Waking up in Geelong

Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is April 2010.

Building everywhere

The new footbridge at Footscray station was finally finished.

But the ‘roof’ was anything but – perforated panels let water through every time it rained!

In 2013 the bridge was partially demolished to make room for Regional Rail Link.

The Olympic Doughnut stall hiding in the shadows fared better.

Construction worked around the van until it relocated to a brand new store in 2014, remaining in business until the retirement of owner Nick Tsiligiris in 2017.

At the corner of Royal Parade and Flemington Road in Parkville, demolition of the former Royal Dental Hospital commended.

Abandoned since 2003 when the hospital moved around the corner to Carlton.

The site is now occupied by the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Construction of the 717 Bourke Street office tower in Docklands were underway, with a new footbridge over Wurundjeri Way connecting it to Southern Cross Station.

TV station GTV9 moved their Melbourne studio from Richmond to the completed building in 2011.

Scenes that are gone

The skyline of Southbank hit pause between the completion of Eureka Tower in 2006, and Prima Pearl in 2014.

But today the even taller Australia 108 dominates the scene.

Back in 2010 V/Line trains to Geelong used the Werribee line tracks.

Since 2015 they have travelled via the new Melbourne suburbs of Wyndham Vale and Tarneit, follow the completion of Regional Rail Link.

While trains to Bendigo shared the Sunbury line tracks as far as Sunshine, passing through the Anderson Road level crossing at Albion.

The level crossing having been replaced by a road under rail bridge in 2014.

Changing of the trains

Hitachi trains were still clunking their way around Melbourne, like this one arriving into the old West Footscray station.

But brand new X’Trapolis trains were entering service, ready to replace them.

Meanwhile the Siemens trains fleet couldn’t stay out of trouble – another spate of braking issues saw additional restrictions applied to the fleet.

The issue finally resolved in 2011 following the installation of sanding gear to the trains.

Melbourne was also in the middle of the change from Metcard to Myki, but the reliability of the new technology left something to be desired.

Metcard being finally switched off in December 2012.

Rail freight

QR National was running colourful freight trains into Melbourne with their fleet of diesel locomotives.

The company rebranded itself as Aurizon in 2012, and quit intermodal rail freight in 2017, to instead focus on coal haulage.

Meanwhile rival freight operator Pacific National was busy clearing their yards of life expired freight wagons.

Cutting them up to take advantage of high scrap metal prices.

And track maintenance

When Metro Trains Melbourne took over the operation of Melbourne’s rail network, they made some big promises – improved track maintenance being one of them.

They ordered some shiny new spoil containers to help in the task rebuilding Melbourne’s tracks.

Replacing rotten timber sleepers with sturdier concrete ones.

But given how run down the network was, it made little difference – Metro had ‘inherited a dog’.

Down at Flinders Street Station the wheels were turning slowly – it took six weeks to repair a storm damaged ceiling.

But progress at Southern Cross Station was even slower – the $5 million in repairs was yet to start.

The only upside – the ‘temporary’ CRT next train displays were finally being removed, years after the station had been ‘officially’ opened.

The joys of a public-private partnership!

Footnote

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

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