Melbourne Trains

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/contract-signed-on-new-trains-that-put-passengers-first/

Contract Signed On New Trains That Put Passengers First

Minister for Public Transport

22 November 2016

The contract for the biggest order of new trains in Victoria's history is signed, and the local build begins next year.

Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan today announced that a consortium led by Downer Rail will build the 65 High Capacity Metro Trains being delivered by the Andrews Labor Government.

The awarding of the $2 billion contract paves the way for construction of the new trains, which are 20 per cent bigger and will reduce crowding on Victoria's busiest rail corridor – the Cranbourne Pakenham line – before running as a dedicated fleet from Pakenham to Sunbury through the new Metro Tunnel.

Every one of the new trains will be built in Victoria, with 60 per cent local content, exceeding the Labor Government's commitment to 50 per cent local content.

Compared to the previous-Liberal Government, who were going to build trains in South Korea and offshore the jobs that come with it, the Labor Government's project will create 1,100 highly-skilled local jobs.

Fifteen per cent of work on the project will be carried out by apprentices, trainees and engineering cadets, giving young and re-skilling workers a head start in their new careers.

Through partnerships with Toyota, Chisholm Institute and Swinburne University, the HCMT project will also create opportunities for workers transitioning from the automotive industry.

Together with the $1.6 billion Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project, the new trains will increase capacity on the Cranbourne Pakenham line 42 per cent, creating room for 11,000 extra passengers in the peak.

The first HCMT will be delivered and in testing by November 2018, ready to enter service in 2019. All 65 trains will be ready for  the opening of the Metro Tunnel in 2026.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

"We're investing in new trains built in Victoria, for Victoria – putting local jobs and local train users first."

"Together with the removal of every level crossing between Dandenong and the city, these new trains will reduce crowding and make the daily commute more comfortable for thousands of passengers."

Quotes attributable to Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan

"These new trains will create 1,100 highly-skilled jobs and provide experience and opportunities to young workers, and people re-skilling from other sectors, including the auto-industry."

"These new trains are an investment in people – in their livelihoods and the time they get to spend with loved ones. The contract is signed, and work starts next year – we're getting it done."

[ozbob]

As if we need any more of a reminder what a backwater Queensland is hey?

[ozbob]

Australia: Melbourne High Capacity Metro Trains contract close https://t.co/DK32oHu0OX pic.twitter.com/bo2Ucd7Zmi

— Metro Report (@MetroReportInt) November 22, 2016

[ozbob]

Look out for the 'Need a Seat' badges being handed out at some of our stations today in support of @IDPwD pic.twitter.com/EajLSFuRqY

— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) December 2, 2016

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/better-train-services-and-information-for-passengers/

Better Train Services And Information For Passengers

Minister for Public Transport Treasurer 7 December 2016

The Andrews Labor Government is considering a market-led proposal to upgrade telecommunications on Melbourne's train system to improve services and provide better information for passengers.

The proposal would see an upgrade to the metropolitan train network to 4G technology, supporting extra services, more timely and detailed maintenance alerts, more accurate arrival times, and high-capacity signalling.

The Labor Government has already made significant improvements to information on our train system, including the introduction of mobile coverage in the city loop and real-time passenger information across Melbourne's trains, trams and buses.

The proposed upgrade would build on these improvements, and complement the major investments the Labor Government has made in new High Capacity Metro Trains and better signalling for Melbourne's busiest train line between Dandenong and the city.

The proposal by Nokia and Vodafone has moved to stage four of the Market Led Proposal assessment process.

If approved, rollout of the upgrade is expected to take about six months with no disruptions to commuters.

Quotes attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas

"Victoria is open for business and ideas from the private sector that can benefit all Victorians."

"Our Market-Led Proposal Guideline gives all businesses a transparent way to work with the Government, enabling collaboration that leverages unique opportunities while protecting the community's interests."

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

"We're building a better transport system, with more reliable services, less delays and better information for passengers so they can plan their travel and get home sooner."

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Are we being well served? The $30b question mark that hangs over Melbourne's trains and trams

Melbourne's passenger rail system is a near $30 billion asset, owned by the public and run by two companies, Metro Trains and Yarra Trams, which transport hundreds of millions of people a year.

And yet nobody who oversees the train and tram system can say for sure what physical condition it is in, nor whether it is fit to cope with expected increases in demand in coming years.

Such is the troubling finding of Victoria's auditor-general, in an alarm call of a report about how well the state is managing the performance of the train and tram franchise agreements, two multibillion-dollar deals that set the standards Metro and Yarra Trams must meet.

The report found that there are significant gaps in how Public Transport Victoria monitors whether Metro and Yarra Trams are meeting the conditions of their franchise agreements, and whether they are truly running services in the best interests of passengers.

On station skipping, for example, a lack of external data means PTV relies on a system of "honest and accurate self-reporting" by Metro Trains, which must be trusted to report the true number of times it skipped stations each month, and why.   

Similarly, the ability to track Yarra Trams' punctuality is also hamstrung by obsolete tram tracking technology introduced in the 1980s. Yet this technology is critical to determining whether or not Yarra Trams is paid performance bonuses potentially worth millions of dollars each quarter.

The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, concluded that Melbourne's train and tram services have become more reliable and punctual during the life of the current franchise agreements, which began in 2009 and will end in November 2017.

But it found the standard of service is being put at risk by a lack of knowledge about the condition of the network's nuts and bolts – trains, trams, tracks, stations, overhead wiring and so on – and an inadequate strategy for keeping those assets in good health.

What is known is that in general, conditions have gotten worse since Metro and Yarra Trams were awarded the franchises seven years ago.

"The limited information available about Melbourne's train and tram networks indicates that the condition of these assets has deteriorated since 2009," the report states.

But the lack of understanding of the problem means Public Transport Victoria does not know if it is spending enough to fix things.

The sketchily understood list of rail assets in need of more maintenance and renewal is long and it is growing, even though PTV increased maintenance funding by $42 million a year.

For example, tests have found Melbourne's tram tracks have deteriorated over the past four years. PTV has blamed this problem on the growing number of heavier low-floor trams on the network. The number of these heavier trams in service continues to grow at the rate of one a month, yet PTV tests the health of the tracks just twice a year.

On the train network, an analysis by the national rail safety watchdog ONRSR in 2015 found it was fit for purpose but in poor condition, that Melbourne also fares poorly compared to other cities, and PTV had no clear strategy for improving things.

The auditor-general made five recommendations, all of which PTV accepted, on how it should improve its oversight of the franchisees' performance, and of the health of the network, as it moves towards signing new franchise agreements late next year.

Metro and Yarra Trams have both entered into exclusive negotiations with the state about continuing beyond the contract's expiration in 2017.

Since 2009, the state has paid more than $7.6 billion to the franchisees to run Victoria's train and tram networks — $5.4 billion to Metro and $2.2 billion to Yarra Trams, up to June 30.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Like dominoes, one part of train system falls over and everything collapses

Another day, another peak-hour public transport meltdown in the world's most liveable city Melbourne.

A power fault in an ageing Comeng train in the City Loop was the culprit this time.

Two-hundred-and-five passengers were trapped inside its lightless, airless carriages for two hours before it was deemed safe enough for them to walk 300 metres through the tunnel to daylight at Flinders Street Station.

Seven-hundred more people were stuck for an hour inside another train that was caught behind it before they could be unloaded at Parliament. 

And tens of thousands more commuters were dragged into the morning chaos as trains on three lines were diverted out of the Loop to Southern Cross Station.

That emergency rejig disrupted eight other suburban lines, so that virtually everyone on the trains was disrupted in the end.

And that's the problem with Melbourne's fragile rail network – its lines converge and criss-cross in the centre so that one isolated incident is capable of triggering system-wide bedlam.

There have been rats, a flying bat, stray balloons, even a water leak.

Untangling the lines is a project that will take many years and billions of dollars, including building the Melbourne Metro tunnel for starters.

At least that work is under way.

But in the meantime, the tangled nature of the system with all of its ageing infrastructure means things continue to go wrong all the time.

And when they do, the host of agencies with a hand in running the state's public transport means it can be maddeningly difficult to pin down who is responsible.     

This morning's debacle is a perfect example: passengers who were redirected to Southern Cross because of Metro's faulty train were met by a broken-down escalator.

The escalators at Southern Cross Station break down all the time which, to be fair, is not Metro's fault.

It's the responsibility of Asset Co, the managed investment fund that runs the station in a 30-year public-private partnership deal with the state government.

That contract is managed by Public Transport Victoria, an authority set up as a one stop shop that would end the confusion about who is in charge.

But just four years after it was established, PTV is about to be put beneath the wing of yet another new authority, Transport for Victoria, making its place in the jigsaw of authorities unclear.

So who ultimately takes responsibility for the unreliable infrastructure, the faulty trains and signals and escalators that can trigger a network-wide meltdown in our fragile system when one thing goes wrong?

Melburnians could be forgiven for being as lost as an overseas tourist trying to find a train from the airport to the city, but of course the answer is always the government, despite the tangled nest of authorities and commercial entities that have been given a stake over the years. 

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Metro Trains told to meet tougher targets or pay millions in fines

Metro Trains will have to lift its game or potentially pay millions of dollars in fines for late and cancelled trains every three months under the proposed terms of a tougher seven-year agreement with the state.

The practice of station-skipping, terminating trains short of the end of the line, and bypassing the City Loop or Altona loop, will also be penalised in the proposed new contract.

The company will have to do more to make sure Melbourne's trains and stations are in good condition, and that information about service disruptions and delays gets to passengers when and how they need it, or face millions more in fines.

The Age has obtained a leaked copy of the benchmarks the government wants Metro to meet if it continues as operator of Melbourne's rail system for another seven years.

Metro has until this Friday to respond. The current deal expires on November 30 next year.

The proposed new agreement contains much tougher monthly punctuality and reliability targets than it currently operates under, which Metro has consistently hit for the past five years.

Under the proposed agreement, Metro would have to run 92 per cent of trains on time each month, or pay the state a penalty of up to $1.25 million, as well as compensate monthly and yearly myki fare holders.

Metro would have missed this target in October and November, when it ran 91.1 per cent of trains on time.

Its current target, in place since 2009, is to run 88 per cent of trains on time each month. It has not missed it since early 2012.

Metro will be deemed to have breached its new contract if it falls below 88 per cent in the new agreement, and could be fined up to $3 million.

Should punctuality fall to as low as 83 per cent, the government would have a trigger to terminate the contract. The current termination trigger is 79 per cent.

The contractual measure of punctuality – four minutes and 59 seconds late, or 59 seconds early – remains unchanged in the new proposed agreement.

The new benchmarks also set a delivery target of 98.5 per cent – meaning no more than 1.5 per cent of services should be cancelled.

Metro has not missed the current monthly 98 per cent reliability target since 2012-13, according to records in PTV's annual reports. But it would have missed the proposed higher target three times this year.

The documents insist Metro should not pursue any strategies to meet its targets that have "adverse outcomes" for passengers.

Metro could also be fined up to $9 million every three months if it does not satisfy a new "passenger experience module", which is based on public satisfaction with the state of trains, stations and passenger information.

John Stone, a senior lecturer in urban planning at the University of Melbourne, said the government's proposed requirements addressed many of the weaknesses in the current franchise.

"But the proof will be in how hard they deal and what Metro eventually signs up to," Dr Stone said.   

He said Metro had sought to set itself up as a "private monopoly" in Melbourne, by using its position as operator to win work on long-term projects such as level crossing removals, that would make it difficult for the government to eventually replace the company as franchisee. 

The new proposed agreement includes restrictions on any business activity that would make it difficult for the government to dump Metro at the end of the proposed franchise extension, in either seven or 10 years time.

In a sweetener for Metro, the new offer contains an option to extend its contract for an extra three years, which would cement the company's place in Melbourne until 2027.

Average punctuality has risen from 85 per cent to 92 per cent in Metro's eight years as operator.

Luba Grigorovitch, state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, criticised the government's decision to negotiate exclusively with Metro, arguing there should have been a competitive tender process.

"Whatever the terms of a new agreement, without testing the market the government will short change Victorian taxpayers," Ms Grigorovitch said.

The government said it will not comment on negotiations.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Most Melbourne rail lines left out of loop in proposed new Metro timetable

Altona residents will finally get a regular direct train service to and from the city when the Metro timetable is updated next year, but most other lines are likely to get no boost to services, despite increased overcrowding, leaked government documents show.

The Andrews government has barely updated Melbourne's train timetables since it took office more than two years ago and scrapped a major upgrade that Metro and Public Transport Victoria had devised under the former Coalition government.

But a list of proposed extra services contained in the leaked Transport Department document reveals some lines are likely to get extra services next year.

The list of extra services is short: 47 Altona loop extensions, four extra trains a day on the Werribee, Craigieburn and Sunbury lines and one extra Eltham service.

No other lines see any change. Metropolitan train patronage grew 2.7 per cent last financial year.

The proposed update is good news for commuters on the Altona Loop, who have an inefficient off-peak shuttle service between Laverton and Newport that involves catching up to three trains to and from the city.

Most shuttle services will be replaced with a direct service to and from Flinders Street Station.

But beyond that, just 13 extra weekday services would be added next year.

The proposed timetable update addresses significant peak-hour rail overcrowding in Melbourne's western suburbs, but leaves mostly unused the capacity – up to 23 extra metropolitan trains an hour – created by the $3.65 billion Regional Rail Link.

A timetable update originally planned for April 2015 that would have used the new capacity to add services to nine lines was rejected by the Andrews government.

David Hodgett, the Opposition spokesman on public transport, said the government had so far failed to build on the 10-minute off-peak frequencies the former Napthine government added on lines such as Dandenong and Frankston.     

"Labor's proposed changes to Metro timetables are disappointingly modest rather than the massive upgrade that is required with Victoria's population having risen by 123,000 in the past year," Mr Hodgett said.

Melbourne's rail system had become one of two halves, he said, with commuters in the east and south served by regular trains all day while in the north and west, "train frequencies remain stuck in the 1980s".

The government declined to comment on the proposed timetable because it forms part of confidential commercial negotiations with Metro about a seven-year extension of the rail franchise agreement.

"We'll add 80 more V/Line services every week in January, and will add more metropolitan services later in the year as part of the next metropolitan timetable change," Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said.

Jennifer Williams, a spokeswoman for the Altona Loop Group, which lobbies for better rail services to and from Altona, said the group had been told to wait until the second half of next year for significant improvements.

"It's not good enough," Ms Williams said.

"We were promised through services after Regional Rail [opened], that was 18 months ago," she said.

The documents also reveal another myki fare rise of 2.5 per cent is booked in for January 1, 2018, on top of the looming fare rise on January 1 next year.

[#Metro]

RBTU Secretary is right. Should be open to all. Same should apply in Queensland.

Luba Grigorovitch, state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, criticised the government's decision to negotiate exclusively with Metro, arguing there should have been a competitive tender process.

"Whatever the terms of a new agreement, without testing the market the government will short change Victorian taxpayers," Ms Grigorovitch said.

The government said it will not comment on negotiations.

A possible Queensland version (fabricated/altered):

Owen Doogan, state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, criticised the government's decision to negotiate exclusively with Queensland Rail, arguing there should have been a competitive tender process.

"Whatever the terms of a new agreement, without testing the market the government will short change Queensland taxpayers," Mr Doogan said.

The Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said she will not comment on negotiations.

[ozbob]

Time for the big reveal.

Victoria, meet your new-look train network map – coming to a station near you in 2017. pic.twitter.com/TpByD1TFgq

— Daniel Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) December 28, 2016

PDF of Map > https://t.co/GQYBqswzkP

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-simpler-coloured-map-for-victorias-train-network/

New, Simpler Coloured Map For Victoria's Train Network

Minister for Public Transport 29 December 2016

The Andrews Labor Government will introduce a new colour-coded train map next year, to make it quicker and easier for passengers to find their way on Victoria's rail network.

The new map unveiled today provides a different colour for each metropolitan train line and highlights interchanges, making it easier to tell which line you are on and where you need to change.

Colours have been carefully chosen to be distinguishable by people with the two most common types of colour vision impairment, and are the same colours as Public Transport Victoria's (PTV) live travel updates.

By showing at a glance which lines are which when they leave the loop, passengers will be able to see when they can stay on a train to connect to a new line.

The map also integrates the metropolitan and regional train networks for the first time, reflecting the increasing integration of Metro and V/Line services and removing the need for passengers to swap between maps if travelling between Melbourne and regional Victoria.

The new map also includes a grid linked to an alphabetical index at the side, to help users locate unfamiliar stations. It will be progressively rolled out on all metropolitan trains and stations from 1 January 2017.

For more information and to download a copy of the new map, visit ptv.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

"Coloured maps are used on train networks around the world. It's a simple change that will make it quicker and easier people to find their way around Melbourne and Victoria on the train."

"Each line has a different colour and interchange stations are clearly marked, making it easier to tell which line you're on, which one you want and where to change."

"The new map also combines the metropolitan and regional networks on the same map for the first time, so passengers don't need to swap from map-to-map if they're travelling between Melbourne and regional Victoria."

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Rainbow revamp for Melbourne's train network map

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Metro Trains charged with breach of safety laws over death of teenager in 2014

Metro Trains Melbourne has been charged with breaching its rail safety obligations over the death of an 18-year old man who fell between a moving train and a platform in 2014.

The state's rail safety watchdog, Transport Safety Victoria, announced on Wednesday that it had charged Metro over two serious safety breaches; failing to keep its rail infrastructure in a safe condition and failing to ensure the safety of its trains.

Metro faces millions of dollars in fines if found guilty of the charges, which will be heard in court.

The charges stem from an incident on February 22, 2014, in which 18-year-old Mitchell Callaghan tried to board a city-bound train at Heyington station in Toorak, on the Glen Waverley line.

The doors were being held open by a number of other passengers and, as the train departed, Mr Callaghan fell through the gap between the train and the platform. He died as a result of his injuries.

  The charges filed against Metro Trains Melbourne are:


    breach of section 20 of the Rail Safety Act 2006 for failing to ensure the safety of its rail infrastructure operations (in relation to the gap between the platform and the train);
    breach of section 21 of the Rail Safety Act 2006 for failing to ensure the safety of its rolling stock operations (in relation to installing indefinite interlocking traction delay to prevent trains from being moved with open doors).

Each charge carries 9000 penalty units – which brings a fine of almost $1.4 million for a corporation.

The Director, Transport Safety, David Hourigan, said he had charged Metro with the two breaches of its safety obligations because the company had failed to meet the highest transport safety standards.

"As Victoria's transport safety regulator, my primary objective is to independently seek the highest transport safety standards that are reasonably practicable, and the filing of these charges is consistent with that purpose," Mr Hourigan said.

"This has been a long and thorough investigation and I am satisfied that taking court action in this case is in the public interest."

He said as the matter is now before the court, Transport Safety Victoria would make no further comment.

Mitchell's parents, Mark and Belinda Callaghan, issued a statement in response to the charges.

"The death of our son was completely unnecessary," Mr and Mrs Callaghan said.

"It was a consequence of a train station that desperately needed upgrading and the unsafe door-movement interlock system, allowing the train to be moved with the carriage doors being open," they said.

"As grieving parents we are hopeful these charges against Metro are one step closer in obtaining accountability for the death of our son. The charges are of extreme importance. Metro must be made accountable for train safety."

Metro Trains spokeswoman Sammie Black said the operator was "deeply saddened by the tragic death of a young man at Heyington Station in 2014".

"At Metro, ensuring that everyone – our passengers, our staff and the community – is safe on the network has always been and remains our priority," Ms Black said. "Every incident is treated with the utmost concern however, given that the matter is now before the courts, we cannot comment further. We will fully comply with any legal proceedings."

Early last year a magistrate dropped criminal charges against the Metro train driver who was in control of the train during the incident, finding the driver had no case to answer.

In the same manner that charges were dismissed against the train driver I doubt very much that Metro can be held culpable.

Station issues are common on all rail networks.

There is a responsibility of passengers to not violate basic safety, and be reckless, as sad as the outcome was.

[ozbob]

Melbourne train operator Metro forced to investigate contractor accused of underpaying guards https://t.co/GJmg91d26K

— ABC News Melbourne (@abcnewsMelb) February 15, 2017

[verbatim9]

Apparently guards that protect Metro train stabling have been under paid significantly over that past years. 18 bucks - 22.00 bucks an hour. When the going rate is 30.00 bucks an hour for over night work - ABC reports.

[ozbob]

Naw, carriage 4 saw a proposal today! She said yes. Congrats Ryan and Hanna! #metrotrains #melbourne #love @metrotrains pic.twitter.com/yDWTTqeit4

— Shane Luder (@ShaneLuder) March 2, 2017

[ozbob]

SHE SAID YES! Congrats from all of us at Metro & your fellow passengers on the marriage carriage from Frankston to Flinders Street. pic.twitter.com/J3yVcbs9DM

— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) March 2, 2017

[ozbob]

Couples that commute together, stay together. pic.twitter.com/pLTIELfNEe

— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) March 2, 2017

[ozbob]

9NEWS can reveal the Coalition will go to next year's election with a policy to increase train frequency. #9News https://t.co/R5mOsnrxRD

— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) March 26, 2017

[ozbob]

A girl with a rare disease has fulfilled her dream of becoming a train driver. @RCH_Foundation @GoodFriAppeal #7News https://t.co/UjoGAlZnP6

— 7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) April 11, 2017

[ozbob]

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/thirty-new-metro-peak-trains-every-week-from-august/

Thirty New Metro Peak Trains Every Week From August

Minister for Public Transport 17 May 2017

The Andrews Labor Government will add 30 new Metro train services in the peak, every week – to get people in Melbourne's north and west home safer and sooner.

Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan announced the new services today, which will be introduced as part of a new metropolitan timetable that will start on 27 August.

The timetable will add a new morning and evening peak services on the Craigieburn, Sunbury and Werribee lines.

These services will create room for 27,000 extra passengers at the busiest times, every week – when more room and more services are needed most.

In a massive boost for Altona Loop passengers, 37 daily services that currently stop at Newport will be extended in the new timetable.

The change fulfils the Labor Government election commitment to fully restore the direct city services for Altona Loop passengers the former Liberal Government took away.

Two peak services on the Hurstbridge line will be extended – also fulfilling a key election promise – providing more services for passengers in Rosanna, Macleod, Watsonia, Greensborough, Montmorency and Eltham.

The new services are made possible by the Labor Government's ongoing investment in new trains for Melbourne.

It's the fourth metropolitan timetable change implemented by the Labor Government, which has added more than 300 extra metro services and nearly 600 new regional services – delivering more trains, more often for people in Melbourne's growing outer suburbs serviced by the V/Line network

The Labor Government has invested nearly $4 billion in new trains since it came to office, including 19 new X'Trapolis trains and 65 new high-capacity metro trains.

The Government is also getting on with the job of building the Metro Tunnel, removing dangerous level crossings and installing new high-tech signalling to run more trains, more often.

Two minutes will be added to services on the Frankston Line in the new timetable, in preparation for the opening of Southland Station later this year, and the timing of connecting buses will be adjusted to align with train services.

The new train timetables will be available in July from ptv.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

"We're running more trains at peak hour – when extra services and more room are needed most."

"The new services will make a real difference – getting people to work quicker and home sooner."

"We're adding services and delivering the major projects our network needs – we're getting on with the job.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> New timetable will ease peak-hour crush but more trains needed, critics say

Peak-hour commuters on three of Melbourne's most overcrowded railway lines will receive a handful of sorely needed extra services when a new Metro timetable starts in August.

The timetable update will usher in new peak-hour services on the Werribee, Sunbury and Craigieburn lines.

Those three lines are each among the worst in Melbourne for peak-hour overcrowding, with multiple trains per day that breach Public Transport Victoria's load standard of 900 passengers per train.

The three lines will each get an extra morning peak service and an extra evening peak service on weekdays, adding 30 new services to the timetable.

The Andrews government said the extra services will enable an extra 27,000 passengers to travel in the peak.

Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said from August 27 the timetable would add new services where they are most urgently needed.

"The new services will make a real difference getting people to work quicker and home sooner," Ms Allan said.

The timetable update includes a handful of other service improvements, including:

    the extension of 37 off-peak Altona Loop shuttle services into direct services between Laverton and Flinders Street Station, stopping at all stations. This will end the unpopular Altona shuttle that forced passengers to change at Newport;
    the extension of two morning peak services on the Hurstbridge line – one service that currently starts at Greensborough will start at Eltham and one service that starts at Heidelberg will start at Greensborough;

The government said the two extensions would fulfil an election promise to add three new services to the Hurstbridge line, having added a new service from Eltham in the previous timetable update in January.

Two minutes will be added to journey times between Frankston and the CBD, to accommodate the scheduled opening of Southland station at the end of the year.

Ms Allan said the government was "adding services and delivering the major projects our network needs".

Passenger growth in Melbourne's west and north-west is so rapid that demand on the Sunbury and Craigieburn lines is expected to exceed capacity by 2021 or earlier.

The ultimate solution to that growth, the $11 billion Metro Tunnel, is not due to open until 2026.

The first of 65 longer trains the government has ordered, which can comfortably fit 1100 passengers, are due to enter service late next year and will run between Sunbury and Pakenham.

Daniel Bowen, spokesman for the Public Transport Users  Association, welcomed the extra services but said the government should have gone much further.

"It is obviously a step forward but it's not a major change to the timetable. They don't appear to be making best use of the track capacity freed up by the opening of the Regional Rail Link," Mr Bowen said.

The $3.6 billion rail link, between Southern Cross Station and west of Werribee, gave V/Line services dedicated lines and created capacity for up to 23 extra metropolitan services an hour when it opened in mid-2015.

"I think commuters would like to see more substantial changes to the schedules to cut waiting times and relieve overcrowding," Mr Bowen said.

David Hodgett, the Coalition's spokesman for public transport, said the extra services would be welcomed on those lines, but would do nothing to relieve serious overcrowding on the Melton line or at new suburban stations in Tarneit and Wyndham Vale, which are along the Regional Rail Link.

The Coalition has promised to introduce trains every 10 minutes between the peak periods on several metropolitan lines, including Werribee, Craigieburn, the Sunbury line as far as Watergardens, and the Upfield line as far as Coburg.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Hurstbridge line commuters to wait five years for promised extra services

Commuters in Melbourne's north-east will have to wait about five years for the Andrews government to make good on its promise to add just three extra rail services to the Hurstbridge line and ease the peak-hour crush. 

Three months before the 2014 election, the Labor opposition made the modest promise that if elected it would add three extra peak-hour services to the Hurstbridge line timetable.

The promise was displayed on campaign material for Labor candidates Vicki Ward and Anthony Carbines, both of whom won their respective seats and now serve as government MPs.

But 2½ years on, commuters are yet to see those promised three extra services, and will have to wait another 2½ years for the government to make good on its full promise, leading to Opposition charges that voters have been misled.

One of the extra services will be added in a timetable update planned for August, but the other two services have been tied to the $140 million duplication of the Hurstbridge line between Heidelberg and Rosanna, which was announced by Labor last year.

The single-track bottleneck limits how many trains can run per hour on the line.

This project is due for completion in 2019, along with the removal of two level crossings at Grange Road and Lower Plenty Road, and will involve heavy disruption for Hurstbridge line passengers.

A series of weekend-long shutdowns for works will begin later this month, followed by a major "construction blitz" in January.

Only once the work is done will commuters see those two extra peak-hour services, some five years and two state elections after they were pledged.

"The broken promises continue under Daniel Andrews while commuters in Melbourne's north-east wait and Victorian taxpayers pay the price," Mary Wooldridge, Eastern Metropolitan Liberal MP, said.

"Equally galling is the fact the minister Jacinta Allan blatantly lies about the promised new train services to cover up the Labor government's failure to deliver," Ms Wooldridge said.

Ms Wooldridge has asked the government six times in Parliament when the extra services would be delivered, but has been given no date, only a repeated statement by Ms Allan that the government was "working with PTV".

Ms Allan said the government was making the necessary investment to keep its promise.

"We've delivered on our commitment to extend a service and we're getting on with the Hurstbridge line upgrade, to enable extra services, including two more in the peak," Ms Allan said. 

"We are keeping our promises and delivering the major investments passengers on the Hurstbridge line and across Victoria need."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsMelbourne/status/873455270982070272

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Union signals rough ride for rollout of government's high-capacity trains

ndustrial unrest has struck Melbourne's high-tech next-generation trains two years before the first of them is due to hit the tracks.

The union that represents Metro's train drivers has instructed its members not to co-operate with the rail operator in its preparations for the arrival of the 65 trains to Melbourne's network from mid-2019.

Rail systems on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines are being upgraded in preparation for the new high capacity metro trains.

The high-capacity trains will relieve peak-hour overcrowding on two of Melbourne's busiest lines, in part by prioritising standing room over seating space in their internal configuration.

They will be built to carry between 1200 and 2000 passengers each, depending on their configuration.

But it is the trains' impact on drivers rather than passengers that has vexed the union.

The high-capacity trains will include a number of "semi-automated" features, which the union fears could usher in a de-skilling of drivers and subsequent loss of conditions among its ranks.

It is intended that each of the new trains will be capable of semi-automated operation of some functions that are currently the exclusive preserve of qualified train drivers, including turnbacks, train preparation and stabling.

Some train functions will also be capable of being remotely controlled.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union's assistant divisional secretary, Jim Chrysostomou, said the union merely sought a "transparent conversation" with Metro about what impact the new trains would have on drivers' roles, but had been given the cold shoulder.

"It could lead to a replacement of the driver's role," he said.

In an act the union took as a sign the company intends to freeze it out of planning, Metro Trains blocked Mr Chrysostomou from attending a meeting it held on June 7 with a group of its drivers and with Evolution Rail, the consortium that will deliver the 65 trains.

In two circulars issued to union members this week and seen by The Age, Mr Chrysostomou said Metro had "refused the union entry to the building and would not enter into discussions about the next generation train".

The company had also sought to sidestep the union and directly appoint its own employee representatives in planning for the trains' arrival, he said.

He advised the locomotive division's 1700-strong membership base to reject any such approach from Metro.

"If you are requested to participate in matters relating to the next generation train, kindly decline and refer the matter to the union," Mr Chrysostomou said.

Metro responded that Mr Chrysostomou, who is not a Metro employee, showed up unannounced and uninvited. The RTBU had a forum for raising industrial concerns, the company said. 

"We regularly support our drivers' learning and development with any new process, system or fleet types and the introduction of High Capacity Metro Trains is no different," Metro spokeswoman Sammie Black said.

The union took strike action that shut down Melbourne's rail system during EBA negotiations in 2015, and Metro is already preparing for the risk of potential industrial action by its train drivers over this issue.

It has produced an industrial relations strategy, which the union has obtained, which notes that the high capacity trains project will require changes to drivers' established work practices.

"These include restrictive provisions around rostering, route running, training, depots, train preparations, demarcation issues around the performance of work and provision of contract labour," the strategy states.

The 65 trains are to be built as part of a $2.3 billion public-private partnership with the Victorian government that also includes construction of a state-of-the-art maintenance depot in Pakenham East.

The trains will initially run on the Cranbourne-Pakenham corridor, then through the new Metro rail tunnel once it opens in 2026 and on the Sunbury line.

Metro is also preparing to operate Australia's first fleet of driverless passenger trains on the Northwest Line in Sydney from 2019.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/UrbanMelbourne/status/876433109054398468

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/879459733802893312

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Metro warns of capacity crunch

Melbourne's trains threaten to become a squeeze as a report leaked to Fairfax Media reveals Metro's anxiety about the city's population growth and movement.

The city's rail operator has proposed bypassing the City Loop more often in the peak and running trains direct to Flinders Street Station or Southern Cross Station instead, as a way to squeeze more capacity out of Melbourne's straining rail network.

It says the problem is most urgent on the "northern group" of lines that service Melbourne's booming north-west.

The Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield lines share one of the City Loop's four tunnels and are all experiencing rapid patronage growth and worsening overcrowding. 

The government's solution to the issue is the Metro Tunnel, which is due to open in 2026, but Metro has said there is "an urgent need" to find an answer now.

"The Northern Group [Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield lines] faces immediate challenges with a number of lines currently operating at capacity," Metro said.

"There is an urgent need to develop a solution for the Northern Group to ensure that there is sufficient capacity on this group until the commissioning of Metro Tunnel in 2026."

The warning is contained in Metro's 2016 Strategic Operational Plan, which was leaked to Fairfax Media.

The plan reveals Metro has set an internal target to run 95 per cent of trains on time by 2026, the same year the Metro Tunnel opens.

But it has also warned the government that Melbourne's rail network needs significant taxpayer investment to fix a host of problems, such as peak-hour congestion in the City Loop, rail bottlenecks, and ageing trains and signals, if it is to do so.

According to the plan, Metro also expects the Cranbourne/Pakenham line in Melbourne's south-east to overflow with passenger demand in 2018, for the same reason – a lack of capacity in the City Loop.

This is in part because the government continues to run peak-hour Frankston trains through the Loop, Metro said.

It has proposed running more Cranbourne/Pakenham trains direct to Flinders Street Station as an interim solution.

It also said the Werribee line in Melbourne's south-west will be "at capacity by 2019 once the additional paths provided by the Regional Rail Link Project have been used".

The $3.65 billion Regional Rail Link between Southern Cross Station and Werribee opened just two years ago.

Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged on Tuesday that "not enough has been done for a very long time" to deal with Melbourne's rail capacity problems.

"I think Victorians appreciate there is a lot of catching up to be done and Metro Tunnel does take quite some time, because it's the biggest public transport project our state has ever seen," Mr Andrews said.

The government's $11 billion Metro Tunnel will remove the Cranbourne/Pakenham lines and the Sunbury line from the City Loop, and free up capacity for more trains to run on other lines.

But given it is not scheduled to open for another nine years, Metro has urged the government to commit to a series of smaller investments to help it keep pace with passenger growth.

These include removing rail bottlenecks such as junctions and single-track sections.

Mr Andrews visited Southern Cross Station on Tuesday to announce that a consortium including Lend Lease and Coleman Rail would build the $518 million Ballarat Line upgrade, which includes the duplication of a single-track section between Deer Park and Melton.

The project will be overseen by the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority, which is also building the Metro Tunnel.

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority chief executive Evan Tattersall said the Ballarat Line upgrade would pave the way for the "likely" future electrification of the line to Melton, which is also part of the population boom in Melbourne's north-west.

"We're freeing up space in the heart of the metro system that ultimately enables expansion out to places like Melton, where the population growth is enormous," Mr Tattersall said.

[Cazza]

^ The good thing is that us Queenslanders don't have to worry about this as we stuggle to run trains every 10 mins in peak. Maybe we don't need CRR after all!!!

[ozbob]

^ The good thing is that us Queenslanders don't have to worry about this as we stuggle to run trains every 10 mins in peak. Maybe we don't need CRR after all!!!

CRR is needed, but sadly the political reality is that #railfail may well have torpedoed it for now ..

Diabolical disaster !   

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> How you rate Melbourne trains depends on which side of the tracks you live on

Are you happy when you ride on Melbourne's trains?

Your answer might have a lot to do with which line you use, leaked Metro data shows.

Live in the city's leafy east , and there is a good chance you rate your commute OK on most days.

But in the city's west, north and south-east, where population growth is at its strongest, train passengers rate their daily commute a little less kindly.

Metro's breakdown of "customer satisfaction" levels on Melbourne's 16 rail lines reveals commuters on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines are the least satisfied, due in no small part to the fact they are lumbered with the city's least reliable rail service.

Satisfaction levels on the two lines recently hit 68.7 per cent. Metro has blamed poor on-time running for the low rating.

The lines, which share the Dandenong corridor currently being elevated into a "sky rail" to remove nine level crossings, have the worst punctuality performance in Melbourne.

They are the only two with an on-time running record over the past 12 months that sits below the 88 per cent performance threshold set by the state government, below which Metro is financially penalised and passengers with a monthly or yearly ticket are compensated with one free day of travel.

Commuter Jesse Heazlewood, who travels on the Pakenham line to get to and from work in the city from Hallam on weekends, said the line "always seems to have something wrong with it".

"There's been a few times where I've arrived late to work because of delayed trains or because a bus was replacing trains, or the service was inefficient," he said.

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Cartoon: Matt Golding
Cartoon: Matt Golding

"It makes it a bit of a pain waking up. I now wake up an hour earlier just to make sure I get in on time," Mr Heazlewood said.

It's the opposite story for commuters on the Belgrave, Lilydale, Glen Waverley and Alamein lines that service the leafy eastern suburbs.

They are the happiest in Melbourne, the survey reveals, in part due to superior punctuality.

On the Glen Waverley line, for example, 96.6 per cent of trains were on time in the past year, the best result in Melbourne.

Satisfaction on those lines is at 73.5 per cent.

But Metro's satisfaction ratings, contained in a 2016 strategic plan leaked to Fairfax Media, reveal that reliability is just one factor that influences how people feel about the level of service on trains.

According to the survey, passengers have marked Melbourne's railways down due to a perceived lack of safety, space and comfort on trains, poor station facilities and ticketing.

Metro has proposed a series of initiatives to improve satisfaction – and its own image in the public eye – although many would require government approval and funding.

The strategic plan reveals the company has set a target of 85 per cent "customer satisfaction" by 2026, a big jump on its score for 2015 of 72 per cent.

To hit this mark it aims to:

    Run 95 per cent of trains on time.
    Work with the government to run more off-peak services.
    Make it easier to get to and from stations by encouraging use of shuttle buses, car sharing, bike cages, and building multi-level station car parks.
    Provide real-time information at stations about connecting trams and buses.
    Rebuild stations to improve passenger flow and give more seating and shelter.

It also wants more staff on the network.

Metro intends to "reinvigorate the pivotal and revered role of station masters and associated station staff", the plan says.

To improve public perceptions of safety, Metro has proposed giving police and authorised officers a more visible presence.

It has also suggested developing an app passengers can use to "request assistance discreetly" when police or authorised officers are not on the scene.

Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said good station facilities were important, but the "deal breaker" for passengers was unreliable trains.

Passengers also placed a premium on getting a seat, Dr Morton said. He cautioned Metro and the government not to go too far in removing seats to add capacity.

"You take that too far and your trains start to look and feel like cattle trains, and that's not a positive experience for passengers."

It's likely Metro will need to make significant improvements to Melbourne's railways to hit its 85 per cent target.

Metro's satisfaction score for 2015 was derived from a government survey of 850 people.

Metro must achieve a customer satisfaction rating of just 70 per cent under the terms of its current franchise agreement with the state, which is due to expire in November.

The government and Metro are negotiating a potential seven-year extension of the agreement, but with significantly tougher performance targets and less latitude for time-saving tactics that inconvenience passengers, such as station-skipping.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Entire Melbourne rail network grinds to a halt due to computer fault

Melbourne is experiencing commuter chaos after all of its railway lines were suspended due to a computer fault.

Metro Trains advised that people should seek alternative transport after the fault caused some trains to stop between stations.

"Our technicians are currently working to rectify the problem and we are working to have services moving soon," Metro Trains said in a tweet.

Commuters who are stuck inside trains are being told not to force the doors open.

There have also been reports of boom gates being stuck down in some areas, including Murrumbeena and Fairfield.

Southern Cross station is bursting with commuters trying to find a way home.

Many were on their phones contacting family members, while dozens jumped onto trams or into taxis.

Julie, who works in a marketing agency in the city, said she arrived at the station at 4:30pm, when she heard the announcement that she would have to wait 45 minutes to get home.



"It's a bit frustrating ... I haven't encountered a delay like this before.

"There have no recent updates on how much longer the delay will be.

"I'm just going to have to wait, there is no other way of me getting home. I live in Sanctuary Lakes the only way to get home via car or the train – the Werribee line."

Uber users are currently being hit with surcharges of 3.5x to travel from Southern Cross, which translates to an estimated $50 fare to cross the city.

Yarra Trams also tweeted that it was experiencing delays due to high demand caused by the train glitch. V/Line trains are also affected.

Metro Trains spokeswoman Sammie Black said the delays were due to a computer system error which is impacting the entire network and had brought all trains to a standstill.

She said she did not know when the fault would be fixed and it was unknown when trains would be running again. 

"We are urging all commuters to take alternative routes," she said.

"The error in our system has brought all trains to a complete stop.

"We know this is frustrating and that it is peak hour time, but our crews are working to fix this issues as soon as possible." ...

[ozbob]

^

https://twitter.com/metrotrains/status/885402678779453441

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/theage/status/885401465195552768

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/DeanFelton7/status/885397352726446080

[Cazza]

^^I feel like they are unaware that this happens in Brisbane week-in, week-out (not the overcrowding that is hahah)

[#Metro]

"Computer says no"

[ozbob]

Apparently the system is 1990s stuff running on Windows XP ...   

Meanwhile ..

https://twitter.com/metrotrains/status/885407133444956160

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ClayLucas/status/885417817448759296