News for July 2008
Transit News File

NATIONAL

The 2008-2009 Budget was handed down on 13 May; major transport features include: $20 billion to the Government’s Building Australia Fund, which will be used to finance major infrastructure projects in the future; $12 million to assess the feasibility of Sir Rod Eddington’s transport plan for Melbourne; South Australia will receive $3 million for a transport sustainability study for Adelaide; $3 million will be spent to develop a strategic framework for transport networks servicing Perth Airport; $0.8 million for a comprehensive study into the transport needs of the Lower Hunter Region, in conjunction with New South Wales; $1 million for a study of the transport needs of the Central West of NSW; and $25 million for a study into an Express Metro from the Sydney CBD to Parramatta.

NEW SOUTH WALES

ERG has lodged a counterclaim against the NSW Government over Tcard, claiming that the Government was at fault over the failed card. ERG will rely on notes of meetings with government representatives, including a 2003 meeting with the then transport minister, Michael Costa, to support its claim that "the NSW Government knew that fare reform was required to minimise the risk, complexity and difficulty involved in carrying out the project".

Sydney

Sydney Buses

Because of a need to reduce bus travel times, the eastbound lanes in Druitt Street were modified to allow a return of services to that street. To improve safety, new fences have been erected along the median strip and on the northern side to prevent illegal crossing. A pedestrian crossing has been reinstalled across Druitt Street at Clarence Street, and new line markings and signage placed along the street.

Traffic arrangements for World Youth Day this month include some temporary additional lanes for buses, taxis, bikes and "authorised vehicles", which the State Government would like to make permanent, over CCS objections. The lanes include: A new northbound lane on George Street between Campbell and Liverpool streets, which will be one lane out from the kerb, so parking spots will be retained; northbound and southbound lanes on Elizabeth Street, between Foveaux and Liverpool Streets; northbound and southbound lanes on Elizabeth Street, between Market and Bridge Streets; two 24 hour lanes on Park Street, with the eastbound lane running between George and Elizabeth Streets and the westbound lane running between College and George Streets. The bike lanes on Park Street will be removed to make way for the bus lanes, these were built as a condition of consent for the construction of the Cross City Tunnel. Bus-only hours will be extended on some existing bus lanes on George, Elizabeth and Chalmers Streets.

Sydney Ferries

Former NSW Transport Minister Brian Langton has been appointed Chair of Sydney Ferries Corporation.

Sydney Trains

Media reports indicated that station construction work for both the Homebush and Lidcombe turnbacks were complete by late April but that associated track and overhead work would not be complete for some considerable time.

In an attempt to reduce ticket purchase queues on Monday and Tuesday mornings a new fortnightly ticket, charged at a rate equivalent to 8 daily tickets, has been introduced at certain stations from 21 May. The tickets are being sold at all CBD stations and at other major stations.

Express Metro: The Planning Institute of Australia has said that years of careful planning to link Sydney's housing, transport and employment hubs has been jettisoned by the decision to abandon a heavy rail line to Rouse Hill and replace it with an express metro. They said that the announcement of the metro has scuttled the integrated transport and housing policies that underpinned the State Government's all-encompassing Metropolitan Strategy. Thousands of future north-west residents were expected to travel by rail from their new homes to jobs specifically created in the "global arc" between Macquarie Park and North Sydney. But the metro will force these commuters to interchange at Epping to a line that now will not have room for them. More than 10,000 people an hour could be stuck at Epping during the morning peak, competing for just 4000 spaces on the Epping to Chatswood CityRail line. The sudden shift of priorities has thrown into doubt the very principles by which hundreds of planning decisions have been made. For instance, no provision has been made for high-density development at key stops on the metro at Rozelle, Drummoyne and Gladesville. In a policy paper, the institute says it supports the North-West Metro line as far west as Epping, but that extending it to Rouse Hill contravenes the world's best transport and land use principles. The metro and "its connectivity with Victoria Road overturns years of careful planning by the State Government to integrate land use and transport planning for Sydney's global city corridor from Epping to the airport".

ECRL testing: RailCorp has entered the operational readiness phase to confirm that systems, procedures and processes are fully tested and proven to enable the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the ECRL. Emergency services familiarisation has begun and is just one step in preparing the line. Over the coming months RailCorp will be testing the performance of trains and systems such as power supply, CCTV, communication and ventilation in the tunnel. Other tests will include management of incidents, such as breakdowns in the tunnel, as well as underground evacuation procedures. A six car R set was the first test train on the ECRL on 8 May.

QUEENSLAND

The bill for the South East Queensland Transport Authority was introduced in the Queensland Parliament in late April. The authority will officially be known as TransLink but in advertising and publications will appear as TRANSLink. TransLink will be a statutory body with seven board members, including the chief executive officer of Queensland Transport and a non-elected representative from at least one local government that substantially funds passenger transport services. Other board members will represent consumer and employee interests, transport co-ordination and planning, law, accounting, economics, social policy, customer relations, and commercial and marketing development.

Brisbane

Brisbane Buses

On 20 April at Upper Mt Gravatt Depot there was a gas explosion during refuelling operations on a CNG bus that injured two BCC employees and damaged the bus. A high-pressure cylinder on the bus roof burst during the refuelling operation. BCC withdrew 30 buses from service and closed the refuelling facilities at the depot whilst investigations were carried out. Mt Gravatt vehicles were refuelled at Toowong and Virginia. By the following week a program of gas tank checking was underway for all gas buses.

The opening of the Inner-Northern Busway on 19 May resulted in changes to about 120 routes. Service changes included the reopening of Queen Street bus station's platform B and the establishment of a new busway-only service Route 66, which operates exclusively on the South-East Busway and Inner-Northern Busway between Wolloongabba and QUT Kelvin Grove. Route 66 runs every 10 minutes in the peaks and every 15 minutes off peak. About 30 services are using the Inner-Northern Busway, with about 50,000 passenger movements at the new King George Square and Roma Street Busway stations each weekday. The list of changes totals 15 pages, far too large to repeat here, any TA reader requiring a copy should email the editor.

BCC is investigating purchasing some 14.5 m rigid buses. Currently BT is receiving an order for 20 diesel buses. They are M.A.N. 18.310 vehicles with Volgren CR228L bodies assembled at the BT Toowong Workshops. Numbered 1001 to 1020, the first of the order entered service on 6 May from Larapinta depot. The 44-seat low-floor vehicles are equipped with Carrier air-conditioning. They are the first diesel buses to join the fleet since 2003/04 when 40 Mercedes Benz 0500LE/Volgren buses were leased for five years. Meanwhile, deliveries of gas-powered buses continue with 198 of an order for 245 M.A.N. 18.310/Volgren/BT Workshops vehicles delivered by early May. They are allocated to Toowong and Garden City depots. Deliveries of the 30 articulated M.A.N. NG313/Custom Coach articulated buses continues with 24 out of the 30 on order delivered to Garden City depot by early May. At that time the Brisbane Transport fleet totalled 921 buses.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The media inspected the new Oaklands Interchange on 30 April, when a June opening date was announced. The project includes: a new railway station with adjacent bus interchange areas on Morphett Road; automated pedestrian crossings of the railway; realigned track with concrete sleepers; a pedestrian-activated crossing across Morphett Road; an additional 110 car parking spaces for a total of about 270; shelter coverage of 100m per platform; a ticket-sales kiosk; water-efficient landscaping that captures and reuses storm water to water trees and plants and facilities that are compliant with Commonwealth disability requirements, accessible for mobility impaired and families with prams.

Adelaide Trams

The Property Council of Australia is saying that the City West tram extension has spurred property development in the area. The Property Council called for further tramway extensions, in particular to Port Adelaide.

TASMANIA

Hobart

In another example of the expansion of services to the commuter region around Hobart Tassielink introduced a significant increase in the level of service from Hobart to the historic village of Richmond on 14 April 2008. The improvement of services to the Coal Valley coincided with the introduction of a bus service to the new office, bulky goods shopping and industry centre at Cambridge Park. Two extra trips in each direction have been added to the Richmond route while six trips each weekday operate from Hobart to Cambridge Park and seven trips depart Cambridge Park to Hobart. The Cambridge Park bus stop is located outside the new engineering headquarters of Hydro Tasmania. One bus only was previously required to operate the entire service to Richmond, Campania and Colebrook. Now three buses are needed to provide the full service.

VICTORIA

It was announced on 28 April that a new Department of Transport was to be created from the Department of Infrastructure. The Minister for Public Transport is the lead Minister of the new Department of Transport. The new department is also focussing on the integration of public transport and roads, including the response to the Eddington Report, for which the
Minister for Roads is the lead Minister. Major Projects Victoria has moved to DIIRD. Mr Jim Betts, the former Director of Public Transport, has been appointed Secretary of the new Department of Transport. Mr Warren Hodgson, the Secretary of DIIRD has retired. Mr Howard Ronaldson, formerly Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure is the new Secretary of DIIRD.  The Coordinator-General Infrastructure, Ms Meredith Sussex, has been appointed as the Executive Director, Integrated Transport Planning, within the Department of Transport. This position will have the task of delivering the Victorian Government’s response to the Eddington Report.

Victorian Budget 2008-09 – Some items of interest include: $3 million to upgrade Prahran and Windsor stations; $10.4 million for design works for the extension of the Epping line to South Morang; $92.6 million for a third track and extra platform for trains at Laverton; $153 million for a third track, additional platform and train stabling at Westall; $30.2 million for an extra track at Craigieburn; $32 million for around 1700 new car parking spaces at 10 stations and the upgrade of Noble Park station to Premium Status. Maintenance on regional lines will also benefit from $254.5 million, including $7.4 million for Bendigo Corridor Safety Improvements, and $19.7 million which has been allocated for metropolitan train and tram works and planning for future transport links.

Melbourne

Melbourne Trains

The 18 new Xtrapolis trains will have a reduction of 12 seats per carriage to allow for extra standees. This will reduce the train to two and two seating across, as against the current Xtrapolis trains that currently have two and three across seating. This will reduce the seating from 528 seats to 456 resulting in an overall reduction of 72 seats per six car train. It has been announced that current Xtrapolis trains will also have a reduction in the seating to better accommodate bicycles and wheelchairs. Design work is currently being done on one Comeng six car set for a reduction in seats as well.

Melbourne Trams

Training on the Mulhouse tram numbered 5101 commenced on 12 May.

On the weekend of 17 and 18 May work began on the changes to track in St Kilda Road to assist with improving tram movements.

Regional

The first three car Vlocity set started trial running from 18 April between Pakenham and Dandenong.

V/Line patronage in March reached 950,000, about the same level as 1947.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Perth

Perth Buses

The Department of Corrective Services’ Repay WA graffiti scheme supplies a team of supervised graffiti offenders each week to Southern Coast Transit. The offenders, who are on community-based orders, remove graffiti, repair upholstery and perform other detailing work on buses at Southern Coast Transit’s O’Connor depot.

NEW ZEALAND

National

It was announced on5 May that the NZ Government had purchased the Toll Rail train operator in a renationalisation of the system. The government had already purchased the infrastructure in 2004. Authorities in both Auckland and Wellington approved the purchase on the grounds that it removed one “player” from the number of organisations involved in metropolitan train operations.

Auckland

Auckland Ferries

From May ARTA has been working on several construction projects at the Downtown Ferry Terminal to provide ferry users with improved facilities.

Wellington

Wellington Buses

From June Snapper Smartcard was introduced on Wellington buses. Passengers get a 20% discount on fares if they use the card instead of cash to pay fares. Snapper is also available for use in local shops. The reloadable cards store up to NZD 300 on an embedded microchip and are also available in the form of a stick that can be plugged into a computer and topped up by credit card. The cards cost NZD 15 and there is a small charge to top them up in shops.

Wellington Trains

GWRC recently conducted a passenger count at Matarawa. One of their transport section employees carried out the survey by being in attendance at Matarawa 15 minutes before every train was due until after it had departed for a period of about 10 days. She later said that she was shocked to observe that during that period of 10 days, not one motor vehicle actually stopped at the STOP sign at the adjacent Moffats Road level crossing. About half of the vehicles slowed down and she could see the drivers looking up and down the track, but none of them actually stopped as required by law. The rest of the vehicles drove straight through the STOP sign without slowing down or even looking to see if a train was approaching.

GWRC announced on 30 April that it will be exercising the contract option for an additional 20 EMU cars to the 70 already on order. The first of the new trains, which are being manufactured in Korea, are expected to arrive in New Zealand in 2010.

GWRC has purchased six second hand British Rail carriages which will be completely refurbished and introduced by the end of the year as a six car express service. The new train will be electrically hauled with the refurbished Otira Tunnel electric locomotives. The refurbishment is underway at the Hillside workshop in Dunedin. Later the carriages may be used to add extra capacity to the Wairarapa Line.

SOUTH EAST ASIA

Indonesia

Jakarta

In May Transjakarta introduced articulated buses on Corridor 5 connecting Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta and Ancol in North Jakarta. PT Jakarta Mega Trans (JMT), a contracted operator, will introduce 17 of 30 vehicles ordered for Corridor 5.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

KTMB has ordered five sets of commuter trains expected to be delivered within two years. There are service delivery problems with 15 of the 50 sets out of service because of maintenance problems, there are problems locating some spares, and existing sets are being used as a source of spare parts. It seems that the Rawang to Ipoh double track project, which took 13 years to build and was commissioned in November 2007, has no trains available and there are not likely to be any before 2010. Meanwhile the Transport Ministry awarded the Ipoh to Padang Besar double track project to MMC Corp and Gamuda in June 2007. The shortage of trains has led to the steady deterioration of the KTM Komuter service in the Klang Valley, with a drop of 8% in passenger numbers in the last financial year.

INDUSTRY

Unisys has been chosen to develop and implement an enterprise content management (ECM) platform for RailCorp as part of an upgrade to its ICT systems. According to RailCorp, the ECM platform will provide all employees with a single Web portal to access all of the organisation's electronic content.

New Zealand bus body builder Designline is moving from Ashburton to Rolleston near Christchurch so it can expand to meet domestic and international demand and be close to the port at Lyttleton.

Sydney based Transport Design International (TDI) has won three contracts to design suburban trains in Australia, New Zealand and Turkey. TDI has been retained by Downer EDI, for the interior design and exterior styling of the PPP trains for Sydney. Also TDI has been retained by South Korean company Rotem, the largest single deck train manufacturer in the world, on Istanbul's Marmaray Project which will upgrade the commuter rail system in Istanbul including a new connection from Gebze (on the Asian side) with Halkali (on the European side). Rotem has also engaged TDI to design the new Wellington New Zealand Electric Multiple Unit trains.

Custom Coaches announced on 13 February that Busways had taken delivery of the 7,500 th bus it had constructed.

Hafilat Industries, a Volgren licensee, has won a contract to body Mercedes Benz Euro4 chassis from Spain and export them to Melbourne.