-says-premier-daniel-andrews/news-story/5882480edd19d6fc0f2406a2fe70c5d4#load-story-comments
Good luck Victoria getting anything for PT infrastructure from the Federal Government ::).
so you expect them to keep opening their wallets when andrews tore up 600-800 mil.
give me a break.
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The Dandenong railway crossings are the worse of all. Clayton, especially, is a nightmare getting through during peak hours. The whole suburb becomes gridlocked. You're better off taking a scenic route to Westall Rd which has a 3-4 lane 80km overpass. Great to see these level crossings biting the dust over the next few years.
------------------------------------
SKY rail will run nine metres above the ground on the Dandenong/Pakenham/Cranbourne rail corridor, with the project expected to start later this year.
Animation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYT5F-gcr40
The $1.6 billion project to remove every level crossing between Caulfield and Dandenong also includes five new stations to be built at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park, and upgraded signalling and power along the corridor.
The innovative design centres on three sections of modern elevated rail, which will create 225,000 square metres – the equivalent of 11 MCGs – of community open space for new parks, playgrounds, sporting facilities, car parking and a range of other uses that will be chosen by locals.
This modern design built over the existing rail line will also spare passengers and drivers years of disruption during construction. The majority of the work can be completed with trains and roads running normally.
We are inviting the community to have their say on the proposed designs by visiting our Your Suburb, Your Say engagement portal from 8 February 2016.
(http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0003/39036/Murrumbeena-Station-WEB.jpg)
http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/news/proposed-designs-unveiled-for-caulfield-to-dandenong-corridor
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/sky-train-project-to-start-on-pakenhamcranbourne-line-this-year/news-story/e2e434c8e7097eb4e64f3b3ca8289a06
Bloody clayton
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The business case for the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel:
Cost: $10.9 billion (to come from: State $4.5b, Fed $4.5b, Private $1.9b)
Benefit/cost ratio: $1.10 for every $1 spent. Increased to $1.50 per $1 spent if wider economic benefits are included.
Major construction to begin in 2018.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-metro-rail-project-an-economic-coup-says-premier-daniel-andrews/news-story/5882480edd19d6fc0f2406a2fe70c5d4#load-story-comments
Good luck Victoria getting anything for PT infrastructure from the Federal Government ::).
so you expect them to keep opening their wallets when andrews tore up 600-800 mil.
give me a break.
Why can you not get from Kensington to South yarra without having to go into hell?
Why are frankston, dandy and the rest of the outer ghettos ring nae connected? Without having to go half way into the Cbd and back out again?
Why can't you get to the bloody air port on a train?
Backwards
Inefficient.
If only if there were a leader that could make the trains run on time
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The business case for the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel:
Cost: $10.9 billion (to come from: State $4.5b, Fed $4.5b, Private $1.9b)
Benefit/cost ratio: $1.10 for every $1 spent. Increased to $1.50 per $1 spent if wider economic benefits are included.
Major construction to begin in 2018.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-metro-rail-project-an-economic-coup-says-premier-daniel-andrews/news-story/5882480edd19d6fc0f2406a2fe70c5d4#load-story-comments
Good luck Victoria getting anything for PT infrastructure from the Federal Government ::).
so you expect them to keep opening their wallets when andrews tore up 600-800 mil.
give me a break.
It wasn't the current Vic government that was willing to spend $20b on a single road that would've returned just 45 cents in the dollar spent on it. Nor did they, in political desperation, sign a dodgy side letter just before an election in an attempt to hold the Victorian electorate to ransom in a futile attempt to hold onto power, after spending 4 years sitting on their backside doing nothing while Victoria went backwards. Most of the money lost on EWL was already spent by the previous Napthine government. It was also anti-rail Abbott who moved $3b of Federal money that was originally designed for the MMRT over to fund the now defunct EWL.
In any case, Victoria always gets shafted by the Federal government on PT infrastructure spending despite our dire need to fix and modernise our ageing and neglected rail system which is already at capacity. We get ripped off as we pay far more GST than we get back from the Feds.
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Agreed with protestors sky rail is Shyte
Put the trains under ground like burke road
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Agreed with protestors sky rail is Shyte
Put the trains under ground like burke road
Plenty of suburban rail systems around the world have elevated rail as part of their network and they don't end up ghettos. The main section of Berlin's S-Bahn is an elevated section running right through the middle of the city while the U5 line (IIRC) runs between apartment blocks in its elevated section. London's newish Docklands light rail is elevated and even Sydney is currently building 4km of skyrail as part of their new north-west line. Melbourne already has elevated rail between West Richmond and Clifton Hill as well as Glenferrie to Auburn, Malvern to Caulfield, Pattison on the Frankston line and Gardenvale on the Sandy line over the Nepean Hwy.
The Glen Eira council (the mayor) put local support for the skyrail project at a ratio of 8:2 in favour. Of course you won't read that in the Herald-Sun ::). Most of these "protesters" are Liberal party rent-a-crowd such as MP David Davis, who doesn't live anywhere near the area, while the leader of the anti-skyrail group is also a Liberal party cheerleader.
At the end of the day, the level crossings have to go to increase rail capacity and road traffic flow while space needs to be created around stations for park-and-ride. The choice of how it's done comes down to engineering issues, practicability and cost. Unlike the other single grade-separations we've had so far, putting large sections of the Dandenong line down in a trench (it wouldn't be underground) would shut the line down for years. The timeframe for construction and cost would be significantly greater as well. On the Frankston line near Carrum, the final decision will come down to engineering concerns regarding the water table (with the beach nearby and Patterson river) as well as the time frame and cost for the project between skyrail vs trench options.
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You don't appreciate the scale of these level crossing removals until you see them. Around 180,000 tonnes of dirt removed in just 3 days.
Before: Construction site:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmGzZVQUsAEV0jG.jpg) (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmGeL78WIAA_7vf.jpg)
https://twitter.com/levelcrossings
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Thanks for those pictures, I never actually understood that it meant they would make the trains run under the road. I thought it just meant you couldn't drive there at all anymore, which sounded even less convenient. This is actually great.
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Thanks for those pictures, I never actually understood that it meant they would make the trains run under the road. I thought it just meant you couldn't drive there at all anymore, which sounded even less convenient. This is actually great.
They spent most of the past six months creating supports for the road bridges so they wouldn't have to close off traffic as the excavated the soil underneath for the rail line and station.
Time lapse video over the past week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHucC-IMGSk
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmlLZA9VUAAuj6K.jpg)
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From a Russian perspective I am unimpressed
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I'm so glad they're doing this. That video helped me understand it better cheers.
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They've now mostly covered over Ormond by the look of it.
Updated time-lapse videos:
Ormond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=117&v=VzzZS847zDE
Bentleigh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=98&v=lZyJn9TlVcM
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Update: A dozen or so aerial pics.
PICS: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/news/birds-eye-view-of-level-crossing-works/image-gallery/196e31bc1fd5b4633d636fcda7eaac76?page=11
(http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/df4988e4277cd18291ba7972a1aa8eee?width=1024&api_key=zw4msefggf9wdvqswdfuqnr5)
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The entrance and concourse buildings are now going up at the stations.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cn3mI1CUsAA8LSl.jpg)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cn3mFrHUIAAi14o.jpg)
https://twitter.com/search?q=mckinnon%20station&src=typd
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Almost there. Trains back Monday.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CoRvd3BVUAA7Zfu.jpg)
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/stuff/news-story/f4cc212ee2b0a5ab4a152271aba1b029