Melbourne Trains

[ozbob]

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Andrew Lund

RTBU announces start of rail industrial action. Ticket barriers will be kept open and staff will refuse to check tickets on Monday August 12 and Monday August 19. Train drivers will refuse to skip stations or alter trains for a week from August 12

[ozbob]

Age --> No barrier to free train travel next week as union steps up pay fight

Commuters will be able to ride Melbourne's suburban trains for free on the next two Mondays as the transport workers union wages a week of industrial action in a fight for better pay.

On Monday August 12 and August 19, station staff will keep ticket barriers open all day, while authorised officers will refuse to check myki tickets.

Booking office staff will also refuse to sell and upload myki cards while up to 3000 members will refuse to wear their uniform indefinitely.

On days that they do not wear uniforms, union members will instead wear a football jersey and donate a gold coin to charity.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union is demanding a 6 per cent pay rise while Metro Trains is offering a 2 per cent increase.

The Public Transport Users Association estimates that the myki-free days could cost the government as much as $1 million a day, when taking into account the high proportion of the 500,000 daily train users who are using a concession card or have passes.

The Age has asked the government and Metro how much the actions will cost in lost fare revenue.

The government distributes about 40 per cent of daily ticketing revenue to Metro.

The union's Victorian Branch Secretary Luba Grigorovitch describes next week's ticket free-for-all as being at the ''lighter'' end of possible actions, with the union also threatening a strike of up to 48 hours if key demands are not met.

''This industrial action is aimed at Metro's hip pocket, not the travelling public,'' Ms Grigorovitch said.

''The RTBU is seeking to keep the public well informed of any impacts ahead of any industrial action, however these action items announced today are designed to target Metro and will not impact commuters' ability to catch the train.''

From Monday, August 12 to Sunday, August 18, train drivers will also refuse to divert services if they are asked to do so by their managers.

This is in effect a ban on station skipping and diversions around the city loop, as well as short shunting of trains which are practices that help Metro achieve its performance targets but should have been stamped out under the current seven-year contract with the government.

Train drivers will also refuse to operate trains that do not have working passenger emergency intercoms and will refuse to update Metro management on any non-safety-critical information.

Union members will also refuse to participate in any training for the High Capacity Metro Trains over the week.

A Metro spokesman described the development as ''a very disappointing outcome – industrial action is a completely unnecessary step.''

''This action is still avoidable, and we encourage the union to reconsider," the spokesman said.

''We will do everything in our power to minimise disruptions to our passengers as a result of any action taken.''

Nearly 30 bargaining sessions have taken place with the union since February, he said, noting that Metro sought the assistance of the Fair Work Commission in early May to keep negotiations moving at a reasonable pace.

In late 2015, trains ground to a halt as Metro staff including signallers and controllers walked off the job over a dispute about the enterprise agreement.

The parties eventually settled on a 4.4 per cent annual pay rise.

A government spokesperson asked for a resolution to be reached ''as quickly as possible''.

''We're not speculating on the impact of actions that have not yet occurred," the spokesperson said.

"There is still time to resolve this, and we encourage both parties to continue negotiating in good faith.''

Ms Grigorovitch said she has alerted the Andrews government about the upcoming actions and if the stalemate continues, the government will ''have to'' intervene.

Premier Daniel Andrews last week urged the parties to ''sit down in a spirit of goodwill'' to negotiate an outcome.

''I don't want to see anyone being inconvenienced by industrial action when I think industrial action can be avoided simply by sitting down and talking through the issues,'' he said.

In the months leading up to last year's election, the government is understood to have spent millions of dollars of taxpayers' money to buy industrial peace on Melbourne's bus networks.

Buses were set to stop rolling last Thursday on 120 routes or about a third of the metropolitan network.

Union leaders met with Metro representatives on Monday afternoon for further negotiations over the four-year wage deal.

In addition to the pay increase, Metro and the union disagree about how part-time workers should be paid for working overtime

These workers are currently paid time-and-a-half for extra hours worked, but under proposed changes by Metro that have been rejected by the union, these workers would be paid the standard rate for extra hours worked.

The union also wants to overhaul the pay of station staff, who are now required to do more, including controlling crowds on busy platforms, stopping commuters from holding train doors open and providing more customer service information but without any extra pay.

[timh]

From Concrete Playground:

The Wizarding Academy Express
An interactive Harry Potter-themed train ride is rolling into Melbourne

https://concreteplayground.com/brisbane/event/the-wizarding-academy-expres

If you have been waiting on your Hogwarts acceptance letter, then this is the event for you. The Wizarding Academy Express, a magical train journey, is steaming into Melbourne. On Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3, the Express will be departing Docklands' Southern Cross Station throughout both days (from Platform 9 3/4, we hope).

Professors from the 'Saremcroft Wizarding Academy' will be sourcing local witches and wizards for their next intake. Your lesson begin as the train departs the platform and includes spell casting, potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts.


The train ride is an interactive theatre experience, suitable for all ages. Your carriage is your 'house', where you'll find your House Captain and Professor. Robes and wands are, of course, recommended, and can be added when purchasing tickets.

There are four tiers of tickets (and carriages) and all include a 1–1.5-hour experience, magical activities and a souvenir. The more expensive tiers include things like butter ales and fancier carriages, too.

The Hogwarts Express-like experience is just the latest Harry Potter event to roll into Melbourne recently, which has already had a wizards hotel room a magical rooftop and is currently home to JK Rowling's two-part play The Cursed Child (which is showing until 2020).


Gather all your fellow witches and wizards for a magical steam engine train ride, and learn a spell or two along the way.

Image: Hogwarts Express, Wikimedia Commons

This sounds awesome ! Doesn't make it clear if the train actually leaves the platform but I assume it does. I can't help feeling though if it came to Brisbane somehow QR would manage to stuff something up... Dunno how they'd fit it into the schedule 

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Massive surge in Metro's train passengers driving Melbourne's peak hour crush

For many Melburnians who catch the train during peak hour, it won't come as a surprise that the city's train network is struggling to handle the surge of millions of extra passengers. These are the worst hit lines.

Commuters are being squeezed into carriages like sardines as Melbourne's train network struggles to handle the pressure of ­millions of extra passenger journeys.

There are now 14.7 million more annual trips recorded across the city than there were five years ago, new ­Department of Transport figures show.

Surging population growth has also heaped immense pressure on stations in the outer suburbs.

Patronage has surged by five times what it was in 2013-14 at Officer, in the southeast, and doubled at Diggers Rest, in the northwest, over the same period.

The influx is creating a domino effect down the line as peak-hour commuters struggle to cram into full trains approaching the city.

Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne said the state government was working with Metro Trains to reduce crowding.

"Since 2015, we've added more than 530 new weekly train services, with close to 100 of those in peak hour, to reduce crowding and ­improve services for locals," she said.

It's understood a major timetable update was due to be rolled out this year but is now expected in 2020, with no additional services added to the schedule in 2019.

The last major change came in August 2018 when the network was extended to Mernda in the city's northeast.

Melbourne's $11 billion Metro Tunnel will take pressure off some of the city's busiest lines but the mammoth project is not due to be finished until 2025.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the project would make room for an extra 500,000 people across the metropolitan network.

"We're also working on the Western Rail Plan, which will give people in the growing western suburbs access to Metro services for the first time," she said.

Some of the biggest passenger increases were recorded between Kensington and Craigieburn and on corridors running through Footscray, Sydenham and Caulfield.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said governments needed to invest in extra services to make sure timetables kept up with growth.

"While some lines can't take many more peak-hour services until the Metro Tunnel opens, authorities must make the most of existing track and fleet capacity to cut crowding," he said.

"Cutting the current long waiting times of 20, 30 or even 40 minutes would bring huge benefits for our growing city."

Maria Mikovic catches the Sunbury line to work every day, but finds the carriages are often packed long before West Footscray.

"It's chock-a-block ... I can never get a seat, I always have to stand," she said.

"Sometimes I borrow my daughter's car before work, just so I don't have to catch the train."

TRAIN STATIONS WITH THE BIGGEST PASSENGER INCREASES

Officer

2013-14 — 19,000

2018-19 — 123,000

Up 537 per cent

Diggers Rest

2013-14 — 66,000

2018-19 — 221,000

Up 234 per cent

Jacana

2013-14 — 80,000

2018-19 — 227,000

Up 183 per cent

Williams Landing

2013-14 — 809,000

2018-19 — 948,000

Up 117 per cent

Ruthven

2013-14 — 205,000

2018-19 — 409,000

Up 99 per cent

Gowrie

2013-14 — 168,000

2018-19 — 321,000

Up 91 per cent

Patterson

2013-14 — 211,000

2018-19 — 354,000

Up 68 per cent

West Footscray

2013-14 — 448,000

2018-19 — 733,000

Up 64 per cent

Cardinia Road

2013-14 — 247,000

2018-19 — 382,000

Up 55 per cent

Jordanville

2013-14 — 325,000

2018-19 — 499,000

Up 54 per cent

TRAIN TRIPS ACROSS MELBOURNE

2013-14 — 214.9 million

2018-19 — 229.6 million

An increase of 14.7 million

BUSIEST STATION

Flinders Street — 28 million annual passengers

BIGGEST INCREASE

Southern Cross — 2.46 million more passengers than five years ago

78.1 million passengers travel through City Loop each year

[ozbob]

The Age --> Metro commuters get free travel for bad service, but only with a monthly pass

Commuters who take Metro Trains can claim a free day of travel after the network failed to meet its performance targets for the third month this year.

But the $8.80 daily fare (or $4.40 for concession) will only be refunded to commuters who use a monthly or annual myki pass, not passengers using a weekly pass or pay-as-you-go.

The Department of Transport on Thursday revealed 10.1 per cent of city trains were more than five minutes late in August.

Because Metro fell short of 90 per cent punctuality, commuters can claim the free day of travel.

Daniel Bowen from the Public Transport Users Association said the daily fare should also be paid to people using myki money.

"It's quite limited eligibility for that compensation, you have to be a monthly or longer fare and there are quite a few people who use myki money but travel every day. But they can't claim that compensation," Mr Bowen said.

To claim, passengers can enter their details on the Metro website. The money will be loaded onto their myki, which needs to have been used at least 10 days in August to be eligible.

Under the contract signed in 2017, the operator can be fined up to $1.25 million per month for falling short of targets.

Mr Bowen, who added compensation should be automatically refunded, said Metro's performance was "not good enough".

"Melburnians do have a right to expect reliable train services," he said.

"The government and Metro need to work harder at improving punctuality. People can claim a free day of travel, but deserve reliable, punctual train services."

Transport Minister Melissa Horne said the Government had signed "tough" contracts with Metro  expecting them to reach their 92 per cent target.

"These results aren't good enough, they're frustrating for passengers and Metro needs to do better," Ms Horne said.

"I've directed the Department of Transport to work with Metro to improve reliability - to bring their performance in line with the level passengers expect, even when unavoidable incidents occur.

Transport Department head of services Jeroen Weimar agreed the results were unacceptable.

But he said Metro's performance was affected by factors outside its control, such as police operations and people walking on the tracks.

"There was an increase in delays caused by ill passengers and congested platforms during peak periods," the department said in a statement.

On its website, Metro says it spends more than $12 million a week on maintenance and renewal work.

"There were 281 incidents related to trespassing and police operations which caused delays to services in August. These are incidents outside of Metro's control and often require trains to be stopped or to run at caution at the request of Victoria Police," Metro said.

There was also an overhead equipment fault on the Frankston line and a collision on the tracks at Spotswood.

Metro ran an extra 250 services in August to cater for events including White Night, AFL, and the basketball series at Marvel stadium.

The operator fell just short of its target to deliver 98.5 per cent of services.

"Our performance in August didn't meet the standards our passengers expect and deserve – and we apologise," a Metro spokesperson said.

"Our passengers want a more reliable train service, and we're working harder than ever to deliver that."

David Davis, the Shadow Minister for Public Transport Metropolitan, said the Labor government was failing to run a reliable train system.

"Commuters and taxpayers are paying billions of dollars for our metropolitan rail system and yet
performance is declining under Labor. Our metropolitan trains are not reliable or punctual," he said.

The department also released tram and V/Line performance figures.

Yarra Trams was punctual 84.5 per cent of the time in August, above its 82 per cent target and 12-month average.

But only 98.3 per cent of scheduled tram services were delivered, just shy of its target.

The department said the operator was hit by five days of industrial action including a four-hour strike on August 30.

"We encourage all parties involved in these negotiations to keep working towards a satisfactory agreement to ensure passengers receive a tram service they deserve," Mr Weimar said.

V/Line met its targets on all fronts, running 97.3 per cent of services and getting 87.8 per cent out on time. Services on the Bairnsdale and Warrnambool lines also significantly improved in the month.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1172167911579848705

^

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1172171244352892929

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Lucky escape for woman as train hits car in Brighton

Delays are expected on a major Victorian train line after a train collided with a car that was stuck on the tracks this morning. The woman who had been driving the car miraculously escaped injury.

A woman has escaped injury after a train slammed into her car in Brighton.

Victoria Police confirmed a woman is believed to have turned onto the railway lines at the intersection of New St and Beach Rd just after 5am.

It is understood that her car then became stuck on the tracks.

"The woman who is aged in her 50s was able to get out of the vehicle before it was clipped by the train. Luckily she was not injured," police spokesman Alistair Parsons said.

"The Murrumbeena woman has been taken back to a police station for an evidentiary breath test."

Metro advised just before 8am that the Sandringham line was due to re-open following the crash but warned passengers to expect delays.

"There may be minor delays while we recover the timetable," Metro tweeted.

"Listen for announcements as some services may be altered at short notice."

[ozbob]

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/designing-victorias-next-generation-trams-and-trains/

Designing Victoria's Next Generation Trams And Trains

Minister for Public Transport

22 September 2019

The Andrews Labor Government is taking the next step in designing next generation trams and regional trains to keep Victorians moving.

Manufacturers have been invited to develop proposals and participate in a collaborative design process for the new trams and trains, with design and engineering workshops to be held in coming months.

The next generation trams will be fully accessible and include on board energy storage, reducing the need for power upgrades.

Together with the 50 new E-Class trams ordered by the Labor Government since 2015, the new trams will mean older high-floor trams can be retired.

The new regional trains will be fully accessible, energy efficient and capable of carrying more passengers.

The final proposals will need to maximise local content and jobs and integrate with Victoria's existing public transport network, reducing the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades.

The development process will provide the Labor Government with well-informed proposals to choose the best new trains and trams to meet Victoria's needs.

The Labor Government has invested more than $4.5 billion in new and upgraded rolling stock and supporting infrastructure since 2015 to get people where they need to go safer and sooner.

For more information on the new trams and trains see transport.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne

"We're doing the vital design work needed to deliver new trains and trams that are reliable, accessible and meet the changing needs of Victorian passengers."

"Whether it's building more trains and trams, upgrading tracks and signals, or planning for the future – we're getting people where they want to go sooner and safer."

"It doesn't matter what mode of transport you use – trains, trams or buses – because we're investing across the entire network to provide safe and reliable trips for Victorians."

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Thousands of commuters battle worsening evening train crush

Melbourne train commuters are suffering more than ever during crush hour as new data shows about 18,000 passengers are squeezing into trains during the evening peak. But as the population soars, is there a solution in sight?

Melbourne's afternoon crush hour is getting worse for train commuters, with new data showing a sharp rise in the number of overcrowded services.

The Department of Transport's annual passenger load survey has revealed that 10 per cent of Metro rail passengers heading home from work — about 18,000 people — are now packed in like sardines.

In May each year, officials spend a week counting the number of trains carrying more than their capacity of 900 people.

This year they recorded a daily average of 20 overcrowded late afternoon and early evening services, compared to 15 in May 2018.

The Craigieburn line was among the worst, with a fifth of its trains over capacity at that time.

Figures improved for the morning commute, due in part to the extended Mernda line receiving more trains. But there were still an average of 19 overcrowded services daily, down from 25 in 2018.

Population growth is also hurting peak-hour commuters in Melbourne's middle ring suburbs. They are being left stranded on their platforms, ­unable to get on trains that filled in outer suburbs.

There are now 14.7 million more annual train trips made across Melbourne than in 2014.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said: "There is worsening crowding on some lines".

Mr Bowen said: "After a big reduction in crowding in 2017 thanks to the reconfiguration of trains and removal of seats, patronage continues to grow around the network".

The surge is based around Melbourne's growth areas on the Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines.

He added: "In coming years, particularly while the Metro Tunnel is being built, it will be important for authorities to run as many trains as possible on the network.

"They should look at scheduling more services to run direct to Flinders St to make use of track capacity, and more off-peak trains to help spread passenger loads across the day."

Metropolitan trains were altered in 2017 to provide more standing room, increasing the official capacity of each service from 798 passengers to 900.

Metro Trains has invested to reduce overcrowding on platforms, including better markings, more staff and ­better station design.

The passenger load survey also found overcrowding on the tram network had ­improved, with 493 new services added this year, but there was still population pressure on busy lines.

Mr Bowen said commuters had benefited from larger trams being added.

"There's been huge growth on some routes such as trams along Collins St to Docklands, and this is only going to get worse as Docklands continues to expand," he said.

"The state government needs to get serious about on-road tram priority, which would allow the fleet to run more services, and continuing the replacement of small trams with larger vehicles."

A Department of Transport spokesman said: "The government is investing over $50 billion in major transport projects to help reduce crowding on public transport and to get Melburnians where they need to go sooner".

A Metro spokesman said: "We're trialling measures to reduce platform congestion and to ensure trains can ­depart on time".

PERCENTAGE OF COMMUTERS ON OVERCROWDED TRAINS

MELBOURNE (entire network)

AM: 10.2 per cent

PM: 9.6 per cent

CRAIGIEBURN LINE

AM: 22.8 per cent

PM: 25.1 per cent

SUNBURY LINE

AM 11.9 per cent

PM 10.6 per cent

WERRIBEE LINE

AM 16.5 per cent

PM 10.4 per cent

DANDENONG CORRIDOR

(CRANBOURNE AND PAKENHAM LINES)

AM: 12.4 per cent

PM: 13.9 per cent

MERNDA LINE

AM: 14.2 per cent

PM: 6 per cent

HURSTBRIDGE LINE

AM: 30.7 per cent

PM: 0 per cent

RINGWOOD CORRIDOR

(LILYDALE AND BELGRAVE LINES)

AM: 3.5 per cent

PM: 9.7 per cent

FRANKSTON LINE

AM: 0 per cent

PM: 10.4 per cent

ALAMEIN LINE

AM: 0 per cent

PM: 0 per cent

GLEN WAVERLEY LINE

AM: 0 per cent

PM:  8.3 per cent

SANDRINGHAM LINE

AM: 0 per cent

PM: 0 per cent

UPFIELD LINE

AM: 0 per cent

PM:  0 per cent

WILLIAMSTOWN LINE

AM: 0 per cent

PM: 0 per cent

[#Metro]

Melbourne train commuters are suffering more than ever during crush hour as new data shows about 18,000 passengers are squeezing into trains during the evening peak. But as the population soars, is there a solution in sight?

Maybe they need to look a true metro systems, automated, segregated, and high capacity.

[ozbob]

Melbourne train commuters are suffering more than ever during crush hour as new data shows about 18,000 passengers are squeezing into trains during the evening peak. But as the population soars, is there a solution in sight?

Maybe they need to look a true metro systems, automated, segregated, and high capacity.

I think they will have too.  It is difficult to see if they can do that much with the existing rail network in terms of automation.   The ' suburban loop ' provides the opportunity for an automated metro implementation.

[#Metro]

^^ It is a really interesting question.

There was a massive debate in Sydney over metro though evolution or revolution.

Sydney has chosen revolution, converting commuter rail to true metro. ( have to write true here, to exclude banana buses 🍌)

Melbourne has chosen to do the opposite, upgrading existing legacy commuter rail.

Both cities have 1920s style rail systems. But they are choosing opposite approaches.

Although the Melbourne approach is faster, the Sydney approach will probably reach higher capacity and reliability in the end because it is driverless.

[ozbob]

The Melbourne network is a lot less suitable for conversion than Sydney.  Additionally there is a lot more mixed traffic. 

Don't forget the planned metro extensions in Sydney involve a lot of new lines too. 

[#Metro]

Don't forget the planned metro extensions in Sydney involve a lot of new lines too.

Both Melbourne and Sydney have new lines.

But only Melbourne will be running the old trains on them (e.g. Regional Rail link, Melbourne Airport, Packenham-Cranbourne lines, Melbourne metro)

[ozbob]

^  of those the only one that is suitable for a ' automated metro ' is MEL.

It does seem though they are going to just treat the rail to the airport as an extension of the existing rail network with all the legacy issues that goes with that.

[SurfRail]

The Suburban Rail Loop is in fact the best way of getting automated trains in Melbourne.

[Gazza]

The issue is in Melbourne all lines funnel through the loop and the CBD tracks.

Melbourne metro is there to increase capacity, but it is not clear what other lines you could pull off the legacy network and tack onto the new tunnel to create a viable metro.

At least the Bankstown and Epping-Chatswood conversions had no Level Crossings.

If they did MM2, but sent it to Doncaster after clifton hill, that could theoretically be a standalone driverless line.

[#Metro]

Isn't the city loop four independent tunnels?

If so, couldn't you allocate two towards a true metro?

[ozbob]

Isn't the city loop four independent tunnels?

If so, couldn't you allocate two towards a true metro?

4 single track tunnels on two levels.  They are essential to the operation of the Melbourne Metro rail network.  A true metro would need new tunnels.

[#Metro]

4 single track tunnels on two levels.  They are essential to the operation of the Melbourne Metro rail network.  A true metro would need new tunnels.

Sydney's metro is operational without a direct link to the CBD. That link is under construction.

Perhaps services could terminate in a similar way?

Sandringham <> Flinders Street (Terminus) for example.

[SurfRail]

Sandringham would need about 15 or so LXs removed and doesn't appear to have any meaningful ability to stable a captive fleet of trains so it might not even be the easiest to convert.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> More work done in China on new trains for Melbourne as delays mount

More work on Melbourne's 65 new high-capacity trains is being outsourced to China than originally planned, with their rollout running at least a year late.

The first train was meant to be taking passengers by March this year. But a series of faults in the trains delivered means they have not left a specially built testing track in Pakenham East.

With about 10 per cent of peak-hour trips on Melbourne's rail network now overcrowded, Metro Trains has made clear how important the new high-capacity trains are.

Three years ago, Premier Daniel Andrews signed the $5.26 billion contract for the trains, which are specifically designed to help alleviate overcrowding on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

The trains are being made by China's CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, one of the world's biggest rail manufacturers, in the Chinese province of Jilin. They are then shipped to the Newport rail yards of engineering firm Downer and assembled.

A letter from Downer to unions in April says that, in order to maximise the efficient assembly of the trains, "certain work tasks will now be completed by CRRC prior to the train sets being shipped to Melbourne for completion". This work included electrical wiring, and represented many hundreds of hours of technical assembly.

But the government maintains that there are 210 local workers assembling the new trains at Newport – more than originally promised.

In an email to staff in August, Metro Trains' general manager of train services Ali Elbouch told railway workers that the faults in the new carriages were proving challenging to fix.

"Testing at Pakenham East is finding faults which, although normal for a first-of-type train, is taking longer than expected to rectify," he wrote. "Safety is our number one priority and it is essential that we make sure the train passes certain tests."

Six of the new trains are now being tested at Pakenham East, but there is no date for when they will leave the test track – deliberately separated from the city's public transport network – and be put through 10,000 kilometres of running on the Metro Trains network. They must complete this many kilometres in testing before they are considered safe for passengers.

Asked when the first train would begin testing on the Metro network, a spokeswoman for Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said "by the end of the year".

Ms Allan's spokeswoman confirmed the trains were a year late. The government did not detail what was wrong with the trains. In August, Ms Allan was questioned by Nine News on what was wrong with them. "It's simply taken longer than had first been planned," she said.

"This is a large and complex project and it's important each train undergoes thorough testing, before entering service to ensure they are working properly and meet safety requirement," her spokeswoman said on Friday.

Rail Tram and Bus Union state secretary Luba Grigorovitch said the consortium that had won the government contract did so on the basis that specific works would be done here.

Instead, the state government was allowing the rail consortium to "prioritise meeting deadlines at the expense of local jobs," she said.

Ms Grigorovitch said this "offshoring of manufacturing jobs" for the new Chinese-made trains was happening while leaving rail workers at Alstom in Ballarat "in limbo".

Alstom is a French multinational train manufacturer that has made the X'Trapolis trains now in service on Melbourne's network. It has an assembly centre in Ballarat that is at risk of closure.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said it was disappointing the introduction of the trains had been delayed, because the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines "suffer from some of the worst crowding on the rail network, and the extra capacity is sorely needed".

"Passengers are used to late trains, but a one-year delay is not what anybody expected," he said.

Opposition transport infrastructure spokesman David Davis said that "very serious questions" were emerging about the quality of the carriages being built in China, and about whether they contained the promised local content.

The new trains are a dedicated fleet to run initially on the Cranbourne and Pakenham train lines, and will run through to Sunbury when the new Metro Tunnel rail project opens in 2025. They are capable of carrying 1100 passengers across a seven-car set – 20 per cent more people than the largest train now on the network.

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Melbourne rail rage soars as passengers feel squeeze

Train rage could become a reality in Victoria as etiquette complaints on Melbourne's crowded public transport network soars.

More than 160 passengers have already made complaints to Metro Trains this year — triple the grievances lodged for all of 2017.

Gripes include passengers not moving down the aisles, general pushing and shoving, people playing loud music and talking loudly on phones.

Passengers not moving down the aisles, wearing backpacks, not giving up priority seating and pushing and shoving were also reported, as were passengers who tried to enter the train while others were trying to leave.

It comes as passenger numbers soar and new data shows that 10 per cent of evening peak passengers — about 18,000 people — are being squeezed like sardines.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said issues were possibly aggravated by congestion and said it was a reminder "to be considerate" of others.

"Certainly the crowding has been getting worse and that may be adding pressure," he said. "You occasionally see others calling for people to move down the aisles and that is low level but things (larger incidents) do happen."

Passengers have reported to the Herald Sun being pushed and arguments breaking out on platforms during the afternoon rush as people jostle to board trains.

Metro general manager of passenger experience, Tilly Loughborough, said passengers should plan for delays and urged them to be courteous.

"Simple behaviour change can go a long way to improving a passenger's experience — whether it's removing a backpack to make room, moving down inside the carriage, or giving up a seat for someone who needs it more than you," she said.

"For their own safety and comfort, passengers are also encouraged to give themselves plenty of time to make it to the station so that they're not rushing for the train."

Opposition transport spokesman David Davis said more needed to be done to avoid tension on the rails.

"Commuters are exasperated with plummeting punctuality performance and worsening overcrowding as they are packed onto Melbourne's trains like sardines," he said. "Station skipping, cancellations, short running services and bypasses were up in August with 2409 Metro train services failing to get to their destination as scheduled; it's no wonder we are witnessing more train rage."

[AnonymouslyBad]

^ They haven't seen the trams!! Absolute free for all:

• Pushing, shoving
• People holding up trams by forcing the doors open (because 10 full ones just went past)
• Falls as passengers get on and off (because "progressive" Melbourne still can't manage low floor trams)
• Unfinished food, drinks all over the place
• Loud phone calls

...and the list goes on and on. Nobody complains, because this is just the reality everyone's used to now. 

The trains are a walk in the park in comparison, they get "busy" in the sense that some people are standing. They are definitely unreliable though.

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Victorian transport performance poor in September

Metro Trains, Yarra Trams and V/Line will pay compensation to Melbourne's commuters for poor public transport performance during the month of September, according to Public Transport Victoria.

As part of the state's contracts with transport operators, tough performance standards need to be met to operate Melbourne's train network.

Metro Trains delivered 89.9 per cent of services on time in September, for failing to deliver 90 per cent of on time services. It also failed to meet its 98.5 per cent reliability target by 0.1 per cent.

This means the operator will pay compensation to passengers for the fourth time this year for falling short by 0.1 per cent.

Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne directed the Department of Transport to work closely with Metro Trains to improve their performance. As such, a dedicated team was created by the department to work closely with Metro's management to improve performance.

"Metro Trains is expected to deliver a train service that Melburnians can rely on and there were a number of times during in September that did not happen," said Department of Transport Head of Transport Services Jeroen Weimar.

Our train passengers deserve better."

According to the government statement, several incidents impacted punctuality during the month of September, including one wherein an overhead power fault near East Richmond trains on four lines over several hours.

"There were more than 320 incidents involving police operations, trespassers on train tracks and near misses, which delayed a total of 955 trains."

The 2019 AFL Finals series was also on in September, for which 300 extra services were delivered to help transport 250,000 fans.

Yarra Trams surpassed its 82 per cent punctuality target with 86.3 per cent, but achieved 97.9 per cent reliability which is under the 98 per cent compensation threshold and, as such, will pay compensation. Excluding an industrial action which meant work stoppages, says Public Transport Victoria, Yarra Trams averaged 98.9 per cent reliability throughout September.

Operational staff at Yarra Trams are planning another strike in October over its demands for wage increases. The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union is also engaging Metro Trains in court over the right to launch industrial action as well as seeking a new agreement with V/Line.

V/Line achieved 96.8 per cent reliability and 87.7 per cent punctuality. However, it will pay compensation to passengers for falling short of their targets on some individual lines.

"It's pleasing to see V/Line deliver a consistent regional service this year," Mr Weimar said. "We're currently delivering a series of regional rail infrastructure upgrades, which will improve services across multiple regional lines."

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https://twitter.com/danielbowen/status/1186893774250631168

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RACV: Have your say about Victoria's trains

RACV's On Track survey gives Victorians the chance to rank their train stations and journeys. In the past, On Track surveys have guided RACV's ongoing advocacy for transport network improvements and resulted in real change. Many of the worst stations identified in the 2017 survey are now undergoing upgrades. ...

>> https://www.racv.com.au/on-the-road/public-transport/on-track.html

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Herald Sun --> Commuters call on government to fix problem-plagued Cranbourne line

Commuters are urging the State Government to push ahead with duplicating the Cranbourne line as soon as possible.

Train users say they are fed up as the single track continues to causing chaos and "huge bottlenecks".

Commuter Brett McGowan said overcrowded trains were still "just dumping passengers at Dandenong as they simply can't go on".

"The single track means trains running late from the city have difficulty proceeding if the inbound train has already left Lynbrook," Mr McGowan said.

Commuter Tara Jarvis said sky rail had improved traffic flow for cars, but said the government overlooked a "golden opportunity" to install dual tracks.

"This would have allowed greater express trains and an increase in Cranbourne train frequency," she said.

"It also would have helped V-Line trains to not be held up by Metro trains."

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the single track was one of the leading causes of delays.

"It really does need to be duplicated as a priority to ease commuter pain," he said

Casey Council Mayor Amanda Stapledon said the council empathised with commuters and wanted the track duplication delivered as soon as possible.

"These things do take a lot of planning and time but we understand the community's frustrations and how the unreliability of the service does affect them," Cr Stapledon said.

"We are also advocating for a station at Cranbourne East and to Clyde, which will help Casey's growing population."

In September, the State Government announced it would begin works to duplicate the track and remove another level crossing along the Cranbourne line to enable services every 10 minutes.

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https://twitter.com/9NewsMelb/status/1191975969697009665

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Herald Sun --> Train timetable slowed down on busy Melbourne rail corridor

Trips on some of Melbourne's busiest train lines will be slowed down from December under a new timetable adjusted to cope with surging passenger growth.

A new schedule for the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Dandenong lines will see between one and five minutes added to 93 weekday services.

Most of the changes will add either one or two minutes journeys to reflect delays created by more peak hour passengers piling on to trains.

But in good news for some commuters, another 16 will become faster services and have up to 2 minutes cut from their trip time.

Department of Transport head of transport services Jeroen Weimar said the new timetable focused on busy lines to reflect the number of passengers waiting at platforms.

"We're carrying far more people on our rail network than we did five or 10 years ago," he said.

"Where there is additional time needed for people to get on and off trains ... We're building that time into our current timetable.

"We have gone through this train by train, station by station, to adjust those timings and to show that customers can be confident that the service we are advertising is the one they will actually receive."

The new timetable will be released in full on Friday and begin from December 1.

Mr Weimar said the timetable change was not designed to benefit Metro after a difficult year in which the operator has been forced to pay compensation for failed punctuality targets.

"We continue to expect to see over 90 per cent of our services arriving on time," he said.

Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne said timetable discussions had also focused on being better integrated with bus services.

"There is nothing more frustrating than turning up at your train station on your way home and seeing your bus you know go off into the distance

"It's good news for commuters in that people can plan their the journey more accurately and that's what passengers want."

Opposition public transport spokesman David Davis said it was "extraordinary" that commuters would face longer trip times.

"That line has had enormous works on it," he said.

"I cannot understand why the government would want to increase the times it takes to travel on our system.

"The performance of the system has declined badly in the last two years."

Southern Cross Station will also open an hour earlier on Sunday mornings to better integrate with the city's night network.

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https://twitter.com/9NewsMelb/status/1193787653419716610

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Metro 'HCMT' Night Testing 14-15th Nov 2019

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Herald Sun 8th December 2019 page 17

Testing on track

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Check out these new beaut Metro Train's On-board Passenger Information Displays

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https://twitter.com/9NewsMelb/status/1205753699932368896

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https://twitter.com/9NewsMelb/status/1205753699932368896

Thats it "Dynamic route displays"

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Herald Sun --> Metro Trains and Yarra Trams fall short of performance targets in November

Metro Trains could finish 2019 without once meeting its punctuality targets after the rail operator once again fell short of its goal in November.

The result is the 11th consecutive month that the company did not deliver enough of its services on time under guidelines spelled out in tougher contracts.

Yarra Trams customers will also be eligible for a free trip after the operator fell well short of its threshold for reliability.

New figures reveal more than 5100 metropolitan train services ran late last month while another 857 were cancelled.

The figures were an improvement on October, with 14 of the 16's lines posting better results.

A Metro spokesman said the company was focused on delivering reliable services.

"Punctuality improved on most lines in November – but we know there's more to do to deliver a more consistent service for Melbourne and meet our tougher performance targets," he said.

"We reliably moved 140,000 people on more than 1110 extra services to the Melbourne Cup Carnival including on Oaks Day – our network's single busiest day of the year."

New timetables on two of the city's busiest lines, Cranbourne and Pakenham, came into effect this December.

The Department of Transport's head of transport services Jeroen Weimar said authorities were still working with the company to lift its daily results.

"Metro Trains ran well during the Spring Racing Carnival, so it's disappointing this performance was not sustained during the whole month," he said.

"We are working closely with Metro Trains to lift their overall daily performance and will continue to do so until our passengers get the consistent service they rightly expect."

Tram passengers can claim compensation for November after more than 3300 services were cancelled across Melbourne.

A free fare is available for anyone with a Myki pass, that has been valid for 28 days or more, who has touch on to a tram at least 10 days in the month.

The result was impacted by strikes across the network and a major upgrade project along William St in the CBD.

"It's frustrating that tram passengers have been forced to deal with four separate tram strikes in recent times," Mr Weimar said.

"I urge Yarra Trams and RTBU to now resolve their disagreements and come to a resolution in the interest of passengers."

V/Line posted improved results along the Geelong line but still fell short of its punctuality target to the entire network.

It comes as the Public Transport Union have been running rolling strikes across different regional rail lines, with more action likely in January.

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Melbourne Age --> Commuter pain as slew of peak-hour trains disrupted amid union dispute

Trains have been cancelled or delayed on multiple lines across Melbourne because of "driver resourcing" after almost 50 drivers were suspended over a safety dispute.

Commuters on the Belgrave, Cranbourne, Hurstbridge, Pakenham, Frankston, Sunbury and Werribee lines were hit with peak-hour delays on Thursday morning, prompting frustrated travellers to vent on social media.

The disruptions come despite the Fair Work Commission on Wednesday night issuing an interim order declaring that industrial action must stop as a dispute between Metro and its drivers drags on.

Metro drivers say they have not had adequate training to negotiate a newly-laid section of track between South Yarra and Hawksburn stations as part of the Metro Tunnel works.

Metro has accused 48 drivers who boycotted the section of taking unprotected industrial action and said it was obliged to stand them down while the commission made a ruling.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said it received 100 complaints from members about a 10-minute instructional video on how to drive along the new track. It has argued drivers are usually joined by another driver, or 'pilot', on their first run to learn how to navigate new signals, topography and speed.

Metro has said that video training had been successful in the past.

In the interim ruling on Wednesday night, Fair Work Commission deputy president Val Gostencnik ordered that the industrial must "immediately stop", even if drivers had not had the assistance of a pilot or observed the section being driven by another driver.

The RTBU has been contacted for comment.

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https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1222619103011037185

[AnonymouslyBad]

^ Anyone have insight on what the actual problem is here?

If it was a brand new line, all new terrain, sure. But it's a short section of new track, flat as a tack, on the existing reservation, with upgraded signalling. If muscle memory is a requirement to follow speed boards and signals, that's terrifying.

I dislike Metro Trains and their contemptible attitude towards ... anyone who's not their executives. But on this particular one, just not really following.