CDC Victoria Group news August - December 2015

[Craig]

Overdue for a new thread for the second half of 2015.

First piece of news for August - the new interchange at Chadstone opens this Wednesday, further discussion and bay maps here - http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 21&t=80946

Kind Regards


Craig

[Craig]

The opening of the new interchange at Chadstone has now been postponed until Monday 10th August - http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 31#p958731

Kind Regards


Craig

[Craig]

Rock Throwing Point Cook Road, Seabrook
12 August 2015

There have been four reported cases of rock throwing at buses along Point Cook Road, near Allington Place in Seabrook/Altona Meadows in the last fortnight.

Whilst Transit Police continue to patrol the area, CDC Victoria is reaching out to the local community for support, given the close proximity to Seabrook Primary School and the heightened risk to serious injury.

Executive Manager, Group Operations George Konstantopoulos said it's purely coincidental that no one was hurt in the incidents, but holds fear this is only a matter of time unless the perpetrators are caught.

"We are deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of our passengers and drivers," he said.

"We're reaching out to the public and asking them to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 should they have any knowledge of, or witness these attacks”.

Meanwhile, from their Facebook page: CDC Victoria hosted a Graffiti Workshop for our next generation of leaders, as part of the Western Bulldogs Football Club's 'The Whitten Project'. After spending some time 'decorating' a bus, our Young Leaders were given first hand experience into the amount of time, effort, and cost involved in removing graffiti, and how they can influence and educate others to help reduce the amount of graffiti we see across public transport in Melbourne. Big thanks to all involved in another great partnership with CDC Victoria and the Western Bulldogs.

A few of the photos shared on Twitter and Facebook...





Kind Regards


Craig

[jamesadams7]

Terrible to hear about the rock throwing. I catch the 496/498 on a weekly basis to/from the Allington Place bus stop, and haven't seen any incidents myself. Just hope that it doesn't lead to similar measures to what was done at Roxburgh Park Station in November 2013 (measures which still remain in place): http://ptv.vic.gov.au/live-travel-updat ... her-notice

[Craig]

CDC Victoria Corporate Staff Newsletter for September, including details on the new OCC - http://cdcvictoria.com.au/images/pdf/ne ... letter.pdf

Previous issues can be found here - http://cdcvictoria.com.au/about-us/newsletters

Kind Regards


Craig

[BroadGauge]

Just hope that it doesn't lead to similar measures to what was done at Roxburgh Park Station in November 2013 (measures which still remain in place): http://ptv.vic.gov.au/live-travel-updat ... her-notice

And now the 495 & 497 have been suspended after 6:30pm due to incidents. Only seems to be for today and tomorrow though.

Temporary closure after 6.30pm for Routes 495 and 497: Monday 21 September - Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Added: 21 September 2015

Due to rock-throwing in the Point Cook area, route 495 and 497 services will not operate after 6.30pm on Monday 21 September and Tuesday, 22 September, 2015.

[jamesadams7]

And now the 495 & 497 have been suspended after 6:30pm due to incidents. Only seems to be for today and tomorrow though.

I'm a little confused. The 495 and 497 service different areas of Point Cook, apart from a small stretch of Palmers Rd near the freeway. I thought the issue was near Allington Place on the 496 and 498?

Either way, it's a very poor outcome. If you finish work at 5:30pm near Parliament Station, by the time you take a loop train and get to Williams Landing, you would only make 6:33pm 495 or 497, both of which have been cancelled. The very short notice is also not great; I'm sure a lot of people got to the bus stop this afternoon to find their bus home isn't coming, meaning an expensive taxi ride could be the only option. Doesn't give much faith in the public transport system.

[RailwayBus]

And now the 495 & 497 have been suspended after 6:30pm due to incidents. Only seems to be for today and tomorrow though.

I'm a little confused. The 495 and 497 service different areas of Point Cook, apart from a small stretch of Palmers Rd near the freeway. I thought the issue was near Allington Place on the 496 and 498?

Either way, it's a very poor outcome. If you finish work at 5:30pm near Parliament Station, by the time you take a loop train and get to Williams Landing, you would only make 6:33pm 495 or 497, both of which have been cancelled. The very short notice is also not great; I'm sure a lot of people got to the bus stop this afternoon to find their bus home isn't coming, meaning an expensive taxi ride could be the only option. Doesn't give much faith in the public transport system.

Rock throwing can happen anywhere at any time, and is typically an activity that moves around a fair bit in order for the perpetrators to reduce risk of being caught.

From my experience working on the trains, rock throwing happens all over the Melbourne area. And as it is now school holidays, I would expect this behaviour to increase in frequency.

[jamesadams7]

Fair enough, but the information provision seems confused. In relation to this issue, I've seen mentions of Routes 495, 496, 497, 498, Seabrook Primary School, Allington Place, Sanctuary Lakes and services from Williams Landing Station. They might as well cancel all the services south of the freeway

[hungho95]

From; https://www.facebook.com/busesingapore/ ... =1&theater

[Alstom 888M]

More Aussie jobs going offshore. What (if any) operators are still buying locally bodied buses?

[Tim Williams]

I also find it a bit strange that they are not locally built, but as someone has already said, I believe, that labour rates would be significantly lower in Malaysia.

I understand there are 4 of these coming - all to CDC Victoria??? But, being stuck out "in the sticks" is really not using these buses to their best advantage - as we all know, travelling the M4 in Sydney with high loads was their intended use.

They are particularly good looking buses, pity they are not coming to Adelaide!

[Alstom 888M]

The Malaysian Volgrens are of considerably lower quality. I have driven both local and Malay with Scania K280 chassis (and others but I will use the Scania as the example) . The interal plastics are thinner and the poles and other internal fittings rattle more, I find visibility to be poor at night (different shape or material for windscreen?), and increased vibration. Before anyone says I am biased I had no idea the imports were indeed imported until I asked why one fleet was built better than those on the other side.

[Tim Williams]

Interesting comments - I wonder what the quality of these Volgren DD's will be like. The imported Volgrens you were talking about, are they more or less the same age as the ones built here?

The Singaporean bus fans sling off at the Gemilang (as you would know, also Malaysian) bodied Scanias of which SBS Transit has purchased a vast number - may be 1,000. Anyway they believe they are rattly and sub standard compared to the fully German produced Citaros - these Mercs are a beautiful machine.

However, the very small number of Gemilang MAN A95 deckers seem well made and are popular - I can honestly say they seem a much better put together product than SMRT's Enviro 500's which creak and rattle and with exterior panels which look a bit "wavey" - but this may be all to do with their assembly in China. I have ridden on both types and do prefer the Gemilang A95, although there was only one in service with SBS Transit when I was last there in March. - Tne Enviro 500 is a top bus, but as said, I just wonder about the quality of the Chinese assembly - may be like your Malaysian Volgens??

[MAN 16.242]

The Malaysian Volgrens are of considerably lower quality. I have driven both local and Malay with Scania K280 chassis (and others but I will use the Scania as the example) . The interal plastics are thinner and the poles and other internal fittings rattle more, I find visibility to be poor at night (different shape or material for windscreen?), and increased vibration. Before anyone says I am biased I had no idea the imports were indeed imported until I asked why one fleet was built better than those on the other side.

Do you mean K230s? There is no K280s at Transdev built in Malaysian. Tip: If body number is VG it was built in Dandenong, if it's VM it was built in Malaysian.
All K280s with Volgren bodies at Transdev be it from the MBL side or Ventura side were built in Dandenong.

[Alstom 888M]

Perhaps it was K230. It was awhile ago. Other than a slight difference in smoothness and performance, not that I consider any Scania K series smooth) the difference is slight. The bus I found so offensive was on the orbitals.

I also find the steering wheel placement on the Volvo to be quite poor but I'm not sure if that's the fault of the coachwork or the chassis. I haven't driven a locally made Volvo B7 so I can't compare there.

[Craig]

It seems the rock-throwers have returned to Seabrook. Buses will be suspended until further notice.

No Evening Service on Routes 496 & 498
Given the ongoing spate of rock throwing incidents in the Point Cook/Seabrook area, CDC Victoria wishes to advise that evening services on Routes 496 & 498 will cease from 6.30pm on Thursday 24th September until further notice. Our daytime services will continue as scheduled.

Unfortunately the risks are too great for our staff and law abiding patrons who continue to come under attack.

If you see something, or know something please contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Photos from the CDC Victoria Twitter feed...




Kind Regards


Craig

[OLYMPIAN]

Interesting comments - I wonder what the quality of these Volgren DD's will be like. The imported Volgrens you were talking about, are they more or less the same age as the ones built here?

The Singaporean bus fans sling off at the Gemilang (as you would know, also Malaysian) bodied Scanias of which SBS Transit has purchased a vast number - may be 1,000. Anyway they believe they are rattly and sub standard compared to the fully German produced Citaros - these Mercs are a beautiful machine.

However, the very small number of Gemilang MAN A95 deckers seem well made and are popular - I can honestly say they seem a much better put together product than SMRT's Enviro 500's which creak and rattle and with exterior panels which look a bit "wavey" - but this may be all to do with their assembly in China. I have ridden on both types and do prefer the Gemilang A95, although there was only one in service with SBS Transit when I was last there in March. - Tne Enviro 500 is a top bus, but as said, I just wonder about the quality of the Chinese assembly - may be like your Malaysian Volgens??

I have been told E500 were having building issue (quality issue) in both Chinese built and Malaysian built example

Also Volgren have been building buses offshore since 2009 or before when I visit Malaysia And saw one of the smartbus on delivery run

Is Volgren still building buses in UAE for Australia ?

[RailwayBus]

Fair enough, but the information provision seems confused. In relation to this issue, I've seen mentions of Routes 495, 496, 497, 498, Seabrook Primary School, Allington Place, Sanctuary Lakes and services from Williams Landing Station. They might as well cancel all the services south of the freeway

Let's put it this way. Rocks are thrown at the 495/497, services then get suspended, and the kids decide to throw rocks at the 496/498 instead. They know the spots where they can do it without getting caught, but they also know they can't stick around or keep returning to the same spot, hence why the locations and route numbers affected keep changing.

You can add Saltwater Coast to your list too. CDC posted photos of a daytime attack on the 497 route this afternoon.

[Peter1805]

Fair enough, but the information provision seems confused. In relation to this issue, I've seen mentions of Routes 495, 496, 497, 498, Seabrook Primary School, Allington Place, Sanctuary Lakes and services from Williams Landing Station. They might as well cancel all the services south of the freeway

Let's put it this way. Rocks are thrown at the 495/497, services then get suspended, and the kids decide to throw rocks at the 496/498 instead. They know the spots where they can do it without getting caught, but they also know they can't stick around or keep returning to the same spot, hence why the locations and route numbers affected keep changing.

You can add Saltwater Coast to your list too. CDC posted photos of a daytime attack on the 497 route this afternoon.

Nothing serious will happen about this, from "the authorities", until someone is killed or maimed.

We've just seen an example of this with the "monkey bike" thing in Carrum Downs. Those people had been doing the same thing around there, including the shopping centre car park, for months.

[Craig]

Last chance to get photos of buses in Katandra Rd? It wouldn't surprise me if buses do not return to current alignment when the works are complete given buses to Elsternwick already operate the detour as the standard route and it would avoid parking congestion around Kilvington Grammar.

Temporary bus stop closures and diversion on Route 625: 5 October 2015 until further notice
Added: 30 September 2015

Effective, Monday, 5 October 2015 until further notice.

Due to the Ormond grade separation works, Ormond bus Route 625 services to Chadstone will divert around Katandra Road and will not be servicing the following stops:
Katandra Road / Ormond Railway Station
Leila Road / Lilimur Road

Customers are advised to use the bus stops at:
North Road / Ormond Railway Station
Leila Road / Grange Road

Kind Regards


Craig

[Craig]

CDC Ballarat is operating a free tourist shuttle connecting various City attractions during the Archibald Prize Exhibition from 2 October to 15 November.

Discussion - http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 21&t=81413

Kind Regards


Craig

[Craig]

I noticed the news item has disappeared from the CDC website without a trace however PTV still have a live travel update suggesting that buses still finish at 18:30.

CDC finally posted updates this afternoon on Facebook and Twitter advising that normal evening services have resumed and no further rock attacks have occurred.

Looking more closely at Twitter, there was a tweet made by CDC last week to @WelcometoPC suggesting that buses may have gone back as early as last Thursday, the day after the news report on 7 News. - https://twitter.com/CDCVictoria/status/ ... 0019865605

PTV have yet to update or remove the live travel update advising evening services on 496 & 498 are suspended until further notice.

(Apologies for the double post)

Kind Regards


Craig

[Craig]

Disruptions in Ballarat before 11am Sunday:

Ballarat Service Cancellations Due To Run Ballarat Event
Sunday, 11th October 2015

The following Ballarat route cancellations will take place on Sunday, 11th October from 8.30am – 11am due to the Run Ballarat event. All normal Sunday services will resume from 11:00am.

Sturt Street West (Route 15) from Little Bridge Street at 8:30am
Wendouree West (Route 1) from Little Bridge St at 9:55am
Delacombe (Route 13) from Little Bridge St at 9:10am
Wendouree West (Route 1) from Stocklands Shopping Complex at 8:45am
Sebastopol (Route 12) from Little Bridge St at 9:20am
Sturt St West (Route 15) from Lt Bridge St at 10:05am
Buninyong (Route 10) from Ballarat Railway Station at 8:50am
Creswick (Route 3) from Little Bridge St at 9:00am
Lake Gardens (Route 16) from Myer City Stop at 9:55am

Temporary service alterations for Ballarat Regional bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16: Sunday, 11 October 2015
Added: 9 October 2015

Customers are advised that due to the Run Ballarat event, the following service cancellations will take place from 8.30am to 11am on Sunday, 11 October 2015:
The 8.30am Route 15 to Sturt Street West from Little Bridge Street will not run
The 8.45am Route 1 to Wendouree West from the Stocklands Shopping Complex will not run
The 8.50am Route 10 to Buninyong from the Ballarat Railway Station will not run
The 9am Route 3 to Creswick from Little Bridge Street will not run
The 9.10am Route 13 to Delacombe from Little Bridge Street will not run
The 9.20am Route 12 to Sebastopol from Little Bridge Street will not run
The 9.55am Route 1 to Wendouree West from Little Bridge Street will not run
The 9.55am Route 16 to Lake Gardens from Myer City Stop will not run
The 10.05am Route 15 to Sturt Street West from Little Bridge Street will not run
The 10.20am Route 2 to Wendouree from Little Bridge Street will not run

All normal Sunday services will resume from 11am.

Keep up to date with planned disruptions on your line/route and across the network by subscribing to PTV's weekly travel update email.
Updated 05:16pm, 9th October

I presume the round trip is cancelled, meaning the trip back into town will also not run, but this is not clear from the list of trips shown. CDCB have already closed for the weekend so no chance of clarification.

CDCB have also failed to post the disruption via Facebook or Twitter, seems those for are primary for corporate feel good news than informing their passengers of significant disruptions.

Mention of the 496 & 498 disruptions on the PTV website finally disappeared overnight.

Kind Regards


Craig

[howlerbus]

Ballarat disruptions often were not posted anywhere online when I lived there, at least theres some info online now