Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!!

Melbourne / Victoria Transport Discussion

Moderator: MAN 16.242

User avatar
Heihachi_73
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Ringwood

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by Heihachi_73 »

Poor diddums, they bought a house right next to a train line and expected it to be worth millions! Even without skyrail their house is worth a lot less than a similar house the next street away. The anti-rail (forget anti-skyrail) brigade is the same group complaining about the fact trains sound their horns outside where their house happens to be because a level crossing is nearby!

That's it, who can get the government to force Metro to retrofit X'Trapolis horns to the entire Comeng and Siemens fleet as a safety upgrade? :twisted:
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by Roderick Smith »

What a facile response. Of course the house is worth less than those a few blocks away. However, even adjacent to a railway, over $1m is still quite plausible in inner and formerly-middle suburbs. Yes, they did buy willingly with a railway across the back fence. The point now is that the railway has been shifted sideways to be in line with the back fence, and has been elevated by 6 m. That hadn't happened anywhere else in Melbourne, and was avoided with care by the lying LXRA in all of the 'consultation' meetings, which concentrated on the expected trenching solution (as used elsewhere). Now the government is undervaluing (hardly unexpected), even at lineside prices.
All of the posts (general newspaper and hobby group) justifying elevation from Caulfield to Oakleigh come from people who don't live there or in an equivalent environment. None of Melbourne's previous elevations was to that height, and none was against the boundary fence of residential.
Roderick
notch
Posts: 244
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:15 pm

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by notch »

Aside from the houses at the rear of the elevated rail section from the up side of Victoria Park to the down side of North Richmond. Which has been there for how long now?
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by Roderick Smith »

That isn't a good example to cite: The track isn't against the fenceline, and isn't at the height of the new one. At the time of construction, Collingwood was regarded as a working-class slum. The easement was obtained by demolishing property, including a pub in Victoria St. That's why it kinks. Likewise, Balaclava, Montague and Auburn are irrelevant as examples.

Roderick.
User avatar
B10BLE
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 4:50 pm
Favourite Vehicle: C63 AMG Black
Location: Melbourne

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by B10BLE »

Was on a rail replacement bus from Noble Park to Clayton on Saturday and saw the new station structure at Noble Park while waiting for it and the transition to ground before Sandown Park station and I must say it looks kinda steep. How would the Maryvale cope up the grade with just two locomotives?

Qube is going to need more than VL356 and a G class for this run. I reckon push pull mode is in order with another G class at the end of the train or Seymour's preserved X31.
Contra la Luna
User avatar
BroadGauge
Posts: 3740
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 1:20 pm
Favourite Vehicle: Car
Location: NSW

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by BroadGauge »

B10BLE wrote:I reckon push pull mode is in order with another G class at the end of the train or Seymour's preserved X31.
Why would you need to run it as push/pull for? There is a loop provided for locomotives to run around at the Maryvale siding. This is how the train is currently operated.

The cost of modifying the wagons used on the service to have through cabling to allow for the locomotives at either end of the train to communicate with each other would also be significant, for only an extremely small saving in staffing costs.
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Re: Not value for money

Post by Roderick Smith »

Roderick.

December 14 2017 Level crossing removal program poor value for money: Auditor-General Andrew Greaves .
The cost of removing 50 of Melbourne's "most dangerous and congested" level crossings has blown out by at least $2.3 billion compared to Labor's first estimate.
At $8.3 billion, the project is more than 38 per cent more expensive than its initial $5 billion to $6 billion estimated price tag.
More videos What will Carrum's level crossing removals look like?
Animations released by the Victorian Government give a glimpse of what some of the ten level crossing removals between Cheltenham and Frankston on the Frankston line will look like once completed. Vision: Victorian Government.
And it could end up costing even more, Victoria's Auditor-General says.
Contrary to the government's stated objective, many of the 50 crossings on the Andrews government's list are not among the city's most congested or dangerous, according to a new report.
The level crossing removal project has a cost of $8.3 billion ... and rising. Photo: Patrick Scala .
Labor promised from opposition to remove 50 level crossings by 2022 in an eight-year program, and is ahead of its target to remove the first 20 by 2018.
But a report by Auditor-General Andrew Greaves, tabled in State Parliament on Thursday, found the pace of removal, driven by the 2014 election commitment, threatens to erode the project's value for money.
Weaknesses in the business case and a politically driven refusal to assess the merits of the 50 selected sites have also undermined the project's value, the report said.
Just 32 of the crossings chosen featured in the top 50 of a 2008 list by the Department of Transport of the state's most dangerous, and just 28 were prioritised on a 2013 VicRoads removal list.
Ten crossings have been removed to date. Photo: Paul Rovere
"The delivery of the program is ahead of schedule, and [the Level Crossing Removal Authority] expects to surpass its target of removing 20 crossings by 2018," the report states.
"However, this pace presents risks to achieving value for money. These risks are compounded by an inadequate and delayed business case, and poor indicators to measure program benefits."
Other politically driven decisions, such as changing the reference design of crossing removals from rail over to rail under to avoid property acquisitions, have potentially added hundreds of millions of dollars to the project cost.
“This pace presents risks to achieving value for money. These risks are compounded by an inadequate and delayed business case.”
Report by Auditor-General Andrew Greaves
This has been especially so on the Frankston line, where 11 crossings are being removed, the report found.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan defended Labor's selection of 50 crossings, arguing it had been made based on publicly available information while in opposition.
"What we didn't have at that point of time, of course, was the VicRoads report that the then Napthine government had ... and not only did the Liberal government keep this report a secret; they sat on it," Ms Allan said.
But she declined to give a guarantee that the project's $8.3 billion cost will not continue to rise.
The figure includes $1.4 billion for extras including new railway stations, power upgrades and track duplications, Ms Allan said.
"Where we have an opportunity when we're removing a level crossing to do more in those local communities to improve public transport services, we will," she said.
Treasurer Tim Pallas said the report was "an illustration of why governments should probably never talk about the cost of a project until they sign contracts".
Shadow Minister for Public Transport David Davis said level crossing removals had merit, "but that doesn't mean that you have a licence to blow the public's money ... on a poorly run project".
The report is scathing of the performance of Victoria's public service, finding that the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources has failed to give the Andrews government frank and full advice about potential problems with the project.
The finding by Mr Greaves mirrors a similarly damning assessment of how departmental staff mishandled the former Napthine government's failed East West Link project.
"The role of the public service to provide full and frank advice was not realised in this case," Mr Greaves wrote.
"[The department] should have advised the incoming government that an analysis was needed of the selected sites against the stated program objective of removing 50 of the most dangerous and congested level crossings."
The business case for the level crossing removal program was completed in April, almost two years after the project started.
It was given a benefit-cost ratio of 0.78, based on a total project cost of $7.6 billion, meaning it would return 78 cents for every dollar spent.
The project's current cost, $8.3 billion, would erode the benefit-cost ratio further, Mr Greaves' report said.
Much of the increase has come about from changes to recommended designs, particularly on the Frankston line, the report states.
It also warns that the business case for the project could get even shakier in coming years.
"Given the [level crossing removal project] has only removed 10 crossings to date, with five years still remaining and more complex crossings to remove, there is a real risk of further cost increases," the report said.
The project is largely being funded from the proceeds of the $9.7 billion long-term lease of the Port of Melbourne.
Crossing removals are also meant to bring in new revenue for Victoria by creating property development opportunities in a process called value capture.
However, the Auditor-General found problems with this aspect of the project.
By March, the Level Crossing Removal Authority had identified 26 possible development sites, with an estimated return to state of $153 million.
But so far just one contract has been signed with a developer.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/level ... 04ed0.html

December 14 2017 Level crossings: We all pay as politicians stick to lavish promises .
In Australia's feral brand of politics there is perhaps nothing more costly than a broken promise.
Hence why the Andrews government has bluntly refused to deviate from a list of 50 level crossings it promised to remove four years ago, even as the project drains billions more from the public purse than Labor said it would.
The Level Crossings Removal project has drained billions more from the public purse than Labor said it would. Photo: Joe Armao, Fairfax Media.
A report by Victoria's Auditor-General has laid bare the misleading spin of Labor's promise to remove Melbourne's 50 "most dangerous and congested" level crossings.
The list was never any such thing: just a grab bag of crossings, some dangerous and congested, others relatively trouble-free, stitched together and sold to the electorate for the unrealistically low cost of $5-$6 billion.
That initial guesstimate has since jumped to $8.3 billion, less than halfway into the eight-year program, and the Auditor-General has warned taxpayers to brace for more likely increases.
Senior ministers in the Andrews government were just a little bit conciliatory about the "most dangerous and congested" claim on Thursday, conceding that the list was devised from opposition where access to information is limited to what's in the public domain.
A crucial 2013 VicRoads' review of Melbourne's highest-priority crossings for removal was not available, for example.
But why not reassess the list once better information is available and it becomes apparent some crossing removals don't stack up?
Jacinta Allan touts station rebuilds and power upgrades as bonus add-ons, rather than integral parts of the project. Photo: Joe Armao, Fairfax Media.
Where is the public value in removing the Camp Road level crossing in Campbellfield, with its six trains an hour, while leaving intact Union Street in Surrey Hills, which is twice as busy and where two people were killed last year?
But government ministers stood their ground on the matter of cost and did not concede the project's $8.3 billion price tag was a "blow-out", framing it instead as a bigger investment in improving the public transport network.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan spoke of station rebuilds and power upgrades as though they were bonus add-ons, rather than essential parts of the project.
Voters might say they're not buying it, but what choice do they have? Their money has already been spent.
The Andrews government has undertaken one of the biggest infrastructure programs Victoria has seen and while this is broadly popular with voters it's reasonable to ask if it is losing control of its spending.
Just this week contracts were signed for the West Gate Tunnel, which suddenly has a price tag of $6.7 billion, not the long-touted $5.5 billion.
The fat pipeline of projects is providing an urgently needed response to Victoria's growing pains and generating thousands of jobs, but that is no excuse for sloppy accounting.
The Opposition will, of course, make mileage out of such a damaging report by the Auditor-General, but there are already signs it is in danger of repeating the same mistakes with its traffic light removal pledge.
It has seen the undeniable popularity of level crossing removals and hatched its own focus group-driven spin-off; a promise to remove 55 congested intersections.
The Coalition have even pinched Labor's slogan, promising to remove "55 of Victoria's most dangerous and congested intersections".
The list is also incomplete, with 20 to be chosen after community consultation, and a vague and unexplained cost range of $4.1 billion to $5.3 billion.
Sound familiar?
Related Articles:
Cost of Andrews' transport projects soars above $45b.
Level crossing removals poor value for money: Auditor-General .
The fake economics cookbook: making bad projects look good .
Summer bus hell awaits for rail commuters.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/level ... 04sbn.html
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Elevated Rail

Post by Roderick Smith »

Works start in Carrum & Seaford in early 2018 with construction partners announced on Tues.19.12.17.
The new Station St road bridge across Patterson River will be open in late 2018 & the Seaford Rd level crossing gone by the end of 2018.
http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/media- ... -crossings
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Time saving for cars: just 1 min.

Post by Roderick Smith »

January 24 2018 Just a minute: Level crossing project resulting in small time savings, data shows The Andrews government's $8.3 billion level crossing removal scheme has shaved, on average, just one minute off driving times, The Age can reveal.
Fresh data showing new travel times for 10 former level crossing sites across Melbourne during morning peak hour has drawn mixed reviews.
The level crossing removal at McKinnon station has had only a minimal impact so far. Photo: Jason South Removing the level crossing at McKinnon railway station was a showpiece of Labor’s signature election commitment to remove 50 level crossings.
But removing the crossing and rebuilding McKinnon station for an estimated $130 million has seen an increase of only 61 cars eastbound between 7am and 9am, with an extra 78 cars driving in the opposite direction.
Centre Road in Bentleigh. Photo: Jason South The removal of the level crossing on Mountain Highway in Bayswater, which cost $177 million, has saved eastbound motorists just 18 seconds on their commute, the data shows.
The greatest benefit has been seen in Glen Iris, where the removal of the Burke Road level crossing has cut travel times for more than 2400 northbound drivers by nearly two minutes.
Hundreds of extra cars are now flowing along roads where level crossings once were, with North Road in Ormond seeing the biggest spike in traffic.
An extra 883 vehicles on average are passing through the old level crossing site on North Road between 7am and 9am each day.
But on quieter Centre Road in Bentleigh, the crossing removal has only made way for an extra 39 cars.
Here are the time savings and traffic increases for 10 level crossing removals:
The data from the Level Crossing Removal Authority was captured over two to three months, before and after each level crossing was removed.
Transport economist John Stanley estimated that, based on the data provided, the travel time savings across the 50 level crossing removals would be worth about $1.9 billion to the economy over 30 years, which is consistent with the project's business case.
While that economic benefit is a fraction of the $8.3 billion already spent on the project, Mr Stanley said the scheme would deliver benefits to public transport users by enabling more train services, particularly on the busy Cranbourne/Pakenham line.
But head of Monash University’s public transport research group, Graham Currie, said the results were modest at best.
“Travel time savings are low, and don’t justify these projects,” Professor Currie said.
“It does raise the question: was it worth the money?”
Since the government began removing level crossings, the main beneficiaries had been “a small number of motorists who were being delayed a lot”, Professor Currie said.
He said it was reasonable to question if level crossings on some smaller streets in Melbourne's south-east, which had low traffic volumes to begin with, were an appropriate location for the multi-million dollar projects.
An average of one minute saving in travel time for a few thousand motorists did not justify the cost, Professor Currie said.
However RACV’s manager of mobility advocacy, Dave Jones, said the data showed motorists were changing their routes to take advantage of more reliable level crossing-free roads.
He also noted that despite increases in peak period traffic, motorists were still achieving travel time savings, and this would also benefit buses crossing rail lines.
Acting Minister for Public Transport Luke Donnellan said that "after four years of nothing under the Victorian Liberals", the government was keeping its promise to remove 50 level crossings.
"Reducing road congestion is one of many reasons as to why we are getting on with the job."
Opposite public transport spokesman David Davis said, “for a project that is now billions of dollars over budget, the gains are in many cases marginal”.
The grade separation project was exposed as blowing out by at least $2.3 billion compared to Labor’s first estimate by the Auditor-General in December.
The watchdog found the program was at risk of not being good value for money, due to its fast delivery and “inadequate” business case.
The project’s business case was given a benefit-cost ratio of 0.78, which means that it would return 78 cents for every dollar spent.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/just- ... 4yys5.html
Attachments
180123Tu-Melbourne'Age'-levelcrossingrermoval.jpg
180123Tu-Melbourne'Age'-levelcrossingrermoval.jpg (188.96 KiB) Viewed 13477 times
Roderick Smith
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 8:44 pm

Noble Park nearly finished

Post by Roderick Smith »

Of course it was fast: only two tracks, not four.

Roderick.

January 24 2018 Three boom gates to go to make way for Noble Park elevated.
Three sets of boom gates will be removed by the end of the month, as the Andrews government gears up to unveil the first section of elevated rail and station at Noble Park.
Trains will start running along the first section from February 15, after level crossings at Corrigan, Heatherton and Chandler Roads are removed.
The soon-to-be completed Noble Park train. Photo: Chris Hopkins .
But locals will first have to rely on buses which are replacing trains from between Westall and Dandenong from January 30 to February 14, as work gets under way to install overhead wiring and connect the new elevated tracks to the existing network.
The open space beneath the elevated rail track will be used as a dog park and a play space for children.
The elevated rail at Noble Park is due to carry its first passengers on February 15. Photo: Chris Hopkins .
Premier Daniel Andrews said the project had been built months ahead of schedule, and the government was on track to exceed its target of removing more than 20 level crossings by the end of this year.
Sixty near misses and collisions were reported across the three level crossings between 2011 and 2017 and 15 reported near misses in 2016-17.
Mr Andrews said the level crossing removal program was "critical for safety, running more trains more often, and for dealing with congestion on our roads".
"This is all about getting on with it, delivering the things that we said we would do, I'm very pleased to say that we are ahead of time and this project includes not just level crossing removals, but power upgrades, signal upgrades, new stations well over and above the original commitment we made."
Three more level crossings will be removed before the elevated opens in February. Photo: Chris Hopkins .
It comes after The Age revealed that the removal of 10 level crossings had shaved, on average, one minute off driving times.
Traffic data provided by the Level Crossing Removal Authority, which is used as a basis for its own internal modelling, showed new travel times for stretches of road where crossings once were.
The travel time savings ranged from 18 seconds on Mountain Highway in Bayswater, to nearly two minutes on Burke Road, Glen Iris.
Easing road congestion around level crossings was part of the government's stated aims in delivering the $8.3 billion scheme, along with improving safety, enabling more train services and upgrading stations and local facilities.
In response to questions about the new data, the Premier said: "I'm happy for you to go and talk to as many motorists as you like, I think the simple question is: would you rather get stuck at a dangerous congested level crossing, or be able to go straight through? I think the answer is a pretty obvious one."
When asked when more train services would be added on lines with removed level crossings, Mr Andrews said he would be announcing changes later this year.
"This is a progressive, gradual thing, you've got to remove the level crossings, you've got to then, of course, build additional trains, and then you can run additional services.
"We will have more announcements to make later in the year about additional services, and about maximising the potential that we have been able to unlock by getting rid of these absolute congested death traps that are the nine level crossings from Caulfield to Dandenong."
Kevin Devlin, head of the Level Crossing Removal Authority, said the project was getting "more cars, faster through these level crossings".
"We are getting up to 40 per cent more cars through these intersections, and 40 per cent quicker," he said.
The government has removed 11 level crossings, while all nine crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong trains stations on the busy Cranbourne/Pakenham line are set to be removed by the end of 2018.
Point-to-point time savings and traffic increases for 10 level crossing removals:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/three ... 0nfzk.html, with comments.
User avatar
B10BLE
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 4:50 pm
Favourite Vehicle: C63 AMG Black
Location: Melbourne

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by B10BLE »

Noble Park section of Skyrail opens next week, photos have been posted online, courtesy of wongm and/or Vicsig on twitter.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Contra la Luna
User avatar
boronia
Posts: 21567
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2004 6:18 am
Favourite Vehicle: Ahrens Fox; GMC PD4107
Location: Sydney NSW

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by boronia »

BroadGauge wrote:
B10BLE wrote:I reckon push pull mode is in order with another G class at the end of the train or Seymour's preserved X31.
Why would you need to run it as push/pull for? There is a loop provided for locomotives to run around at the Maryvale siding. This is how the train is currently operated.

The cost of modifying the wagons used on the service to have through cabling to allow for the locomotives at either end of the train to communicate with each other would also be significant, for only an extremely small saving in staffing costs.
Remote multiple unit operation is quite common using radio communication between the locos. No need to wire up wagons.
Preserving fire service history
@ The Museum of Fire.
User avatar
Heihachi_73
Posts: 545
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Ringwood

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by Heihachi_73 »

Your new High Capacity Train, a 3 car Siemens! :lol:
notch
Posts: 244
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:15 pm

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by notch »

So, given the first section of Skyrail's been open for a while, where are all the doomsayers now?
User avatar
krustyklo
Posts: 2648
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: Lalor, VIC

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by krustyklo »

So, given the first section of Skyrail's been open for a while, where are all the doomsayers now?
Still whinging on Twitter.
Mike M
Posts: 839
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:35 pm
Location: Frankston Line

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by Mike M »

krustyklo wrote:
So, given the first section of Skyrail's been open for a while, where are all the doomsayers now?
Still whinging on Twitter.
If you lived in Carnegie or Murrumbeena with these structures towering over your apartment or house then you might be unhappy too but then you don't do you?
User avatar
krustyklo
Posts: 2648
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 11:12 am
Location: Lalor, VIC

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by krustyklo »

If you lived in Carnegie or Murrumbeena with these structures towering over your apartment or house then you might be unhappy too but then you don't do you?
You have no idea if I do or don't. So maybe be careful assuming?

As it happens, no, I don't live in Carnegie or Murrumbeena but until my wife and I seperated I lived opposite a railway line with a small suburban street between us. As it happens it is a stretch of line due for some major works in the not too distant future and not that long ago whilst I was living there went through an upgrade requiring works at night. Two T class locos revving loudly crawling along and stopping opposite my bedroom window is quite loud I can assure you. So I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the idea of living next to a railway line. At the time I commented that I would be happy with a "Skyrail" opposite my house as it would enable me to reach the bus stop on the major road the other side of the line without having to walk for a 5 minute deviation. That wouldn't be possible with a trench - indeed I suspect even in Carnegie / Murrumbeena a trench would be the wrong solution too as it would need a wider alignment than Skyrail and would require the houses next to the rail reserve to be compulsorily acquired without the owners having a choice. At least with Skyrail they have options - sell to government (if next to line), sell to developer who can build a multistory apartment block and might give the current owners decent compensation, or stay where they are. I don't pretend any are the preferred scenario of "keep things as they are" which is live next to an at grade railway line.

However, let's be honest for a minute. Not everybody complaining online, here or Twitter or Facebook or wherever, are people who live next to the line. Without knowing for certain, I suspect a large number are people who also don't live in the area or are otherwise affected pushing their own barrows - mostly for a change of government based on a cursory look at other postings of the same accounts whinging about Skyrail. The biggest issue for those genuinely affected are that their voices are drowned out amongst the other agenda pushers - and their agenda has been coopted by the same keyboard warriors. Furthermore, a small number of the genuine people seem to have fallen for the issue of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" in talking the same rubbish about trains falling from the sky and Skyrail not being suitable for freight trains to use as the political trouble makers. This too has diluted their cause, regrettably I might add.

Frankly I feel genuinely sorry for those living next to the Carnegie-Murrumbeena corridor. I don't think they have been fairly treated by the government from the start, and I don't think they have received procedural fairness or natural justice in the way the project was sprung upon them, the poor consultation (if true), nor the fact that the railway line hidden behind the back fence is now above them potentially infringing the privacy they previously had, along with the noise and inconvenience related to the accelerated project timeline to be ready by the next election. I don't pretend to know the right answer about whose rights have primacy - those who will no longer be affected by a level crossing or those living along the corridor. I would be interested to hear from someone similarly affected by the elevation of the Camberwell to Box Hill line when the crossings were removed along there to see what the public feeling was at the time and whether it turned out as bad as was presumably claimed at the time - I'm surprised this hasn't been used by the media at all as a comparison. In this sense I suspect Skyrail is a better option than the embankments used through Canterbury as at least Skyrail will be permeable.

I also see this as a recent theme in infrastructure projects. The people in West Footscray next to the railway line were equally shafted, as were those suddenly having their homes compulsorily acquired by the previous Liberal government for East-West link. The Liberal Party shills masquerading as anti-government Skyrail protesters are not supporting a completely innocent political party when it comes to doing people over for infrastructure projects!

To get back to the point - if the residents had stuck with the line of procedural justice and poor treatment they may have got more traction. I still feel as though something should happen in the government at least acknowledging their concerns publicly and ensuring they really do receive fair compensation whether they stay or go. If the government do it transparently and openly, dirty washing and all, I'd much more respect the current government for doing so than I do now for the way residents have been treated. But that view isn't incompatible with seeing the general tone of anti-Skyrail comments on social media and forums as whinging and talking rubbish, largely by people who have no idea what they are talking about and are mostly just rabble rousing.
Mike M
Posts: 839
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:35 pm
Location: Frankston Line

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by Mike M »

The old cliché that you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs certainly applies to the level crossing removal projects. I still believe that where practical rail under road is the better option & an outstanding result was achieved with the Ormond, Mackinnon & Bentleigh removals on my line.

I can understand why the government opted for rail over road on the Dandenong line as it enabled the crossings to be removed more quickly & (probably) at a cheaper cost. I'm sure at the end of the day they also weighed up the political implications of this course of action before proceeding. The seats in question are safe labor unlike the southern end of the Frankston line where a different approach has been adopted.

I do agree with you that a massive amount of rubbish has been spouted about these projects, both for & against them, but then that is the nature of modern day political discussion.
User avatar
system improver
Posts: 2893
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:38 am
Favourite Vehicle: 1949 MBA Seddon
Location: Melbourne

Re: Secret Proposal Leaked To Construct Elevated Rail Line!!

Post by system improver »

Mike M wrote:...I can understand why the government opted for rail over road on the Dandenong line as it enabled the crossings to be removed more quickly & (probably) at a cheaper cost...I do agree with you that a massive amount of rubbish has been spouted about these projects, both for & against them, but then that is the nature of modern day political discussion.
The two major considerations were the ability to keep the line running for 90% of the construction time and the fact that the Longford Gas Pipe (which is underground along side part of the current track) would have needed to have been moved, although where to I have no idea (skypipe?). Unlike on the Frankston line, there is little room on the corridor between Caulfield and Hughesdale to slew the tracks to enable the trench to be dug while keeping the trains running (for most of the time). Compulsory acquisition of a number of properties would have been needed.

The opposition has been organised by the Liberal Party (easy to see with the authorisations on the printed material). Media friends have fanned the flames. I was amused that Neil Mitchell (an opponent of Skyrail) spent a number of days blaming the Andrews governments for graffiti on the walls of the Bentleigh trench. Apparently, graffiti, like crime, only started on the 29th November 2014. The Liberals and Mitchell run the line "Nobody voted for Skyrail" even though Andrews' promise was to remove 20 level crossings. Apparently, under a new paradigm, detailed engineering drawings need to be released before the election by an Opposition Party. I note that no such detailed engineering drawings were released by the Liberals for East West Link before the 2010 election but that probably has more to do with the fact that they promised NOT to build it. They signed contracts (together with secret side letters guaranteeing payment even if the contract were declared unlawful) just before the 2014 election.

This silly opposition to the level crossing removals has meant that there has been no real exposition of the fact that only two tracks are being put in place between Caulfield and Westall, a missed opportunity that, despite assurances that more can be added later, will never be rectified. The installation of island platforms have guaranteed that. You only get to spend the proceeds of the sale of the Port of Melbourne once. There was, and is, room for three tracks - just look at the gap between the tracks from Caulfield to Hughesdale. These tracks have been built close to the fence line on either side. There is no issue for those residences on the northern side of the track. Those on the southern side however can already see the significant shading issues that they will experience between the winter equinoxes. They were given the option of selling at market rates. The irony is that the value of properties will likely rise around the whole area as regeneration takes place (especially Murrumbeena and Hughesdale) and if the linear park is as promised, that could be significant.
Post Reply

Return to “Discussion - Melbourne / VIC”