Trains

I’ve been posting about progress on Regional Rail Link for a few years now, and finally it’s the big day – VLocity VL09 was the first “proper” test train to run along the new tracks from Deer Park towards West Werribee.

However it wasn’t the actual first train to use the line – a few months earlier a super heavy “consolidation train” spent a few days driving back and forth along the line, simulating the load of multiple passenger trains in order to bed down the brand new track.

Also this month the brand new station at Waurn Ponds in Geelong’s southern suburbs opened.

But it was a bare bones operation, with just a single platform, and a short siding down the line to allow terminating trains to shunt clear of services continuing to Warrnambool.

Nearby Baanip Boulevard was also under construction – a link between the recently completed Geelong Ring Road and the Surfcoast Highway.

Since then Waurn Ponds gained a second platform in 2022, the short holding siding has been replaced by a six road train stabling yard past the cement works, and 8 kilometers of track between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds has been duplicated.

Terrorism scaremongering

A decade ago the government decided to ratchet up the National Terrorism Threat Level from medium to high, and in return the City Loop railway stations were blanketed in ‘If you see something, say something’ scaremongering.

We also lost our rubbish bins at railway stations, and the recent installed lockers at Flinders Street Station were shut down.

The bins eventually returned but now see through, with the exception of Southern Cross Station, which still lacks them.

And things that are gone

A decade ago the LED matrix next train displays were still a common sight outside of the CBD.

Since 2018 the majority of them have been replaced by modern LCD screens.

Next up, we have an Alstom Comeng arrives into an almost new West Footscray platform 1 with an up Sunbury service.

Now numbered platform 2, a third turnback platform has since been constructed as part of the Metro Tunnel project.

And finally, the view onboard an EDI Comeng train.

The windbreakers and 15 seats around the doors of each carriage were removed in 2015, to make more room for standing passengers.

Trams

I headed out to Victoria Gardens in Richmond to check out the new route 12 terminus – opened in July 2014 after route 112 from West Preston to St Kilda was split into route 11 from West Preston to Victoria Harbour, and route 12 from St Kilda to Victoria Gardens.

Also ongoing was the rebuilding of recently completed tram stops in the Melbourne CBD so their platform heights met new standards.

And in Ascot Vale I revisited a tram stop that landed me in the newspaper for tracking the ongoing procession of motorists who crashed into it.

Buses

A decade ago Sita was still running clapped out high floor buses on services around Sunshine, complete with paper destination signs as they didn’t want spend the money updating the old fashioned destination blind.

While a much more salubrious bus service was the privately operated ‘SuitJet’ express bus to the Melbourne CBD.

Launched in August 2014 with services from Point Cook, Eltham, Doreen, Mernda and Templestowe, there were few takers for the $30 return fare, and the service shut down a few weeks later.

And something else

Something that always intrigued me was the handful of houses left standing in the middle of the Victoria University car park in Footscray.

I eventually got around to writing about them in 2018, only for the State Government to announce in 2019 that the new Footscray Hospital would be built on the site. Today the houses are gone, replaced by a 10-storey glass and concrete tower.

Footnote

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

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If you look at them head on, the difference is obvious – the Z class has a pointy nose, but the A class has a flat one.

But there is also less noticeable difference – A class trams are shorter than a Z, at 15.01 metres vs 16.64 metres.

The reason – the Z class trams were built in the 1970s to be compatible with a network designed for the W class trams.

Weston Langford photo

With a pointy nose was so a longer tram could still negotiate curves built for the W class, without smacking into oncoming trams.

And the flatter fronted A class trams need to be shorter lest their noses come afoul on the same curves.

And the reason for the difference – a state election of all things!

John Dunn details it in his book “A History of Commonwealth Engineering – volume 4, 1977-1985″.

Since it was expected that the M&MTB would very soon need to order more new trams, the Comeng team at Dandenong began looking at a revised version of the Z3 units in the early 1980s – these being dubbed by them as Z4s.

A number of different concepts were considered, all of which were intended to be cheaper to manufacture, lower in mass, and more economical to operate. The structure was value-engineered so as reduce the number of components, the cab was intended to be a self-contained GRP module, and various other fittings and items of equipment reviewed and simplified. It was proposed to adopt the simple PCC bogie design-this being very much cheaper to manufacture compared to the Duewag units. They were also considered to be better riding. The Z4 trams had no conductor’s desks and therefore the seating capacity was potentially 66, and with a standing capacity of 84-an overall increase of 25 passengers compared to the Z3s.

By early 1982 the M&MTB was waiting on authorisation from the Victorian Government to order up to 100 new trams presumably to the Z3 design. But in April 1982 there was an election in Victoria and the Cain Labor Government came into power-the new transport minister being Steve Crabb. New tram orders were therefore put on hold.

And interference from an incoming transport minister, who wanted to put their own stamp on the next order of trams.

It was some time before the new government gave their approval for additional trams to be ordered from Comeng once the tenders were in. It came as a variation to the Z3 contract-an extension that was secured by the company in late 1982. The order was for twenty-eight single-unit trams nominated A-class, and two, prototype, two-unit articulated trams nominated B-class. However, the new A-class trams differed from the previous Z3 type in that they had no conductor’s seats, and the car ends were shorter and wider. They also had resized and relocated doors. The press reported that the A-class units were anticipated to cost approximately $430,000 ($1.3 million) each.

Which caused the engineers at Comeng a whole lot of drama trying to make work.

Comeng engineer David Foulkes recalled:

We used to joke about it, because the new Transport Minister said Melbourne had had ‘pointy’ trams for some time and he wanted ones that were clearly different-ones that were ‘ours’- this is, ‘Labor’ trams. He wanted them to have wider fronts, but did not seem to understand why they had to be narrow at the front to go around curves. If they were to be wider then they had to be shorter with less overhang. He wanted a modern tram with two large doors between the bogies,

The biggest hurdle was trying to house the same Z3 equipment on the underframe. The Z3s only had one set of double-width doors and stepwells each side between the bogies. But the new A-class had to have two sets of doors between the bogies each side their respective stepwells therefore taking up much more underframe space. Foulkes said:

The electrical blokes more or less had to shoe-horn all the existing electrical equipment on a Z3 tram onto the A-class. It was a real nightmare trying to get all the equipment boxes in on the underframe along with the cables.

The A-class trams were essentially the same as the Z3s in that they were equipped with AEG thyristor control equipment. This had independent chopper power systems for each bogie, and electro-dynamic regenerative braking down to 8 km/h. The Siemens electric control system detected and corrected wheel spin and slide, and applied automatic sanding. The Duewag-designed bogies each had a 195 kW monomotor, and Bochum resilient wheels.

The shell construction was of a welded tubular-steel space- frame with outer side and end panels of aluminium and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP). The cabs were bolt-on subassemblies to allow a more accessible unit for faster installation of equipment and wiring. The entire roof was of GRP. Unlike the Z3s the front door was only single- width. The other two doors were both double-width. All doors were of the electrically driven bi-folding type.

The tare mass was 21.54 tonnes, and there were seats for 42 and standing space for around 83. With the elimination of the seated conductor, passengers could enter or alight from any door. This effectively reduced stop dwell times, and the different arrangement was generally well received by the travelling public. The trams were fitted with power collection trolley poles similar to those on the Z3s, though these were later replaced with pantographs.

Footnote – by the numbers

The first 100 Z1 class trams entered service in 1975 – 1978, followed by 15 Z2 class trams in 1978 – 1979, and 115 Z3 class trams in 1979 – 1984.

They were followed by the first 28 A1 class trams entered service in 1984 – 1985, followed by 42 A2 class trams in 1985 – 1986.

The A class tram styling was also used for the two prototype high-floor articulated B1 class trams followed in 1984 – 1985, then 130 B2 class trams in 1988 – 1994.

And Z class trams overseas

Comeng also built a fleet of Z3 class tram derivatives in 1988 for the Kowloon Canton Railway light rail system in the New Territories in Hong Kong.

These light rail vehicles are still in service today, with later vehicles built by a variety of other manufacturers to the same basic dimensions.

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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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Regional Rail Link

The Regional Rail Link project has been an ongoing theme in this series, and this month we see progress on the rebuidling Footscray platforms 3 and 4 for V/Line trains.

With V/Line services still sharing the tracks with suburban trains, such as this since-retired P class hauled push-pull train.

And this also retired A class locomotive-hauled train.

The tracks towards Sunshine were already in place, but still being finished off.

As was the junction for Bendigo trains at Sunshine.

The trees found at what was once David Matthews Park were still in place, but they’ve since been cut down – the land sold off for townhouses.

Southern Cross Station

At the entrance to the station the Water Tower Clock was ready to be unveiled.

A big red curtain erected over the top.

Ready for the unveiling held on 14 May 2014.

Meanwhile at the other end of the station, work was still underway on the 699 Bourke Street development.

While trains continued to use platforms 13 through 16 down below.

Note the lights on the ceiling were still operational – they failed a few months later and have never been fixed.

Myki receipts

Remember when unwanted Myki receipts used to cover railway stations and tram stops all over Melbourne?

That problem wasn’t fixed until June 2019!

The crumbling station building at Newmarket

In 2013 I noticed that the foundations of the station building at Newmarket was falling apart, with Metro deciding to demolish the station.

But after a public outcry they backpedaled, adding a web of steelwork beneath the building, and replacing the cantilevered verandah with a freestanding steel structure, which is still in place today.

Ding ding on the trams

Remember the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant?

It last ran in October 2018.

I also found a faded ‘Bumblebee’ tram headed down Bourke Street.

They’re still used on route 96 today, but have since received a refreshed PTV livery.

Over on Collins Street, the recently installed plastic kerbs along the tracks didn’t do much to stop taxi drivers making u-turns in front of trams and getting t-boned.

A problem not solved until 2022, when much higher concrete barriers were installed.

Rickety old W class trams were also still being used on route 30 across the top of the CBD.

They were finally demoted to the City Circle from December 2014, and replaced by modern E class trams in November 2020.

Meanwhile at Footscray, things look the same as today.

The high-floor Z3 class trams having received a stop-gap refurbishment in 2021 so they can stay in service until the arrival of the ‘Next Generation’ G class trams.

And outside Yarra Trams head office on William Street, the RTBU Tram and Bus Division was holding a rally in the lead up to their 2015 Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.

Tram and Bus Division secretary Phil Altieri addresses the rally.

Along with Labor MP and then-Shadow Minister for Road Safety Luke Donnellan.

A bus

Around Footscray the Westrans brand was still in use.

One of a number of bus operators owned by Kefford Corporation , in October 2014 it was rebranded as CDC Melbourne, and the buses progressively repainted into PTV livery.

To spend a penny

I was at Parliament Station and photographed the public toilets located beneath Gordon Reserve.

Opened c1924, they’re still in use today, unlike many other underground toilets in Melbourne.

And around the corner at Nicholson and Albert Street I snapped a cast iron public urinal.

One of eight surviving urinals around Melbourne which are heritage listed.

And the rest

The former MMBW House at 120 Spencer Street was a 25 story dull grey office tower completed in 1979 as the head office of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, which got an early-2000s facelift with the addition of a bright red band across the top.

But in 2014 it scored a millennial greige makeover.

The anodised aluminum cladding being painted over in a dull generic grey.

And since then it’s gone even more millennial – site of a WeWork coworking space.

Footnote

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

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You have Metro Trains Melbourne in blue.

Yarra Trams in green.

V/Line in purple.

And buses in orange.

I cheated on the last one because it’s a van, and it’s operated by outdoor advertising company oOh!Media, who have the contract to maintain the network of around 5,000 bus shelters across Melbourne.

And a few more

Melbourne bus operators also have their own vans so mechanics can attend to broken down buses in the field.

Some of the ones I’ve spotted over the years include Transdev.

Kinetic.

Dysons.

And Sita.

Bus operators in Sydney and Adelaide also have own dedicated tow trucks for recovering broken down buses.

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A few things new on the trams

A decade ago route 57 was my local tram route, and one night I heard something different clattering down the road – a brand new E class tram on test.

So I got in the car and chased it down the line, snaking around the reserved track of Maribyrnong until it reached the route 82 terminus at Footscray.

A decade ago I was also still commuting to the CBD for work, when I found some brand new yellow plastic kerbing in place along the Collins Street tram tracks.

Intended to make life difficult for motorists driving over the tram tracks, they didn’t seem to deter the nuffies who drive taxis in Melbourne.

Continuing to block the tram tracks and make u-turns as they please.

A problem not addressed until 2020 when the yellow plastic strips were replaced with hard concrete ones – and reducing vehicle-to-tram collisions by around 30 per cent.

And on the trains

A decade ago a new style of door handle was first trialled on the aging Comeng trains.

Eventually rolled out to the entire fleet, but in 2024 an even more secure emergency door release system on the cusp of being rolled out – just in time for the Comeng trains to be retired!

More clueless drivers

Occasionally trams need to turn back before their usual terminus, with one of these crossovers being the Maribyrnong River crossover on Maribyrnong Road, Ascot Vale.

Unfortunately this motorist didn’t realise the tram in front wanted to come back the other way – perhaps forgivable, given it’s an infrequent occurrence.

Meanwhile this driver of a Queensland registered car didn’t know what to do on Swanston Street when the road ran out, so decided to drive along the bike lane instead.

But this taxi driver should’ve known better – the tram driver going DING DING DING but the driver still decided to sneak down the tram tracks.

And this even stupider driver deciding to driving advice from a taxi driver, and follow them.

Another ‘professional’ driver was behind the wheel of this delivery van, who also decided to drive down the Swanston Street tram stop.

But unlike all the other clueless drivers this month, they didn’t get away with it – Victoria Police officers pulled them over afterwards.

Over to Moonee Ponds

Here we see the old Moonee Ponds Junction tram stop, with route 82 passengers forced to cross multiple roads to reach the narrow ‘safety zone’ tram stop on the other side of the intersection.

The tram stop was eventually rebuilt in 2016, with route 59 and 82 trams sharing a new accessible platform stop, next to the bus interchange.

Also nearby I found a route bus operated by Moonee Valley Coaches.

They continued operating two bus routes from Moonee Ponds towards Brunswick until March 2024, when the routes were sold to much larger bus operator Dyson Group.

And Southern Cross Station

March 2014 saw some more retail outlets being added to Southern Cross Station – this time on the Bourke Street Bridge.

But the congestion on the streets around the station – zero attention being paid there!

Just Grand Prix merchandise stalls to make matters worse!

But this hoarding on the Collins Street concourse had something different hiding behind it.

A big hole with a massive cage of reinforcing bar at the bottom.

So what was it?

I didn’t find out until a few months later.

Footnote

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

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Trams

We start off with me being featured in The Age on the subject of a tram stop in Ascot Vale that kept being hit by motorists.

Also on the tram front, I spotted Victoria Police offices pulling over a motorist who drove through a tram stop on Swanston Street.

Meanwhile on Flemington Road I found buses driving along the tram tracks.

Route 59 trams terminating on Flemington Road due to the tram tracks along Mount Alexander Road in Travencore being replaced.

These works also isolated Essendon Depot where trams would park at night, so the route 55 tracks through Royal Park were converted into a temporary stabling location.

Which forced route 55 passengers onto replacement buses as well.

Trains

Regional Rail Link is an ongoing theme in this series, and in February 2014 the original tracks through Footscray towards Sunshine had been dug up.

With both V/Line and suburban trains diverted onto the new platform 1 and 2 to allow the new V/Line track pair to be constructed.

Privately owned automatic lockers were installed at the Swanston Street end of Melbourne Central station, only to be ripped out a few months later thanks to the ratcheting up of the national terrorism alert level.

But one thing that hasn’t changed is junk clogged up the entrance to Southern Cross Station – this month we had the ‘Exhibition of Lost Souls’ to promote the film ‘Wolf Creek 2’.

And a Victorian Government ‘use the Right Water’ promotion on the main concourse.

And something I haven’t seen for a few years – Metro Trains Melbourne at the Chinese New Year festival in Chinatown, giving away free balloons.

Down the pub

Remember the Savoy Tavern opposite Spencer Street Station?

The 1970s pub lay derelict for 15 years, until it reopened in 2014 after a minor refurbishment – only to close again in 2016 when the site was cleared to make way for the apartment tower that is currently on the site.

And a trip to Sydney

A friend invited me up to Sydney to visit, so I decided to turn it into a long weekend and spend the day on the train rather than fly. The XPT departed Southern Cross at 8.30am.

I jumped out for a quick photo at Albury.

Wagga Wagga.

Cootamundra.

And Goulburn.

Before we arrived into Sydney just on 8.30pm.

The next day I visited the usual touristy spots, like Circular Quay.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge.

And the Sydney Opera House.

Which was busy having the front steps replaced.

I can’t go anywhere without taking a photo of a train.

But I’m a fan of ferries as well – modern ones like the Sydney RiverCats.

And the classic Freshwater-class ferries on the Manly run.

I also headed past the since demolished Sydney Harbour Control Tower and the then-incomplete Barangaroo development.

My destination – Cockatoo Island.

A former shipyard.

Unfortunately I didn’t have another spare day to catch the train home to Melbourne, so I was off to Sydney Airport.

Sitting in a cheap seat with Jetstar.

Who luckily took me right over the top of the Craigieburn Train Maintenance Facility in Melbourne’s north.

Footnote

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

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Regional Rail Link

Progress on the Regional Rail Link project has been a theme in recent months, and this is the same – plenty of work at Footscray station, along with a clear view back to the Melbourne CBD.

With a major shutdown of the suburban lines coming up to install new bridges over the railway line between Footscray and Middle Footscray.

Excavators and dump trucks rolling in a few days later to widen the cutting.

And to demolish West Footscray station to make room for extra tracks.

The ‘West Footscray’ station signage being unceremoniously thrown into the bin of scrap metal, rather than sold off to collectors.

Trams

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was still running around Melbourne.

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

As were the maroon liveried City Circle Trams.

2013 also saw the launch of Melbourne Art Trams – a revival of the Transporting Art project which ran from 1978 to 1993.

The brand new E class trams were finally running around the network, but still on test.

As were the upgraded ‘W8’ class trams for use on the City Circle – I found this one at the route 82 terminus at Footscray.

Clueless drivers

It takes some skill, but some motorist managed to impale their car onto the tram stop safety zone prow at Newmarket station.

But this motorist went one better, taking out the entire tram stop.

At last one service disruption Yarra Trams could not be blamed for was this one on Maribyrnong Road, Ascot Vale – strong winds tore the roof off an apartment block, which then landed on the tramway overhead, stopping trams.

New tram tracks

For a few days route 19, 57 and 59 terminated at a temporary crossover north of La Trobe Street.

So that the tram tracks along Elizabeth Street could be dug up.

And new tracks laid.

Ready for the constructor of long awaited platform tram stops.

And then work stopped – two weeks later, the trams stops were still not ready for use.

With work on the fencing being dragged out.

With the tram stops still unfinished at the end of the month.

Buses

On my lunch break I found a Melbourne Visitor Shuttle bus – a victim of competition from the Free Tram Zone, the City of Melbourne finally killed off the service in August 2017.

Transdev was also making their brand more visible in Melbourne, having taken over the operations of National Bus Company and Melbourne Bus Link the month before.

And the other bits

With the Spring Racing Carnival upon us, it’s time for more gambling advertising – this time it was bookmaker ‘Bet365’.

Out at Melbourne Airport the 1970s water tower was still in place outside the Terminal 4 construction site, but was soon gone, deconstructed piece by piece.

Also gone is Melbourne Bike Share – the service was wound up in November 2019.

On Ballarat Road in Footscray I found this still functioning neon sign at Douglas’s Service Station.

And something new for the time – my first sighting of a 1AA-1AA series registration plate, which had been launched in August 2013 along with the ‘Vic – Stay Alert Stay Alive’ slogan.

The new number sequence is estimated to be provide enough combinations to last for 50 years, but the slogan was dumped for ‘Victoria – The Education State’ in October 2015.

And a steam train

I made the trip out up north to Castlemaine on a Steamrail Victoria special.

The selling point being the side trip along the Victorian Goldfields Railway.

Where the train would stop in the middle of nowhere to let passengers exit.

Then line up in the forest.

To photograph the train passing us by.

Known as a ‘photo line’ it has been a traditional part of steam train excursions in Victoria since the 1960s, when esteemed tour organiser Eldon Hogan would bark directions to waiting photographers with his Hogaphone.

Footnote

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

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Regional Rail Link

We start the month like many others, with progress on the Regional Rail Link project through Melbourne’s west.

The old West Footscray station was still in place beneath ‘Mount Mistake‘.

But the new station to the west was well underway.

Being constructed clear of the existing tracks to avoid disruption to Sunbury line services.

Down the line at Sunshine similar thoughtful works were underway – the level crossing at Anderson Road had been relocated clear of the grade separation works.

So that the future rail bridge could be constructed clear of the tracks, and slid into place when complete.

Meanwhile on the greenfield section of the route, the new Tarneit station had everything in place except for tracks!

Ballan Road had a road bridge passing over an incomplete rail cutting.

Wyndham Vale had pedestrian bridge ready to cross a future four track, four platform station.

And Manor Junction had a massive flyover in place over the Geelong line tracks, but with nothing connecting at either end.

Other train bits

One evening I passed through Newmarket station and found it in the dark – a tree took out the mains power supply to the station.

So somewhat surprisingly, electricians were sent out to connect a generator to the switchboard.

After sitting empty for a decade, in 2013 work finally started on the office towers above the west end of Southern Cross Station.

699 Bourke Street at the north end was first to be completed in 2015, followed by 664 Collins Street at the south end in 2019.

I also paid a visit to Dandenong South, where I found something different sitting dumped beside the tracks.

Comeng carriages 305M, 1003T and 306M stored in the Membreys Transport yard, after being damaged in the November 2012 level crossing crash at Abbotts Road in Dandenong South.

Ding ding

Preparation for the introduction of the new E class trams was underway on route 96, with the inaccessible safety zones along Nicholson Street being extended so the rear doors of the longer trams would not overhang into traffic.

This interim fix remained in place until 2018, when they were finally replaced by accessible platform stops.

And the other bits

On Swanston Street in the CBD I found the Victoria Police bicycle squad on patrol.

But they didn’t seem to be making much of a difference to the dingbats driving down the bike lanes.

Out at Maribyrnong a brand new two-storey Bunnings Warehouse opened – the $45 million store being located around the corner from the old one at Highpoint, and at more than 17,000 square metres, was three times the size of the old one.

And around the corner at West Footscray another Bunnings Warehouse was being constructed – on the former Southern Can Company factory site, with the front office block retained, but the warehouse being being demolished to make way for a hardware store with basement car park.

Footnote

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

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Farewell to Metcard

The Metcard ticketing system in Melbourne was switched off on 29 December 2012.

Myki having taken over.

But the machines still advertised descoped features, like short term tickets.

And printed out credit card receipts that included the full name of the card holder, nine digits of their credit card and the card’s expiry date.

January 2013 saw that vulnerability fixed, but the “print a receipt even if I don’t want one” bug wasn’t addressed until June 2019.

Trams go ding ding

A decade ago passengers at the Toorak Road terminus of route 58 had to play frogger between four lanes of traffic.

It took until 2015 for VicRoads to cave in and allow Yarra Trams to build a safer tram stop, at a cost of $3.8 million.

Meanwhile at Domain Interchange intending tram passengers just had a few shelters in the middle of St Kilda Road.

It was replaced in 2013 by a four track, four platform tram stop, which was itself demolished in 2018 to make way for the new Anzac station as part of the Metro Tunnel project.

Trams heading along Queens Bridge also used to get stuck behind queued cars.

This was eventually fixed in 2015, when the shared bus and tram lane along Queensbridge Street was extended the short distance over the bridge to Flinders Street.

Route 75 trams used to travel from Flinders Street along Spencer Street to the Remand Centre.

A few months later the southbound tram stop at Spencer and Bourke Street was closed due to a “increased safety risk to passengers and pedestrians“, and in 2014 the city terminus for route 75 was moved to Docklands.

W class trams on the free City Circle service used to be painted maroon, to distinguish them from the green W class trams used on regular tram services.

A distinction no longer needed – W class trams were withdrawn from route 30 and 78 in December 2014, and the introduction of the Free Tram Zone in 2015 meant every trams in the CBD was free. The remaining W class trams are now painted green, following the W8 class tram modernisation project.

On my lunch break I often saw the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant making it’s way around the Melbourne CBD.

But they no longer run – withdrawn by Yarra Trams in 2018 due to concerns they didn’t meet modern crash safety standards.

But the one thing that hasn’t changed – trams covered with advertising for the Australian Open.

The 2023 iteration of this tradition is already on the tracks.

Old clunkers on the bus network

A decade ago high floor buses still popped up on bus routes across Melbourne.

Thankfully that is a thing of the past, but on the tram network not so much – we have squandered multiple opportunities to acquire low floor trams, with the 2032 deadline for an accessible network unlikely to be achieved.

Closed for the weekend?

Closing a railway station on the weekend sounds stupid, but we used to do that at Flagstaff station.

A situation not fixed until 2015.

Reworking Footscray for Regional Rail Link

2013 saw work on Regional Rail Link kick off at Footscray station.

Land cleared ready for the extra two platforms to be built at the station.

But they were also demolishing a footbridge only completed two year earlier.

Thanks to the bridge being too short to span the additional tracks.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Trucks versus low bridges

In January 2013 an over height truck took out the tramway overhead at the intersection of King and Collins Street, stranding trams throughout the Melbourne CBD.

Mechanics having to push trams by hand.

So they could get their recovery truck into position, and push the trams to a section of track still with power.

The Craigieburn line couldn’t get a break either, with a truck striking the low bridge on Racecourse Road at Newmarket station, and cooking itself on the live tramway overhead.

Some things never change.

Footnote – something a little different

January 2013 was also the tail end of my month long rail trip across Europe.

Where I travelled 8,898 kilometres six countries, ten cities, three rail gauges and 15 rail operators.

Along the way I also transited via Qatar.

And missed my connection back to Australia, giving me an unplanned 24 hour stopover in Doha.

The end result – my spin off blog Euro Gunzel – An Australian railfan in Europe.

Footnote

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

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