Melbourne Metro tunnel

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Mathematics 'the key' to solving transport woes

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> State bypasses roads body on east-west link

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Why tunnel vision will cost all Victorians, big time

No amount of fancy figures can justify this project's price ...

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/why-tunnel-vision-will-cost-all-victorians-big-time-20130623-2oq8h.html#ixzz2X4nAjevA

One of Melbourne's most respected public intellectuals, transport planner Paul Mees, described the Victorian government process of prioritising freeways at the expense of public transport as ''corrupt'' at an urban transport conference in 2008. He was forced to resign as a result from his academic post at Melbourne University. Mees died at the age of 52 last week, due to cancer. Poor fella, my city.

The only defence against bad government now is outraged public opinion.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/why-tunnel-vision-will-cost-all-victorians-big-time-20130623-2oq8h.html#ixzz2X528z0Wn

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Our leaders must look at the bigger picture in dealing with Melbourne's transport woes.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Public transport preferred to east-west link, survey reveals

[ozbob]

Twitter

Clay Lucas ‏@ClayLucas 16s

Labor to oppose East-West Link, refers project to Auditor-General: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/labor-goes-against-eastwest-tunnel-20130730-2qxfa.html .... Labor press release here: http://wp.me/p1WSqo-2c .

[ozbob]

ABC PM --> Opposing plans for easing Melbourne's traffic problems shape up as key battleground for voters at the Federal Election

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Borrow to build rail network: Kennett

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Voters prefer Metro rail link to be built before east-west tunnel

[Otto]

So Federal Labor have pledged 33% of the 9 Billion cost for the Metro Rail.
What was the percentage for CRR ?

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Hastings port plan tied to rails

[ozbob]

Twitter

Robert Dow ‏@Robert_Dow 7h

Engineer slams 'dodgy model' for tunnel http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/engineer-slams-dodgy-model-for-tunnel-20130830-2swd8.html ... ... v @theage #springst #qldpol no surprise to Queenslanders! #ausvotes #auspol

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Bandt says Greens can stop east-west link with balance of power

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Tony Abbott says he doesn't need to see the east-west link's full business case

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will hand over $1.5 billion in federal funding for the east-west link without seeing the full business case for the controversial massive infrastructure project, despite an election promise that any investment of more than $100 million would require a published cost benefit analysis.

Confirming he would honour the coalition's election commitment to partly fund the $8 billion Victorian government tollway, which would connect the Eastern Freeway to Melbourne's western suburbs, Mr Abbott told radio station 3AW that he trusts that the East West Link is a viable project despite not being provided with the full business case, which the state government has refused to make public.

Premier Denis Napthine has defended the lack of transparency, saying that the the public release of details would place in jeopardy a competitive advantage as it sought bidders for its construction.

Instead, the government has released a brochure asserting the project will generate $1.40 in benefits for every $1 invested ...

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/tony-abbott-says-he-doesnt-need-to-see-the-eastwest-links-full-business-case-20130927-2uih8.html

[ozbob]

The Guardian --> Three arguments freeways opponents should do well to consider

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Premier Statement --> $100m plus boost for Melbourne's public transport

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> East-west link would not return state costs

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Melbourne City Council to debate rail tunnel funding

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Metro rail tunnel plan will include Melbourne airport link

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> State budget to ramp up plans for Metro rail project

[#Metro]

This all sounds desperate and crazy. Why so much contortion over rail funding? Why this stupid toll road?
Contrived finances just to "keep it off the books" - um, what is the PURPOSE of having the book in the first place? To keep track of all this spending from gov't - oh silly me...

This is all sounding really nutty! And the cost, 

Introduce decongestion tolling. As AirportLink and Clem7 shows that DRAMATIC reductions (50% + ) happen when very modest charges are introduced. Put up a gantry and cameras - very cheap to do and can be done "overnight" outsource the back office functions (billing, payments, enforcement to an existing toll operator to avoid setup and establishment costs and volia!)

Peak hour PT pricing could also be looked at in Melbourne.

[ozbob]

It is amazing what the threat of political oblivion can endear ...

==============

Twitter

PTUA ‏@ptua

Channel 7 says govt will fund #MelbourneMetro rail tunnel by port sales, but route is unclear. Video: https://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/video/watch/23160181/plans-for-10b-underground-rail-project/ ... #SpringSt

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Rerouted Metro Rail project to top Victorian budget

A multibillion-dollar rail tunnel from Southern Cross Station to South Yarra will be the biggest item in this year's Victorian budget.

The Metro Rail Capacity Project, formerly called the Melbourne Metro, will run via St Kilda Road and Fishermans Bend.

This is a radical departure from the original plan, in which the tunnel was to have run beneath Swanston Street with five new stations including at Parkville and North Melbourne.

Work will start in 2016, News Limited has reported. A Napthine government spokeswoman labelled the report "speculation", although Premier Denis Napthine has hinted heavily in the past that the original plans for Melbourne Metro had been torn up for a new route.

Chris Hale, a University of Melbourne transport expert, described the Napthine government's new proposed alignment as a "disaster", and accused the government of scrapping the original plans without consultation, either with the public or planning bodies such as Infrastructure Australia.

"They're spending billions of dollars as an election stunt," he said. "What we need for Melbourne is close to the original concept, especially a station at Parkville, which is an important employment destination with hospitals and the university that has had so much investment put into it over the years."

Dr Hale said Parkville was a key part of Melbourne's knowledge economy and needed a rail connection so people from all over Melbourne could travel there.

"They're emphasising Fishermans Bend, but it's 10 or 15 years away. It'll have a railway station and nothing else," he said.

"There are so many places in Melbourne that are already intensively developed and have a desperate need for transport connectivity and they're being dismissed for a non-existent location." ....

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rerouted-metro-rail-project-to-top-victorian-budget-20140506-zr579.html

[SurfRail]

^ This is absolutely insane.

[ozbob]

Twitter

Adam Carey ‏@adamlcarey 42 seconds ago

It's back to the future as Labor revives Melbourne Metro. RIP Melbourne Rail link #springst

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

Twitter

Andrew Lund ‏@andrew_lund 18 minutes ago

Premier and Transport Minister announcing establishment of Melbourne Metro Rail Authority @9NewsMelb #springst

[ozbob]

The Guardian --> Melbourne Metro rail tunnel project revived by premier Daniel Andrews

[ozbob]

3AW --> Daniel Andrews announces plan to build the Melbourne Metro Rail Tunnel

[ozbob]

Twitter

IRJ ‏@railjournal 4 hours ago

Melbourne Metro Rail project back on track http://bit.ly/1yL6dxR 

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Melbourne Metro rail tunnel project revived by Daniel Andrews

[ozbob]

7 News --> Ambitious train tunnel plan for Melbourne

While $40 million has been fast-tracked towards planning for a new metro rail tunnel under the city to South Yarra, there is still uncertainty over who will fund the $10 billion project. Brendan Donohoe reports.

[ozbob]

The Urbanist Crikey --> Is it full steam ahead for Melbourne Metro (or is it hot air)?

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Metro Rail – keep the plans on track this time

... If there was ever a promise that Abbott should break, it is his refusal to fund urban rail projects. If Abbott were to admit he got it wrong, that his thinking has matured in recent years, I think it might go some way towards re-engaging with the voters in the middle who Abbott has comprehensively lost ...

[colinw]

I don't think Abbott's opinion on this is relevant any more.  It is to Abbott's successor that this pitch (and one for Brisbane CRR) must be aimed.

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> We must invest in transport

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Andrews under fire over Metro Rail project

[ozbob]

Twitter

Clay Lucas ‏@ClayLucas 4 minutes ago

Route & profile of Melb Metro