Vic: Infrastructure ...

[ozbob]

"A tribute to Roxburgh Park Station - world's ugliest new rail node"

on @LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tribute-roxburgh-park-station-worlds-ugliest-new-rail-dr-chris-hale ...

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Western Distributor toll road plan looks great but requires caution

[pandmaster]

Shame on Andrews for supporting this. Roads are not the answer, especially when the West gate Freeway is so wide already.

If they are desperate to get some projects underway start the level crossing removal project and extend a few tram routes to more logical termini (e.g. train stations, shopping centres). Electrify the line to Bacchus Marsh. Build the long-proposed infill stations.

[Jonno]

Start with segregated bike and bus lanes!!!

[pandmaster]

https://urban.melbourne/transport/2015/04/30/comment-transurbans-western-distributor-proposal

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> 'Worst station in Victoria' Broadmeadows still battling for renewal

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Busiest boom gates down two-thirds of morning peak time for commuters

[colinw]

The Age -> East West Link: Tony Abbott signals funds for Transurban road proposal

[pandmaster]

This is not even newsworthy. An unsolicited road built and run by the private sector is a wet dream for Abbott.

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/contract-awarded-for-first-four-level-crossing-removals

Premier of Victoria Statement

Contract Awarded For First Four Level Crossing Removals

Tuesday 19 May 2015

The Andrews Labor Government will remove 50 of Victoria's most dangerous and congested level crossings. The contract for the removal of the first four has been awarded and construction will begin within weeks.

Premier Daniel Andrews joined Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, and Member for Bentleigh, Nick Staikos, today to announce a John Holland and KBR consortium would remove level crossings and rebuild stations at Centre Road in Bentleigh, North Road in Ormond, McKinnon Road in McKinnon and Burke Road in Glen Iris.

At each location, the rail line will be lowered under the road, with Bentleigh, Ormond, McKinnon and Gardiner stations rebuilt to provide street level access down to the platforms.

Delivering the four level crossing removals and station rebuilds as a package allows for works to be coordinated, driving down costs, reducing disruption to rail and road users and accelerating delivery of the project.

At Burke Road, where significant community consultation has already taken place, construction will kick-off in the coming weeks.

Community engagement will be carried out at Centre, North and McKinnon roads over the coming months, with construction to start later this year. This consultation will start with an information booth at Bentleigh Station in the afternoon of 20 May, where interested locals can discuss the project with team members.

The projects will create more than 350 jobs, and the full $524 million package will be complete by 2018.

The contract for the next four level crossing removals and an Expression of Interest for level crossings along the Cranbourne-Pakenham line will be announced shortly.

The Labor Government provided $2.4 billion in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget for the removal of at least 20 of Victoria's most dangerous and congested level crossings in its first term.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

"These level crossings frustrate motorists, hold back our train system and put lives at risk every day. The only way to fix them is to get rid of them, and we're getting on with it."

"We've awarded the contract for the first four crossings. Works will start within weeks and in a few years they'll be gone."

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan

"Delivering the works at the four sites as one package means safer roads, better stations and more trains sooner, with less disruption."

"The new stations will be safer, more accessible and easier to get to, with better connections to trams and buses."

[ozbob]

^
Twitter

Alison Savage ‏@alisavage

#springst @DanielAndrewsMP announcing contracts signed for first four level crossing removals @abcnewsMelb

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> First to go: Level crossings in Melbourne's s.e. top Andrews' election promise to-do list

[ozbob]

[pandmaster]

Wow. There is no mucking around here. Rebuilt stations and lowering the lines is some serious work. I wonder how it will be managed to minimise disruptions.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Maribyrnong City Council demands steps to safety at low Footscray rail bridge

[colinw]

Wow. There is no mucking around here. Rebuilt stations and lowering the lines is some serious work. I wonder how it will be managed to minimise disruptions.

Something like that is what needs to be done at, for example, Warrigal Road / Fruitgrove station on the Beenleigh line.  Opportunity lost when the line was tripled alas.

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/nine-more-level-crossing-removals-released-to-market

Nine More Level Crossing Removals Released To Market

Wednesday 27 May 2015

The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with removing Victoria's most dangerous and congested level crossings, releasing the Expression of Interest for the Caulfield to Dandenong package today.

Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, said on top of removing nine of Melbourne's worst level crossings, the package would rebuild four stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Clayton and Hughesdale and roll out power and signalling upgrades.

The Cranbourne-Pakenham line is Melbourne's busiest, serving some of Victoria's most important economic centres, the Gippsland rail corridor, and thousands of homes in Melbourne's booming south east.

These level crossings are also some of Melbourne's worst, with boom gates down for up to 87 minutes across the two hour peak.

Removing every level crossing between Dandenong and Caulfield and buying 37 new high-capacity trains will boost capacity by 42 per cent, creating space for an extra 11,000 passengers in peak hour.

Delivering the works as a single package will allow works to be coordinated, saving money, reducing disruption and removing the crossings sooner.

An industry briefing will be held next week to provide more information and support the release of the Expression of Interest.

The EOI will close in late June 2015. The Level Crossing Removal Authority will then evaluate the submissions and  shortlist two bidders to continue through the process.

Work on the removal of these level crossings is expected to commence in 2016, and all nine level crossing removals will be completed by 2018.

The Labor Government has provided $2.4 billion in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget for the removal of at least 20 of Victoria's most dangerous and congested level crossings in its first term, creating thousands of jobs.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan

"Some of these boom gates are down for more than 80 minutes every morning. They are choking our city and putting lives at risk – they have to go."

"Removing every level crossing between Caulfield and Dandenong will reduce road congestion, make local communities safer, create jobs, and allow for more trains from Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland."

"The Andrews Labor Government getting on with the major job-creating projects we were elected to deliver."

[ozbob]

PTV --> City Loop history

30 years since Flagstaff station opened.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Multimillion-dollar Richmond railway station revamp in limbo

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Another freeway to Melbourne Airport set for approval while rail link languishes 

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/getting-on-with-four-more-level-crossing-removals

Getting On With Four More Level Crossing Removals

Tuesday 23 June 2015

The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with the removal of Victoria's most dangerous and congested level crossings, announcing that four more level crossing removals will begin this year.

An Alliance including Leighton Contractors, Aurecon and Hyder Consulting has been selected as the preferred contractor to design and construct the level crossing removals at Heatherdale Rd in Mitcham, Blackburn Rd in Blackburn, and Main and Furlong Roads in St Albans.

Premier Daniel Andrews joined Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan, at Heatherdale Station today to announce that the package of works will cost around $480 million, including $151 million from the Australian Government, and will create nearly 200 jobs.

At each location, the rail line will be lowered under the road. St Albans, Ginifer and Heatherdale stations will be re-built with platforms below street level and Blackburn Station will be upgraded.

Works will begin on Main and Furlong Road in the coming months and be completed in 2017. The removal of Heatherdale and Blackburn Road level crossings will start later this year and these crossings will be gone by 2018.

The Heatherdale Rd, Blackburn Rd and Furlong Rd projects have been funded by the Victorian Government, which has partnered with the Australian Government in funding the Main Road level crossing with savings from the Regional Rail Link project.

The Leighton Contractors, Aurecon, and Hyder Consulting Alliance includes VicRoads, Public Transport Victoria and Metro Trains Melbourne.

In another important milestone for the Level Crossing Removal Project, geotechnical investigations have begun on the Cranbourne-Pakenham package, which will remove every level crossing between Dandenong and Caulfield.

The removal of these nine level crossings is part of a multi-billion dollar package of works that also includes the rebuild of four stations, the purchase of 37 high-capacity trains and upgrades to power and signalling infrastructure.

These works will boost capacity on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line – Melbourne's busiest – by 42 per cent, creating space for 11,000 extra passengers during peak hour.

Quotes attributable to Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews

"These level crossings clog roads, risk lives and stop us running more trains. They've got to go – and we're getting on with removing them."

"These four level crossings will all be removed by 2018, and are part of our $2-2.4 billion commitment in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget to remove at least 20 of these congested death traps over four years."

Quotes attributable to Federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Jamie Briggs

"The Australian Government is delivering world class infrastructure upgrades across Victoria, with $151 million committed to remove the level crossing at Main Road, St Albans."

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan

"This package of works will get rid of four of our worst level crossings, rebuild three stations, upgrade another and create nearly 200 jobs."

"The Andrews Labor Government is investing billions of dollars in the transport infrastructure we need to get Victorian's home safer and sooner."

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/building-better-infrastructure-for-jobs-and-growth

Building Better Infrastructure For Jobs And Growth

Tuesday 23 June 2015

The Andrews Labor Government will today introduce legislation into the Parliament to create Infrastructure Victoria, delivering on a key election commitment and providing certainty for our infrastructure pipeline.

A landmark reform, Infrastructure Victoria will take short term politics out of infrastructure planning, and keep our pipeline of major projects full to grow our economy and create jobs.

The new independent body will be tasked with ensuring Victoria's immediate and long-term infrastructure needs are identified and prioritised based on objective, transparent analysis and evidence.

Infrastructure Victoria will consult widely, consider the needs of the whole state and prioritise the projects that deliver the best results.

Once established, Infrastructure Victoria will be required to publicly release a 30-year Infrastructure Strategy detailing short, medium and long-term infrastructure needs and priorities.

In response, the Government will be required to develop a five-year Infrastructure Plan outlining priority projects and funding commitments. Infrastructure Victoria will assess the Government's progress against this plan.

The expert body will also support government decisions by assessing business cases for major projects, and publishing research on a range of infrastructure issues from schools, hospitals, water, arts and cultural facilities.

Infrastructure Victoria will give the community and the private sector greater certainty about our infrastructure needs, and the Labor Government's strong plan to meet them.

Quotes attributable to Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews

"Governments come and go, but our long-term infrastructure priorities always remain."

"We won't waste a day getting on with supporting Victorian jobs, and we won't ask Victorians to support dud, last minute plans for projects that don't stack up."

Quotes attributable to the Special Minister of State, Gavin Jennings

"We're putting evidence and transparency at the front and centre of Victoria's infrastructure decisions."

"Infrastructure Victoria will give the community and businesses certainty that those decisions are based on priorities – not politics."

[ozbob]

ABC News --> More roads not the answer to Melbourne's congestion woes, VicRoads says

Nine of Melbourne's major thoroughfares are rapidly reaching capacity and the city cannot just "build its way out of congestion", VicRoads chief executive John Merritt says.

Mr Merritt advised motorists to use public transport, ride a bicycle or find a new job closer to home to deal with the city's growing traffic congestion.

He said traffic projections showed Melbourne's rapid population growth would continue to cause "a lot of pressure on all of our transport systems".

And while it was important to continue to expand the road network, that alone was simply not enough, he said.

"We can't just build our way out of congestion," he said.

"We need to invest heavily in public transport, which we are, through Melbourne Metro and we need to encourage people to cycle or to walk and make that feel as safe and as practical as we can."

Victoria's Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the Government recognised the problem and was investing in a "range of transport projects" to address the current needs, with a view to building capacity into the future.

"That's why removing the 50 most dangerous level crossings for example is important in terms of addressing road congestion," she said.

"It also means we can run more trains once those levels crossings are removed."

The State Opposition said the traffic figures showed there was a clear need for investment in building more roads.

Shadow attorney-general John Pesutto said it was an "indictment" of the Government's decision to scrap the East West Link project.

"We are growing at around 100,000 people a year and Mr Andrews' plan for our state is to say to Victorians put on your walking shoes or get on your bike," he said.

"It's not good enough."

'No one big answer' to Melbourne's traffic problem

Mr Merritt said one of the biggest challenges facing VicRoads was relieving the congestion along Hoddle Street and Punt Road.

"We're now carrying more people in that midday period on Saturday than we are at the equivalent times during the week and we have the extra challenge of the traffic not being in any one direction," he said.

"The challenge with Hoddle and Punt is the number of people who cross [it].

"While it carries a huge [amount] of north-south traffic, more people travel east-west across all those intersections, either in cars or on trams or on bikes, so that's what makes it such a challenge for us."

Mr Merritt said there was no one solution to fixing the city's traffic woes.

"There are significant, large projects but there is no one big answer to this, it is a series of pieces of work," he said.

"Then there are those changes in behaviour - getting people to use public transport and encouraging more people to ride."

[ozbob]

50 Level Crossing Removals - Start of Works Announcement

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Labor pushes on with level crossing plan despite upper house

[ozbob]

Tweet

RMIT Urban Research ‏@RMIT_CUR 2m

.@VicRoads Chief tells commuters to get a new job or ride a bike to lessen congestion. CURs @urbanizationist responds http://bit.ly/1HILpl4

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Train tunnel phone coverage stuck in a loop

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Stop the politics and fix our transport

... The time has well and truly passed for Victorian politicians to stop playing the blame game and come up with a bipartisan plan that addresses the state's transport needs now and into the future ...

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/stop-the-politics-and-fix-our-transport-20150726-gikr9p.html#ixzz3hKufxYMy

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Month-long Frankston line shutdown to come as first of 50 level crossings go

[ozbob]

http://economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/transport/major-projects/level-crossing-removal-project/whats-happening/interactive-community-sessions

Interactive community sessions

The Level Crossing Removal Project: Caulfield to Dandenong will remove nine level crossings along the Cranbourne-Pakenham rail corridor. The project will also rebuild four stations at Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale and Clayton, and upgrade power and signalling.

We are holding a series of interactive community sessions for these level crossing removals. We want to hear your feedback about what's important to you in your area, to help inform the project designs.

Drop in at any time during these interactive sessions.

Tuesday 4 August, 6pm – 8.30pm

Boyd Room, Carnegie Library
7 Shepparson Avenue, Carnegie

Wednesday 5 August, 5pm – 8pm

Clayton Hall meeting room
264 Clayton Road, Clayton

Thursday 6 August, 5pm – 8pm

Murrumbeena Pavilion
28 Gerald Street, Murrumbeena

Saturday 8 August, 9.30am – 12.30pm

Clayton Hall meeting room
264 Clayton Road, Clayton

Wednesday 12 August, 5pm – 8pm

Glen Huntly Park Function Centre
Corner Neerim and Booran Roads, Glen Huntly

Thursday 13 August, 5pm – 8pm

Sandown Park Hotel
Corner of Corrigan Road and Princes Highway, Noble Park

Saturday 15 August, 9am – 12pm

Boyd Room, Carnegie Library
7 Shepparson Avenue, Carnegie

More information

For more information, call 1800 762 667 or email levelcrossings@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

[ozbob]

Alan Davies Crikey --> Will Infrastructure Victoria improve the standard of political promises?

... ultimately the best defence of the public interest is transparency and an active constituency.

^ can someone please tell Queensland 

[ozbob]

PTV --> Caroline Springs Station

[pandmaster]

PTV --> Caroline Springs Station

All well and good, however I suspect this another case of infrastructure without decent services levels (e.g. Epsom station, Springfield line). The nearby stations have a pretty erratic service, so why would Caroline Springs be any different? Electrification to Melton would probably have been a better use of funds.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Infrastructure Victoria: What do we need the most? Time to talk

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Government announces board of Infrastructure Victoria

Victoria's government has announced the board of its new transport planning body, Infrastructure Victoria, with members selected from industry, academia and the public service.

It is expected the new entity will resemble the federal body Infrastructure Australia and the government claims it will be independent and remove politics from infrastructure planning.

Ex-banker Jim Miller has been appointed to chair the body, having previously been an executive director with Macquarie Capital during his time with that business between 1994 and 2015.

According to the government statement, Miller has extensive infrastructure experience, having worked in fields such as regulated assets, energy, transport, energy, utilities and resources and social infrastructure.

He is currently deputy chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia.

Maria Wilton has been appointed as his deputy.

Wilton is currently the managing director of Franklin Templeton Investments Australia, a director of the Financial Services Council of Australia and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Also joining as board members are current president and vice chancellor of Monash University, Professor Margaret Gardner, and former chief executive of Westpac New Zealand and Bank of Melbourne Ann Sherry.

Also joining the board are the secretaries of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Department of Treasury and Finance, and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The statutory members are expected to ensure IV coordinates effectively with the public service and agencies.

The new body is to ensure Victoria's immediate and long-term infrastructure needs are identified and prioritised based on "objective, transparent analysis and evidence".

Infrastructure Victoria is expected to publicly release a 30-year infrastructure strategy detailing short, medium and long-term needs and priorities.

The state government is expected to develop a five-year Infrastructure Plan outlining priority projects and funding commitments, with IV to assess the government's progress.

Premier Daniel Andrews said while governments "come and go", long-term infrastructure priorities should remain. "That's why we've appointed a board to give us clear, expert advice that is independent of politics and focussed on our state's priorities," he said.

Special minister of state Gavin Jennings welcomed Miller's appointment.

"Jim and the other board members come with great experience and will provide the needed leadership for this new body," he said.

"They will help take the politics out of infrastructure and ensure that our state gets the projects that we need."

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Phone reception flickers to life in City Loop as telcos conduct final tests

[ozbob]

Twitter

ABC News Melbourne ‏@abcnewsMelb 1h

Mobile phone reception has been switched on in #Melbourne's City Loop http://ab.co/1ZDVc26 

[ozbob]

Twitter

PTV ‏@ptv_official 15m

Have you heard? 3G is now available in the City Loop! http://ow.ly/TqbWj 

[ozbob]

Metro --> Ringwood Station and Interchange Upgrade Project

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Melbourne congestion map a case of stuck in the middle with you (and everybody else)