Comments on: Driving a bus down the railway tracks

By: Marcus Wong

Marcus Wong — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:01:14 +0000

In reply to Dark Knight. It looks like SRL will be a big box over on Whitehorse Road, so they won't be an impact on the existing rail network.

By: Marcus Wong

Marcus Wong — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:00:12 +0000

In reply to Jesse. Thanks for the background info - the choice of Middleborough Road did seem odd given that it was a relatively minor road compared to others in the area.

By: Marcus Wong

Marcus Wong — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:58:49 +0000

In reply to Damian Zito.

They could do with the lessons from here as well!

https://wongm.com/2019/04/forgotten-rail-replacement-bus-lessons-melbourne/

By: Dark Knight

Dark Knight — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 02:49:09 +0000

A unique, likely once in a lifetime arrangement; even the last major shut when they built Union station operational trains was on the “wrong side” although with having just one operating platform was less than ideal that that and lack of swift hop on and off for drivers meant rarely on time running (story for another time).

Depending on what’s installed for the SRL project it will be the only reason for major long disruption at Box Hill; would see one of two things, trains terminate at UNN and BBN or finally fable platform 1 being made operational along with platform 4 with the centre platform closed in order for digging the subject connection to the new SRL platforms.

By: Jesse

Jesse — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 22:54:22 +0000

That Middleborough Rd grade separation was the pre-LXRP Proof-of-concept prototype trial run.
The actual first target for a LX removal was Springvale Rd at Nunawading, but given how significant that arterial was, they didn’t want to risk screwing it up first try on such a busy corridor. So they selected Middleborough Rd (still in needing of grade separation and curve easing) as a bit of a prototype project and trial run to practice with the sort of fast-moving occupation and bus replacement they needed for Springvale Rd.
Springvale Rd LX removal happened in 2009-10, as did Springvale, Sunshine and Mitcham (all in 2014) before the now-successful program got rebranded as LXRP in 2015.

Maybe they expected 6 weeks of mainline shutdown to be more reputationally damaging than it ended up being, hence why they went to such effort? Now that some sort of a shutdown happens every other week, maybe the thinking is that we’re so used to it that such inconvenience doesn’t actually result in reputational damage. If so, that is a shame.

By: Damian Zito

Damian Zito — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 22:17:06 +0000

I hope PTV get your emails!