Melbourne Visit June 2012

[ozbob]

Photographs 8 June 2012

Wendouree




















Ballarat









































Photographs R Dow 8th June 2012

[ozbob]

Photographs 9th June 2012

Flinders St



Collingwood



South Morang

























Photographs R Dow 9th June 2012

[ozbob]

Photographs 10th June.

Ticketing equipment at Murrumbeena.  Metcard equipment soon to go.

The blue myki reader is for checking myki history.  Avoids tying up the main ticket machines.








Murrumbeena in the early half light Sunday morning.



Photographs R Dow 10th June 2012

[ozbob]

Summary of key observations:

• Frequency drives patronage
• Myki works fine, problem with lack of gates/readers at peaks particularly
• Myki stand alone readers are wearing fast
• DOO was seamless
• Dwell times generally fast, assisted by full height platforms
• First train services on a Sunday morning/public holiday are far too late for a city such as Melbourne.
• Bus frequency could be improved middle to outer
• Level crossings need attention eg. Murrumbeena, Carnegie.  Grade separation required

[ozbob]

Koornang Road Level Crossing Carnegie Victoria

Very busy level crossing on the Dandenong - Pakenham  - Cranbourne line. Late afternoon peak.




R Dow 6th June 2012

[ozbob]

http://www.kellyodwyer.com.au/community-seeing-red-at-koornang-road-level-crossing/
Kelly O'Dwyer Federal Member for Higgins

Community seeing red at Koornang Road level crossing

Community seeing red at Koornang Road level crossing
June 5, 2012
Latest News

Kelly has joined forces with Carnegie Traders Association at the Koornang Road level crossing to encourage Carnegie and Murrumbeena residents to participate in the RACV's Redspot Survey.

Every second year the RACV conducts a State wide survey to determine the most congested road locations.

In the 2010 survey the level crossing at Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena was rated as the worst Redpsot in Victoria.

Every day residents are calling in concerned about the lack of long term investment in our road and rail infrastructure. Melbourne has 172 level crossings, Sydney has only 8. Level crossings affect how people and freight travel, and reduce neighbourhood amenity due to increased traffic congestion.

The Victorian Government sought $16 million to assist with the planning for further level crossing removals, but received no funding the May Federal Budget.

During morning peaks, gates can be down for up to 20 minutes or so, open for a 2 or 3 minutes and close again.  Murrumbeena is also bad (next outbound station).  They have been talking since the 1960s about fixing these crossings.  And still they talk ... lol

[Golliwog]

172?! And I thought Brisbane was behind the times with our level crossings.

[ozbob]

172?! And I thought Brisbane was behind the times with our level crossings.

Yes, major issue.  Some are tram/train crossings as well.  They are always interesting ..

From memory I think the longest straight close at Murrumbeena during a peak is around 45 minutes.  There are considerable numbers of trains running both ways during peaks, Metro and V/Line.

The whole diabolical mess of transport in the major capitals is just a grand testament to mediocre governments, political pork-barrels, the short term political cycle.  Funds need to be spent where they will deliver real outcomes, not plasmas or pokie revenue, or pink bats.  But fixing infrastructure constraints that in turn deliver real economic benefit for all.

[#Metro]

HELLO CLEVELAND SOLUTION!!

45 minutes!!

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Paramedic 'dodged gates at rail crossing'

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

13th June 2012

Some observations from Melbourne

Greetings,

Last week I spent a few days in Melbourne, checking out public transport.  Details here --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8466.0  I grew up in Melbourne and regularly visit.  I understand the public transport system well in Melbourne.  There are good points and not so good points to note from any public transport system.  Melbourne is no different.

Summary of key observations:
       

       
• Frequency drives patronage
• Myki works fine, problem with lack of gates/readers at peaks particularly
• Myki stand alone readers are wearing fast
• DOO was seamless
• Dwell times generally fast, assisted by full height platforms
• First train services on a Sunday morning/public holiday are far too late for a city such as Melbourne
• Bus frequency could be improved middle to outer
• Level crossings need attention eg. Murrumbeena, Carnegie.  Grade separation required

Patronage on Melbourne's train trams and buses is considerable, not only peaks but out of peak as well.  Frequency on the rail network is much better than south-east Queensland.  The major lines have 10 minute  train services on weekends and public holidays!  Together with a capped daily adult fare of $3.30 on the myki card on weekends people are able to avoid the often congested roads and get around easily.

The myki card (equivalent of our go card) works fine.  It has a fare structure that is similar to the go card in terms of pay as you go (so called myki money) but it also has periodical options, equivalent to the old weekly, monthly yearly tickets (so called myki pass) and also daily capping.  Seniors have free public transport on weekends in Melbourne as well.  Some of the myki equipment is already deteriorating significantly and will add even more cost to the system.  Most of the go card equipment is more durable.

The metropolitan train system (Metro Melbourne) operates as Driver Only Operation (DOO - one person, the train driver on the train).  We have recently raised the prospect of this for south-east Queensland (11 June 2012: SEQ: Could we get more train services for the same cost? http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8499.0 ) DOO in part does allow higher frequency services for the same labour costs.

An interesting observation is that dwell times in Melbourne are generally shorter than in south-east Queensland.  Dwell times are the times the trains wait at the station for unloading and loading of passengers.  In Melbourne, the trains generally have three sets of double doors, this helps.  Platforms are full height (not always the case in SEQ), and the public are better educated with respect to using public transport.  More attention about educating passengers with respect to leaving and boarding quickly, and fanning along platforms would help here.

Early Sunday morning trains start relatively late in Melbourne. This is surprising and we are better off with respect to Melbourne in SEQ.

Bus frequency in the middle and outer suburbs is very poor as in Brisbane/SEQ.  They are planning improvements however.

A major issue in Melbourne is the number of level crossings (around 172, compared to say Sydney that has 8, Brisbane 54).  Level crossings are also a problem in SEQ.  A failure to grade-separate network critical crossings, particularly on the Caulfield - Dandenong line, but also others, is contributing to massive congestion and network issues in Melbourne ( see --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8466.msg100308#msg100308 for an example).  An urgent priority for Brisbane is to move forward with grade separation immediately.

Brisbane needs to really start to optimise our public transport system as first choice.  This means that service frequency of trains needs major improvements.  Additionally the bus network needs a complete overhaul to operate as a core-frequent network.  More feeder buses into rail and bus stations, transfers into high frequency bus (busway and major arterial roads with bus priority) and high frequency rail services.

We cannot continue for much longer in SEQ before there is a massive breakdown of the road and public transport network.  It is now time to act whilst we still can.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[somebody]

Grade separation of level crossing is car priority anyway.  Roads budget can pay for that as far as I am concerned.

[ozbob]

Grade separation of level crossing is car priority anyway.  Roads budget can pay for that as far as I am concerned.

Level crossing grade separation needs to be looked at from the perspective of the transport network.  Prolonged closures at level crossings also effect buses (and trams ...).  Getting rid of them improves rail network reliability as well. There is even talk of restricting train paths to allow for some time for road traffic on some critical crossings.  This limits train frequency.   Melbourne has really failed to do much about grade separation and is now starting to wear the consequences.  Sydney has been a little more fortunate, partly due to geography but some clever thinking.  Brisbane?  LOL  we are the smart state ...  some indication that some crossings will now be sorted ...

I have a feeling that will see no more busways as such until level crossings are sorted.

[somebody]

I have a feeling that will see no more busways as such until level crossings are sorted.

I don't think this takes a PhD to figure out.  LNP haven't built any busways before, and they aren't going to start now, particularly with the next credit rating downgrade imminent.

[SurfRail]

If I was grade separating level crossings in Melbourne, I would be making the tram squares a priority - fortunately there are only four of them:

- Kooyong (Glen Waverley / Route 16)
- Glenhuntly (Frankston / Route 67)
- Riversdale (Alamein / Route 70)
- Gardiner (Glen Waverley / Route 72)

[colinw]

Good point. Gets rid of some complex electrical switching & isolation to deal with the interface between 1500V & 600V overhead.

Apparently a tram has accidentally been fed 1500V on more than one occasion, with fairly dire results for the tram!

[ozbob]

Tram derailments happen at those crossings as well (particularly Gardiner) which further stuffs things up ..

Oh boy, Houston?

Kooyong and Gardiner Railway/Tramway Crossings

Kooyong and Gardiner in Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs are two of four locations where the 600V DC tramway crosses the 1500V DC railway on the level, the other two locations being Riversdale and Glenhuntly. This video features trains and trams on the these unique crossings. Watch closely in the railway scenes as the trains at Kooyong breifly stand on their flanges whilst crossing the tramway!

[Gazza]

Myki stand alone readers are wearing fast

Called that several months ago

[SurfRail]

Good point. Gets rid of some complex electrical switching & isolation to deal with the interface between 1500V & 600V overhead.

Apparently a tram has accidentally been fed 1500V on more than one occasion, with fairly dire results for the tram!

As I understand it all of these crossings are still manned and manually switched.

I'm told the man who "lived" (or "lives") in the Kooyong box tended (or tends) to get very irritated by enthusiasts taking pictures of his workplace.  I've done it myself but didn't see him.