Melbourne Publiic Transport Infrastructure

[ZeroGame]

bugger. hope it's not scrapped. it's a vital project.

I do find it interesting that this new line (as per the Labor plan) will result in making...

trains from Geelong slower, and cut connections to the City Loop, Melbourne University and the Upfield, Craigieburn and Werribee train lines.

That's a pretty big impact from one line out to Werribee and would inconvenience far more than those it was improving things for

 

[Ian4]

good to hear that the new state govt will proceed with the werribee to deer park v-line train line. now lets see them commit to the footscray to caulfield rail tunnel.

btw ZeroGame, yes city loop services have been cut, and will continue to be cut on the werribee line. but i personally don't mind that because the plan is to eventually run the werribee train line direct to sandringham (and vice versa), hence creating the first stage of the proposed metro train service.

another point, i'm hearing howls of protestations from residents in my old neck of the woods - altona. because come next month, not only will their services be reduced, but i believe all werribee line trains will run direct from newport to laverton... which means altona residents will have to change trains at newport permanently.

 

[Ian4]

i am currently living (temporarily) in werribee, and i think the changes to werribee line are working extremely well (although i'm sure altona residents disagree). trains appeear to be a lot more reliable.

i've also noticed they've started work on the regional rail link. they've bulldozed the houses at middle footscray station and they've building some new tracks between north melbourne and southerm cross (i also think they're building a new rail bridge over dudley st?).

the south morang extension is pretty much complete and they have started the sunbury electrification as well.

any other works in the pipeline? i've noticed the govt has mentioned numerous grade separations in the east amd SE corridors. have any of these started?

i've also noticed the new govt has dumped the 'footscray to caulield' tunnel and replaced it with the 'south kensington - south yarra' tunnel. while i can understand why this was done (to save costs), i'm really disappointed. our train lines are in a terrible state due to decades of neglect and i am against the govt making short cuts on this when it needs to be done properly. and besides, where in south yarra will hey be abe to build a tunnel entrance/exit?

 

[Ian4]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/rail-study-unveils-grand-plans-for-melbournes-east/story-fn7x8me2-1226294147958

UPDATE: A BIG rail tunnel system from Ringwood to the city's north and Hawthorn is among three new options to boost train services to Melbourne's east.

The alternatives have been put forward by the Baillieu Government's Doncaster Rail Study.

A tunnel via Doncaster Rd and Kew Junction could attract development in existing residential and commercial areas, the Government said.

The line could be built along the Eastern Freeway, part tunnel and part elevated, with feeder buses to remove road traffic.

Or a railway could run from Doncaster to Box Hill, the first step towards an orbital line around Melbourne, including links to Monash University and Melbourne airport.

While $6.5 million has been set aside for the study, there is no commitment to the project, which would run into the billions.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said a preferred route would be announced later this year.

"Over the past four months, the study team has engaged with councils, residents and businesses to understand issues associated with a heavy rail line to Doncaster," Mr Mulder said.

"The study team has shortlisted some potential corridor options, which will be presented at community workshops."

He said the study was also examining possibilities east of Doncaster.

"There are a number of complex land use, environmental, construction and operational considerations that need to be fully investigated before the final recommendations can be made," Mr Mulder said.

Doncaster MP Mary Wooldridge said interested residents should attend the workshops.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said Doncaster had been waiting more than 100 years for a train.

"The City of Manningham is the only council area with no heavy rail access, and the result is daily traffic jams on many of its roads," Mr Bowen said

Mr Mulder also released a study into the feasibility of a new rail line to Rowville.

This would branch off the Dandenong line at Huntingdale, and travel along North and Wellington roads, past Monash University.

It would be a combination of tunnels and elevated sections above ground level.

“It is clear there is strong support for a Rowville rail line with direct, regular connection to Melbourne’s CBD and Monash University,” Mr Mulder said.

“However the report also outlines a range of work that needs to be undertaken on the existing Dandenong rail corridor and in the central network to provide capacity for any future Rowville services.”

some interetsing suggestions. just hope the libs don't ignore the west as they always seem to do when in govt.

 

[smasha]

LOL Sth Morang line.That place is a dump now.

I lived there when the only thing around was the pub and surrounding shops.Now it's a big concrete circus and every drover's dog has moved there.

 

[Ian4]

citylink :rofl

when is ted the toff gonna get his act together and actually do something about melbourne's transport infrastructure problems? apparently ted has dumped the brumby govt's $38 billion transport plan and has only committed to the western rail link at this stage.

FFS, GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTT AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TED!!!!!!!!

 

[pahoffm]

Some years ago, I posted of the danger of merely one arterial linking Melbourne's west and east.

Hmmm!!

Long overdue are:
1. The completion of a full Ring Road around the city. Wednesday's debacle would have been avoided if the NE Ring had been completed. (Moscow have already begun on their 2nd, outer ring road).
2. The long-time promised and yet to be commenced City to Melbourne Airport train line. (Yes, Ted, you promised it too.)

As suggested then, we should be looking to run public transport facilities along alongside or above our major arterials.

 

[Scoop]

Eastlink needed to link with the Western Ring Road. That would have solved a large portion of yesterday's problem.

Get the tunnel from the top of Hoddle to the start of the Tulla done.

Those two things will reduce a stck of traffic. You could go from the airport to the South East three ways. The East/West link, the tulla down the Eastern or the Burnley and Monash.

 

[Ian4]

phantom, while a rail link to the airport should happen one day, i think it's at the bottom of the priority list. the east-west road tunnel, western rail link, the dynon road to south yarra/caulfied rail tunnel, the north-east ring road missing link and 20-30 rail/road grade separations at a minimum must come first IMO.

 

[KnightersRevenge]

When did economic rationalism become the defining feature of modern government? All these people who call for cost benefit analyses every time someone sneezes. Nothing would ever have got built if this had been the governing principle over the last 200 years. Anywhere in the world. Have a look at the disruption that the engineering work and building of the worlds underground systems caused.

Imagine a world in which we had never gone to the moon? Never built a jumbo jet? Imagine a cost benefit analysis of the first jumbo? These things simply can't be thought about the way we think about planning permission for a new public swimming pool, or high-rise tower. They have to be built for capacity we haven't even imagined. And no government will be able to rationalise the cost of a venture like that. They shouldn't have to. JUST START BUILDING IT. Generations of Victorians (and tourists) will thank you for it, and over the length of time it will take to build it, generations will pay for it. That is the purpose of government. Stop worrying about whether I've got my bike helmet on, start running the bloody state with some VISION.

Vision thinks in generations, not election cycles.

 

[pahoffm]

When did economic rationalism become the defining feature of modern government? All these people who call for cost benefit analyses every time someone sneezes. Nothing would ever have got built if this had been the governing principle over the last 200 years. Anywhere in the world. Have a look at the disruption that the engineering work and building of the worlds underground systems caused.

Imagine a world in which we had never gone to the moon? Never built a jumbo jet? Imagine a cost benefit analysis of the first jumbo? These things simply can't be thought about the way we think about planning permission for a new public swimming pool, or high-rise tower. They have to be built for capacity we haven't even imagined. And no government will be able to rationalise the cost of a venture like that. They shouldn't have to. JUST START BUILDING IT. Generations of Victorians (and tourists) will thank you for it, and over the length of time it will take to build it, generations will pay for it. That is the purpose of government. Stop worrying about whether I've got my bike helmet on, start running the bloody state with some VISION.

Vision thinks in generations, not election cycles.

Agree.

Cost benefit should be looked at over 50 year cycles not 5 year cycles.

 

[Ian4]

Just heard on the radio that the Sunbury electrification opens next month, but trains are only running every 40 mins. So I'm guessing most trains will continue to end at Sydenham?

 

[pahoffm]

phantom, while a rail link to the airport should happen one day, i think it's at the bottom of the priority list. the east-west road tunnel, western rail link, the dynon road to south yarra/caulfied rail tunnel, the north-east ring road missing link and 20-30 rail/road grade separations at a minimum must come first IMO.

It appears to have been at the bottom of the priority list, since it was first proposed 30 years ago.

 

[Ian4]

this:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/timetable-overhaul-to-provide-more-trains-in-melbourne-suburbs/story-e6frf7kx-1226496204256

Timetable overhaul to provide more trains in Melbourne suburbs
Wes Hosking October 15, 2012 2:45PM

ELECTRIFIED rail services to Diggers Rest and Sunbury will begin next month as part of a timetable overhaul set to deliver an extra 90 train trips a week.

Services on the Upfield line will also run every 18 minutes instead of every 20 minutes during weekday daytimes, and bus routes in Melbourne's northwest will be revamped to provide better connections.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder announced the rail revamp this morning. It takes effect on November 18.

The overhaul follows completion of a $270 million project to electrify the rail line between Watergardens and Sunbury.

"Timetable planners at Public Transport Victoria and Metro have helped to re-organise the running of trains in Melbourne to help improve performance and reliability,'' Mr Mulder said.

"Trains will start earlier, they will finish later and with shorter waiting times.’’

Key changes include:

EXTRA trains on the Craigieburn, Upfield and newly named Sunbury line, formerly known as the Sydenham line.

FORTY-SIX bus timetables change to improve connection times with trains.

SLIGHTLY faster morning peak trains on the Frankston line.

AN ADDED weekday morning peak train from Westall on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

A NEW morning peak train stopping at Laburnum to help students.

A NEW morning peak train from Bacchus Marsh and Melton and an extra afternoon train to Melton.

CONNECTION times at Newport for the Altona Loop and Laverton shuttle cut from seven minutes to four minutes.

Public Transport Victoria chief executive Ian Dobbs said the authority was focused on improving the "whole journey" for commuters.

"This guides the extensive planning that goes into implementing a new timetable," he said.

"We will continue to revamp the network to help maximise capacity and provide better connections between trains, trams and buses."

But Mr Dobbs revealed the new Sunbury services would come at the expense of regional travellers in the state’s north.

V/Line journey times for passengers travelling via Bendigo will increase between five and 10 minutes.

"The reason for that is because we have a lot more trains on that line," he said.

Times would return to normal once the regional rail link project was completed at the start of 2016, he said.

It is the third change to Melbourne's public transport timetable in 18 months.

Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the timetable changes were welcome but incremental.

"It's really not doing the kind of transformation to our train and public transport system that we hoped would come with the new thinking of the new government,'' Mr Morton said.

"We are seeing gradual improvements, but how many more years and decades do we have to wait until we have a world-class public transport system?''

Mr Morton said while electrification of the line to Sunbury was good news, off-peak trains would run only every 40 minutes.

"It's a far worse service than any other suburban line,'' he said.

"They should have at least tried to get trains every half hour.''

Faster trains on the Frankston line reversed changes several years ago and more frequent trains on the Upfield line would be of little benefit.

"I pity those who are going to have to remember the new timetable,'' Mr Morton said.
"Twenty minutes is at least a clock-face timetable.

"With 18 minutes it's all over the place.

"I don't think many people are going to see it as much of an improvement at all.''

 

[Ian4]

and this:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/vline-train-trips-to-take-up-to-10-minutes-longer-after-metropolitan-rail-revamp/story-e6frf7kx-1226496603330

V/Line train trips to take up to 10 minutes longer after metropolitan rail revamp
Wes Hosking October 15, 2012 10:00PM

COUNTRY train travellers have emerged as the losers of a metropolitan rail revamp, with some trips set to take up to 10 minutes longer.

An extra 90 rail services will hit Melbourne's train network from November 18, many along the newly electrified line to Sunbury.

But the changes have put the brakes on V/Line passengers travelling through the area via Bendigo, with no hope of a reprieve for years.

Public Transport Victoria chief executive Ian Dobbs said travel times wouldn't return to normal until the regional rail link project - aimed at easing congestion between country and city trains - was finished in early 2016.

"There's a slight slowdown of services on that particular corridor," Mr Dobbs said.

"That's led to a short-term increase in journey time of between five and 10 minutes roughly.

"The reason for that is that we have a lot more trains actually on that line."

Eleven Bendigo trains will take more than five minutes longer to complete their journey. The quickest trip, which takes in four stops, will take an hour and 42 minutes instead of 1:31.

The timetable overhaul is the third for Melbourne's rail network in 18 months.

2During the peak, trains will run from Sunbury every 12 minutes and from Watergardens every six. Off-peak services will run in 40-minute and 20-minute intervals respectively.

Among other changes, trains on the Upfield line will run every 18 minutes instead of 20 minutes during the day on weekdays and Craigieburn peak services will run on a six to eight-minute frequency.

Journey times on the Craigieburn and Upfield lines will increase by one to two minutes to better reflect how long it takes for passengers to get on and off.

Connection times at Newport for the Altona Loop and Laverton shuttle will drop from seven minutes to four, Frankston line journeys have been revised down as much as two minutes and 46 bus timetables in the northwest suburbs will change.

Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the timetable changes were welcome but only incremental.

"There is certainly nothing revolutionary for public transport users," Mr Morton said. "In some cases it's kind of a back-handed benefit really."

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said seven new X'Trapolis trains would be ready for the new timetable and the Government was committed to buying 33 more trains and 30 regional rail cars.

 

[mld]

Heh. The nominal 18 minute frequency for the Upfield line should actully bring it back to about 25 minutes.

 

[Ian4]

http://m.theage.com.au/victoria/peakhour-rail-crisis-coming-metro-warns-20121125-2a1ki.html

Peak-hour rail crisis coming, Metro warns
Adam Carey November 26, 2012

TRAIN passengers in Melbourne's north and west can expect chronic peak-hour congestion within two to three years after the government rejected a proposal to use two idle platforms at Southern Cross station.
The two platforms were built last year at a cost of $23.1 million but are expected to sit unused until trains are running on the regional rail link in 2016.
Metro and V/Line approached the Department of Transport last year with a proposal to share the two platforms, which are at the western end of Southern Cross Station.
Metro said it was approaching the limits of its ability to run more trains into the city to meet passenger growth from the northern and western suburbs.
It warned the department that without access to those platforms, commuters on the northern group lines - which include Werribee, Williamstown, Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield - faced increased overcrowding and a potential drop in reliability.
Those five lines were paralysed for six hours on Saturday after a track worker mistakenly cut a major communication cable near Southern Cross Station during regional rail link works. It is the second time in the past month that a cabling bungle during regional rail link works has shut down part of the network.
A briefing from the Department of Transport to Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder, obtained under freedom of information, reveals the department rejected the joint Metro and V/Line proposal as too costly.
It is instead investigating an alternative plan of letting Metro terminate trains at platform eight at Southern Cross - which is now used by V/Line - as a stop-gap solution until the proposed multibillion-dollar Melbourne Metro tunnel is built.
''The potential to run more trains through to Flinders Street is limited and city access for northern group trains is expected to reach that limit within the next three to four years,'' former director of public transport Hector McKenzie wrote to Mr Mulder, in a briefing dated September 1, 2011.
''The Melbourne Metro is designed to address that problem in the longer term. Any initiatives to terminate trains at Southern Cross Station would be only interim in nature.''
Mr McKenzie said giving Metro and V/Line shared use of the platforms would require construction of a new rail overpass across the Sunbury line, new V/Line train stabling yards and new overhead electric wires.
''A full economic evaluation of the [Metro] proposal was carried out, which showed the reliability benefits were not justified given the cost and passenger disbenefits,'' he wrote.
A spokesman for Public Transport Victoria said the authority was working with Metro to find ways of increasing rail capacity using existing infrastructure.
''This includes proposals for the use of platform eight at Southern Cross Station, particularly at times of increased demand such as special events such as Oaks Day and the Royal Melbourne Show,'' the spokesman said.
Metro and V/Line have previously advised the department that platform eight was a poor option because it would result in Metro trains running across tracks used by V/Line trains.

Ted the toff & the liberals screwing the west again

 

[KnightersRevenge]

And another: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/tunnel-under-city-or-face-rail-chaos-20121201-2ao4m.html

Tunnel under city or face rail chaos

Date
December 2, 2012

Farrah Tomazin

MELBOURNE'S trains will become so overcrowded passengers will be increasingly left behind during peak hour, unless work on an underground city rail tunnel begins within two years.

State government documents obtained by The Sunday Age reveal that unless work begins soon on the so-called ''Melbourne Metro'' rail project, several of the city's busiest train lines will come under further strain because the number of passengers will outstrip services.

''In the event of no further infrastructure being provided, all corridors except Sandringham will have significant overcrowding … by 2020. Moreover, it is anticipated that crowding will be so severe on the Werribee, Sunbury and Dandenong lines some passengers will be unable to board the trains in the critical peak hour,'' business case documents reveal.

The long-awaited Melbourne Metro project involves building a nine-kilometre tunnel across the inner city, with five new underground stations between South Kensington and South Yarra: Arden, Parkville, CBD North, CBD South and Domain.

The tunnel will in turn link the Sunbury rail line, in Melbourne's north-west, to the Dandenong rail corridor in the outer south-east, allowing an extra 24,000 passengers an hour across the train network.

The Baillieu government regards the project as one of its top infrastructure priorities after the east-west link, an 18-kilometre road connecting the Eastern Freeway and the Western Ring Road.

But a business case ''concept of operations'' report, obtained under freedom-of-information laws, has revealed the urgency of the proposal, which requires state and federal funding to get off the ground.

The Department of Transport's June report warns that without the infrastructure the number of ''load breaches'' - where there is an average load of more than 798 passengers in a train - will grow over the next seven years. Projections suggest that by 2020 trains will be overcrowded for at least three hours during the morning peak, and on the Werribee, Sunbury and Dandenong lines, demand will exceed 1200 passengers, meaning many commuters would be left behind.

The Werribee/Williamstown and Frankston lines will start to face ''significant shortfalls'' from around 2015. The Craigeburn, Upfield and Sunbury lines will face significant shortfalls by 2016, and the Sandringham line from 2017. Shortfalls on the Dandenong corridor are ''immediate'' and ''will rise to a severe shortfall by 2020''.

The documents also show:

■The rail project ''will need to be progressively implemented over the next decade, commencing in the next two years''.

■Part of the plan involves upgrading the Dandenong rail line with longer ''nine-car'' trains, timetable changes, signalling upgrades and road-rail separations.

■New branch lines to Rowville and Melbourne Airport (the subject of feasibility studies) are being considered as part of longer term improvements to the network.

■The underground tunnel will not be able to accommodate freight trains, meaning existing freight services that operate during peak time would have to be re-timed.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder described the Melbourne Metro project as a ''city shaping'' plan that will ''fundamentally change the way our transport network operates''.

''More frequent trains, more stations and increased capacity will also deliver significant flow-on benefits to the rest of the transport system, it will take pressure off the major arterial roads including West Gate and Monash Freeways,'' he said.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said the government had been too slow to tackle overcrowding.

''The Liberal government has attempted to dampen the fires of discontent among commuters by initiating numerous studies into the Doncaster, Rowville and Tullamarine rail links as well as the Melbourne Metro Tunnel. The problem is, commuters can't catch a feasibility study to work and the Liberal government has given absolutely no indication that they plan to actually build any of the rail lines under investigation,'' Ms Richardson said.

Infrastructure Australia, which makes recommendations to the federal government about funding of major projects, puts the Melbourne metro rail project at the top of its priority list as one of Australia's most urgently needed projects.

The project has been deemed ''ready to proceed'' and is in the planning approvals stage. Public Transport Victoria says that if planning approval is granted, the start of construction will be contingent on Commonwealth funding, but it is refusing to disclose how much the project is likely to cost.

A similar project for a tunnel from Footscray to Caulfield was proposed by the former Labor government and costed at $4.5 billion for the first stage. Labor's track was about 17 kilometres; the Coalition's tunnel is nine kilometres. About $90 million in state and federal funds has been allocated so far.

PTV also admits construction will cause some disruption across the city, but the extent will depend on the precise tunnel route and station design. Community feedback will be sought by the government next year.



THE PROBLEM

■ Train patronage has grown by 70% in the past 10 years, and 40% in the past five.

■ Melbourne’s population is expected to reach 5 million by 2025.

■ By 2020, trains on all lines will carry 900 to 1200 passengers in peak hour, resulting in ‘‘significant overcrowding’’.

■ Crowding will be so severe on the Werribee, Sunbury and Dandenong lines that some passengers will be let behind.

■ The Werribee/Williamstown and Frankston lines will face ‘‘signii cant shortfalls’’ – where demand exceeds capacity – around 2015, followed by the Craigeburn, Upifeld and Sunbury lines in 2016, and the Sandringham line by 2017.

■ Shortfalls on the Dandenong line are ‘‘immediate’’ and will be severe by 2020.



THE (POSSIBLE) SOLUTION

A nine-kilometre tunnel under Melbourne to link the Sunbury and Dandenong lines.Five new underground stations:

■ Domain(under St Kilda Rd in South Yarra)

■ CBD South (below Flinders Street Station)

■ CBD North(below Melbourne Central)

■ Parkville (under Grattan St and Royal Parade)

■ Arden (Queensberry Street)

■ Existing northern and Caulifeld rail groups will become four independent corridors, allowing more services on the Craigieburn, Sunbury, Werribee/Williamstown, Upifield, Frankston and Sandringham lines, and longer trains on the Sunbury, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines.

■ It would mean an extra 24,000 passengers an hour across the network

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/tunnel-under-city-or-face-rail-chaos-20121201-2ao4m.html#ixzz2DqewKOjT

 

[Ian4]

thursday night was a disgrace. severe heat = automatic shutdown.

 

[tigertim]

thursday night was a disgrace. severe heat = automatic shutdown.

it was so predictable, I mentioned to a work colleague at lunchtime that it would happen. It's a 1900s system trying to cope with the current times.