Taking a tour

From the air there is a tangle of freeway lanes, ramps and frontage roads.

The interchange having a total of sixteen bridges.

Including:

• two taking the Calder Freeway over the M80 Ring Road,
• five taking the Calder Freeway over freeway ramps,
• two taking freeway ramps over the M80 Ring Road,
• five bridges over railway tracks,
• one taking Fullarton Road over the interchange,
• and finally, a pedestrian footbridge at Collinson Street.

And increasing the complexity of the interchange are two other features – the Fullarton Road ‘frontage road’ skirts the northern edge, and Calder Freeway westbound exit for Keilor Park Drive is via a collector/distributor lane arrangement with the M80 Ring Road ramps.

But the despite the number of bridges, only four out of the possible eight freeway-to-freeway movements are possible:

• M80 Ring Road southbound > Calder Freeway westbound,
• Calder Freeway westbound > M80 Ring Road southbound,
• M80 Ring Road northbound > Calder Freeway eastbound, and
• Calder Freeway eastbound > M80 Ring Road northbound.

The other four movements being catered for by other routes:

• M80 Ring Road southbound > Calder Freeway eastbound via Tullamarine Freeway from the M80 Ring Road interchange,
• Calder Freeway westbound > M80 Ring Road northbound via Tullamarine Freeway from the Calder Freeway interchange,
• M80 Ring Road northbound > Calder Freeway westbound via Keilor Park Drive, and
• Calder Freeway eastbound > M80 Ring Road southbound via Keilor Park Drive.

And local traffic – for the Calder Freeway they have to use the Woorite Place, Fullarton Road or McNamara Avenue exits; for the M80 Ring Road they need to use Keilor Park Drive or Airport Drive.

So how did this mess of roads come to be?

A history of the Calder Freeway, Keilor Park Drive, and the M80 Western Ring Road

We start back in 1971, when Keilor Park was a recently developed suburb, there was no such thing as Keilor Park Drive, and the Calder Highway was just a normal road. The only sign of what was to come – two faint purple lines marking future freeways.

Melway edition 5, 1971

By 1975 the first stage of the Calder Freeway had been completed from Niddrie, terminating at Keilor East – and the first sign of Keilor Park Drive.

Melway edition 8, 1975

By 1976 the Calder Highway had been deviated towards the Keilor Cemetery, ready for a freeway extension.

Melway edition 9, 1976

Keilor Park Drive was completed by 1978, and the planned ring road alignment had been extended south of the Calder Freeway.

Melway edition 11, 1978

By 1979 work on the Calder Freeway extension west to Keilor was underway.

Melway edition 12, 1979

Completed by 1982.

Melway edition 14, 1982

There things stayed still, until 1989 saw the planned alignment for the Western Ring Road tweaked.

Melway edition 19, 1989

The debate over the interchange

Early planning for the Western Ring Road was undecided about the provision of an interchange with the Calder Freeway, due to the impacts on the surrounding area.

The planning scheme reservation across the Calder Freeway is about 30 metres wide and is inadequate to accommodate the WRR. No allowance was made in previous planning for the additional land that would be required for an interchange between the WRR and the Calder Freeway . As a result, development has been allowed to proceed right up to the reservation boundary. South of the Calder Freeway is the East Keilor industrial area, consisting of small industrial premises, while to the north is the residential area of Keilor Park.

Four interchange options were subject to detailed investigation.

• a ‘no-interchange’ option requlrlng turning traffic between the Calder and the WRR to use nearby local access interchanges and local roads . This would include grade separation of the two routes and acquisition of 15 business premises at a cost of $14m. It would cause significant increases in through traffic on local roads;
• build an interchange, with a range of alternatives examined including a diamond interchange (with signals on the WRR), a bridged rotary and a number of freeway to freeway variations. The cost would range from $27m for a diamond to $52 for freeway to freeway. Up to 75 business premises and 30 houses would be required.

The recommended solution was a two-level interchange with turning roadways in two quadrants, with a September 1989 information bulletin stating.

There has been a lot of community discussion about whether or not an interchange should be built to connect the WRR with the Calder Freeway.

If an interchange were not built, there would be big increases in traffic on local arterial roads, such as Milleara Road and Keilor Park Drive. An interchange is therefore favoured despite its estimated cost of up to $50m and the effect on a number of houses and businesses.

Following recent discussions with local residents, further ideas have been examined. These would not separate through traffic from local traffic, and would still impact on a similar number of properties.

It is therefore proposed to reserve enough land for an interchange at the location originally shown (immediately west of the SEC power lines).

This would require a section of Fullarton Road to be moved. Space would be provided for landscaping and noise barriers to protect houses in Keilor Park.

These changes being included in the Western Road Road Environmental Effects Statement advertised in December 1989.

Featuring a long list of land use changes in Keilor Park and East Keilor.

Including:

14)

The Proposed Secondary Road link to Cecelia Drive is to be deleted. It previously provided a local connection between Buckley Street and the Calder Freeway which is now to be via the Dodds Road interchange and the new connection through former Commonwealth land to Milleara Road (see item 16 below). The reservation is to be rezoned to appropriate abutting zoning (Residential C and Proposed Public Open Space reservation).

15)

An area of land to the north of the previous Cecelia Drive route, which is zoned for Reserved Light Industrial, will be impossible to develop for industrial purposes because of access difficulties. It is proposed to be rezoned to Proposed Public Open Space as an extension of the Maribymong Valley Park. The area will be capable of providing for pedestrian/cycle access into the park from the new Dodds Road connection. It is owned by the MMBW.

16)

A large area of land reserved for Commonwealth purposes in Milleara Road has been sold and is being subdivided for housing. The site is to be rezoned to Reserved Living, in accordance with the proposed use. Incorporated within the zone will be a Secondary Road reservation which provides for the connection between Dodds Road interchange and Milleara Road, on the alignment included within the approved plan of subdivision.

17)

As part of the necessary connections between the existing road network and the Ring Road, the Roads Corporation are intending to construct a connection between the Dodds Road interchange and Keilor Park Drive. This route will utilise the existing reservation and Cemetery road to the southern boundary of the cemetery, then deviate westwards to join Keilor Park Drive. A portion of Brimbank Park, reserved for Proposed Public Open Space, is to be amended to Proposed Secondary Road and an excised remnant amended to Proposed Cemetery to allow for future expansion of the adjoining Keilor Cemetery. The deviation shall involve the least acquisition necessary to achieve a satisfactory road alignment.

18)

Land north-east of the proposed Dodds road interchange has recently been subdivided for industrial purposes. The zoning is to be rationalised to provide a Reserved Light Industrial Zone along the railway opposite future housing (Item 16). A proposed reservation for re-instating access to the Slater Parade Industrial Area is also provided (Proposed Public Purposes 20).

19)

The area between the new Dodds Road/Keilor Park Drive link and the Ring Road is currently zoned for a variety of industrial and other uses. It is intended to rationalise the zoning for this area.
The existing Reserved Light Industrial and Reserved General Industrial Zones will be amended to a Restricted Light Industrial zone which will allow greater control over buildings and works.

20)

Land severed from Brimbank Park by Cemetery Road deviation and public open space reservation due east of the Keilor Cemetery is proposed to be included in a Proposed Cemetery Reservation. This will provide for a much needed extension of the cemetery. Open space lost in the extension will be replaced in the area south of Dodds Road interchange (see Item 15).

21)

Access is to be restored to the properties west of the Ring Road in the Prendergast Avenue area. The new road (shown as Proposed Public Purposes 20) will provide subdivisional opportunities which can be taken up by the owner by agreement with the Council and the Roads Corporation.

22)

The Roads Corporation proposes to construct a freeway-to-freeway interchange between the Ring Road and the Calder Freeway. The construction may take place in stages, to match traffic growth and may initially include some at grade intersections with traffic signals. These would later be replaced by free flow ramps. The Proposed Main Road reservation included in this amendment provides for the total land requirements for the final interchange. This also provides for a deviation of Fullarton Road around the interchange to maintain access between Keilor Park and Airport West.

23)

The present planning scheme shows the Calder Freeway between Woorite Place and the Maribyrnong River as a mixture of Main Road, Proposed Main Road and Road Widening reservations. The boundaries of these reservations have been changed to match the layout of the freeway.

Time to build

Plans for the Western Ring Road had been made real by 1991, when a whole slew of new proposed roads added to the Melway – including the Western Ring Road, an interchange with the Calder Freeway, and a southward extension of Keilor Park Drive to Milleara Road.

Melway edition 21, 1991

Work started on the 2.6 km long extension of Keilor Park Drive to Milleara Road in 1993, opening to traffic on 11 April 1994 at a cost of $20 million. A further $5 million was spent on the duplication of Keilor Park Drive and Sharps Road, in preparation for the traffic that the next stage of the Western Ring Road would bring – but the Calder Freeway interchange was still ‘proposed’.

Melway edition 23, 1995

But the interchange was approved soon after – detailed design work commenced in 1992 with construction planned to start in 1996, with completed by 1998. However additional funding from the Federal Government saw the project sped up – construction commenced in May 1994 under two contracts, with a 90 week deadline:

• Stage 1: $30 million contract with Fletcher Construction Australia and Sinclair Knight Merz for the construction of four road bridges, three bridges over rail lines and the extension the existing pedestrian footbridge.
• Stage 2: $14.6 million contract with Transfield Constructions and Roche Bros to widen the Calder Freeway from Keilor Park Drive to McNamara Avenue, build six road bridges, and widen two bridges over the railway.

1996 saw the interchange marked as ‘under construction’ in the Melway, and the western ramps at the Calder Freeway / Woorite Place interchange had been closed.

Melway edition 24, 1996

With the freeway network reaching the current state in 1998.

Melway edition 25, 1998

Today the only different is the number of lanes: the Western Ring Road north of the Calder Freeway interchange was widened to four lanes in 2013, the section to the south following in 2018.

And the streets wiped off the map

To make room for the freeway interchange a compulsory acquisition process was started in 1993, and by February 1995 twenty out of 30 houses in Keilor Park had been demolished, with 75 commercial and industrial properties due to follow.

By the time the area was cleared, Prendergast Avenue, Webber Parade, Tunnecliffe Avenue, Hogan Parade had all been wiped off the map, along with a portion of the ‘Milleara Estate’ by landscape architect Walter Burley Griffin, designer of Canberra.

Footnote: ghost ramp on the Calder Freeway

The interchange of the Calder Freeway and Woorite Place was once a full diamond, but the ramps to the west were removed to eliminate weaving movements with traffic from the Western Ring Road.

Google Maps

The remains on the eastbound off ramp are still visible today as a ‘ghost ramp‘.

Google Street View

Footnote: building bridges

The paper Design and Construct Bridge Structures on the Western Ring Road — Calder Freeway Interchange by Mark Percival and Duncan Kinder details the construction of the bridges at the interchange.

Each of a unique design.

Fullarton Road Bridge
Fullarton Road formerly ran parallel to the Calder Freeway between Matthews Avenue to the east and Keilor Park Drive to the west, providing vehicular access to private housing on the northern side of the freeway. Construction of a grade separation structure over the proposed Western Ring Road was required to maintain this access. The bridge carries two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) and has a 2m wide footpath located along the northern side of the bridge.

Ramp A Bridge
This bridge was provided to allow vehicles travelling north along the Western Ring Road to exit off the Ring Road and join the Calder Freeway, leading back into Melbourne. The bridge is constructed parallel to the Fullarton Road Bridge and spans over the Western Ring Road, Ramp C and Ramp D.

Ramp C Bridge
Ramp C provides access for traffic heading south along the Western Ring Road to exit north towards Bendigo along the Calder Freeway.

Ramp D Bridge
This bridge provides access for southbound traffic from the Calder Freeway to enter the westbound carriageway of the Western Ring Road. As well as being curved in plan, it has a high skew. (21° at the west abutment, 30° at the east abutment)

Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge, Ramp A Rail Bridge and Ramp B Rail Bridge
Ramp A and Ramp B Rail Bridges were provided to allow access on or off the Western Ring Road, and Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge was required to maintain access to the existing access road. All three bridges over the Albion to Broadmeadows Rail Line provide for two lanes of traffic. The Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge also included a pedestrian footpath. Each bridge comprises three simply supported spans varying in length from 11.4m to 15.2m.

Collinson Street Footbridge
The existing Collinson Street Footbridge over the Calder Freeway required extension to provide access over both Ramp C and E. The existing circular ramp at the southern end of the bridge was demolished and the bridge extended at the south end with 4 additional spans.

The curved road bridges were concrete box girders cast in place, with the roadway beneath excavated following completion of the bridge; while the bridges over the railway were conventional super ‘T’ beams lowered into place by cranes.

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The Western Roads Upgrade

The $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade project was launched in 2018 and completed in 2021.

And included upgrades to eight arterial roads in Melbourne’s west.

Massive new intersections.

And the resurfacing of 260 km of existing roads between Footscray to Werribee.

So why haven’t these roads fallen apart in the years that have followed?

It’s because the upgrade was delivered part of a convoluted public–private partnership between the Department of Transport and Planning and a private consortium called ‘Netflow’, which sees the government give them buckets of money for the next 20 years to maintain the road, with a compliance regime that will penalise them for as little as a pothole.

To manage these contractual obligations, you need data – so the Netflow consortium has a fleet of inspection vehicles continually doing laps of the western suburbs.

Covered in LiDAR sensors looking for faults in the road surface.

And maintenance crews in ‘Western Roads Upgrade’ branded vans ready to swoop in and fix faults ASAP.

Their marketing blurb describing it as:

Netflow is transforming the way road maintenance is performed in Victoria, using real-time data on the condition of the network to employ maintenance strategies that minimise disruption and maximise whole-of-life value.

This more efficient maintenance program is resulting in an average of one road per week being resurfaced.

The core of Netflow’s whole-of-life maintenance solution is the central Network Delivery Hub.

The 24/7 hub monitors the performance of the network in real time, providing a seamless interface with the Department of Transport, local councils and other third parties to implement dynamic-scheduled works, keep communities informed, predict and prevent issues, and coordinate timely responses to incidents.

The use of vehicle-mounted street scanning technology, drones, 3D modelling and physical inspections allow Netflow to schedule preventative maintenance and reduce road closures.

This whole-of-life approach provides best-in-class maintenance of the road network at a lower cost.

Meanwhile for every other road in Victoria, the government just keeps kicking the can down the road, because they aren’t accountable to anyone.

So why not keep doing it

If the Western Roads Upgrade project was so successful in getting rid of potholes, why doesn’t the government do more upgrades like this? Turns out the private companies behind it lost money by underbidding.

The Andrews government’s $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade has stalled after a key subcontractor walked off the job with just $920 remaining in its accounts, leaving other subcontractors millions of dollars out of pocket.

The Sunday Age can also reveal the head contractor on the project, South-African headquartered and Perth-based WBHO, has reported $133 million in losses after it admitted to under-bidding to win the work, and its executive chairman, Louwtjie Nel, conceded the project was the company’s “biggest error in 50 years”.

WBHO’s main subcontractor, little known western suburbs-based civil engineering firm Civilink, quit in August and has gone into liquidation, owing creditors at least $13 million.

And so the tender process on the South Eastern Roads Upgrade Project and Northern Roads Upgrade Project were terminated in July 2020 – replaced by the $2.2 billion Suburban Roads Upgrade to be delivered as 12 individual projects by a pre-qualified panel in an approach modelled on the Level Crossing Removal Project.

Footnote: digging into the legalese

The full details of the public–private partnership can be found in the “Outer Suburban Arterial Roads Program – Western Package” Project Deed.

For a start, look at the corporate structure.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety on behalf of the Crown in right of
the State of Victoria
(State)

Netflow OSARS (Western) Pty Ltd as trustee for Netflow OSARS (Western) Unit Trust for and on behalf of the Netflow OSARS (Western) Partnership and Cintra OSARS (Western) Pty Ltd as trustee for Cintra OSARS (Western) Unit Trust for and on behalf of the Netflow OSARS (Western) Partnership (Project Co)

And it’s contractors, investors and financiers all the way down.

D&C contractor

The D&C contractor is WBHO Infrastructure Pty Ltd. Project Co has appointed the D&C contractor to design and construct the eight Arterial Road Upgrades and the Initial Rehabilitation Works.

Significant subcontractors

The D&C contractor has appointed the following significant subcontractors to deliver elements of the Arterial Road Upgrades:
• Ace Infrastructure Pty Ltd;
• Civilex Victoria Pty Ltd; and
• Winslow Constructors Pty Ltd

Contracts with other subcontractors are expected to be executed shortly.

Equity investors

The following entities have committed to provide the equity required for Project Co:
• Plenary Investments (Western OSARS) Pty Ltd
• Cintra OSARs Western Ltd

Financiers (long term)

The following entities have provided the long term debt required for the Project:
• DB Life Insurance Co. Ltd.
• Pensionskasse Des Bundes Publica
• Samsung IFM Global Infrastructure Debt Professional Investment Private Investment Trust No. 1
• Manulife Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited
• Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America

Financiers (short term)
The following entities have committed to provide the short term debt required for the Project:
• Westpac Banking Corporation
• Bank of China Limited
• Mizuho Bank, Ltd
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited

VicRoads gives this as their justification for completing the upgrade as a public–private partnership.

A range of procurement options that are typically considered for high-value road construction projects were assessed based on their suitability and value for money drivers in reference to the specific characteristics of the Western Roads Upgrade. The following four procurement options were shortlisted on the basis that they represented models currently in use and have a history of utilisation by VicRoads or other State agencies:

• design and construct;
• alliance;
• design, build and maintain; and
• design, build, finance and maintenance (availability-based PPP).

Following a procurement options assessment of the shortlisted procurement options, the availability based PPP delivery model was the highest ranked procurement option. This option was recommended, and subsequently approved by the State, for delivery of the Project.

The key considerations in recommending an availability-based PPP model are summarised below.

• The model provides increased opportunity for the State to harness private sector innovation and structure a contract that incentivises whole-of-life efficiencies to arterial road investment.
• The bundling of construction and maintenance tasks under a long-term agreement (subject to vigorous competition) can drive efficiency in delivery and asset management. Introducing private finance also provides additional discipline and scrutiny of risk (for example, financier due diligence and oversight). The PPP model can also be expected to deliver improved and more consistent road asset conditions under a PPP commercial structure involving an appropriate KPI and abatement regime.
• On a ‘whole-of-life’ cost comparison basis, PPPs have been documented to deliver better value for money outcomes as compared to traditional contracting delivery methods (separate, unbundled contracts) and have been successfully deployed across a range of sectors (including roads) in Victoria. These benefits are not only limited to cost savings but also include improved and more consistent road asset conditions. A focus on longer term, ‘whole-of-life’ contracting also incentives private sector innovation in terms of how best to maintain the asset over the term in the most cost effective and efficient manner.

Prior to the release of an invitation for EOI, a market sounding of the relevant industry, including sponsors, contractors, road maintenance providers and financiers, was undertaken. The feedback from this process supported the State’s selection of a PPP model to deliver the Project and achieve the State’s objectives.

Along with a calculation of the ‘Public Sector Comparator’ that they used to argue that a PPP saved the government money.

The Public Sector Comparator is an estimate of the hypothetical, risk adjusted, whole-of-life cost of the Project if delivered by the State. The PSC is developed in accordance with the output specification and risk allocation proposed for the private sector party arrangement and is based on the most likely and efficient form of conventional (that is, non-PPP) delivery by the State.

The PSC is expressed in terms of the net present cost (NPC) to the State, calculated using a discounted cash flow method taking full account of the costs and risks that would arise through State delivery. The PSC includes amounts for the design and construction of Arterial Road Upgrades and Initial Rehabilitation Works, as well as maintenance and lifecycle and other costs during the Maintenance Phase of the Project.

The PSC is made up of a number of elements as contained in Table 7.

Components of the PSC	NPC ($millions)
Arterial Road Upgrades and Initial Rehabilitation Works (construction costs)	$ 622
Maintenance and lifecycle costs	$ 438
Raw PSC	$ 1,060
Transferred risk	$ 100
Proposal Comparable PSC	$ 1,160

The quantitative value for money assessment, as demonstrated by the estimated savings between the Proposal Comparable PSC and the final Proposal is shown in Table 8.

Public Sector Comparator (NPC – $millions)	$ 1,160
Final Proposal (NPC– $millions)	$ 1,133
Estimated savings (%)	2.3%

Something much easier to understand is the scope – divided up into three objectives:

Arterial Road Upgrades (ARU)

The design, construction and financing of eight ARUs in Melbourne’s west during the Initial Phase, consisting of:

• The duplication of Dunnings Road between Point Cook Road and Palmers Road and the duplication of Palmers Road between Dunnings Road and Overton Road;
• The duplication of Palmers Road between Overton Road and Boundary Road and Robinsons Road between Boundary Road and the Western Freeway including the realignment of Palmers Road across Sayers Road;
• The duplication of Derrimut Road between Sayers Road and Dohertys Road;
• The duplication of Leakes Road between Fitzgerald Road and Derrimut Road;
• The duplication of Dohertys Road between Fitzgerald Road and Grieve Parade;
• The duplication of Dohertys Road between Foundation Road and Palmers Road;
• The duplication of Forsyth Road between Old Geelong Road and Wallace Avenue, including the re-alignment of Forsyth Road and Old Geelong Road; and
• The replacement of the existing Duncans Road Bridge over the Princes Freeway West and the addition of westerly (or Geelong) orientated ramps.

Initial Rehabilitation Works

Improvement works on road pavements and structures within the Maintenance Network during the Initial Phase to meet service standards.

Maintenance Services

Delivery of maintenance and lifecycle services (routine and periodic) within the Maintenance Network during the Maintenance Phase.

As are the key performance indicators Project Co is required to meet.

The KPIs set out in the KPI Summary of this Annexure B are separated into 7 categories, being:
1. Inspections;
2. Response;
3. Compliance;
4. Pavement performance;
5. Structures performance;
6. Reporting; and
7. Safety.

Which then explodes into an enormous level of detail regarding the Project Scope and Delivery Requirements (PSDR).

1.1 Hazard Inspection
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that safety inspections are carried out in accordance with the safety inspections requirements set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards.

1.2 Defect Inspection
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that inspections are carried out in accordance with the defect inspections requirements set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards.

1.3 Structure Condition Inspection
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that inspections are carried out in accordance with the condition inspections requirements set out in section 8.2(b)(i)(B) of Part F7 and section 8.3(b)(ii) of Part F7 of the PSDR and the Code of Maintenance Standards.

2.1 Hazard Response
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that the hazard response, from the time Project Co identifies a hazard by inspection or receives notification from the State or VicRoads of a hazard to the time the hazard is rectified by Project Co, is compliant with the requirements set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards.

2.2 Defect Response
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that the Defect response, from the time Project Co identifies a Defect by inspection or receives notification from the State or VicRoads of a Category A and/or a Category B Defect to the time the Defect is rectified by Project Co.

2.3 Emergency Response
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that the emergency response, from the time Project Co receives notification from the State or VicRoads of an Emergency Event to the time the Emergency Event is responded to by Project Co.

3.1 Code of Maintenance Standards
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that all activities (to the extent not already captured under KPI items 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3) set out in the Code of Maintenance Standards, under items RM411 to RM416 and RM611 to 613 and RM 615 identified in the Table 750.H11 -Routine Maintenance Intervention Criteria and Response are completed in accordance with the requirements set out in the section 7 of Part F7 of the PSDR.

3.2 Forecast Maintenance and Refurbishment Plan
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that all activities set out in the Forecast Maintenance and Refurbishment Plan are completed in accordance with that plan (as updated and reviewed by the State in accordance with the Review Procedures on an annual basis to reflect the condition monitoring of Project Assets).

3.3 Communications and Community Relations Plan During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure that all activities set out in the Communications and Community Relations Plan are completed in accordance with that plan.

And into the gory details of road surface quality.

4.1 Roughness – Network based
During the Maintenance Phase (Initial), Project Co must ensure roughness limits set out in section 8.2(a)(ii) of Part F7 of the PSDR, are as a minimum achieved for pavement on the Project Roads.

4.2 Rutting – Network based
During the Maintenance Phase (Initial), Project Co must ensure rutting limits set out in section 8.2(a)(iii) of Part F7 of the PSDR, are as a minimum achieved for pavement on the Project Roads.

4.2.1 Rutting – Pavement Reporting Section based
During the Maintenance Phase (Full) an individual KPI Incident will occur for each 100m lane section of any Pavement Reporting Section failing to meet these requirements as set out in section 8.3(a)(iii)(B) of Part F7 of the PSDR.

5.1 Structures Performance
During the Maintenance Phase (Initial) in relation only to Existing Structural Assets, Project Co must ensure that Existing Structural Assets are operating at their designed load, speed, and availability levels with no restrictions applied, in accordance with the requirements set out in section 8.2(b)(i)(A) of Part F7 of the PSDR.

Submitting paperwork.

6.1 Asset Management System Availability
During the Maintenance Phase, Project Co must ensure the Asset Management System is available to the State and VicRoads, in accordance with the requirements set out in section 1 of Part D of the PSDR.

7.1 General Reporting
During the Initial Phase, Project Co must submit Monthly Development Phase Progress Reports and the Monthly Maintenance Phase Performance Reports in accordance with the Deed.

And finally – Safety.

8.1 Safety
During the Initial Phase and Maintenance Phase, an individual Safety KPI Incident is an Event for incidents which result in a Lost Time Injury (LTI), Total and Permanent Disability or Fatality to any employee, or contractor, or consultant of Project Co or its contractors or sub-contractors in connection with the performance of the Services or Works.

at least they’ve created a lot of email jobs along the way.

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In the beginning

The story starts back in December 2005, with the introduction of the VLocity trains to the V/Line fleet. Each set consisted of two carriages seating a total of 140 passengers, with a drivers cab at each end. For the peak hour express trains on the Geelong line, they would coupled together three units to make a six car train.

We then saw a politically motivated 20% cut in V/Line fares in 2007, resulting in an explosion in patronage, especially on the Geelong line.

One response to this was the ordering of additional trains for V/Line, who saw their first three-car long VLocity set enter service in August 2008.

But with patronage still growing and suburban and V/Line trains sharing the tracks out of Melbourne, running more services on the Geelong line wasn’t an option. But V/Line had another solution – 7-car long VLocity train, made up of two 2-car sets with a 3-car set.

These trains were introduced to the Geelong line in November 2008 and ran until June 2015, when Geelong trains commenced using the new Regional Rail Link tracks, and the last of the 2-car VLocity trains had been extended to be three cars along.

So what next?

As early as 2011 V/Line knew longer trains would be required – their ‘Initial Strategic Operations Plan’, obtained by the Greens under the Freedom of Information Act, says the following:

V/Line anticipates that by this point in time (2018) a high capacity style DMU will be required for Geelong services. It is expected that these trains would operate in 8- or 9-car consists and would each be able to carry 750 – 800 customers. It is expected that the eight peak hour services would be operated with the high capacity DMUs.

And the Regional Rail Link project also included provision for these longer trains – providing 250 metre long platforms at Footscray, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale stations to cater for a hypothetical nine car long train, made up of three 3-car sets.

But for some unknown reason, they decided only only build a 190 metre long platform at Sunshine, despite plenty of space at the city end for a 250 metre long one.

But in 2016 the State Government’s focus switched to a ‘high capacity next generation regional train’ – from the PTV website:

High capacity next generation regional trains

The 2016-17 State Budget includes $10 million in development funding for High-Capacity Next Generation Regional Rolling Stock to cater for the future needs of regional Victoria.

A next generation high capacity regional train will be commissioned in the coming years to cater for strong patronage growth and provide new peak services.

With V/Line saying in 2017 that nine car trains are possible, but won’t be happening any time soon – from the Geelong Advertiser.

Nine-carriage V/Line trains possible, but no plans for Geelong line yet
23 October 2017

The boss of the regional rail network has admitted for the first time nine-carriage trains on the Geelong line are a possibility.

Potential for a mega-train carrying more than 660 passengers comes after calls from commuters and rail experts to reduce peak-time overcrowding on the line.

But while James Pinder said a nine-carriage train was possible, he said it was not a current priority.

Mr Pinder said V/Line’s priority was bolstering its fleet from three to six-carriage trains.

“The (VLocity) train is capable of running in a nine-car configuration. (To run nine-carriage trains) it becomes an issue around infrastructure and number of vehicles (available),” he said.

“We don’t currently have any plans to run nine-car ser­vices. To run large numbers of nine-car services we would have to have a look at (increasing) platform lengths.”

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the Public Transport Minister did not say if the Government was considering introducing nine-carriage trains on the regional network.

The Geelong Advertiser under­stands platforms at Geelong station are long enough for nine-carriage trains — which could open the possibility for Geelong to Melbourne express trains.

Platforms at other smaller stations on the line would need to be extended for a stopping-all-stations Waurn Ponds to Southern Cross train.

Mr Pinder said nine-­carriage trains did not run across the V/Line network at present.

And they finally happen

On Sunday 21 June 2020 V/Line ran their first nine car VLocity train on the mainline, taking it from Southern Cross Station to Wyndham Vale and back to test their operation, as well as platform clearances.

Sunshine station being the sticking point.

The last one and 1/2 carriages fouling the junction when the front was stopped at the city end of platform 3.

Or sticking out in front after the rear of the train was brought onto the platform.

These tests were then followed in July 2021 by more testing, this time between Ballarat and Lal Lal, which doesn’t see any V/Line passenger services run along it.

ThebusofdoomFSX video

But it took another year for the first nine car train to take passengers – following the 30 May 2022 timetable change.

Passengers in Melbourne’s west now have more space on selected peak services with 9-car VLocity trains running to and from Wyndham Vale Station for the first time.

The longer trains, which have the highest-capacity of any regional commuter train in Victoria, will boost capacity by 50% cent on the busiest part on the V/Line network.

The new 9-car services will run each weekday, with 1 in the morning peak starting at Wyndham Vale and 2 in the evening peak departing from Southern Cross.

As well as improving capacity, the 9-car trains also provide more doors for boarding, reducing crowding in corridors particularly in peak periods.

Platforms will also be extended at Sunshine Station to allow nine-car VLocity trains to stop there in the future.

But due to the short platforms, these nine car services had to run express through Sunshine, as well as Deer Park.

Extending the platforms at Sunshine

With level crossing removal works at Deer Park station regularly closing the Geelong and Ballarat lines, V/Line took the opportunity to finally extend the platforms at Sunshine. In March 2023 the piled foundations were installed.

The real work kicking off in April, with assembly of the steel platform supports.

And pouring of the concrete deck.

They then left the completed section of platform fenced off for a month.

The nine car trains still having to skip the stop.

Until May, when they decided to take down the fence between new and old.

And the introduction of a new timetable from 28 May 2023 adding a stop at Sunshine to the nine car Wyndham Vale services.

However in recent months I haven’t seen a nine car train run – possibly due to a shortage of VLocity railcars following the retirement of the H set locomotive hauled carriage fleet.

And so they choose to cut down a nine car train to six cars, than a six car train to three.

And now to Melton?

In May 2021 the State Government announced that funding would be provided to allow nine car VLocity trains to run to Melton, a promise repeated in October 2022.

And reiterated yet again in March 2024.

The Melton level crossing removal works will help introduce larger nine-car VLocity trains as part of the $650 million Melton Line Upgrade, increasing capacity for passengers by 50 per cent and creating 1,000 jobs during construction – while making roads safer and less congested for pedestrians.

To support the introduction of nine car trains, a new train stabling facility is being investigated at Cobblebank where trains could be stored when they are not operating, further supporting local jobs in construction and ongoing maintenance.

But look at what else was happening at the same time – a brand new station at Deer Park was opened in April 2023, with platforms only 215 metres long – half a carriage (10 metres) too short!

That flew under the radar until August 2024, when the State Opposition gave a media drop to the Herald Sun, and then it was all over the news.

Footnote: it’s not just platform length

The new platform extensions at Sunshine also happen to be ~100mm higher than the existing platforms.

This happens to be a new platform height standard, which was also used at Deer Park station – and happens to be incompatible with the outward swinging plug doors fitted to V/Line’s Sprinter railcars.

And so those trains are banned from stopping at the new platforms.

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Regional Rail Link

Yes, more Regional Rail Link this month! First off, a V/Line train headed over the newly upgraded North Melbourne flyover bound for Southern Cross, avoiding the suburban trains down below.

The sharp curves catching V/Line unaware a few years later, when almost the entire VLocity train fleet was withdrawn from service due to wheel wear issues.

At Footscray the upgraded station was open to passengers, with the forecourt to Irving Street nicely landscaped.

And restoration work underway on the heritage listed station buildings.

There were also works happening in the background – a new traction power substation was under construction, so that extra suburban services could use the track capacity freed up by giving V/Line trains their own route into the city.

But despite the infrastructure upgrades, little use was made of the extra capacity – by 2018 only half of the extra capacity was being used.

And still on the trains

I photographed a slice of the past out at Beaconsfield, where the 1950s-era overhead wiring and traction power tie station was still in place. It’s all since been replaced by a modern power supply as part of the work to support the rollout of High Capacity Metro Trains to the Pakenham line.

At Flagstaff station I found a set of defective myki gates under repair – presumably from being smashed open by a fare evader.

While over at Southern Cross were Authorised Officers in their new military-style vests, looking out for the next person trying the same trick.

On the trams

A decade ago City Circle trams were still in the maroon and gold livery, and the ‘shard’ at Federation Square had yet to be demolished for the Metro Tunnel entrance.

The original Z1 class trams were also still running down Swanston Street, with only two doors per side and dinky little sliding windows.

East Preston Depot was still open to serve the high floor B2 class trams used on route 11 and 86 – all since replaced by the low floor E class trams based out of ‘New’ Preston Depot.

While testing of the new E class trams was still continuing – I found one at the route 57 terminus in West Maribyrnong on a late night test run.

Meanwhile on Collins Street, things were going backwards – passengers having to step up to trams from street level.

The platform stops closed so they could be dug up and raised to current standards, despite only being a decade old.

Buses

Transdev had taken over from National Bus, but the transition into the new PTV colour scheme was going in fits and starts.

While route 286 through the back streets of Blackburn was removed, but then a few months later, reintroduced as route 271.

Another changed bus stop can be found at Melbourne Airport – the route 901 service to Broadmeadows and eventually Frankston once stopped outside Qantas terminal T1.

But these days it’s hidden at the far end of the ‘Ground Transport Hub’, a long walk from terminal 4.

And something different

My next stop at Melbourne Airport a decade ago was Brisbane.

Catching a train from Brisbane Airport into the city.

To Roma Street – the Brisbane Transit Centre since demolished for the Cross River Rail project.

While I was in town, I photographed some of their first generation EMU trains.

The Merivale Bridge.

And buses on the network of Brisbane City Council operated busways.

Which include underground bus stations.

Passengers boarding buses from air conditioned platforms.

But the reason for my visit was a trip on The Sunlander.

A locomotive hauled sleeping train that ran from Brisbane to Cairns until December 2014.

When I woke up the next day, we were well into cane country.

But the trip north is a long one – not arriving into Cairns until that evening.

While in Cairns I rode the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway up to Kuranda, and with some lucky timing spotted a Kuranda-bound train stopped at Barron Falls.

After lunch, it was time to head to Kuranda station, where I found a signal box still in service.

And caught the Kuranda Scenic Railway back down the range to Cairns.

Unfortunately I didn’t have time for the four day journey on the Savannahlander, but I did see it arrive back into Cairns.

But it was time to fly home via Sydney – my plane passing over the Hawkesbury River railway bridge on our descent.

The Inner West Light Rail

And a Pacific National container train shunting the freight yard at Cooks River.

Time to change planes, and soon enough I was back in Melbourne – greeted at the airport luggage claim by propaganda for the Napthine Government’s East West Link, CityLink Tulla Widening, and an unfunded Melbourne Airport Rail Link.

A decade on we’ve gotten the west half of the East West Link, the Tullamarine Freeway has been widening, and airport rail – still talking.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Welcome to the New South Wales EPA

In the state of New South Wales rail operators are required to hold an Environment Protection Licence issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority. The licence for interstate rail freight is held by the Australian Rail Track Corporation, in their role as track access provider.

But the licence includes restrictions on the classes of locomotive allowed to operate on the ARTC network in New South Wales.

L2 Noise limits

Note: It is an objective of this Licence to progressively reduce noise impacts from railways systems activities to the noise level goals of 65 dB(A)Leq, (day and evening time from 7am – 10pm), 60 dB(A)Leq, (night time from 10pm – 7am) and 85dB(A) (24 hr) max pass-by noise, at one metre from the facade of affected residential properties.

The licensee must obtain approval from the EPA prior to permitting operation on the “premises” of:

1. a class or type/model of locomotive, whether new or existing, that is not included in Condition E2; or
2. a locomotive that has been substantially modified since it was last used on the licenses premises.

A new class of locomotive type/model previously approved under Condition L2 may be brought onto the rail network without further approval provided that it is consistent with that type/model and EPA is notified at least 7 days in advance. Condition E2 will then be updated at the next opportunity.

Note: EPA approval for a new locomotive will be granted on the basis of compliance with the locomotive noise limits in Condition L2.5, L2.6 and L2.7 and will require submission of noise test results from a representative number of locomotives from that class or type/model.

A schedule of approved locomotives also appears, their inclusion via different approval paths:

• Locomotives which operated into New South Wales before the 1980s are permitted as they were “introduced prior to approval process”,
• Locomotives introduced during the 1990s were “approved under previous legislation”,
• Newer locomotives from the 2000s have underwent a EPA class approval process,
• And the modern plague of Downer EDI Rail GT46C ACe and UGL Rail C44aci locomotives are type approved, so their different class designations don’t matter from an EPA perspective.

But for rail freight operators there is still a stumbling block – encountered by interstate locomotives that never operated into New South Wales before the EPA rail noise regulations were introduced.

Enter the Queensland Railways 2800 class

The Queensland Railways 2800 class are diesel locomotives introduced in 1995 to run freight trains on the narrow gauge network in Queensland.

Photo by Pytomelon87, via Wikimedia Commons

But from 2003 Queensland Rail expanded interstate as QR National, and decided to put one of the 2800 class onto standard gauge.

But there was a problem – the locomotive didn’t meet NSW noise standards, despite noisier locomotives already being permitted under the legacy approval path.

Aurizon (formerly QR National) initially applied to operate the 2800 class locomotives in NSW in 2006. This initial application was made for the locomotive using the original (as-supplied) transition muffler and coffin muffler. At this time, permission to operate in NSW was refused on the basis of noise emissions.

Subsequently, modifications were made to the transition muffler, improving its performance, and Aurizon again applied to the EPA for permission to operate this class in early 2012. The locomotive was again refused permission to operate by the NSW EPA on the basis of low-frequency noise emissions.

So modifications were made to the exhaust – and the test passed.

The EPA has subsequently approved this locomotive class (rebadged as the 3200 class) for use in NSW, stating that “Based on the information provided, the EPA considers that the noise performance of the 3200 class locomotive is consistent with current best practice in NSW.”

With the three modified locomotives now able to operate in NSW.

And the one-off diesel GML10

GML10 is a one-of-a-kind diesel locomotive, built in 1990 for the Goldsworthy Mining Company to operate iron ore trains in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

J Joyce photo via Rail Heritage WA

In 1994 it was sold to Comalco to operate on their bauxite railway at Weipa in Queensland, then sold again in 2009 to Australian Locolease who resold it to Qube Logistics, who operate it on standard gauge freight trains across Australia.

But there was a problem – GML10 had never operated in New South Wales to be approved under the legacy approval path, and as a one-off locomotive, going through the onerous noise approval testing process doesn’t make financial sense.

So Qube’s solution – drag the locomotive dead attached through New South Wales.

A waiver to the published conditions in the ARTC Train Operating Conditions Manual is granted for the movement of GML10 from Broken Hill to Albury via Parkes and Junee ARTC network in NSW. GML10 to be dead hauled at all times.

Or turn off the locomotive before it crosses the border into NSW, and park it in the yard at Albury!

A tactic that bit Qube on their behind in 2017, when a failed train had to be rescued, and GML10 was the only locomotive available to assist.

As a result, Qube sought special permission from ARTC to operate the locomotive over the 2500 metres from the NSW/Victoria border into Albury yard.

A waiver to the conditions of the ARTC TOC Manual is issued for the movement of Locomotive GML10 from the Vic/NSW border into Albury yard under its own power.

Locomotive GML10 is required to be attached to a disabled grain train in Albury. There is no other practical method of movement.

Conditions of movement:

1. The engine of GML10 shall be run for the minimum practical time to SAFELY complete the relocation movement.
2. The movement shall be completed using power setting no greater than notch 2.
3. Movement shall be carried out in daylight hours, 0800 – 1800, to minimize impact on receptors.
4. Once attached to the train GML10 shall be shut down and hauled past the border prior to restarting.
5. Conditions of TOC Waiver 15113 shall re-apply after this movement is complete.

A comical situation, especially given unmodified diesel locomotives from the 1950s are allowed through New South Wales making as much noise as they please.

Footnote: the Border Railway Act

Another complexity on rail noise regulations is the broad gauge railway that crosses the Murray River at Echuca and continues north to Deniliquin in New South Wales.

The railway is operated as an extension of the Victorian rail network.

And is governed by the 1922 Border Railways Acts, with New South Wales passing control of the railway to Victoria.

Control and management of certain railways by Government of Victoria

The Government of Victoria shall, subject to the agreement, have the right to control and manage any railway in New South Wales referred to in the agreement, and the Victorian Authority may, in respect of such control and management, exercise all the powers which are by law conferred on the Victorian Authority in respect of railways in the State of Victoria.

Including what I see is authority to power to set their own rail noise regulations.

Schedule 1 The Agreement

The Government of New South Wales undertakes to vest in the Government of Victoria any authority necessary to sanction the working of any railway or railways under this Agreement in New South Wales territory, including collection and enforcement of fares and freights, and the vesting of the control and management of the lines in the State of Victoria.

So presumably a new-build broad gauge diesel locomotive could operate on the Deniliquin line without issue – assuming one was actually built!

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Regional Rail Link

These has been an ongoing theme for many months now, but ten years ago Regional Rail Link was nearing the finishing line – the finishing touches were being applied to the new platforms at Footscray.

And the site offices were being cleared away.

The road under rail grade separation on the Sunbury line at Anderson Road was open to traffic.

Noise walls were going up beside the existing railway line around Ardeer.

And the new railway through Wyndham Vale.

Wyndham Vale station looked ready for trains.

But the street entrance was boarded up – the first train was still a year away.

V/Line trains still sharing the suburban tracks into North Melbourne station.

But Ballarat trains were snaking across the new tracks to use the new country platforms at Sunshine station.

Flinders Street Station

Metro Trains Melbourne was more interested in making money at Flinders Street Station than running trains.

Leasing the site of the long abandoned platform 11 for the construction of a bar.

With views of the Yarra River.

The station also gained a massive video wall on the concourse, screening an endless loop of advertisements.

They didn’t stop until 25 November 2022, where an activist covered it with paint, shutting it down until June 2023 when a replacement screen was installed.

Southern Cross Station

V/Line’s fleet of A class diesel locomotives were still in frontline service a decade ago.

While the western end of Southern Cross Station was a much brighter place.

But not for long – work on the 699 Bourke Street development atop the station was underway.

The work supposedly the reason for the failed lighting above the platforms, which has never been fixed.

New signalling

The Kensington Racecourse Essendon Signaling Project (KRESP) was wrapped up on the Craigieburn line.

The old signalling equipment placed trackside waiting collection.

The project enabled the retirement of the 1885 signal box at Flemington Racecourse, 1918 signal frame at Kensington, and 1969 signal panel at Essendon.

Trams

The last of the Z1 class trams were still in revenue service, but apprantly not too reliable – this one was being followed by mechanics onboard tram recovery truck ‘R10’.

And motorists were having trouble figuring out the bike lanes on Swanston Street – like this wanker driving a BMW through the tram stop at A’beckett Street.

While at the nearby State Library tram stop was the aftermath of an even less competent driver.

And new liveries

June 2014 was the first V/Line train painted into the new PTV ‘shard’ livery – VLocity railcar 3VL40.

The shiny new colors a contrast to the faded livery the rest of the VLocity fleet was then wearing.

The move to PTV colors had also started on Melbourne’s bus fleet, with Westrans moving away from their corporate livery, before their eventual rebranding as part of CDC Melbourne.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Some history

V/Line’s ‘H’ type carriage sets were originally built as ‘Harris’ suburban trains back in the 1950s.

SLV image H31188. Photographer unknown. Undated but circa 1956 to 1968.

In the 1980s the decision was made to refurbish the aging Harris trains, bringing them up to the same standards as the air conditioned Comeng suburban trains then being delivered.

Weston Langford photo

However the additional weight of the upgraded equipment and expense of asbestos removal from the bodyshells saw the economics of the program compared to the purchase of additional Comeng trains, so the refurbishment program was abandoned.

Instead, it was decided to convert the Harris trains into the ‘H’ type locomotive hauled carriages for the use on V/Line services to destinations such as Bacchus Marsh, Kyneton, Sunbury, Seymour and Leongatha.

Image via Wikipedia

A role they continued in throughout the 2000s.

The delivery of the new VLocity railcars from 2005 was intended to allow the retirement of the H sets.

But the increase in patronage thank to the Regional Fast Rail project and a 20% cut to V/Line fares saw the aging carriages retained and refurbished from 2007.

And refurbished for a third time from 2020.

But then just a few years later V/Line decided they were were done with the H sets, and in December 2023 H sets were withdrawn from services to Bacchus Marsh.

And the surplus carriage sets were sent to Echuca for storage, where they were quickly vandalised.

Video by ‘Rail Australia’

The last day

On 2 February 2024 the last two H sets were retired from service, their runs to Geelong being taken over by VLocity railcars.

I started my day at 5 am, catching the first train of the day down to Geelong.

There I found diesel locomotive N456 already coupled up to carriage set SLH33.

Ready to shunt it out of the sidings.

And into platform 2.

To form the 7:23 am service to Melbourne

I opted to catch an earlier service to Lara, so I could photograph it’s arrival.

And then ride it though to Melbourne.

On arrival at Southern Cross, N456 ran around the carriages, as shunter Y163 pushed the carriages back into platform 4.

Where the carriage set was stabled for the day.

The last run?

It was the turn of N468 to lead carriage set SLH33 back to Geelong that evening – I caught the train from Sunshine.

And went through to Geelong.

Geelong’s resident shunter Y129 arrived soon after to collect the carriage set.

Pulling the set out of platform 3.

And in a bizarre touch for something being retired – they sent it through the train wash!

And then stabled it in the sidings.

And the actual last run

Turns out V/Line had some late running that day, and the N set rostered to run a down Waurn Ponds service wasn’t available to run that service, so V/Line pulled carriage set SLH32 out of storage at Southern Cross, having withdrawn it from service the day before – and pressed it back into service.

So I climbed aboard it at Geelong.

For the short trip to Waurn Ponds.

On arrival the locomotive was uncoupled from the carriages.

And ran around them via the main line.

N456 then coupled onto the Melbourne end.

And after an arriving VLocity train cleared the single track from Geelong.

Departed Waurn Ponds for the yard at Geelong.

The end for a train now over 65 years old.

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I pulled over to take a closer look, and found a car belong to SGS S.A. – a Swiss multinational company which provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services.

There was a piece of tripod mounted equipment labelled TIRTL on one side of the intersection.

And a second unit on the other side.

Also connected to an equipment box.

So what was it all for? The green thing labelled ‘TIRTL’ is actually a ‘The Infra-Red Traffic Logger‘ unit:

The transmitter sends two cones of infrared light across the roadway, and the receiver records vehicles as they break and remake these cones. TIRTL transmitter’s infrared cones cross each other and form two straight and two diagonal beam pathways.

When a vehicle crosses the beam pathways, TIRTL records two beam events; it records one from the vehicle breaking and one leaving the beam pathway. These two beams events are recorded for all four beam pathways. Thus, eight timestamped events are generated per axle. The velocity is derived from the timestamps of these beam events.

This velocity data is then compared with the velocity data calculated by the speed camera system itself, as part of the testing and maintenance procedures required under the Road Safety (General) Regulations 2019.

Quarterly:

– Speed accuracy and speed reliability testing
– Camera system asset inventory
– Camera system sensor evaluation

Which leads to the issuing of an annual test certificate for each camera.

Footnote: and another one

I’ve also found the speed and red light camera at the corner of Flinders Street and William Street undergoing testing.

Back in 20114 it was the speed camera which issued the most fines in Victoria, with 20,774 in one quarter. While in 2017 it claimed the dubious honour of Victoria worse location for motorists running red lights, with almost 2000 fines issued in one quarter.

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The back story

I first looked into how many railway stations that I’ve photographed back in 2015:

As of August 2015, I had taken a photograph at 167 of the 209 suburban railway station in Melbourne, leaving 42 which I have no proof of ever visiting – a strike rate of just under 80%.

However, those raw numbers were a little misleading, as my subject of my photos isn’t necessarily a train – as the graph below shows.

Confused?

Some explanation

Before collating the data around which stations I have taken a photo at, I never intentionally set out to photograph every railway station in Melbourne – instead I take photos of trains…

• when I think a particular location looks photogenic,
• when I hear about a steam train running,
• when I want to see V/Line and freight trains,
• when I realise I need a photo to illustrate a specific blog post,
• when I discover something is about to change and I don’t yet have a photo of it,
• when I decide to head out and photograph every ‘X’ item.

But the most common reason – I take photos of trains when I’m out and about doing other things.

The end result of this is a selection of photos across Melbourne that primarily covers the areas that I’ve passed through for work, study and visiting friends; with a particular focus on railway lines that see V/Line and freight services upon them; and leaving vast swathes of the city undocumented by my camera.

This also explains the stations where I have never photographed a suburban train at…

If a location is photogenic, I might take a photo of a train near the station when I’m in the area – but not bother visiting the station itself.

Alstom Comeng emerges from under the Jacana Flyover

Over the years I’ve travelled on a number of special trains around Melbourne – resulting in plenty of photos featuring steam and diesel trains in strange locations, but no photos of the suburban trains that normally run to said stations.

Diesel Electric Rail Motor RM58 at Upwey

When a weekend services run only every half hour, I don’t have time to wait around for the next train to show up – hence the stations where the only photo I have is of the station building.

Island platform at Ruthven station

And finally the ‘only substation’ category – I’ve been playing Pokemon with the substations that power Melbourne’s electric trains, and slowly photographing every example that I can find.

Traction power substation on the Mernda line at Reservoir

And the years since

In the end, the very act of determining how many stations I have photographed changed my attitude to photography, and in the years since 2015 I stepped up my efforts to take a photo at every railway station in Melbourne – and by December 2019 I was getting close.

But visiting the last few stations took until November 2021.

The station that marked the end of my quest – Parkdale, which received a special visit due to the upcoming level crossing removal works.

However I am yet to photograph a train at every Melbourne railway station – the following stations have slipped from my grasp due to their lack of frequent services:

• Moreland on the Upfield line, and
• Ruthven on the Mernda line.

And there are two stations I’ve only visited on a day that trains were being replaced by buses:

• Hampton and Gardenvale, both on the Sandringham line.

So how many years will it take until I find at train those last four stations?

Raw data

The raw data used for the above calculations as a Google spreadsheet.

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The story starts in 2019, when Melbourne-based bus body builder Volgren was building a prototype electric bus on an imported BYD K9 chassis.

In July 2019 Volgren completed the prototype of its first ever pure-electric bus, a product launch the company is describing as its most significant since it introduced the Optimus route bus in 2013.

The 12.2-metre vehicle is built on a BYD K9 electric bus chassis and features 324-kilowatt hours of battery capacity. It’s capable of travelling up to 300 kilometres on a single charge and will carry a total of 61 passengers; 39 seats and 22 standees, the company states.

Volgren has been investigating electric technology for more than five years and the prototype alone has involved 12 months of planning, research and engineering problem-solving, as well as partnership-building and discussion with BYD – not to mention the build itself.

There is a great deal of pride at Volgren that its first pure-electric vehicle body was not a brand new design, but a modified Optimus.

That’s not to say, however, that this project was merely a matter of Volgren placing its flagship product over BYD’s and getting the wiring right. Kearney explains that the electric vehicle body Volgren developed required a number of new parts, among them “…new moulded solutions for interior finish and fitout”, as well as “…the introduction of a roof-treatment package designed to better integrate the roof-mounted EV equipment into the vehicle”.

To understand how Volgren ensured these components – and the bus as a whole – worked precisely as it needed to, it’s best to go back to 2018.

“We began with some feasibility studies and reviews in early 2018, assessing the product layout, compliance with Australian Design Rules and other regulations, suitability for Australian customer specification and developing a preliminary understanding of the high-voltage systems and their integration,” Kearney said.

In June of that year the company sent two design engineers to China to attend ‘familiarisation training’ with BYD.

“This process also included a review of issues elicited through the feasibility study and the provision of design and product information from BYD to enable commencement of detailed design.”

Kearney says that for assistance with development of the aesthetic roof treatment they turned to Monash University’s Mobility Design Lab. It was a partnership Volgren knew it could count on, having worked with Monash University in the development of the Optimus Route Bus body earlier this decade.

A few months later the Victorian Government announcing an electric bus trial in conjunction with bus operator Transdev Melbourne.

Victoria’s first locally built, fully electric bus will soon begin carrying passengers on one of Melbourne’s busiest routes, thanks to a partnership between the Andrews Labor Government and Transdev.

The bus will run on Route 246 between Elsternwick and Clifton Hill via St Kilda before potentially being used across other inner Melbourne routes.

The body construction and fit out for the new bus was carried out in Dandenong by Volgren, supporting Victorian jobs and backing the local automotive industry to develop new capability and innovation.

The new zero-emission bus is fitted with 324 kWH of Lithium Phosphate batteries providing 300 kilometers of travel range.

The bus will be based at Transdev’s North Fitzroy depot where a charging station has been installed.

The trial will continue until January 2021 and will be reviewed to determine the potential to roll out fully electric buses across Victoria.

However the trial was the idea of Transdev Australasia and not the Victorian Government, as part of what they called ‘Project Aurora‘

The seeds for the company’s zero-emissions ambitions ‘Down Under’ were sown in 2019, following a phone call with Transdev Australasia’s chief engineer Marc Cleave and Volgren Australia.

Dandenong-based Volgren had recently commenced manufacture of its BYD-chassis prototype electric bus – a modified version of its popular Optimus model. For Transdev and Marc Cleave, now somewhat a veteran of the bus manufacturing scene, the call helped to ignite a vision for a zero-emissions fleet in Australia and New Zealand, helping to kick-start internal ‘Project Aurora’.

Transdev had pioneered zero-emissions electric and hydrogen fleets internationally, it says, but usage in the Australian and New Zealand market was still in relative infancy. From our international learnings we knew the value that zero emissions vehicles could add to our local fleets and contracts, which is why we acted quickly in developing Project Aurora.”

Armed with insights about what worked, Transdev quickly set about gathering a group of locally based suppliers to help realise the vision and bring the company’s first electric bus – ‘Aurora 1’ – to Melbourne in November, 2019.

Under Project Aurora, Transdev took delivery of its first new Volgren BYD Optimus electric bus and BYD charging infrastructure in November, 2019, with the bus going into service on Melbourne’s streets in December of that year, as part of a trial with Victoria’s Department of Transport.

The remaining four vehicles rolled off Volgren’s Dandenong production line in March, 2021, with one commencing service in Brisbane in April and three going into service in Sydney in May. Gala events were held in Dandenong, Brisbane and Sydney, with local authorities, stakeholders and industry to celebrate the launch of the new fleet.

Tessari says the commissioning of the Transdev fleet as part of Project Aurora was significant for the company.

Transdev Australasia funded three of the five vehicles delivered under Project Aurora. Transport for NSW directly funded two vehicles for Sydney, which Transdev procured on its behalf.

“We wanted to demonstrate zero-emissions technology by investing our own cash in it. It’s here now, and it’s the future now that we want to promote to government and show that public transport can be decarbonised,” Craig added.

The trial bus was given fleet number #3000 and registration plate BS05MR, with the first stage of the trial program commencing in December 2019 on route 246, followed by stage two in October 2020 on route 250, and stage three in May 2021 on route 903.

November 2021 also saw the electric bus receive special ‘Ride with Pride’ decals on the side.

But then bad news for Transdev Melbourne – in October 2021 it was announced that their bid for an extension of their Melbourne Bus Franchise contract had failed, and that a new operator would take over – Kinetic, parent company of Melbourne’s SkyBus service.

As a result, once the electric bus trial ended in October 2021, Transdev Melbourne withdrew the bus from their fleet, and sent up to Transdev NSW to join their fleet of four other electric buses operating in Sydney.

Video by NSW Transport on YouTube

Where it also lived a short life, being withdrawn from service in July 2023 and placed into storage.

The only consolation prize for Melbourne – Transdev’s successor Kinetic has to introduce 36 electric buses to their fleet by mid-2025.

Transit Systems in Melbourne’s west also purchasing electric buses.

Along with Sunbury Bus Service.

Ventura in Melbourne’s east.

And Mitchell Transit in Seymour.

But not much of an improvement over the massive order for 50 hybrid buses CDC Melbourne made back in 2019.

CDC Melbourne photo

Footnote: the gory details

History of Transdev’s trial electric bus #3000 from Australian Bus Fleet Lists:

Chassis Type:
BYD D9RA

Chassis No:
LC04S44S4J1000003

Body Manufacturer:
Volgren Optimus

Body No:
VG4899

Body Date:
9/19

Registered BS05MR:
16/12/2021

Transferred to Transdev NSW, and registered as m/o 8190:
24/04/2022

Withdrawn by 29/7/23 and placed in storage

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