Recently I got to have a look at proposed upgrades to the Comeng train fleet. Skip the introduction A short history of the Comeng trains Comeng trains are named after the Comeng (“Commonwealth Engineering”) factory where they were built, with the carriages being brought into service between 1982 and 1989. The factory in Dandenong is ... [More]
The state government announced over the weekend that Edithvale and Bonbeach grade separations on the Frankston line would get rail under road — a little surprising given apparently challenging engineering so close to the beach. No doubt this is politically expedient. For better or worse, that’s how democracy works sometimes, but you have to wonder how ... [More]
Night Network has been running as a trial since the start of 2016, and solved some key problems: The old NightRider buses were insufficient: often crowded, and had a route structure completely different from daytime, so (despite the crowding) most people didn’t know how it worked Nightrider also provided no service in many areas that ... [More]
Last year, rail under (trench) and rail over (skyrail) options were presented for Cheltenham and Mentone. On Monday the government announced both would be rail under. As expected, the Park Road crossing in Cheltenham (just a stone’s throw from the Charman Road crossing) is being grade separated as well. Latrobe Street, a minor crossing south ... [More]
While I work on a bigger post (or at least one requiring a bit more research), here’s a quickie on an interesting parallel observed last week. Part one In the same week that Minister for Energy and the Environment Josh Frydenberg joined in a parliamentary stunt playing with a lump of coal, he also launched ... [More]
Here’s my regular post of ten year old photos… quite a few this month, and mostly transport-related. This is then-Opposition Leader, later Premier Ted Baillieu being interviewed by the media about widespread train disruptions at the time, caused by the Siemens train brakes problem reaching crisis point. I recall Age reporter Steve Moynihan (seen here ... [More]
On Monday I had an errands at Pinewood. Pinewood? Yes, the minor shopping centre somewhere on Blackburn Road between Clayton and Mount Waverley. I caught the bus up there — the 703 runs from near home in Bentleigh, via Monash Uni, then up Blackburn Road. Unsurprisingly perhaps, we had to wait at the Clayton level ... [More]
I’m working on some more substantive posts, but meanwhile, here we go again: a random claim that the trains used to be faster than today. “In 1955 it took under one hour to travel by train to Spencer St station (Southern Cross). In 2017 it takes 70 minutes. Hmmm. Something is wrong with this picture.” ... [More]
I don’t have “get rich quick” schemes. I kind of have “get moderately well-off, gradually” schemes. The worst one has been buying shares. I got a tip that shares in Xero (the online accounting software company) would skyrocket. And they did, from about $6 to something like $40. But that was before I got around ... [More]
The Gold Coast Light Rail, also known as G:Link opened in July 2014, making it Australia’s newest completed tram/light-rail line. I was very impressed when I rode it last week. As you would hope and expect, they’ve put a lot of thought into the design, and there are a number of things Melbourne can learn ... [More]
Part of what makes Friday’s tragic events in Bourke Street so horrible is that it could have been any of us who got hit. One can only have the deepest sympathy for all those affected. I work on Bourke Street, and often go walking along it at lunchtime. On Friday I was on Spencer Street ... [More]
Early start. If all went to plan, I was going to be at Melbourne Airport to meet my offspring at 12:30, assuming they made their connection in Sydney at 11:15. Being there at 12:30 meant flying out of Brisbane by 9am, as the flight is a little over two hours, and in summer there’s an ... [More]
Day two of my quick trip to Brisbane. Memo to myself: when in Queensland in summer, make sure the blinds/curtains are closed properly before going to bed. Given no daylight savings in the Sunshine State, you can expect the sunshine to come through the window at about 5am. I found myself awake at about 5:20, ... [More]
The plan was to head up to Queensland for a couple of days. For a short break, but also to visit my Dad’s memorial bench at UQ, and see my uncle Frank. I devised a plan to fly into the Gold Coast so that (given nobody else was coming) I could have a look at ... [More]
(One of those posts which I feel like could do with some more polish, but haven’t had time. I know the comments will help boost its worth.) At what point will we have road pricing? Here are some thoughts. The current situation doesn’t make sense The current mix of toll roads and free roads in ... [More]
Continuing my series posting ten year old photos. Brighton, near Middle Brighton station. Obviously this bus shelter had been re-used, from somewhere on Victoria Parade I’m guessing. It looks like the same bus shelter is still there, but the tram route numbers may have been removed. Recently, motorists failing to keep intersections clear has been ... [More]