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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Regional Rail Link

Yes, more Regional Rail Link this month! First off, a V/Line train headed over the newly upgraded North Melbourne flyover bound for Southern Cross, avoiding the suburban trains down below.

The sharp curves catching V/Line unaware a few years later, when almost the entire VLocity train fleet was withdrawn from service due to wheel wear issues.

At Footscray the upgraded station was open to passengers, with the forecourt to Irving Street nicely landscaped.

And restoration work underway on the heritage listed station buildings.

There were also works happening in the background – a new traction power substation was under construction, so that extra suburban services could use the track capacity freed up by giving V/Line trains their own route into the city.

But despite the infrastructure upgrades, little use was made of the extra capacity – by 2018 only half of the extra capacity was being used.

And still on the trains

I photographed a slice of the past out at Beaconsfield, where the 1950s-era overhead wiring and traction power tie station was still in place. It’s all since been replaced by a modern power supply as part of the work to support the rollout of High Capacity Metro Trains to the Pakenham line.

At Flagstaff station I found a set of defective myki gates under repair – presumably from being smashed open by a fare evader.

While over at Southern Cross were Authorised Officers in their new military-style vests, looking out for the next person trying the same trick.

On the trams

A decade ago City Circle trams were still in the maroon and gold livery, and the ‘shard’ at Federation Square had yet to be demolished for the Metro Tunnel entrance.

The original Z1 class trams were also still running down Swanston Street, with only two doors per side and dinky little sliding windows.

East Preston Depot was still open to serve the high floor B2 class trams used on route 11 and 86 – all since replaced by the low floor E class trams based out of ‘New’ Preston Depot.

While testing of the new E class trams was still continuing – I found one at the route 57 terminus in West Maribyrnong on a late night test run.

Meanwhile on Collins Street, things were going backwards – passengers having to step up to trams from street level.

The platform stops closed so they could be dug up and raised to current standards, despite only being a decade old.

Buses

Transdev had taken over from National Bus, but the transition into the new PTV colour scheme was going in fits and starts.

While route 286 through the back streets of Blackburn was removed, but then a few months later, reintroduced as route 271.

Another changed bus stop can be found at Melbourne Airport – the route 901 service to Broadmeadows and eventually Frankston once stopped outside Qantas terminal T1.

But these days it’s hidden at the far end of the ‘Ground Transport Hub’, a long walk from terminal 4.

And something different

My next stop at Melbourne Airport a decade ago was Brisbane.

Catching a train from Brisbane Airport into the city.

To Roma Street – the Brisbane Transit Centre since demolished for the Cross River Rail project.

While I was in town, I photographed some of their first generation EMU trains.

The Merivale Bridge.

And buses on the network of Brisbane City Council operated busways.

Which include underground bus stations.

Passengers boarding buses from air conditioned platforms.

But the reason for my visit was a trip on The Sunlander.

A locomotive hauled sleeping train that ran from Brisbane to Cairns until December 2014.

When I woke up the next day, we were well into cane country.

But the trip north is a long one – not arriving into Cairns until that evening.

While in Cairns I rode the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway up to Kuranda, and with some lucky timing spotted a Kuranda-bound train stopped at Barron Falls.

After lunch, it was time to head to Kuranda station, where I found a signal box still in service.

And caught the Kuranda Scenic Railway back down the range to Cairns.

Unfortunately I didn’t have time for the four day journey on the Savannahlander, but I did see it arrive back into Cairns.

But it was time to fly home via Sydney – my plane passing over the Hawkesbury River railway bridge on our descent.

The Inner West Light Rail

And a Pacific National container train shunting the freight yard at Cooks River.

Time to change planes, and soon enough I was back in Melbourne – greeted at the airport luggage claim by propaganda for the Napthine Government’s East West Link, CityLink Tulla Widening, and an unfunded Melbourne Airport Rail Link.

A decade on we’ve gotten the west half of the East West Link, the Tullamarine Freeway has been widening, and airport rail – still talking.

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 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.

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Well, they get given some posters to put in their front window.

Boxes of Myki cards – in full fare, concession and seniors flavours.

And the most important thing – a Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro handheld computer running custom Myki software, to process Myki card sale and topups.

And a quarterly payment of $260.00, along with a card issuing payment of $0.50, and a 4% commission on every topup.

So what do retailers think?

Back in 2008 the Herald Sun covered the reaction of newsagents to the new ticketing system, and the change in commission structure compared to the previous Metcard tickets.

The Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association says the Transport Ticketing Authority is offering just 12c commission on a transaction for the new myki card.

Under the existing Metcard arrangement newsagents receive a 5 per cent commission.

Clayton Newsagency owner Simon Richards, a third-generation newsagent, said he told the TTA he would not be selling the ticket, despite his long history selling Metcard.

“I won’t be taking up their offer,” Mr Richards said.

“They are just making it economically unviable.”

Mr Richards said newsagents would lose money on the transactions if customers used debit or credit cards, which cost the retailers a fee every time they were processed.

“We get 12c a transaction, but if someone produces an Amex card, which is 3 per cent (fee), then it’s just unviable.”

A copy of the myki outlet fee schedule, seen by the Herald Sun, shows that retailers who sell a new myki will get 50c, while processing a top-up on the smartcard will generate a 12c commission.

As well, a service fee of $260 will be paid to the agents four times a year.

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said the Government had slashed newsagent commissions by up to 65 per cent.

With independent newsagents also unhappy the government favoured 7-Eleven as their favoured Myki retail outlet.

Myki is a dog of a system. The previous government allowed it to provide 7-Eleven with an advantage over newsagents by agreeing to integration with their in-house systems. This was promised for newsagents, after my lobbying, and then dropped. So much for the Government back then supporting small business. If scrapping Myki pulls this back then it’s a good thing.

But they don’t seem worried if the upcoming changes to Myki see newsagents cut out altogether.

From a retailer perspective, the minuscule commission from MYKI card top-ups does not cover the actual costs of providing the service and the dealing with myriad customer queries. But plenty continue to offer it, including me in one of my shops.

There is no upside in services, especially minuscule commission services – these are best handled throng convenience stores. But … as with anything I write about here, what you do in your business is up to you.

For the one shop I have that offers MYKI top-ups, we will continue until the government decides otherwise. We don’t rely on it. It’s not core. But, it is a customer service that is appreciated locally … and for that we are grateful.

Footnote: fee schedule

Here is a full fee schedule dating back to the introduction of Myki in the late-2000s.

MYKI OUTLET FEES SCHEDULE

This Fees Schedule applies for the purposes of the myki Outlet Agreement and supersedes any previous Fees Schedule

1. Customer service payment

A quarterly payment of $260.00, paid for your satisfactory performance of operational and customer service obligations. The payment is payable each quarter in arrears. If you fail to meet the required service obligations, payment may be partially or fully withheld or forfeited

2. Top up of myki with money or myki pass

Each time a myki is loaded with product or topped the up with value at the myki Outlet, you will receive payment of four per cent (4%) of the published price of the product or value of the top up

3. Card issuing

For each new myki you issue you will receive a card issuing payment of $0.50. This amount is payable in addition to the initial top up. Thus, if a customer buys a new myki and loads initial value or product onto the myki at the same time, you will be paid $0.50 for issuing the card plus 4% for the initial top up. The initial top up does not include the
card fee payable by the customer.

4. myki merchant service fee (MSF)

The MSF is payable by you to TTA if myki is used to purchase goods at your store. The use of myki as payment for goods and services is a service that must first be approved by TTA, as it will be subject to Government approval. The MSF is 2.5% of the value of the purchase.

5. GST

All amounts are inclusive of GST.

5. EFTPOS and credit cards

If the myki Outlet has EFTPOS or credit card facilities, these should be available for customers who wish to buy myki cards and add product or value. It is preferred if these facilities are provided at no extra charge to customers. This does not prevent the myki Outlet from applying its normal minimum EFTPOS or credit card limits.

Note the mention of “use of myki as payment for goods and services” – the original plans for the “New Ticketing Solution” intended that the smartcard would be able to be used for more than just transport payments.

One example is Hong Kong’s Octopus card, which is accepted at vending machine, parking meters, and retail outlets.

However the Myki rollout took so long that by the time it finally went live, contactless payment was now a standard feature of credit cards, leading to it being dropped from the scope like so much else.

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In the beginning

Back in the “good old days” paper tickets ruled the railways, each one of them individually numbered, and sold for a specific combination of origin and destination.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 237/08

As you might expect, that added up to a lot of tickets.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 015/04

Which took up a lot of space in a ticket office.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 015/02

The poor ticketing clerk being surrounded by them!

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 015/06

So the Victorian Railways separated out the ticket offices at major stations – for example Spencer Street had separate ‘suburban’ ticket offices.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 015A/09

And Flinders Street Station directed country passengers to a single ticket offices at the ‘Centre’ entrance opposite Degraves Street.

PROV image VPRS 12800/P0003, ADV 1691

Times change

By the 1980s reforms to suburban tickets saw a new system introduced – first the ‘Neighbourhood’ paper tickets, followed by zone based “Scratch” tickets, massively reducing the number of tickets to be sold.

Scan via Reddit

And then cut back even further with the introduction of Metcard, and the on-demand encoding of pre-printed tickets by automated machines.

V/Line also went through a similar modernisation, switching to tickets printed on-demand by a computer terminal.

And then in 2013 something resembling a unification of the two systems, when Myki was rolled out to the V/Line network, as “one system to rule them all”.

But with one exception – the rollout of Myki to long distance V/Line services was dropped, leaving them using the legacy paper ticket system, which need to be issued via a computer system dedicated to the task.

And today

Southern Cross Station still has separate suburban and country ticket offices – Metro Trains Melbourne runs ticket offices on the Collins Street and Bourke Street concourses.

While V/Line runs their ticket offices at the Spencer Street entrance to the station, and beneath the Bourke Street Bridge.

Flinders Street Station also splits the ticket offices – there is a V/Line ‘Regional Tickets’ window beside the Metro Trains Melbourne ‘Customer Service’ counter.

Melbourne Central has a V/Line branded ‘Regional Trains’ window at the Swanston Street end of the station.

Oakleigh has a wooden door with a ‘Country / Interstate Booking Office’ sign on it.

And back to what triggered this post – Box Hill station has a little V/Line branded room beside the ticket office.

Footnote: printing paper tickets

As you might have guessed, selling each passenger a paper ticket every time they travelled used up a lot of paper – a million tickets a week.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 680/07

So the Victorian Railways ran their own printing works on Laurens Street, North Melbourne.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 020/15

And then sent them to a room at head office – 67 Spencer Street.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 159/08

Where staff would stamp the unique serial number onto each ticket blank.

PROV image VPRS 12903/P0001, 159/06

Footnote: a weird franchise fact

With suburban trains being operated by Metro Trains Melbourne and country trains by V/Line, the franchise agreements need to specify who is responsible for what. First, V/Line trains need access to Metro stations:

Schedule 7
Interoperator Agreements
Part 1 Mandatory Interoperator Agreements
1 Access Agreements
(a) The V/Line Passenger Access Agreement.
(b) The Station Access Agreement – NSW TrainLink for access by NSW Trains (ABN 50 325 560 455) to tracks leased by the Franchisee from PTV.

And V/Line has to have access to the ticket offices located in stations managed by Metro.

– The Sublease for the ticket office box at Flinders Street Station dated 20 November 2009 between the Franchisee and V/Line.
– The Station Agreement for access by V/Line to stations leased by the Franchisee from PTV.

Sounds like the only winners are the lawyers paid to write up these agreements.

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Overview of the carriage yards from the north-east side of La Trobe Street

Regional Rail Link

Work on the Regional Rail Link project will still ticking away, with Sunbury line passengers often having to change to buses at Footscray station.

New tracks had been completed along the edge of Docklands.

But work continued on the route past South Kensington.

Where the old tracks were getting rebuilt.

And at Middle Footscray, where space needed to be created for a third pair of tracks.

The north end of the footbridge at Footscray had been demolished for the same reason.

But work on the 1 McNab Avenue office tower was also underway.

Visible from all over Footscray.

The first stage of Regional Rail Link between the city and Footscray opened in July 2014, with the project completed in June 2015.

Myki

The changeover to Myki was still underway, with ‘Myki Mates’ talking to Traralgon passengers at Southern Cross Station ahead of the rollout of Myki to their line.

Public Transport Victoria also opened a new ‘PTV Hub’ beneath their head office at 750 Collins Street, Docklands.

And a ‘Pop up PTV Hub’ at Southern Cross Station for myki queries during the V/Line rollout.

But the reliability of the Myki system left much to be desired – defective readers onboard trams were still common.

Trams

A decade ago the corner of Elizabeth and Collins Streets still had a tram stop, located a short walk from the Elizabeth Street terminus.

It was eventually replaced with a platform stop located a block to the north in October 2013.

I also paid a visit to the much older trams found at the Ballarat Tramway Museum.

Luckily the sun came out on what was a cold winter’s day.

And back at the depot I found a 1970s advertisement from the State Electricity Commission of Victoria promoting all-electric kitchens.

A case of everything old is new again!

Southern Cross Station

At the far end of Southern Cross Station I paid a visit to the ‘Cavalcade of Transport’ mural – it was still in place, but the rest of the shopping centre had been stripped out for redevelopment.

While at the other end I found a curious sign – a train icon directing me to the ‘Airport Express’.

But it was a lie – the only service them, as is now, was a bus.

In the years since SkyBus has swapped their articulated buses for even larger double deck buses, but they still get stuck in traffic on the run between the CBD and Melbourne Airport.

And the other bits

Down at Avalon Airport I found ex-Qantas 747-300 VH-EBU ‘Nalanji Dreaming‘ still in storage outside Hangar 6.

It was repainted into a white livery in 2016, but was scrapped in June 2023.

Out at Campbellfield I went past the site of Pipeworks Fun Market on Mahoney’s Road.

The market closed in 2013, but opened on a new site in 2022.

On the Monash Freeway I found a set of new fixed speed cameras being installed.

They catch around 7,500 speeding motorists in each direction each year, despite standing out like dog’s balls.

And on the Metropolitan Ring Road works were underway on the upgrade between Edgars Road to Plenty Road.

That section was finished in April 2014, but it only marked the start of a decade of works elsewhere on the Ring Road.

And finally, a giant pile of mX newspapers unopened after the end of evening peak.

The evening commuter newspaper continued to be published until June 2015.

Footnote

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

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The first step is putting up a ‘Out of Service!’ message.

Next up, a splash screen for defunct information technology system provider Affiliated Computer Services, and an old BIOS version – 1.2.116-08.August 2006.

Then the machine dropped into the Phoenix-AwardBIOS boot screen.

It shows that the ticket machine is fitted with a Hitachi HEJ421040G9AT00 40GB 2.5″ Parallel ATA hard drive as the primary boot device, and a Transcend 2.0 solid state drive as the secondary.

The BIOS boot sequence then continues.

Until the Myki software itself is started.

Loading location information, followed by “tariff” data – currently up to version 433.

‘Tariff loaded’ displayed on completion.

Leaving the Myki machine back ready for use.

The whole reboot loop process took around 3 minutes, but loading the Myki software itself takes less than 30 seconds.

Footnote: the end of day for public transport

The end of day for Myki fares is 3am.

You can travel on Night Trains, Night Trams and Night Buses with myki and will be charged your usual fare. You won’t be charged a return fare if you touch on before 3am. A new day of myki fares begins at 3am.

Footnote: so how may tariff versions are there?

Back in January 2016 tariff data was only at version 179.

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Regional Rail Link works

Quite the coincidence given the works currently underway in Melbourne’s west – June 2013 was a two week long shut down of the railway lines to Sunbury, Ballarat and Bendigo for work on the Regional Rail Link project.

Passengers being sent onto buses running via Dynon Road.

But interestingly trains were able to keep running on the parallel Werribee line.

Track gangs playing frogger with passing trains.

But the Sunbury, Ballarat and Bendigo lines were less lucky – their tracks were blocked by construction equipment.

At the new West Footscray station the first section of the overhead concourse was put in place.

While at Sunshine the new overhead concourse loomed over the decrepit timber station building that came before it.

Works were also well underway on the greenfield section of the rail corridor – the platforms at Tarneit station were taking shape in an empty paddock.

Road over rail bridges were in place over yet to be laid track.

And the first spans of the massive rail over rail flyover at Manor Junction had been craned into place.

On Myki

A decade ago Myki had taken over as the only ticketing system in Melbourne, but slow readers resulted in long queues to exit stations. The solution – adding additional Myki readers, in a process that took months.

Ding ding

South Melbourne used to be a swamp, so it’s no surprise the Port Junction tram stop at Whiteman and Clarendon Streets turns into a lake each time it rains.

The tram stop was also used as the departure point for the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant service, with passengers given an oversized tram shelter to hide from the Melbourne weather.

To ensure the tram restaurant didn’t delay normal services, in 2016 the tram stop was rebuilt with a third track, but it didn’t see much use –
Yarra Trams kicked the service off the tracks in October 2018, citing safety concerns.

On the buses

Williams Landing station opened in 2013, with the Point Cook bus network revamped to bring passengers to it.

While at Fishermans Bend passengers were less lucky – having to wait 15 minutes in morning peak for their bus to finally arrive.

And a flushing footnote

In June 2013 the City of Melbourne closed the underground public toilets located at Collins and Queen Street.

Capping the entrances with concrete.

Footnote

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

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Regional Rail Link

Work on Regional Rail Link was well underway, with the new flyover outside Fotscray taking shape to carry the new tracks over the Werribee line.

And the cutting closer to Footscray was being widened for the extra tracks.

The new suburban platforms were also taking shape at Footscray station.

And the existing footbridge was being extended north over the future tracks.

The bridge over the low level goods lines was also being widened.

With the rail alignment outside Sunshine also ready for the extra tracks.

While at the stalled Caroline Springs station site, work had restarted – but it was only a road deviation due to RRL related road closures.

The final stage of Regional Rail Link opened in June 2016, but Caroline Springs station had to wait – it finally opened to passengers in January 2017.

And off to Ballarat

I went on a trip to Ballarat onboard a 80 year old diesel railcar.

Along the way we had to give way to some far more modern trains.

Before our arrival into Ballarat.

But there is one thing that hasn’t changed in 80 years – the diesel exhaust belching into the air at Southern Cross Station.

Protective Services Officers

Melbourne’s first group of Protective Services Officers were deployed in February 2012 to Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations, with the roll out ramping up soon after.

The limiting factor on their deployment – providing a prison cell at every railway station.

Ding ding!

A decade ago there were no accessible tram stops or low floor trams running along Elizabeth Street in the Melbourne CBD.

But there was some progress being made – the tram tracks along Elizabeth Street were being relaid.

And Yarra Trams was using their new ‘kletterweichen’ (‘climbing turnout’) to allow trams to terminate short of the works, rather than forcing passengers to walk from the nearest permanent crossover.

However the new crossover still had some teething issues, as the first tram to pass over it derailed!

Yarra Trams having to send their heavy recovery vehicle to the site, to pull the tram back onto the rails.

Meanwhile over on Swanston Street, dimwitted motorists were getting confused by the new platform stops – driving through the bike lanes.

While out at Ascot Vale motorists were inflicting more damage, this driver having impaled their ute on five metres of safety zone fence.

So what was the solution that Yarra Trams has been applying across the network?

Closing tram stops.

“A recent review by Yarra Trams and Public Transport Victoria of the environment and layout at these stops has identified an increased safety risk to passengers and pedestrians. A number of improvement strategies have been trialled with minimal success”

And on the tram stops that remain – hiding network maps behind advertising slogans.

Buses

A decade ago City Sightseeing Melbourne was running a hop-on hop-off bus services around Melbourne using a fleet of open top double deck buses.

The service was a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic, and is yet to restart operations

Another competing tourist service was the Melbourne Free Visitor Shuttle.

It was discontinued in 2017 after years of declining patronage.

Meanwhile out in Footscray, I found a colourful arrangement of Westrans, Sita and Melbourne Bus Link buses running route services.

Today they’re operated by CDC Melbourne, Transit Systems Victoria and Kinetic Melbourne, and the orange PTV livery has replaced that of the private operators.

Myki

Myki had taken over as the only ticketing system in Melbourne, with Metcard ticket machines pulled out of trams, and replaced by an extra seat.

But the reliability of the new system was somewhat lacking – I found this stack trace for ‘log4net‘ displayed on this Myki reader.

And the rest

Remember Melbourne Bike Share?

It ceased operations in November 2019.

Meanwhile over at 447 Collins Street, work was underway to reinforce the failing facade.

The marble facade panels being removed from the lower floors to avoid any further pieces falling to earth.

But it was only a temporary fix – the entire tower was demolished in 2015, with the ‘pantscraper’ known as ‘Collins Arch‘ completed on the site in 2020.

Footnote

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

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So why was it a problem?

When Myki was first rolled out, the cards were bright green, with different designs for Full Fare, Concession, Child and Student fares.

As you might expect, having to keep four different types of card in stock was a logistical pain, so in May 2013 it was decided to move to a single card design, as part of a larger rebrand of Myki.

Over the coming weeks you will notice some changes as the myki website progressively moves to the Public Transport Victoria website.

We’ve already updated myki management forms to include the PTV website and call centre number.

And we’ve just replaced all references to the myki call centre number with the PTV call centre number (1800 800 007) on the myki website, but because cards last for four years, your myki card will continue to carry the 13 6954 number for a while. There’s no need to worry. If you call the myki call centre number you will continue to be diverted to the PTV call centre.

We are also in the process of moving to a single myki card design which will allow us to add PTV information to all new cards produced in the future. These cards are expected to be available later this year.

“Later this year” was wishful thinking, with the new look cards not rolled out until November 2014.

Victoria will see new-look myki cards from early November, the next step in Public Transport Victoria’s (PTV) plan to simplify the system and provide more options at myki ticket machines next year.

The new-look myki is dark grey and will be available for all passenger types. It features PTV’s network branding design, PTV’s updated contact information, and a blank strip for customers to write their name for identification.

Alan Fedda, PTV’s Director of Customer Services, said the new-look myki has many benefits for card sellers, operators, and distributors.

“The new-look myki will make distribution and stock holding simpler for retailers and station window staff as they no longer need to carry four different types of cards,” said Mr Fedda.

“Distributing four separate card types across the network increases delivery costs for PTV.

“The single card design streamlines the process of ordering and handling cards for operator and retail outlets, and reduces the overall amount of stock they need to hold on site.”

In 2015, new-look cards will enable seniors, child and concession customers to purchase myki cards at myki vending machines for the first time.

Mr Fedda said myki machines will be reprogrammed to sell all four types of myki cards.

“Myki machines will only carry the new-look myki. The passenger type and any concession entitlements will be coded to the myki at the vending machine.

“This means seniors, children and concession customers will be able to purchase myki cards at unstaffed stations, in addition to the staffed stations and other locations they already use.”

Mr Fedda said there was no need for customers to change to a new card if their green myki has not expired, in line with PTV’s commitment to minimise wastage.

And their 2015 timeline for selling all kinds of card in machines was even more optimistic – the subsequent Myki machine ‘upgrade’ was just some new stickers!

And the rollout of card sales of all types to ticket machines – it took until August 2021!

Victorians can now buy more types of myki cards from myki machines. Until now, you could only purchase a Full Fare myki from a myki machine but this is changing.

Beginning Friday 20 August 2021, General Concession, Senior and Child myki cards will be available for purchase from a myki machine. This applies to all myki machines throughout Victoria and is expected to be completed by Tuesday 31 August 2021.

A Full Fare myki costs $6.00 and a General Concession, Senior and Child myki each cost $3.00. You will still be able to top up with myki Money or a myki Pass at every myki machine. The minimum top up amount is $1, but we recommend topping up with at least a 2-hour fare so you have a valid ticket for your next trip.

If you’re travelling with a General Concession, Senior or Child myki, please ensure you have the correct proof of eligibility with you.

That’s 7 years since the idea was first floated publicly.

Footnote: the other long running Myki saga

Myki machines were also know for covering Melbourne in unwanted receipts – that problem was eventually fixed in 2019.

Footnote: expiry dates and retail ticket sales

Turns out the expiry date of Myki cards sold at retail outlets is set during the card distribution stage, a problem discovered in 2013 when people buying “new” cards discovered they were almost ready expire.

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