A trip to Sydney

I decided to make the trip up to Sydney this month, catching the XPT north from Melbourne.

And being greeted by a light rail vehicle tram as soon as I arrived at Central Station.

I saw a double decker train the next day.

And presumably took some other photos up there, but they weren’t of trains – as I still haven’t uploaded them to my Flickr account.

Then then flew back home to Melbourne – to be greeted by a Myki visitors pack advertisement inside the Qantas terminal.

Along with a SkyBus one.

A decade on and the Myki machines at Melbourne Airport are just as hard to find, and SkyBus is still the only public transport route that runs from the airport to the CBD.

Melbourne Central

I also went on a tour of the Melbourne Central Tower this month, where we got to look out over the roof of Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, towards Myer House and Emporium.

But unfortunately we only got to look down on the glass cone, not look inside like some previous tours did.

Technology

It seems like an everyday scene now, but a decade ago seeing an entire tram full of passengers absorbed in their smartphones was still novel.

But Telstra was still behind the times – rollout out their ‘Telstra Air’ wifi hotspots to payphones, despite almost everyone having stacks of mobile data to use on their phone.

The Wi-Fi network is still in place today, but free since 2023.

Trams

‘Safety’ zone trams stops were still common place in the Melbourne CBD a decade ago – this one was on Collins Street at William Street.

This particular tram stop was replaced by a platform stop in June 2015, with the last safety zones in the CBD upgraded in July 2024. As for the rest of the tram network – the December 2022 deadline to make all tram stops accessible has been and gone, with hundreds still non compliant.

Meanwhile Yarra Trams was coming up with crackpot schemes like a coffee stall taking up precious space for passengers at the Flinders and Swanston Street stop.

Luckily that idea got kicked out very quickly.

A handful of 1970s-era Z1 class trams were also still kicking around the network, with their crappy little sliding windows and only two doors per side – despite having supposed to have been retired a decade earlier in favour of the incoming low floor C and D class trams, but kept on due to increasing patronage.

This particular tram – Z3.86 – was eventually retired in August 2015, following the delivery of the new E class trams.

A different flavour of stupidity are people who drive down Swanston Street – this driver managed to break down in the middle of the tram stop, and drum up help from passersby to get clear of the tracks.

While this confused country bumpkin headed up Swanston Street in their LandCruiser got pulled up by an unmarked police car, and got sent on their way.

And a decade on – nothing much has really changed.

V/Line trains

Here we see an original liveried VLocity train departing Richmond station for the city.

These days the entire VLocity fleet is in the PTV purple livery, the open air ramps at Richmond station are now roofed over, and Eureka Tower has been usurped by Australia 108 as the tallest building in Australia.

Down in Geelong I photographed a 6-car V/Line train approaching the brand new terminus station of Waurn Ponds.

Opened in October 2014, Waurn Ponds gained a second platform in 2022, and the 8 kilometers of track between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds has just been duplicated.

And a V/Line train in are more shocking condition was VLocity set VL12.

Involved in a collision on the Werribee line in August 2014 where a V/Line train passed a signal at stop and crashed into the rear of a Metro train, it had to be dragged to the workshops at Bendigo to be repaired.

The collision resulted in Metro trains rewriting the rules around passing a signal at stop, while VLocity VL12 reentered service in March 2015 as the only 2-car VLocity set to ever wear the PTV livery.

A load of rubbish

After the removal of rubbish bins from Melbourne stations due to the “increased terror alert level”, they all got dumped in a pile at Flinders Street Station.

And the average passenger responded as you might expect – like a filthy pig just leaving their rubbish on the ground.

The bins were eventually returned in March 2015, with the exception of the private management at Southern Cross Station, who still refuse to place any rubbish bins on their platforms.

A different kind of rubbish

It was the leadup to the 2014 State Election, and the Napthine Government was ramped up their ‘Moving Victoria’ campaign, promoting their unfundedthe Melbourne Rail Link project.

Conceived as an alternative to the Metro Tunnel, the Melbourne Rail Link tunnel would have run between South Yarra and Southern Cross, serving new stations at Domain and Fishermans Bend – instead of Arden and Parkville, who would be stuck using buses and trams.

But as you might have guessed, the Melbourne Rail Link project went nowhere, construction of the Metro Tunnel started a few years later and is almost finished, work on the Melbourne Airport Rail project has been stop-start, and a rail link to Fishermans Bend is as far away as ever.

And another piece of pork barrelling I photographed was this Denis Napthine’s $115 million dollar train on the Frankston line – or what the government called the ‘Bayside Rail Project’.

Announced in May 2013, the Bayside Rail Project was promoted as bringing the newest trains in Melbourne – the X’Trapolis – to the Frankston line.

However these trains accelerate faster than anything else in the Melbourne fleet, putting them at risk of beating the boom barriers at level crossings, but because of the upcoming election, it was decided in October 2014, to just run a single X’Trapolis train on the line each morning, but with a speed restrictor on the throttle and two drivers in the cab.

Following changes to level crossing timings on the line in August 2016, the restriction on X’Trapolis trains was removed, allowing any X’Trapolis set to run revenue services to Frankston, and more amazingly a decade later, the bulk of the level crossings on the Frankston line don’t even exist anymore.

And a third kind of rubbish

For decades this ancient advertisement for Medibank Private faced passengers at Melbourne Central platform 1.

But 2014 saw this billboard finally removed from the platform wall, replaced by the ‘Xtrack TV’ digital screens with their insipid loop of advertisements – with audio soundtrack.

And Medibank Private – it’s still just as useless as the rest of the Australian private health insurance system.

Footnote

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

Post retrieved by 35.215.163.46 using

The post Photos from ten years ago: November 2014 appeared first on Waking up in Geelong.

Regional Rail Link

Yep, I’m at it again, following the progress on the Regional Rail Link project.

At Footscray the widened railway cutting through Fordham Reserve had been partially reinstated.

Right up to abandoned Franco Cozzo showroom.

The backdrop is now filled with new apartment blocks, and the Franco Cozzo site has been turned into the Moon Dog brewery.

While down the line, trees marked the fenced off site of what used to be David Matthews Park.

That park has since been sold off for development.

Out in Albion brand new steel noise walls line the rail corridor parallel to Forrest Street.

A decade later they’re now hidden behind a row of gum trees.

A short distance away at Ardeer station a gravel platform welcomed passengers – along with a two hour wait for the next train, a mere 15 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD.

Thankfully the platforms have since been resurfaced with asphalt, and trains now stop every 20 minutes.

And finally – work had finally started at the future site of Caroline Springs station.

The station was eventually opened to passengers in January 2017.

Terrorism fears

In September 2014 Public Transport Victoria yanked the rubbish bins from Melbourne railway stations as a response to the “increased terror alert level”.

With the response from slovenly passengers being to just throw their rubbish on the ground instead.

The bins eventually returned in March 2015 as transparent plastic bags that resembled a scrotum, with the exception of Southern Cross Station – where they have never returned.

Penalty Fares scaremongering from PTV

August 2014 was the introduction of a new on-the-spot ‘Penalty Fares’ regime.

It allowed passengers caught travelling without a without a valid ticket to pay an on-the-spot penalty fare of $75 by credit card, instead of being issued with a $223 infringement notice that arrived in the mail a few weeks later.

As you might expect, fare evaders worked out it was cheaper to just pay the $75 penalty if you did get caught, and so the scheme was terminated in January 2017.

More Melbourne Airport Rail Link propaganda

With the lead up to the 2014 State Election, the Napthine Government ramped up their ‘Moving Victoria’ campaign, promoting their unfunded ‘Melbourne Rail Link‘ project.

Covering Southern Cross Station with ‘From plane to train in 25 minutes’ propaganda.

On the big screen at Flinders Street Station.

Plastering propaganda stickers on the back of train seats.

On signs at railway stations.

And on billboards, like this one beside Ballarat Road in Albion.

But as you might have guessed, the Melbourne Rail Link project went nowhere, construction of the Metro Tunnel started a few years later and is almost finished, and work on the Melbourne Airport Rail project has been stop-start.

Level crossings that are gone

Level crossing removals in Melbourne were few and far between, so I didn’t think much about it when I photographed an X’Trapolis train departing Bayswater station on the Belgrave line.

Or this Comeng train departing Essendon station on the Craigieburn line.

But in 2017 the level crossings at Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road at Bayswater were replaced with rail under road bridges, and in 2018 the Buckley Street level crossing in Essendon was replaced by a road under rail bridge.

Before the West Gate ‘Tunnel’

Another project that didn’t exist a decade ago was the West Gate ‘Tunnel’.

Dynon Road through West Melbourne used to be two lanes in each direction.

With an empty paddock beside the railway bridge.

And you could see the sky above Footscray Road.

But now all three sites are covered by a tangle of freeway overpasses forming what is supposedly a ‘tunnel’, unsolicited proposal conceived by Transurban as a way to increase profits to their shareholders.

V/Line around the place

Just another view of Southern Cross Station, with work on the 699 Bourke Street development underway.

Since then the original purple and green VLocity livery is no more, and only a single Sprinter railcar is left in the red and yellow ‘cheeseburger’ livery.

Locomotive hauled carriages were also still being shunted out on peak hour runs.

The last of the H sets was withdrawn in February 2024, with the N sets soon to follow.

The one thing I did expect to see go was A66 leading a Shepparton service through Moonee Ponds.

The fleet of A class locomotives are now with railway heritage groups, and the Shepparton service has been exclusively VLocity trains since 2022.

Ding ding on the trams

The brand new E class trams entered service in November 2013, and were now starting to dominate route 96 services.

The older D2 class trams being demoted to route 19 services, including one plastered in ‘E class trams on route 96’ advertising.

The tram allocations are the same today, despite the low floor trams lacking any platform stops on Sydney Road.

Melbourne’s prototype high floor light rail vehicles from 1985 were also still in service.

Both were withdrawn a few years later, and eventually scrapped.

Speaking of platform stops, the only recently constructed tram stops in the Bourke Street Mall were closed, so they could rebuilt to a revised platform height.

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was still trundling around the streets of Melbourne.

The service last ran in October 2018, when Yarra Trams banned the fleet of the network citing safety concerns.

Another W class tram had been turned into the ‘Tram Bar‘ at the Arts Centre.

Opened in 2011, the tram came and went with the seasons, until permanently closed in January 2015.

And finally, what was then an unremarkable photo of trams at Domain Interchange on St Kilda Road.

Rebuilt in 2013 at great expense to modern accessible standards, in 2018 the interchange was closed to make way for the construction of Anzac station, with route 58 trams being diverted onto a new alignment via Toorak Road, pending the completion of a replacement tram stop in December 2022.

And forgotten bus companies

I didn’t realise it at the time, but a decade ago I photographed a long list of bus companies that no longer exist.

Sita Bus Lines used to use plain white buses on the route 400 service to Melbourne’s prisons.

They were bought by Transit Systems in 2019, but their clapped out poo brown and orange buses can still be seen the western suburbs.

East West Bus Company once ran bus sources in the northern suburbs, as a joint venture between Dysons Group and Reservoir Bus Company.

The joint venture was taken over by Dysons in February 2014, with the East West brand phased out in 2019.

Tullamarine Bus Lines once ran bus routes around Moonee Ponds and Airport West.

They were acquired by ComfortDelGro Corporation in 2018, and merged into the operations of CDC Melbourne.

Moonee Valley Coaches was another bus operator in the inner north.

They were acquired by Dyson Group in 2024.

Kastoria Bus Lines is another smaller operator in the north-western suburbs.

They lost out in the recent Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchise process, and will be taken over by CDC Melbourne from 2025.

I also found a Melbourne Visitor Shuttle bus on St Kilda Road.

Funded by the City of Melbourne, the service was discontinued in 2017 after competition from the Free Tram Zone.

And City Sightseeing Melbourne once ran a hop-on hop-off tourist service with open-top double decker buses.

They suspended operations in March 2020 thanks to Covid-19, and are yet to restart operations.

And a final word

Remember Melbourne Bike Share, with bikes that needed to be pedaled, and docks to return them to?

The service was withdrawn in 2019.

And what about yellow taxis?

A common sight since introduced by Jeff Kennett in the 1990s, the requirement was dropped in 2013 as part of the legalisation of Uber and other so called “ridewhare” services.

Footnote

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

Post retrieved by 35.215.163.46 using

The post Photos from ten years ago: September 2014 appeared first on Waking up in Geelong.

Regional Rail Link

The Regional Rail Link project was now approaching the finishing line, with a ‘consolidation train’ running back and forth over the newly laid tracks to bed them down before the commencement of revenue services.

The new platforms dedicated to V/Line services at Footscray were also open.

As restoration works continued on the station buildings.

The new platforms were also ready for 9-car long trains, the first of which didn’t run until 2022.

The new dual gauge tracks across the North Melbourne flyover also opened for trains, but not successfully – the Sydney-bound XPT derailed on the first attempt to leave Melbourne!

The cause of the derailment – the new tracks were incompatible with the wheel flange profile used on New South Wales trains.

And elsewhere on the rail network

The original blue/green and purple VLocity train liveries still dominated the view at Southern Cross Station.

Work had started on the 664 Collins Street development atop the south end of Southern Cross Station.

The escalators at North Melbourne station where entering a steep decline into unreliability.

Myki gates at stations were also failing regularly.

And Metro Trains – they were using the next train displays at Richmond station to promote the Channel 7 TV show ‘House Rules’.

Views that are gone

This view of a V/Line diesel headed over to the South Dynon locomotive depot was an unremarkable sight at the time, but today is hidden beneath the tangle of flyovers for the West Gate Tunnel at Dynon Road.

As were these trains at the Wagon Storage Yard at North Melbourne – now taken over by the Wurundjeri Way extension.

At Footscray station there was only a single small apartment tower to be seen – not the dozens found there today.

And you’d be hard pressed to guess that this scene is now the site of the Metro Tunnel portal at South Yarra – this private garage and car park was cantilevered over the railway cutting on Arthur Street.

And these trees cover Siding Reserve, which has been completely rebuilt to make way for the new railway tracks passing beneath.

Trams

A decade ago route 78 passengers were still having to put up with clunky old W class trams trundling down Chapel Street.

As did route 30 passengers on La Trobe Streets – the old clunkers finally being sent off into retirement in December 2014.

Meanwhile on William Street was a sign of the future – a brand new E class trams headed through on test. However it took until December 2021 for these trams to carry passengers on route 58.

Buses

The transition from National Bus to Transdev Melbourne started back in August 2013, but buses in the old liveries could still be seen on Hoddle Street.

And the Melbourne Visitor Shuttle bus was still kicking around, before it was discontinued in 2017.

Some loose ends

The big stadium in Docklands was still called ‘Etihad Stadium’.

Beside the Monash Freeway at Church Street in Cremorne, I found this small part under construction, on what was once a freeway off-ramp.

And a random photo I took of the Geelong skyline – the Kardinia Park light towers in place, but not the massive new grandstands.

And the view of Saint Mary of the Angels Basilica still dominated the skyline, with the office and apartment towers still to come.

And an Melbourne Airport Rail note

At Footscray station I found a giant banner linked to the Napthine Government’s ‘Moving Victoria’ campaign, promoting their unfunded ‘Melbourne Rail Link‘ project.

With a promise of trains running every 10 minutes to Melbourne Airport.

Conceived as an alternative to the Metro Tunnel, the Melbourne Rail Link tunnel would have run between South Yarra and Southern Cross, serving new stations at Domain and Fishermans Bend – instead of Arden and Parkville, who would be stuck using buses and trams.

But as you might have guessed, the Melbourne Rail Link project went nowhere, construction of the Metro Tunnel started a few years later and is almost finished, work on the Melbourne Airport Rail project has been stop-start, and a rail link to Fishermans Bend is as far away as ever.

Footnote

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

Post retrieved by 35.215.163.46 using

The post Photos from ten years ago: July 2014 appeared first on Waking up in Geelong.

Here is his full statement on the problems with transport planning in Victoria:

Victoria badly needs a new, independent, statutory authority to plan, co-ordinate and manage our public transport system. Despite Labor’s many plans and announcements, Victoria’s and Melbourne’s public transport needs have been poorly planned for and badly financed. John Brumby has not provided the safety, reliability and efficiency that Victorians deserve.

At the 2010 State Election the Coalition won government, and their promise for a independent, statutory transport authority was one that actually was fulfilled – in April 2012 ‘Public Transport Victoria’ came into operation to coordinate, promote and expand the bus, tram and train networks. So what plans have the government put into place since then?

PTV Network Development Plan

In March 2013 Public Transport Victoria published their ‘Network Development Plan’ – a strategy for growing capacity on the rail network over the next 20 years. Public Transport Terry Mulder had the following to say when it was released:

Mr Mulder said that the Victorian Coalition Government’s creation of Public Transport Victoria (PTV) a year ago as an independent statutory authority, was now bearing fruit.

Mr Mulder said Public Transport Victoria (PTV) was established by the Coalition Government to improve public transport and properly plan for the future. PTV is responsible for planning, procuring and delivering Victoria’s train, tram and bus services, infrastructure and assets.

“This is PTV’s strategy for growing capacity on the rail network over the next 20 years, and it takes into account all parts of Melbourne, particularly areas of growth,” Mr Mulder said.

“It is a very detailed plan – in fact no Government has released a plan this detailed and this transparent since 1969. This is exactly why we established an independent public transport body – a detailed rail strategy like this is just what we expected and wanted.

“The Network Development Plan is a carefully considered, holistic, strategic plan for development of our rail network during the next 20 years, which will be used to help inform future funding decisions.

“Many initiatives identified in the plan for the next decade are already being planned in detail, such as the introduction of high capacity trains and signalling and Melbourne Metro.

Key components of the plan included:

• New high capacity trains, able to carry up to 1100 passengers,
• High capacity signalling trial on Sandringham line,
• Melbourne Metro rail tunnel project,
• Dandenong rail corridor upgrade,
• High capacity signalling on the Sandringham, South Morang and Hurstbridge lines, and between Sunbury and South Yarra.

So how about the implementation?

Bayside Rail Project

In May 2013 Premier Denis Napthine announced the $100 million ‘Bayside Rail Project’ with the following headline:

$100 million Bayside rail upgrade brings newest trains to Frankston line

Then elaborated further:

“Since the November 2010 election, the Coalition Government has announced orders for 15 new X’Trapolis trains, but these trains could only carry passengers on the Alamein, Glen Waverley, Belgrave, Lilydale, Hurstbridge and South Morang lines due to the different position in which the driver sits in the cab, affecting the ability to see some signals.

“This $100 million will mean the Frankston line will also be able to accommodate the X’Trapolis trains, giving passengers the fastest, most reliable and most comfortable commute to and from the city,” Dr Napthine said.

Before the announcement of the Bayside Rail Project, the only people who cared about what kinds of train operated on a a given railway line were railfans who lacked a grip on reality – the average passenger just wants a clean and comfortable train that runs on time. Now we have a politician throwing $100 million at a problem that doesn’t exist.

Free CBD trams and cheaper fares

In March 2014 Premier Denis Napthine announced “free CBD trams, cheaper trains and buses for Melbourne“:

Dr Napthine said the changes would provide significant cost of living relief for families as a result of commuters being able to travel in Zones 1 and 2 for the price of a Zone 1 fare.

“Tram travel within the CBD and Docklands will be free in a move that will enhance Melbourne’s reputation as an international city.”

The changes will come into effect from the 1 January 2015 and will make public transport more accessible for commuters and tourists and make it easier to move around Melbourne.

This initiative will cost around $100 million per annum and will be accounted for in the upcoming State Budget.

However when making the announcement, Dr Napthine forgot to tell one important group of people – the companies that actually run Melbourne’s trams, trains and buses. The Age went on to say:

None of the train, tram and bus companies that operate Melbourne’s public transport system were consulted or even told about the Napthine government’s decision to change the ticket zoning system and provide free trams in the city centre.

Metro, Yarra Trams and bus operator Transdev began investigating on Wednesday how the ticketing changes will affect their operations, after learning about the policy announcement through the media.

Tram overcrowding in the CBD rose sharply last year, with 14 “rolling hour” load breaches – meaning an hour in which passenger numbers exceed tram capacity – compared with nine in 2012.

Hopefully come January 2015 Yarra Trams have a plan in place to deal with an influx of freeloaders on trams in the Melbourne CBD, otherwise the increased overcrowding will discourage previously fare paying passengers from using public transport.

Cranbourne-Pakenham Rail Corridor Project

Another random transport announcement made in March 2014 was the Cranbourne-Pakenham upgrade project. The media release spruiked the following points:

The massive investment will provide:

• 25 new next generation trains;
• 21st century high-capacity signalling along the rail corridor;
• removal of four level crossings;
• pre-construction funding for another five level crossing removals;
• newly rebuilt stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Clayton; and
• a new train maintenance depot at Pakenham East.

What the government forgot to say is that they didn’t come up with the idea – it was an unsolicited proposal from a private sector consortium, involving a public-private partnership to cost the taxpayer billions over the term of the contract. An investigation by The Age found the following:

The cabinet-in-confidence documents reveal taxpayers will be left to pay up to $360 million a year as “annual service payments” to the consortium until 2034 in “nominal” dollars – the actual amount spent, including inflation. The total payments in nominal terms will be as much as $5.2 billion.

The $2.5 billion figure released by the government is a “net present” figure. In government, politicians tend to cite the net present, or today’s money, figure, pointing out that home-buyers think of the cost of their house as the sale price, not the additional cost of loan repayments and interest over decades.

Expanding capacity on the Dandenong railway line has been a pressing need for years – the first serious government commitment appeared in the 2006 ‘Meeting Our Transport Challenges’ plan, when the construction of a third track between Caulfield and Dandenong was proposed. Now those plans are in the bin, replaced by a concept drawn up by a private company more interested in rent seeking than in a cost-effective outcome for the taxpayer.

Melbourne Rail Link

Yet another example of established plans being thrown in the bin can be found in May 2014, when Premier Denis Napthine announced a new rail tunnel running from Southern Cross to South Yarra, via Fishermans Bend and the Domain. The media release had the following glowing words for the new project:

The Melbourne Rail Link will do for rail passengers in the 21st century, what the City Loop achieved last century – high frequency rail services moving more people, more often and more conveniently.

What the government forgot to say is that their new plan was a replacement for the previous ‘Melbourne Metro’ scheme – which The Age revealed the government had still endorsed as late as February 2013:

The original Melbourne Metro was being strongly backed by the state government just a year ago, with Transport Minister Terry Mulder indicating engineering issues around Swanston Street had been resolved, new documents reveal.

The February 2013 letter, from Mr Mulder to then treasurer Kim Wells, said the business case for the multi billion-dollar project had been completed and a comprehensive impact statement would be completed by the end of 2013.

The letter, obtained by The Age through freedom of information, said “significant work was undertaken during 2012 to update the Melbourne Metro business case and ensure it met the requirements of the high value high risk process, Infrastructure Australia guidelines and federal government requirements. This work has proved critical to resolving key issues, including the vertical alignment along Swanston Street.”

Once again, we have see a previously agreed upon transport project tossed in the bin, replaced by a hastily conceived replacement that appears to be favouring the interests of the private sector instead of the public.

Transport planning is off the rails

After looking at the half-baked projects found above, it makes you wonder what was the point in creating an independent public transport authority, when their carefully made plans just get thrown in the bin by politicians as soon as votes or vested interests get involved.

Post retrieved by 35.215.163.46 using

The post Taking the politics out of transport planning? appeared first on Waking up in Geelong.

In essence a bastardised version of the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel that manages to completely miss the middle of the Melbourne CBD, I’m going to leave the serious discussion about the route to others – Daniel Bowen and Alan Davies have already done so – and instead dive into the dribble filled pit of railfan minutiae.

At the 2:43 mark of the video, one of the “Next Generation” trains appears in the animation. It looks just like a current model XTrapolis train, but with two extra doors per side.

A few seconds later the side of the train is visible – bearing the carriage number 943M.

As it happens 943M is a carriage already on the Melbourne rail network, having entered service back in August 2004 when Connex still ran the system.

The trains of tomorrow, from yesterday!

Footnote

If you spend your time on railfan forums like I do, then a day doesn’t go by without somebody saying “check out this newspaper article about trains” and somebody else complaining “they used the wrong photo in that article – double deck trains don’t run in Melbourne” (or something along those lines). A topic for another day!

Post retrieved by 35.215.163.46 using

The post Melbourne Rail Link – the trains of tomorrow, from yesterday! appeared first on Waking up in Geelong.