Melbourne Trains

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Melbourne Age --> Rail delays drag on all night after bat strikes power line

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Twitter

Metro Trains ‏@metrotrains

Some snaps of our work replacing the Victoria St Bridge http://flic.kr/ps/2qYUDW

[ozbob]

http://metrotrains.com.au/metronotify

metroNotify

We want to notify you!

Be one of the first to get on board with Metro's new app, metroNotify.

The new app allows you to personalise Metro's live service updates to receive the information you want at the times that you need it.

New information about your selected train lines, sent directly from Metro's Control Centre, will arrive on your device as a push notification.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Daniel Bowen ‏@danielbowen 2h

Why are #MetroTrains cancellations rising? Is it because the government skimps on signalling? http://www.danielbowen.com/2013/03/29/trains-unreliable-govt-skimped/ ... #SpringSt

[somebody]

This sort of public bagging of government policy is only possible because of privatisation.

[ozbob]

Daniel Bowen Blog --> Why are #MetroTrains cancellations rising? Is it because the government skimps on signalling?

[ozbob]

Daniel Bowen Blog --> Why are #MetroTrains cancellations rising? Is it because the government skimps on signalling?

We have also raised the lack of redundancy in today's systems ...

[colinw]

Courier-Mail -> Eight new trains to ease Vic commuter pain

[ozbob]

Interesting interview ...  3 March, 2010  worth listening to again with the retrospectroscope on ...

774 ABC Melbourne

Metro CEO explains how they'll double capacity

With Melbourne's population continuing to boom the city's public transport system is under pressure.

Andrew Lazala, boss of Metro Trains, told a parliamentary enquiry yesterday that the company aims to double train patronage by 2020.

He tells Bruce Guthrie how the system will cope with this surge in passenger numbers.

--> http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/03/03/2835089.htm

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Patronage up as more than 226 million trips logged last year

Patronage up as more than 226 million trips logged last year

    Amelia Harris
    From: Herald Sun
    April 17, 2013 5:33PM

COMMUTERS are returning to the rails, with an extra three million train trips last year, new figures show.
Access all Areas. $1 for the first 28 days. Only $2.95 a week thereafter. Learn more.

Train patronage increased by 1.3 per cent from about 223.7 million trips in 2011 to 226.6 million in 2012.

The 2011 figure was a decline of 1.5 per cent following a period of unprecedented growth.

Public Transport Victoria said market conditions in 2011-12 were not generally favourable to patronage growth on trains but increasing peak hour passengers at the last stations before trains enter the City Loop could be behind the recent increase.

"The December quarter growth was 3.4 per cent compared to the same period in 2011 and annual patronage was on the previous year by 1.3 per cent,'' the Public Transport Performance report for the six months ending December 31, 2012 said.

"Medium and long-term patronage forecasts indicate a return to continued patronage growth supported by the December quarter results.''

Greens MP Greg Barber said train patronage was growing faster than the two per cent increase forecast in last year's budget.

"We need a short, medium and long term plan to keep Melbourne moving," he said.

Overall public transport use in the 12 months to December 12 increased by .5 per cent to 532.3 million passenger trips.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Metro's move to end Flinders St logjam abandoned

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News.com.au --> Calls for level-crossing work fall flat

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

New timetable puts the hurry-up on passengers

New timetable puts the hurry-up on passengers
April 26, 2013 Adam Carey

Crowds at Melbourne's busiest railway station will have less than 45 seconds to get on and off some trains when Metro introduces a new timetable on Sunday.

Train drivers are warning that the stopping time will be too brief to enable everyone to board and alight at busy times, with some passengers likely to be left stranded on the platform or even stuck on a departing train.

Metro has reissued an old directive from Connex, which it replaced as operator of Melbourne's railways in 2009, that train drivers are to shut the doors 15 seconds before a train departs Flinders Street Station.

From Sunday, a number of services will also arrive and depart Flinders Street Station within 60 seconds in a bid to reduce train congestion at the station, where trains often stop for up to 10 minutes during driver changeover.
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Metro says the directive to shut the doors is designed to prevent passengers dashing for the train at the last second or holding the doors open, which creates delays.

''This practice is part of the process of a train preparing for departure and is designed to assist with on-time departure,'' Metro spokeswoman Larisa Tait said.

But Marc Marotta, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union's locomotive division secretary, said the changeover would be too quick for slow-moving passengers. ''It affects the elderly or mothers with toddlers who just can't get out in 40-odd seconds,'' Mr Marotta said.

He said train drivers would follow the new directive, but reluctantly. ''We're obliged by the industrial laws and we'll obey them but there is a moral aspect to all this. Are you providing a service or are you just trying to get your on-time targets hit for your bonuses?''

Ms Tait said that even though the directive to shut the doors was being reissued ''the practice is not new and has been in place for many years''.

It follows another recent change at Flinders Street Station aimed at changing passenger behaviour.

Since February, the electronic screens on platforms have displayed a message that the train is departing in the seconds before it pulls away. ''This has been occurring since February this year with some success as fewer people are forcing the doors open when a train is ready to depart,'' Ms Tait said.

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Footy fans furious over train chaos ahead of blockbuster Anzac Day clash

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Melbourne Age --> Rail works cause rail chaos

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Melbourne Age --> Melbourne rail safety message wins Webby

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From the Couriermail click here!

$100m Vic budget boost for Frankston line

$100m Vic budget boost for Frankston line

    by: By Melissa Jenkins
    May 05, 2013 10:49AM

TRAIN services are set to be more reliable on one of Melbourne's busiest rail services under a $100 million boost that will be part of this week's state budget, the government says.

Premier Denis Napthine will on Sunday announce a cash injection for the south-eastern Frankston line, which carries about 60,000 people every weekday.

The money will pay for track, signalling and power upgrades, which will in turn improve service reliability, he says.

"This $100 million will mean the Frankston line will also be able to accommodate the X'Trapolis trains, giving passengers the fastest, most reliable and most comfortable commute to and from the city," Dr Napthine said.

Poor service on the Frankston line was a key issue in the 2010 election, with a swathe of seats along the line, including Bentleigh, Mordialloc and Carrum, switching from Labor to the coalition.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder said one in three trains on the Frankston line ran late under Labor as at June 2010.

Over the past year, punctuality had jumped to 91 per cent, he said.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Daniel Bowen ‏@danielbowen 50m

Just an average Sunday morning at Bentleigh station http://via.me/-bveev94  #SpringSt

[ozbob]

Twitter

Daniel Bowen ‏@danielbowen 3m

Frankston line: $100m of upgrades coming. What's included, and what isn't http://t.co/u4KPMsYLWf #SpringSt #metrotrains

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Busy line to run extra peak trains

Busy line to run extra peak trains
May 5, 2013 Adam Carey

Thousands of commuters accustomed to squeezing onto trains on Melbourne's most crowded rail corridor will get some much needed wriggle room next year, when four extra peak-hour services are added to the timetable.

Two morning peak services and two evening peak services will be added to the Dandenong line, which carries about 65,000 passengers each weekday. It is also one of the lines most bedevilled by overcrowding, with 12 daily peak-hour trains breaching the load limit at the most recent count last October.

The rail service increase is part of a $25 million, four-year investment in the Dandenong line contained in this year's state budget, to be unveiled on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the government also announced a $100 million boost to the Frankston line would be included in the budget, to pay for track, signalling and power upgrades and to allow the line to accommodate the newer X'Trapolis trains.

On the Dandenong line, the frequency of off-peak services will also be improved, with trains to run every 10 minutes along the corridor. The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, which feed into the Dandenong corridor, will also get new off-peak services, with trains to run every 20 minutes instead of the current 30.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said passengers could look forward to shorter waiting times between trains. "Increasing capacity on the Dandenong rail corridor is a real priority for this government and I'm delighted to reveal that residents will receive additional peak-period services and greatly improved off-peak frequencies," he said.

As part of the budget outlay, bus services between Caulfield and Dandenong will also be improved to better connect with railway stations, Mr Mulder said.

The extra train and bus services will be added as part of a planned timetable change next year.

Beyond 2014, high-capacity trains carrying up to 1600 passengers have been proposed for the Dandenong corridor, which also carries V/Line and freight trains.

Brian Negus, head of public policy for the RACV, said extra trains were clearly needed on the Dandenong line, but that their addition would also amplify the need to remove railway level crossings, which close for long stretches in the peak. Planning has started on removing a level crossing at Murrumbeena Road.

Tony Morton, president of the Public Transport Users Association, said the introduction of 10-minute off-peak frequencies was "long overdue".

With AAP

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/busy-line-to-run-extra-peak-trains-20130505-2j1kb.html

[ozbob]

Interesting ...

... Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said passengers could look forward to shorter waiting times between trains. "Increasing capacity on the Dandenong rail corridor is a real priority for this government and I'm delighted to reveal that residents will receive additional peak-period services and greatly improved off-peak frequencies," he said.

As part of the budget outlay, bus services between Caulfield and Dandenong will also be improved to better connect with railway stations, Mr Mulder said.

... On the Dandenong line, the frequency of off-peak services will also be improved, with trains to run every 10 minutes along the corridor. The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, which feed into the Dandenong corridor, will also get new off-peak services, with trains to run every 20 minutes instead of the current 30.

[ozbob]

Statement Premier of Victoria

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/6677-100-million-bayside-rail-upgrade-brings-newest-trains-to-frankston-line.html

$100 million Bayside rail upgrade brings newest trains to Frankston line
Sunday, 05 May 2013

Train services in Melbourne's south-east are set to be drastically improved with Premier Denis Napthine today announcing the forthcoming State Budget will include $100 million for upgrades and maintenance work on the Frankston line.

Visiting Bentleigh with Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder, Dr Napthine said the commitment would see the track, signalling and power and maintenance facilities upgraded to improve service reliability, and funding would also be used to enhance amenity at railway stations on the Frankston line.

"The Frankston train line is one of the busiest on the network, carrying around 60,000 passengers each weekday," Dr Napthine said.

"Importantly, these upgrades will allow the newest and most popular X'Trapolis trains to run on this line, which will be of enormous benefit to residents in the south-east.

"Since the November 2010 election, the Coalition Government has announced orders for 15 new X'Trapolis trains, but these trains could only carry passengers on theb Alamein, Glen Waverley, Belgrave, Lilydale, Hurstbridge and South Morang lines due to the different position in which the driver sits in the cab, affecting the ability to see some signals.

"This $100 million will mean the Frankston line will also be able to accommodate the X'Trapolis trains, giving passengers the fastest, most reliable and most comfortable commute to and from the city," Dr Napthine said.

Mr Mulder said under the previous Labor government, the Frankston line was singled out as being in exceptionally poor condition.

"Under Labor, Frankston line train punctuality was just 65.5 per cent in June 2010," Mr Mulder said.

"In the past year punctuality on this line has vastly increased to 91.2 per cent.

"Since coming to office two and a half years ago, the Coalition Government has funded improvements such as the installation of concrete sleepers between South Yarra and Caulfield to give a smoother ride," Mr Mulder said.

"By upgrading train lines to accommodate the new trains we are purchasing, the Coalition Government is ensuring that growth areas have the infrastructure and services that were neglected under Labor.

"Frankston line passengers will also benefit from improvements to station lighting, the installation of extra CCTV cameras, the extension of station platform canopies to provide more weather protection, additional myki readers and disability access improvements.

"Frankston line stations will also have new passenger information screens installed which display real time updates for trains, trams and buses, providing improved information for commuters as they arrive at stations.

"The Coalition Government's doubling in train frequencies to every 10 minutes during the day on weekends on the Dandenong, Frankston and Ringwood lines has been successful, and now it is time to roll out further improvements," Mr Mulder said.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Frankston line funding flagged in budget

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Herald Sun Leader --> Reservoir wheelchair user calls for better signage at train stations

[ozbob]

Authorised Officers needed at Metro ...

--> http://www.metrotrains.com.au/news/2013/may/6/get-ready-ride-rails-brand-new-career-metro

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Melbourne Age --> Promised Frankston rail cash diverted

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Melbourne Age --> Commuters told to brace for Metro disruptions

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Melbourne Age --> Line to open for mobile Loop hole

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Herald Sun --> Melbourne celebrities reveal their wish list to make the city even better

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Melbourne Age --> A tale of two rail lines: Altona slumps while Werribee soars

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Herald Sun --> Work begins to remove dangerous level crossings at Mitcham Rd and Rooks Rd

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Herald Sun --> Metro rip-off sees 100,000 commuters missing out of ticket compensation each month

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Weekend frequency


Don't spend time looking for a car park in the city, because trains between the city and Clifton Hill, Ringwood, Dandenong and Frankston depart every 10 minutes between 10am and 7pm. That should help transform your weekend travel.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age -_> Getting on board: Frankston passengers first to take a rainbow ride

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Melbourne Age --> Melbourne trains not so squeezy

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Melbourne Age --> Commuters stung by lack of space

[#Metro]

$40 000 per car park. Costs 2x the actual vehicle that would use the space. Annual fines at the station would barely pay for 1 car park extra per year.

A bit more than $40 000 you can employ a bus driver for a year. Charge for parking like they do in Perth and use the revenue to boost buses. Smartbus does an excellent job feeding rail.

[ozbob]

Updated website --> http://www.metrotrains.com.au/

Details --> http://www.metrotrains.com.au/a-new-metro-website-blooms-for-spring/

[ozbob]

Someone set up their own paid park n' ride scheme this morning at Watergarden station

WTF!, Why are we being charged to park at the #watergarden Train Station @metrotrains ? #Metrotrains #metrofail pic.twitter.com/YYtamT1GyV

— Ritchie Plunkett (@ritchieplunkett) September 26, 2013

@ritchieplunkett it's all a scam! Don't pay don't pay! We just got word that the perpetrator has been arrested by police.

— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) September 26, 2013

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Herald Sun --> Man arrested after fake carpark stings car commuters