On the train

Yes, still on the Regional Rail Link topic – Ballarat and Bendigo trains now had their own tracks through Footscray to Sunshine, along with their own next train displays located away from the ones showing suburban trains.

But for now Geelong line services were still running along the Werribee line. Here we see a N class locomotive hauled train passing through Williams Landing.

A VLocity train passing through Laverton station.

And another passing through the platforms at South Kensington.

Which then took the crossover at the city end of the station to access the new V/Line tracks towards Southern Cross.

Freight trains

A decade ago Pacific National still had the contract to transport grain by rail to the flour mill at Kensington. Southern Shorthaul Railroad won the contract in November 2017.

Meanwhile down at North Geelong Yard Pacific National was busy scrapping surplus wagons – the bulk of which once transport freight that has been lost to road.

Down around Geelong

The North Geelong B signal box was still hanging around a decade after it had been decommissioned in 2005, and surprisingly it hung around almost a decade longer – eventually being demolished in May 2022.

While down in Grovedale money was getting spent on Baanip Boulevard, with a new bridge being built over the railway to link the Geelong Ring Road to the Surf Coast Highway.

And down at North Shore even the dive of a station was getting some attention – new asphalt!

Ding ding on the trams

Remember the ‘Melbourne Star’ observation wheel? This tram was advertising it, before the operator went broke in 2021.

But a tourist icon that people actually patronised was the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant – it ran until 2018 when their restaurant trams were kicked off the Yarra Trams network due to safety concerns.

Another safety concern that is having to dodge cars to climb onboard tram at South Yarra station. The platform stop there wasn’t opened until 2021.

Another crappy tram stop was the one at La Trobe and Swanston Street – on this December afternoon it was overwhelmed by a crowd of RMIT graduates spilling out onto the road. Platform stops were not provided along La Trobe Street until July 2024.

And continuing on that theme, now we’re at Collins and Queen Street – closed in 2015 following completion of a new platform stop at Collins and William Street.

Another stop to close being the one for southbound route 96 passengers at the corner of Spencer and Flinders Street.

Works about to start on new platform stops at Batman Park a short distance to the south.

A few buses

A decade ago route 400 between Sunshine and Laverton was operated by plain white liveried buses – an artifact of the shared operation of the route between Westrans and Sita. Today the operations are now CDC Melbourne and Transit Systems, and the white buses are gone – they’re mostly PTV orange, with the exception of a few buses still in the old poo brown Sita corporate livery.

Another oddball bus was the British-built Optare Solos used on the SkyBus hotel shuttle service around the Melbourne CBD. Later branded as ‘SkyBus Link’, the service was discontinued in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, and never restored.

And the last bus is a Designline ‘bubble’ bus running on route 903 along Bell Street in Coburg.

Stuck in traffic waiting at the level crossing with the Upfield line – which was removed in June 2020.

Ticketing bits

Down in Geelong it was once possible to buy a ‘Short Term Ticket‘ from bus drivers rather than use a Myki card – an option removed in April 2013.

While in the lead up to the November 2014 election both parties promised to cap Melbourne suburban travel to zone 1 prices, and introduce the ‘Free Tram Zone’ in the CBD.

Both starting from 1 January 2015.

But don’t think they’re giving you something for nothing – PTV was simultaneously running yet another fare evasion campaign.

As well as promoting free travel on Christmas Day.

Car parking

What’s a worse use of prime CBD land than a ground level car park? This is the ‘Golden Square’ car park at 217 Lonsdale Street, which is still a car park today.

And this is the ‘Safe City Car Park’ at 132 Little Bourke Street in Chinatown – which has since been turned into a pop up event space.

And finally – a power station

Here we are at the main gate to Anglesea Power Station.

Located in the middle of the Anglesea Heathlands.

Next to a brown coal mine.

Opened back in 1969 to power Alcoa’s Point Henry smelter outside of Geelong, the smelter was closed down in July 2014 but the power station remained open pending a new owner, before it too was shut down in August 2015.

Footnote

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

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Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year came early in 2012 thanks to the wonders of the lunar calendar, and Melbourne’s Chinatown was the place to be.

Pedestrians taking over Little Bourke Street.

And the odd little gravel car park off Corrs Lane.

Real estate agents hunting for Asian investors were well represented at the market stalls.

As was Metro Trains Melbourne and Hong Kong parent MTR – at their stall you could spin the wheel and win a trinket.

There were also the traditional lion dances.

And the main event – the Dai Loong Dragon procession.

Followed by firecrackers being set off everywhere.

Including at Chinese restaurants along Swanston Street.

Leaving a trail of exploded crackers.

And phone calls to the fire brigade.

Parking their trucks as close as they could, then walking to site.

To confirm that it was really just a false alarm.

Myer Melbourne

Since I was also in the CBD, I swung past the Myer Melbourne redevelopment.

The former Lonsdale Street store on the way down.

Leaving a big hole behind.

And a web of scaffolding holding the up the facade.

The Emporium Melbourne shopping complex was then constructed inside the shell, opening in 2014.

New trains

Brand new X’Trapolis trains were rolling out of the Alstom workshops at Ballarat.

Where I found this train completed except for the front fairing.

New stations

A new railway station on the Cranbourne line at Lynbrook was well underway.

It opened to passengers a few months later in April 2012.

But out on the Ballarat line things were moving much more slowly at the site of Caroline Springs station – work being abandoned once the access road was completed.

Work was eventually restarted in 2015, with Caroline Springs station finally opening in 2017.

And the new Regional Rail Link

Footscray station was about to be transformed for the Regional Rail Link project.

A new plaza on Irving Street had just been completed, but needed to be demolished for the new pair of platforms.

While over at North Melbourne work was much more advanced.

Little used tracks in the former freight yard being ripped up to make for the new Regional Rail Link tracks.

But no platforms were provided.

And west of Werribee the standard gauge freight track had been slewed away from the V/Line tracks, to make room for a massive overpass at the future Manor Junction.

Scenes that have changed

I found this X’Trapolis train out at Lilydale, an otherwise unremarkable sight.

But today the scene has been completely transformed – a new elevated station occupying the site, constructed as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project.

A handful of ageing Hitachi trains were also still in service.

Providing a convenient view into the City Loop tunnels.

Until they were finally withdrawn from service in December 2013.

And another everyday scene – parked cars at Laverton station almost stretching as far as neighbouring Aircraft station.

Back then it was a money saving trick – Aircraft was the first station in zone 2, so by using Laverton station passengers could half their ticket costs – a situation which remained until fares were capped at zone 1 prices in 2015.

Trams go ding

Out at Footscray station a new platform stop was built at the route 82 terminus.

But a decade later it is yet to see a low floor tram.

However route 57 got lucky for a few days – air-conditioned B2 class trams were assigned to the route while track work was underway on Mt Alexander Road.

But some passengers missed out – these extra services terminated at the Maribyrnong River crossover.

And finally – ‘safety’ zones. This time around it wasn’t the one in Ascot Vale that’s been hit 14 times, but a much busier tram stop on William Street at Bourke Street.

Southern Cross Station

I’ve written about passenger congestion at Southern Cross Station before, and in 2012 the problem was the exit towards Collins Street and Docklands.

The ticket gates were overcrowded in morning peak.

And of an evening passengers spilled off the tram stop, trying to find a gap in traffic.

Only to find no kerb cut on the other side.

A situation that wasn’t fixed until 2014, when a proper pedestrian crossing was installed between station and tram stop.

Also at the south end of Southern Cross Station was these abandoned concrete deck above platforms 13 through 16.

Originally intended to be the base of an office tower, the space sat empty for a decade.

Until the 699 Bourke Street and 664 Collins Street office towers were built on the deck between 2013 and 2018.

On the road

A decade ago electric cars were a new fangled mode of transport, when I found a car belonging to the Victorian Government’s ‘Electric Vehicle Trial’.

The $5 million initiative was launched in October 2010 and ran until mid-2014.

More money for roads was the $759 million Peninsula Link freeway being built between Frankston and Moorooduc.

It opened to motorists in 2013.

While the poor cousin for transport on the Mornington Peninsula is the route 788 bus from Frankston to Portsea.

After being neglected for years, in 2021 route 788 received an increase in frequency, and in 2022 connecting bus routes were revamped.

And by the water

Down at Webb Dock I found the ‘Tasman Achiever’ ro-ro cargo ship being loaded for another trip across Bass Strait.

It was replaced in 2019 by the creatively named ‘Tasman Achiever II’.

Over the 2011-12 Christmas and New Year period Searoad Ferries was running a three vessel service between Queenscliff and Sorrento, so I headed down the peninsula for a ride on their original ferry – MV Peninsula Princess.

Today moored at Queenscliff, MV Peninsula Princess is still available for revenue service when the later ferries are in dry dock.

Footnote

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

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Spruiking an upcoming gig by British DJ ‘Mr. Scruff’ at 170 Russell – located at the corner of Russell and Little Bourke Streets in Melbourne – the cityscape featured in the poster was a dead ringer for the view outside the venue.

Both the Total Car Park and the Chinatown gateway arch feature in the foreground, along with the ‘Crystal Jade’ Chinese restaurant on the other corner, TAC House at 222 Exhibition Street at the rear left, and the Rydges Melbourne hotel at 186 Exhibition Street to the rear right.

As for the artist behind the poster, Wikipedia has this to say:

Mr. Scruff’s album and single cover art, music videos, merchandise and his official website are noted for their whimsical cartoonish look; the cartoons are drawn by Scruff himself, in what he calls “potato style”.

If only I could find a larger copy of said poster!

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Step right up: spin the wheel and win a gift! Fridge magnet? Shopping bag? Sticky notes? Shopping bag? Pen? Keychain? They’re all up for grabs!

Another free gift you could win were fortune cookies: I was hoping to find inside something a smart alec would say – along the lines of “your train will be delayed 15 minutes” – but instead it was just a boring safety message.

Also on hand were hundreds of helium filled balloons – just keep them away from the 1500 volt overhead!

Footnote

Over on Hong Kong MTR network, operated by the parent company of Metro, their Chinese New Year posters had the opposite message – no helium balloons.

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Breadtop is the young entrant in the market – they have a number of franchises around Melbourne and the rest of Australia, and their name and branding are a knockoff of the “BreadTalk” chain based in Singapore. Their Chinatown store is actually on Bourke Street, which isn’t the main part of Chinatown.

Around the corner is Maxim’s, the original and in my opinion the best Chinatown bakery. Located in Little Bourke Street near Russell Street, it’s been there for over 20 years, with some of my earliest childhood memories being of family trips to Melbourne for yum cha, followed by cakes from Maxim’s.

My favourite cakes are the cocktail buns, and the vanilla flavoured “paper wrapped cake” – both are Hong Kong staples.

The Maxim’s company is also from Hong Kong, where they have a store at virtually every station on the Mass Transit Railway (photo from Wikipedia.

I am unsure whether there are any links between the bakery in Melbourne and Maxim’s Hong Kong operation: they also seem to have a few more overseas stores. Back in the early 2000s I visited a Maxim’s in Sydney: it closed in 2006; and this music video video from The Go! Team suggests there is one somewhere in New York.

That logo takes me back 20 years, to the boxes of Maxim’s cakes we used to bring home from Melbourne…

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Yesterday was the first day of the Chinese Year of the Dog. And because of this, they had celebrations in Chinatown in Melbourne. Because where else would you hold it?

Just a small crowd…

The lion dances and the dragon are to scare away any evil sprits.

And finally, there was some light entertainment – a magic show, and a break dance crew.

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