U.S. shippers’ increasing difficulties in finding long-haul trucks to move their loads is making intermodal rail, including the transport of refrigerated goods, more a “capacity play” than about saving money. This holds particularly true for shippers, such as Harry & David, which are challenged geographically. The seller of fresh fruit, flowers and gift baskets has little trouble finding truck capacity to serve its Columbus, Ohio, facility, but getting over-the-road trucking services out of its Bedford, Oregon, distribution center is another matter, said Jeff Brady, director of transportation and logistics, at JOC Group’s Inc.’s 4th annual Inland Distribution Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
A suborbital passenger spaceship being developed by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic company crashed during a test flight on Friday at the Mojave Air and spaceport in California, killing one crew member and seriously injuring the other, officials said.
For the first time in history, a private train carrying European, Australian and American passengers entered Iranian territory through the Razi border station between Turkey and Iran’s West-Azerbaijan province on October 23.
BOTH the government and Labor have promised to spend millions on new train carriages for country Victoria — but south-west travellers won’t see any difference
VICTORIANS are increasingly forced to travel in graffiti-laden trains, as brazen vandals treat Melbourne’s public transport system as a canvas. Vandalism on the Metro network has risen in the last year, with unsightly tagging scrawled on carriage walls and floors, and hoodlum insignia carved into windows. Now the Public Transport Users Association is calling on Metro to clean up its act, despite commuter satisfaction being at record highs. Reports of graffiti on the inside and outside of trains have risen to 462 cases in 2013-14 — up 50 from the previous year. In just one week a frustrated commuter took pictures of every dirty carriage he rode on, with many coated in fresh tagging and stained with juvenile graffiti residue.
[color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]A 26-year-old Greenbank man is fighting for his life in hospital after suffering an electric shock at a railway yard in Brisbane’s southwest.[/b][/size][/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Police believe two men broke onto the train tracks near Lofter Street at Tennyson about 8.30pm in an attempt to graffiti train carriages.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]One man came into contact with an overhead power supply after raising his arms while trying to scale a carriage, police said.[/font][/size][/color]
There were 71 sightings for this week; this is four sightings less than last week, making a total of 4436 sightings for this year to date.
One acronym at a time – CAPS, SCAPS, NOW or STORC – they are the people trying to change the face, or resist changes to the face, of Sydney. When the Baird government attempts re-election in March, it will point to an array of road and rail projects initiated in the past three years. The projects have their fans. But every time the government wants to replace a bridge, dig a road tunnel or lay a rail track through the city, it risks raising the ire of residents convinced the ministers and their bureaucrats have things all wrong. The residents have sometimes had a point.
[size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]The Mansfield Shire Council and Tourism North-East are pushing for V/Line to be more accommodating when it comes to the transport of bikes on its trains.[/b][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The shire would like V/Line to schedule services that guarantee bicycles would be carried on both its trains and coaches when travelling to the region.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The shire's tourism and economic officer, Judy Dixon, said the Victorian fares and ticketing manual was unclear on taking bikes on regional train services, with the decision left to the discretion of the conductor.[/font][/size]
BALLARAT train services performed marginally better last month, but more than 70 trains were delayed or cancelled. Monthly V/Line performance figures showed punctuality rose by .04 per cent to 89.4 per cent while reliability rose from a 12-month low to 97.3 per cent in February. Ararat and Maryborough services reached higher than 98 per cent in both indicators for the same period.
Rail lines running north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai have become so decrepit that derailments occur regularly. But plans to upgrade are also sidetracked with high frequency. So Asian transportation experts, and railway buffs everywhere, were surprised by the Thai military government’s sudden approval in July of a $23 billion plan to upgrade and expand rail lines and other infrastructure. Included were two lines that could revolutionize the region’s freight service, linking ports around Bangkok and in Singapore with China and onward to Europe.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]A MELBOURNE-bound train has been flagged down by motorists to stop it from crashing into a wrecked car left abandoned on the tracks.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The V/Line train was stopped between Lara and Little River stations after the 4WD was found on the tracks with the engine still running and its owner nowhere to be found.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The train was flagged down by a 3AW caller named Craig, who came across the wrecked car while driving home from work.[/font][/size][/color]
Transport experts have raised serious concerns over track maintenance on Melbourne's Metro rail network. In an exclusive investigation by 9NEWS, they claim faults on the ageing infrastructure could lead to derailments if more testing is not carried out. On the Belgrave line, near Heathmont station, yellow markings show several faults in the track. Cracks are graded from minor to large, the worst of which must be replaced with 72 hours.
[size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]The seats around Ballarat were decisive in delivering government to Labor in 1999 and both parties are well aware the region could be crucial to deciding the outcome of this month's Victorian election.[/b][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Voters say jobs, education and transport are the big issues in 2014.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The redistribution of electoral boundaries has made three seats in the Ballarat area even more interesting, with Buninyong, Wendouree and Ripon all held by a margin of less than 2 per cent.[/font][/size]
Puffing Billy keeps Australian steam train history alive
Gippsland commuters will be locked into 20 years of sub-par rail services if a "secretive" $2 billion rail announcement by the State Government earlier this year goes ahead. That is the warning from Greens candidate for Morwell Dan Caffrey, who believes the project will only exacerbate delays for Latrobe Valley train users, on a line already plagued by punctuality issues. "Most train users don't even know about this plan, but once you start looking at what they are proposing to do, it's not hard to see it's a pretty bad decision for Gippslanders," Mr Caffrey.
[b]SURROUNDED by heavy-duty machinery as the sound of rock-breaking excavators pummelled my eardrums, I could have been on a mining site.[/b] But I was in the heart of Epping to get the first glimpse of a road header machine which today began digging a 300m tunnel that will link the $8.3 billion North West Rail Link with Epping Train Station. She has been graced with a feminine name, Sharlea, but the hulking, remote-controlled road-header is the ultimate boy’s toy.
IT is obvious that the people interviewed and reported in “The Hot Topic”, (The Border Mail, October 24) do not understand that the Border Rail Action Group is working to achieve a long-term, reliable rail service for the Albury-Wodonga and regional community.
The Shine the Light on Country Rail was an enormous success with groups being represented from Rail Revival Alliance, Leongatha, North [url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/NorthWest-Rail-Alliance/395815503815550]NorthWest Rail Alliance[/url](Mildura), Melbourne - Stopping the East West Link and the Southern Grampians Shire Council and Greens Candidates. The groups thoroughly endorsed the day and in each speech given there was a unifying theme of negligence, indifference, intransigence and blind arrogance and stupidity of the Liberals, National and Labor parties to the transport needs of country people. Buses don't do effectively what a train can do for a region, a community and a town!!
Like most Canberrans I've been proud of the international recognition our city has been getting lately. We're the most liveable city according to the OECD, [i]The New York Times[/i] recently celebrated our "big-sky beauty, breezy civic pride and a decidedly hipster underbelly" and last year we entered the QS rankings of Best Student Cities in the world for the first time. Every Canberran plays a role in this and benefits from living in our great city. Government can play its part, too. Often politicians are criticised for failing to take a long-term vision, but we have a long-term plan for a booming, lively, liveable city long into the future. Last week, we called for expressions of interest to build and operate the first stage of our light rail network from Gungahlin, one of Australia's fastest growing suburbs, to the City. This is one part of a long-term vision for a thriving Canberra.
JUST three weeks after it opened, each of the 100 car parks at Epsom Railway Station were empty halfway through a Monday morning. Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan stood in the middle of the bitumen expanse to highlight a perceived lack of interest in the rail service. One train leaves Epsom at 8.25am for Bendigo, and another arrives at 5.29pm.
IT’S more than seven years since Wodonga teenager Matthew Stubbs died in the Kerang rail disaster, but his family say they often feel like the tragedy occurred only yesterday. Ahead of what would have been Matthew’s 21st birthday on Monday, his mother Dot Stubbs and one of his sisters, Rebecca Barry, have revealed a wish for him to be honoured in Wodonga with a permanent memorial. Ms Stubbs said there had been commitments made by the former Victorian Labor government and police for a memorial to be erected at Kerang to the 11 people who died when a truck driven by Wangaratta man Christiaan Scholl collided with a V/Line train on a level crossing outside the town on June 5, 2007.
POLICE were still seeking a truck driver who failed to stop after hitting and bringing down a sign at a Mildura railway crossing on Monday.
There are grand plans, but the rail freight network needs investment and a clear commitment to a single rail gauge now, writes freelance journalist [color=#333333][font=Merriweather, Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][size=2]Max Berry[/size][/font][/color].
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Australia to begin live testing of the next generation of rail freight management systems on the national rail track system. The Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) is expected to transform the way freight rail infrastructure is managed and monitored across the country. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss said Australia's population, export and import industries and economy needed to be supported by a robust, safe and reliable logistics industry. "The ATMS will increase the capacity, safety and reliability of our national freight rail network and safely enable more trains to travel closer together," Mr Truss said.
[size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]A 26-year-old man has died after receiving a massive electric shock while attempting to graffiti train carriages in a Brisbane railway yard.[/b][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Police said two men, aged 26 and 19, entered a rail shunting yard at Tennyson on Brisbane's south side about 8:30pm (AEST) on Saturday night. [/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Officers said the men were attempting to graffiti train carriages and when the 26-year-old climbed onto one of the carriages he raised his hands and sustained a massive electric shock. [/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The man received deep thickness burns to 90 per cent of his body and was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, where he later died.[/font][/size]
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]EVERY time Ray Jordan uses the rail crossing in Reservoir, he worries about getting injured, or worse.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The Reservoir resident, who has been in a wheelchair for 15 years, said it was hard to get across the train line from Edwardes St to Broadway Shopping Centre.[/font][/size][/color]
A fresh look for Transport for London’s staff – but what do they really think of the zip-up gilets and ‘fleecingtons’? Plus a look at some classic uniforms
ON the heels of the Federal Government’s commitment of $300 million for the Inland Rail, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) consultants will visit the Moree region to carry out various investigations within the rail corridor.
[size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]Both Labor and the Liberal Party have put any plans to build a new rail tunnel on the South Coast line on hold in the lead-up to the March 2015 state election.[/b][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Both sides of politics advocated in the past for significantly shortening the commuter times from Wollongong to Sydney by investing in major new rail infrastructure, including a rail tunnel.[/font][/size]
What do you do with a historic railway station where trains no longer stop? Questions have been asked about what will happen to the Dunmore (Shellharbour) railway station when it is replaced by the new $39 million Shellharbour Junction station later this year. According to the Office of Environment and Heritage, the Dunmore (Shellharbour) railway station is of state historical significance for its rare awningless platform building (1887), milk shed (1891) and the central section of Platform 2, which is among the earliest surviving structures on the South Coast line. The residence (1887) is also of historical significance as it is an example "of late 19th century railway operational requirements to accommodate railway station staff on site".
AN online petition is calling on state MPs to back moves to officially preserve Newcastle’s heavy rail corridor regardless of the line’s operational future. The petition has been set up by Stockton resident Jacqueline Haines, who ran as an independent candidate at last month’s Newcastle state byelection, and says that while it does not support the retention or removal of the line, it supports moves by independent Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper to at least preserve the corridor for public open space.
[color=#333333][size=3][font=Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The state government only came to Maitland for public consultation about its plan to cut Newcastle rail line after the decision had been made, according to its submission to a parliamentary committee investigating planning in the Hunter.[/font][/size][/color]
Melbourne Airport has called for the proposed rail link to the airport to be completed before 2026 to cater for the massive growth in airport use - but Victoria's government and opposition are divided over the project's timing. Airport chief Chris Woodruff said the planned 2026 construction date "should be brought forward", as the airport had already done most of the planning for the link. A multibillion-dollar expansion of the airport is transforming the precinct into a major commercial and transport hub. Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the Coalition had fully funded Melbourne Rail Link, which will include a link to Melbourne Airport.
VICTORIAN Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews will push for federal funding for public transport, despite previous knock-backs from the prime minister. LABOR'S Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel plan needs federal money, but Prime Minister Tony Abbott has repeatedly said he will fund roads, not rail. Mr Andrews says if Labor wins government he will put a well-argued case to Mr Abbott for Victorian public transport.
Up to 300 jobs could be lost at the Redbank railway workshops if a new state government contract moves maintenance work out of the area, the Ipswich mayor warns. Ipswich is Queensland's spiritual home of rail because the state's first two train lines ran from Grandchester to Ipswich in 1865, and from Ipswich to Brisbane in 1875. Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said around 400 rail jobs remained at the historic Redbank Railway Workshops which, at their peak, employed thousands of workers.
The Sunshine Coast Council has [url=http://lightrail.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/route-options]released route options[/url] for its proposed light rail system from Maroochydore to Caloundra. The proposal divides the so-called Sunshine Coast "spine" into four sections – Maroochydore, Moolloolaba, Kawana and Caloundra – where there are three or four possible routes for a light rail track. Mayor Mark Jamieson said council now wanted feedback on the proposed routes and connections.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]FOR at least six months, commuters from Epping to Chatswood will have to endure the horror of bumper-to-bumper peak hour traffic, as their train line closes while engineers refit the line for the North West rail Link.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Replacement bus services have just been announced for when the line closes but there is no way they can replicate the 17 minute trip the train delivers from Epping to Chatswood in the morning peak.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The alternatives for commuters will be a train to the city on the Northern Line via Eastwood and Strathfield which takes 36 minutes, or a replacement bus service. Or they can drive.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Reporters Kate Bastians and Matthew Connellan put two of these options from Epping to Chatswood to the test in this morning’s peak. Here’s how they fared.[/font][/size][/color]
A senior transport bureaucrat from Western Australia has been named the head of the National Rail Safety Regulator. Susan McCarry, the deputy director-general of policy, planning and investment at WA’s Department of Transport, will take up the post overseeing urban passenger rail networks and interstate freight operations. Federal Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss says McCarry won an international search due to her experience in the rail industry, government policy and regulatory reform.
TOMORROW will mark 100 years since the iron horse first arrived in Kentish. The railway came to Kentish 45 years after surveyor Nathaniel Kentish walked through the fertile district and proclaimed it as a potential site for agriculture.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]THERE will be 110 additional parking spaces at Ferntree Gully railway station under a re-elected Coalition Government.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Ferntree Gully Liberal MP Nick Wakeling today made the $1.1 million commitment to expand the existing carpark on the station’s western side.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The commitment will bring the number of sealed and lit car spaces at the station to almost 400.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]“Better carparking at Ferntree Gully will allow more people in the area to take advantage of public transport,” Mr Wakeling said.[/font][/size][/color]
MINERS insist coal trains from southern Queensland mines are safe and do not spread harmful coal dust. Industry-funded body the Queensland Resources Council responded to a submission made by an anti-coal dust group to Brisbane City Council yesterday, calling for the city to be a "coal dust free zone". QRC chief executive Michael Roche said coal trains were already sprayed with a polymer veneer to keep dust down and the train lines were also monitored. "In early 2013, the QRC commissioned air quality scientists at the Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts to undertake an independent monitoring program along the South-West-Metropolitan rail corridor to assess the levels of coal dust along the corridor," he said.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]ASK any city planners, local councils and transport bodies what their wishlist is to help make transport in Western Sydney the best that it can be — and you invariably get a multitude of answers.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The region boasts the third biggest economy in the nation, but there are those who argue its transport links, in the past, have been poorly planned with no thought for the future.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]With 200,000 people travelling out of Western Sydney for work, transport is the key to its economic prosperity.[/font][/size][/color]
Fishermans Bend rail re-routing runs into tower projects
ASSISTANT Transport Minister Jim Chown has called for calm over reports of an alleged "secret" profit-sharing deal between Brookfield Rail and the WA Government, on the WA grain rail network. The arrangement was revealed when the grain rail network's lease and other details were publicly released last month during tabling of the WA parliament's Economic and Industry Standing Committee report into the rail network's management. Under the deal, the WA government can take 15 per cent return from potential profits extracted from Brookfield's operation of Tier 1 and Tier 2 lines, in the 5000 kilometre network, out to 2025.
NEITHER the government nor Labor look likely to back Lake Macquarie independent MP Greg Piper’s bill to protect the Newcastle rail corridor from development after the heavy rail line is truncated. But Premier Mike Baird says the government will consider measures to ensure the community is ‘‘comfortable’’ with its Newcastle city centre revitalisation project. Mr Piper has introduced the bill and is expected to bring it on in Parliament on Thursday.
Workers narrowly escaped injury when runaway railway transporters ran free for six miles along a south Wales line. The "Iron Man" transporter broke free between Pantyffynnon Junction and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Neath Port Talbot, on Sunday. Two workers applied the brakes but the trailers failed to stop and they were forced to jump out of its way. Union RMT is demanding action to "avoid a repeat" of the [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-21470368]2004 Tebay tragedy when four workers died.[/url]
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]METRO Trains has admitted a staff survey about attitudes towards female employees is “archaic and chauvinistic”.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The survey asks respondents to rank how they feel about statements that include: “women are less capable of learning maths and mechanical skills than are men”, “it is ridiculous for a woman to drive a train and for a man to sew” and “women should be concerned with their duties of raising children and cleaning the house rather than working”.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The 45 question survey was sent out to all its 4474 employees and Metro said it was designed to address a “significant gender imbalance” and to ensure the workplace was appealing and comfortable for females.[/font][/size][/color]
It's not every day a new heavy rail line opens in Sydney. But it will happen in a couple of months in the city's south-west, Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday as, flanked by local politicians, rail officials and the media, the Transport Minister took an early test ride on the South West Rail Link. "Services will commence early in the new year," Ms Berejiklian said of the 11-kilometre train line built between Leppington and Glenfield.
[color=#3f3f3f][size=2][font=georgia]CHENNAI: In two years, Chennai port will be exporting trains to Australia. The Alstom manufacturing facility at Sri City, near Tada on Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border, will be constructing 22 trains consisting six coaches each for the upcoming metro train project in Sydney. Chennai port will ship out the trains by end of 2016. [/font][/size][/color]
A parliamentary inquiry examining planning decisions in Newcastle, including the cutting of the rail line, will begin hearings in the city tomorrow. The Upper House committee arrives in the city tomorrow. The [url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/committee.nsf/0/7d8837295f610b1aca257d5d0016389f/$FILE/Public hearing schedule - Friday 7 November 2014.pdf]inquiry's hearing schedule[/url] beings with the chairman and general manager of the Hunter Development Corporation, Paul Broad and Bob Hawes. They will be followed by senior council planning staff from Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
STATE development authority UrbanGrowth is urging the government to permit development on at least part of the Newcastle rail corridor that will be left vacant after the heavy rail is truncated, sources say. With the heavy rail between Newcastle and Wickham set to be permanently closed on December 26, the powerful authority that was put in charge of the project – and is a partner in the Newcastle East End mixed redevelopment – is said to be eyeing up nearby land in the corridor in the vicinity of the current Newcastle railway station building.
AT A recent meeting of Western Victorian councils, mayors and chief executive officers, it was agreed that passenger rail transport to the western areas of the state was vital for economic development, and the maintenance and expansion of rural communities. "The rail tracks are there, it is now a matter of using the existing infrastructure to provide this vital service to our communities," Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Cr Albert Calvano said.
VICTORIA’S troubled $1.5 billion myki ticketing system has been hit by new strife: a $1 million online scam involving a criminal gang. It is understood that credit card details stolen over the internet from people overseas have been used by the Victorian criminals to load up myki cards with those unsuspecting account holders’ money. The criminals then sell the fraudulently obtained mykis on the black market for a sum less than the amount stored on the card.
EXPANDING the Wellington Rd M1 flyover to three lanes is one of the proposals the community is putting forward to deal with traffic snarls in Knox. Advocacy group PRO Knox wants Wellington Rd expanded from two lanes to three to slash travel times on the No. 900 Smart Bus service, which is caught in traffic jams during peak hour. The group is also lobbying the government to add three extra buses to the early morning services to meet the last trains at Huntingdale Railway Station. It comes after the State Government refused to make any commitments to the Rowville Rail Line at next month’s election. PRO Knox’s Mick Van de Vreede said both sides of politics were neglecting Knox’s public transport needs because Rowville was a safe Liberal seat.
The Rail Motor Society in Paterson will celebrate its 30th anniversary with an open day at its depot on Saturday.
Credit card technology could be used by commuters as an alternative to myki on the public transport system, the Transport Minister says. Part of the Coalition's review of the maligned myki ticketing system has included looking at payWave technology – where customers simply scan their credit or debit card without having to enter a pin – as an alternative to swiping myki tickets, Transport Minister Terry Mulder said.
[size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]The chief executive of passenger railway operator Sydney Trains, Howard Collins says the Federal Government should spend more to expand freight rail.[/b][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]His comments come as commuters face increased delays on the network and the Abbott government emphasises road transport over rail.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"We should be pushing for more Federal Government funding, because freight trains take thousands of trucks off the road," Mr Collins told 702 ABC Sydney.[/font][/size]
WESTERN Victorian councils have urged the State Government to help pay for a feasibility study into passenger rail lines in the region. Ten western Victorian councils, including all Wimmera councils, have agreed to put up a combined $40,000 towards the study. Horsham Rural City Council chief executive Peter Brown told candidates for the seat of Lowan at a breakfast in Horsham on Thursday that passenger rail was a major issue for the municipality. Mr Brown said passenger rail would bring many benefits to the entire Wimmera.
In Chris Corr’s letter ( Bendigo Advertiser Wednesday, 29 October) he identifies the palpable deficiencies in the current rail operations between Bendigo and Melbourne and offers very positive ideas to remedy the situation. Chris omits the need to construct passing loops between Sunbury and Sunshine, which disappeared from the Regional Rail Link design under the expediency of the Napthine Government and has resulted in considerably disadvantage to country commuters on the Bendigo line.
The Liberal candidate for Bendigo East, Greg Bickley stated in the story ‘Don’t ignore roads’(Bendigo Weekly Friday, 31 October) that ‘ Freight Hubs have been spoken about for many years and they are a waste of time and money.’ This comment reveals how out of touch Greg Bickley is with transport trends and innovation. In New South Wales they are rolling out Freight Hubs to reduce the amount of trucks on the roads and put more freight on rail. Greg Bickley fails to justify and provide a substantial reason why freight should be carried by trucks on the road. The Freight Rail Alliance made up of 23 councils are advocating and lobbying to have Freight Rail Hubs constructed to specifically move freight from road transport to freight rail.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]A SHOCKING video has emerged of a student being flung onto train tracks during an after school fight at a Sydney railway station.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Footage captured on a mobile phone shows the 15-year-old boy being hurled from the platform at Marrickville station by another youth during a four-minute fracas involving a group of teens.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The boy, wearing a school backpack, lands on his back on the sleepers and rocky ballast between the rails.[/font][/size][/color]
[justify]Aspire Mining ([/justify][justify][url=http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/overview/1629/aspire-mining-limited-1629.html]ASX:AKM[/url][/justify][justify]) has signed an engineering, procurement and construction framework agreement with a China Railways Construction Corporation subsidiary for the Erdenet – Ovoot section of the Northern Rail Line in Mongolia.[/justify] [justify]Given CRCC is a Fortune 500 company this is a strong endorsement and vindication of the project.[/justify] [justify]The rail line is a key requirement to unlock the value of the Ovoot Coking Coal Project and future earnings from mining and production from the project for Aspire.[/justify] [justify]The agreement provides the basis for Aspire’s wholly-owned subsidiary Northern Railways LLC and CR20G to negotiate for the award of a fixed price, lump sum turnkey EPC Contract.[/justify]
WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Ottawa plans to lift requirements that railways move minimum volumes of crops, says agriculture minister Gerry Ritz. Ritz said he is not ruling out any options before the rules expire Nov. 29, but government data shows that grain has flowed more smoothly since the current harvest began compared to a year ago. The government would need to see “a complete failure by the railways to move grain” to extend the minimums, Ritz said, citing potential signs such as grain piling up in elevators and boats waiting to load at ports.
Gungahlin business owners have warmly welcomed the ACT government's ambitious light rail system, which for some will stop right on their doorstep. Cafe and shop owners around Gungahlin's central business district have said they would welcome the new public transport system, although some would still prefer more public servants in the area. The 12-kilometre light rail line will run from Canberra city up to Gungahlin, where it will terminate at the intersection of Hibberson Street and Gungahlin Place.
Premier Denis Napthine is reportedly set to announce today a $3.9 billion investment in the state's public transport network, which he claims will create 3500 new jobs. Dr Napthine is expected to announce at the Liberal Party's campaign launch today a plan to buy more than 170 new trains and rail cars, according to News Corp. He said the policy would mean more than one new train every month for ten years, starting from July 2015.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Times New Roman]Gheringhap Sightings w/e 8/11/2014.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Times New Roman]There were 74 sightings for this week; this is three sightings more than last week, making a total of 4510 sightings for this year to date.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Times New Roman] [/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Times New Roman]We saw six sightings on the Broad Gauge. This total included two PN Grain trains.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Times New Roman]We saw 68 sightings on the Standard Gauge. This total included three PN Grain trains.[/font][/size][/color]
There were 74 sightings for this week; this is three sightings more than last week, making a total of 4510 sightings for this year to date.
There were 74 sightings for this week; this is three sightings more than last week, making a total of 4510 sightings for this year to date.
Sydney has an airport rail line. So does Brisbane. Perth is building one. Should Melbourne? Jason Dowling peers down the track at what Victoria's major parties are really proposing. Everywhere I go it seems easier to access the city from the airport. But how common really is airport rail around the world? Many of the world's famous cities that Australians love to visit invested in airport rail connections long ago. London's Heathrow, New York's JFK and Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris have airport rail links. There are some exceptions, think mega-car-city Los Angeles and its busy LAX. What about in cities that are similar in geography and population to Melbourne?
Twelve new trains will be built at Ballarat's Alstom plant. PICTURE: Jeremy Bannister. THE political football that is Alstom’s Ballarat-based manufacturing plant was put in the spotlight again on Sunday with the announcement that 12 extra trains would be constructed at the facility. The announcement all but puts to bed chances the plant could shut as early as next year, with both major parties indicating plans to have trains built at the facility. The commitment was one of many made at Sunday’s Liberal Party regional campaign launch held in Ballarat, again showing the city’s importance to major parties in the lead-up to this month’s election.
A train driver has been injured in a freight train derailment in Tasmania's southern midlands. About 5am today the south-bound train came off the tracks just north of Colebrook. The section of track is tight and steep and has been the scene of train derailments in the past. Two locomotives were overturned and eleven wagons were off the track. The fire service had secured one wagon, which was carrying gas.
Be a part of History on board Australia’s first ever LGBTI Train departing Melbourne on the morning of Saturday 15th November. Our private Heritage Train will hit the tracks powering towards the Goulburn Valley 'OUTintheOPEN' Pride festival. Leaving Southern Cross Station at 7.30am (we know its early) we celebrate our achievement of being Australia’s First Exclusive LGBTI Train with a Champagne breakfast as the suburbs of Melbourne flash by. Enjoy the DJ in the Dance club or a quiet chat in Club Lounge 708.
IF the Fred Nile inquiry was designed to embarrass a few bureaucrats and allow a few people to vent their anger at recent planning decisions in Newcastle, it has so far succeeded. If it was about proving that something was rotten in the old steel city, or about finding an evil underworld of rich people corrupting the process, its first public hearing failed miserably. In what became nothing more than a political sideshow, Friday’s first public hearing into planning processes gave us nothing significant which we didn’t already know. It would be hard to find anyone in this city who wasn’t left disappointed, disillusioned and angry by recent revelations made before the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Most, in my opinion, would be left further disillusioned by the political posturing, the grandstanding and complete waste of time and taxpayer money that played out on the second floor of Newcastle’s Novotel hotel on Friday.
IT’S the multi-million dollar economic stimulus project no government department will take responsibility for. The beginnings of a dual gauge rail line was laid from Acacia Ridge to a proposed freight centre at Bromelton south of Brisbane, as part of a $55.8 million scheme announced by the former Rudd Government in 2009. But five years later the dual gauge line is unfinished, with train enthusiasts saying that unused crossings are rusting away.
OUTDATED railways are strangling farmgate profits for east coast growers, and action is needed now to lower supply chain costs. While most people agree increased investment in rail is the best bet, significant improvement appears a long way off yet. Hume MP Angus Taylor co-authored a report for the ANZ Bank called Greener Pastures: The Global Soft Commodity Opportunity in 2012 before entering parliament. Mr Taylor said east coast growers "should aspire to knock about 40 per cent" off the current supply chain cost for grain.
Another burger shack. Surely we've reached saturation point of the burger craze? If the surprise pop-up in Little Collins Street last week by In-N-Out Burger is anything to go by, no. Melbourne isn't done smashing meat sandwiches just yet. This bodes well for Jimmy Hurlston, the man behind cult blog Jimmy's Burgers, who for the past couple of years has eaten more burgers than any other citizen (he's been reviewing two or three burgers daily). In early December, Hurlston will open Easey's with business partner Jeremy Gaschk. Easey's will be a burger shack serving what in Hurlston's expert opinion is the perfect iteration of the dish, to be eaten in the train carriages installed on top of the End to End office space in Collingwood.
HUNDREDS of workers at the Bombardier tram and train factory in Melbourne’s outer southeast have warmly welcomed the Napthine government’s commitment to spend nearly $4 billion on public transport rolling stock. The Premier was applauded by workers at the Dandenong manufacturer yesterday, as he set about selling his undertaking to buy 170 trams and trains over the next decade, announced on Sunday as the centrepiece of the Coalition’s campaign launch in Ballarat. Of the 170, 75 new E-Class trams and 24 new V/Line railcars will be built by Bombardier, with 50 per cent and 70 per cent local content respectively.
THE rail union is taking legal action against Metro over procedures it says could put the public at risk from “ghost trains” without headlights. In 2011, Metro altered its safety requirements to allow defective trains to remain in service for longer if an engineering and risk assessment judged the defects to be minor. The guidelines outline three categories — maintenance, serious, and critical — which determine when trains should be pulled out of service. Under the system, a train without a main headlight working could remain in service for up to 20 hours.
The men – and woman – in orange explained to me that the Network Rail “New Measurement Train” isn’t new. It’s a converted Intercity High Speed Train which has been in operation for more than ten years in this form, and it is used for running new tests for checking the condition of the track.
A new report into the nation's rail network predicts movement of freight via rail will triple by 2050. The Australasian Railway Association report was released at a national rail conference taking place in Perth this week.
A leading infrastructure expert says the Australia is in desperate need of a mainline railway capable of carrying big freight tonnages at lower cost. Despite the critical importance of mineral and commodities exports to the national economy, Australia continues to lag badly behind other OECD countries when it comes to mainline freight rail.
Public Transport Authority boss Reece Waldock has lashed out at CBH in the wake of revelations about the closure of Wheatbelt rail lines known as Tier 3. Mr Waldock's defended the PTA's oversight of the State's rail freight network and its role in striking a profit-sharing deal with Brookfield Rail, which has a 49-year lease over the lines. He rejected criticism of the PTA from a parliamentary committee which exposed secret deals between the Barnett Government and Brookfield, saying they reflected "sound public policy in the interest of the State".
WITHIN just three months, the transformation of the Inglewood Railway Station from dormant, underutilised space to a vibrant business and community hub will be complete. The Inglewood community had the opportunity to tour the area last week to review the development of the railway station and goods shed. The railway station will become a part of Inglewood and Districts Health Service, while the goods shed will have space for up to five businesses.
[color=#000000][font=Arial, Verdana, Lucida, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]This election, trains are a hot topic for the electorate of Mildura. Campaigners have been pushing for both improved freight services and the return of passenger rail to the city.[/b][/font][/color]
[color=#333333][size=3][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]THE Inland Rail, which will pass through the border near Goondiwindi, will take thousands of trucks off the road, slash transit times and promote regional development, a new report into the performance of the nation’s rail networks has highlighted.[/font][/size][/color]
WORK began yesterday to remove and replace the damaged steel cross bracing on the historic rail bridge in Rocket Street. The cross bracing enables the bridge to cope with heavier vehicles such as semi trailers and B-doubles. The Rocket Street bridge is made out of wrought iron and was built in 1888, making it more than 120 years old. There is no historical record of the bridge’s name.
You can hear a train coming a mile away, but for the Feilding Steam Rail Society the news it would be losing the use of the town's railyard came out of the blue. Chairman Rod Bertram said there was no prior warning the society would be losing the space it had used to store its heritage vehicles for 14 years. He said they were only told by the new occupants, BC & AW Transport, that the land had been leased. Bertram was unsure what the society would do long term. BC & AW Transport had the lease for the next 10 years. He said the engines and wagons needed to be stored on train tracks and they could not just be picked up and moved somewhere else.
It's mid-morning at Mordialloc station and Premier Denis Napthine is on the outbound platform, promising yet more money for the Frankston line should his government be re-elected.
THERE’S a reason the Liberal and Labor parties are putting so much effort into portraying Denis Napthine and Daniel Andrews as ordinary, loving, family men. Some voters would find it hard to accept that a normal person would make some of the promises they have made in the state election campaign. Prior to the 2010 election, the Liberals promised to build 40 new trains for Melbourne in their first two terms. In this term, seven have been built, meaning for this pledge to be met 33 have to be delivered in the next four years. A tall order. But at the Coalition’s official campaign launch, the Premier upped the ante. He boosted the numbers and pushed the time frame out, promising to buy one new train a month for the next 10 years. There were also promises of more trams and V/Line cars.
China is keen to help build a Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail link and also to get involved in Chilean and Australian railway and port projects, state media and the government cited Premier Li Keqiang as saying on Monday. The interest, expressed at meetings with the leaders of Malaysia, Chile and Australia on the sidelines of a gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders, comes amid growing efforts by China to export its rail technology and take part in overseas projects.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]A WHISTLEBLOWER who filmed himself handing over a $20,000 bribe has accused authorities of covering up a ring of corrupt officials under investigation for rorting huge sums of public money.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The northern suburbs contractor recorded the handover of bundles of $100 notes to be shared among a cell of crooked senior V/Line officials.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]He gave the money to a middleman — noting the cash withdrawal on his bank statement as “Corruption Money for V/Line”.[/font][/size][/color]
[size=2][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]A 72-year-old truck driver has pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death over a fatal crash involving a metropolitan train in Melbourne's south-east in November 2012.[/b][/font][/size]
V/Line train services between Moe and Traralgon are set to resume on Monday, in line with the scheduled completion of upgrades at the Morwell River crossing. V/Line chief executive Theo Taifalos said with all critical components of the bridge installation project now finished, track work was due to be completed on Saturday, with testing and commissioning to follow on Sunday.
THIS week saw the official opening of yet another widened road, much to the jubilation of those who regularly use Camden Valley Way.
Thailand and China has agreed to cooperate on building a new rail line, which would eventually connect Southern China with Bangkok. This initiative has put the spotlight on Laos, the country this proposed railway would pass through. Laos' rail development is still relatively small, but the project has huge economic potential for the region. Since starting its operations in 2009, Laos’ 3.5-kilometre-long railroad has mostly ferried tourists between Thailand's border town of Nongkhai and Thanaleng station, on the outskirts of Vientiane. Thanaleng station, Laos' first and only railway station, is currently being expanded to accommodate more traffic. The government hopes that by 2015, the station can handle more passengers and cargoes coming over from Thailand.
The multicultural Melbourne suburb of Footscray is looking to the future with a new railway station and a revitalised urban centre.
The Loftus Tram Shed is a public transport graveyard where abandoned trams and buses, the remnants of the city’s urban past, lie covered in bright graffiti no 1950s tram conductor could have imagined.
A Goolwa resident questioned the presence of two trains spotted on Victor Harbor-Adelaide Road in October. A local has questioned the presence of two trains spotted on Victor Harbor-Adelaide Road in October. Goolwa resident Beth Nixon spotted one of the rail cars at Mount Compass last week.
Politicians from the Liberal, National and Labor parties have all contributed to sabotaging the economies of country towns in Victoria, through the closer of rail lines and the stopping passenger rail services to them. By removing the passenger service and closing the line the country town loses its appeal to attract businesses and residents and consequently, the town’s population either stagnates and reduces and businesses close up. You don’t have to be an economist to realise the impact the politically deficited decisions that have been made by complacent political representatives towing the party line at the expense of the electorate they purport to represent have had on country towns.
Eurostar launch the German-built high-speed e320 train at St Pancras station in London before it goes into service at the end of 2015
The Chairman of the Inland Rail Implementation Group says construction on major sections of the new rail infrastructure linking Melbourne to Brisbane will begin next year. Former Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, said one of the first construction priorities will be to build the section of track linking North Star, in northern NSW, and Yelarbon, in southern Queensland. The railway will pass through Narrabri, Moree and North Star.
A public servant at the centre of a conflict of interest allegation over the Newcastle rail cut was on a board that gave the state government $60 million to help make its decision. Hunter Development Corporation general manager Bob Hawes was a member of the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund board that earmarked the money for the government, while he owned properties nearby that could be affected by the decision. He told the parliamentary inquiry into Hunter planning decisions that he owned a 50 per cent share in 1-9 Beresford Street and a 7 per cent stake in 780 Hunter Street.
NEW train stations on the Moreton Bay Rail Link are starting to take shape. A Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said construction had started on the station platforms at Mango Hill and Murrumba Downs. “(Work) is also taking place to connect the community around the new rail stations, including upgrading Dohles Rocks Rd, between School and Ogg roads, to four lanes with a median strip,” she said.
A ‘‘MASTER Planning Group’’ composed of developers, property investors, elected representatives and public servants held meetings to plot the future of Newcastle, according to newly released documents.
Historic trains will be running on parts of the Hunter rail network over the weekend, giving travellers the opportunity to enjoy a nostalgic transport experience. Today a steam engine will be operating on the Newcastle to Singleton line and tomorrow a vintage locomotive will commemorate 85 years of the Newcastle-Sydney express passenger service.
Transport Minister Dean Nalder said construction representatives from as far as Europe had expressed interest in building the twin-tunnelled line from Bayswater to High Wycombe. The State Government will call for tenders in January and hopes to award a contract by mid-2016. State Government representatives and the Public Transport Authority yesterday met 270 potential proponents at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, where they were briefed on what would be required for the 8.5km link.
There were 80 sightings for this week; this is six sightings more than last week, making a total of 4590 sightings for this year to date.
Extending Canberra's first light rail line to service the Russell precinct and nearby residential areas would add demand and improve value for taxpayers money, campaigner Damien Haas believes. Chair of the ACT Light Rail advocacy group, Mr Haas said the government should commission plans for an extension as soon as it signs a contract for the planned 12 kilometre line linking the city and Gungahlin. The possible extension is being considered by Capital Metro Agency officials now.
The Hunter Valley rail network is at standstill this week while the Australian Rail Track Corporation undertakes $20 million worth of trackwork. The shutdown started at 6 AM (AEDT) today and concludes at 8PM on Friday. More than a thousand workers are involved in the maintenance being undertaken, with 150 projects to be completed. Hunter line commuter services and long distance trains are being affected by the line closure, with buses and coaches replacing them throughout the week.
OPPOSITION Leader and Mulgrave state Labor MP Daniel Andrews has refused to commit to Rowville Rail, which has divided candidates on the eve of the state election. A train line to Rowville was a key issue put forth by Leader during questions without notice, which included all state election candidates who had listed their contact details on the Victorian Electoral Commission website.
PASSENGERS on the Inlander Rail will be treated like “second-class citizens” with changes that are likely to act as a prelude to the end of the service.
The Queensland government will sign a deal on Monday to funnel taxpayers' money into a rail line linking a mine to one of the world's biggest coal ports near the Great Barrier Reef. The government in August awarded approval to Indian mining giant Adani to build the 300km rail line linking the Carmichael Galilee Basin mine to the Abbot Point terminal. It will be the biggest coal mine in Queensland.
CBH general manager of operations David Capper says the State's grower-owned co-operative is committed to the arbitration process involving its ongoing dispute with Brookfield Rail over the closure of Tier 3 grain rail lines. The Economic Regulation Authority's (ERA) process will involve the independent arbitrator considering submissions from both parties, over a one-month period. The arbitrator will then provide recommendations on its deliberations to both parties allowing them 90 days to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Tier 1 and Tier 2 lines are operating on a six-month interim agreement between CBH and Brookfield, for this year's anticipated harvest of about 13 million tonnes. Assistant Transport Minister Jim Chown last week raised concerns the arbitrator's final recommendations are absolutely binding on Brookfield - but not CBH.
HE may not be a biker, nor a hiker, but Goulburn Mulwaree Councillor Bob Kirk is a liker of rail trails. Cr Kirk, the Chairman of the Goulburn Crookwell Rail Trail Inc, said a local development would provide significant tourism and economic benefits to the wider communities of both Goulburn and Crookwell. On Wednesday he and Mayor Geoff Kettle presented an application for a portion of the Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) to Goulburn MP Pru Goward.
THE beachside seat of Carrum, on the Mornington Peninsula, typifies the shifting political sands of the so-called Frankston corridor, where Victorian elections can be won or lost. Liberal Donna Bauer picked up the electorate from the ALP in 2010. It was one of a clutch of seats in the area to fall to the then opposition amid seething anger at the performance of the Frankston train line. Services have since improved and Ms Bauer says trains are now twice as frequent and the public loves the policy of security guards being on duty at stations. “The punctuality rate was 60 per cent and now it’s 94 per cent,’’ she said.
Queensland taxpayers will help fund a rail line from Abbot Point port to what will be Australia's largest coal mine, with the door open to similar deals with other miners. Indian company Adani [url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-28/carmichael-coal-mine-project-gets-federal-approval/5628584]won federal approval earlier this year[/url] for the Carmichael mine, which will be unprecedented in scale and represents the opening up the coal-rich Galilee Basin. Premier Campbell Newman and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met in Brisbane today to seal the deal, following the weekend's G20 summit. Mr Newman said similar agreements could be reached with other Galilee Basin mining hopefuls, so the resource-rich region is opened for business. Queensland would only invest if the companies made bigger investments.
A new report has shown that rail now accounted for almost half of all freight activity in Australia. Trainline 2 is a collaborative report co-authored by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics and the Australasian Railway Association. Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss said the report was a reminder of the importance of rail in the freight and passenger traffic task. "It also provides important information on trends in traffic levels and railway performance," Mr Truss said.
Passenger train disruptions caused by freight train breakdowns up by more than 60 per cent
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has joined New South Wales Premier Mike Baird and Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian for a tour of Australia's largest public transport infrastructure project.
Three extra train trips between 9am and 4pm will be added to V/Line services in Ballarat under a Coalition plan. The changes are expected to be announced by Premier Denis Napthine in Ballarat today and will equate to an extra 40 weekly train trips between Melbourne and the city.
PREMIER Mike Baird has rejected calls from new city Labor MP Tim Crakanthorp to put off the truncation of Newcastle’s heavy rail line, with work set to start in about five weeks. ‘‘Premier will you now finally listen to the community in Newcastle and stop your plans to rip up Newcastle’s rail line on Boxing Day,’’ Mr Crakanthorp asked in Parliament on Tuesday. But Mr Baird said the government was sticking to its decision to cut the rail line.
I grew up in the Southern Tablelands. Crookwell was where I took my first real newspaper job, and I own a house in Goulburn – a little place on Mayor Street I inherited from my mother. And one day I hope to return there to raise my own family, to continue my career, and to grow old surrounded by the unique and beautiful comforts that only Australian country towns can offer. And so I was delighted to read recently that the Goulburn Mulwaree and Upper Lachlan Shire councils are exploring the feasibility of converting a disused rail corridor between Goulburn and Crookwell into a public asset for recreation, exercise, transportation and tourism.
Country commuters have been promised 79 new long-haul V/Line train trips a week - and 40 extra services between Ballarat and Melbourne - should the Napthine government be re-elected. The $178.1 million promise, announced in Ararat in western Victoria on Tuesday, contained at least one extra weekday service for every long-distance railway line in the state bar Swan Hill and Bairnsdale, which will each get an extra return Sunday train.
For traditional reasons, tunnelling machines tend to be named after women. And Elizabeth, the first machine to start digging on the north-west rail link project, is very much the apple of the Baird government's eye: evidence, it will claim, of rare progress in the delivery of major transport projects.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]THE Galilee Basin seems likely to now have two rail lines to Abbot Point despite the State Government’s determination to have just one main line servicing the bulk of the coal-rich region.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The Government yesterday announced that it would help fund a 300km rail line to be built by Indian mining giant Adani.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]The line will link Adani’s $16.5 billion Carmichael project, potentially the largest coal mine in Australia, to Abbot Point, north of Bowen.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]One of the key provisions of the deal was that Adani would have to share the railway with other miners in the Galilee Basin.[/font][/size][/color]
The Western Australian Government will pay consultants to make sure the public is "aware" of its airport rail link project. The $2.2 billion project was a key promise at the last election and the rail line will run from Bayswater out to the airport and beyond to the marginal seat of Forrestfield.
A Richmond trader has defied VicRoads' threats of prosecution and taken repeatedly to a busy street with a stop sign to control traffic as a protest against "dangerous" tram super stops.
MEGA-commutes that eat up our time and patience, they could also be driving us into an early grave. So is it a sad fact of life that they’re here to stay? In Melbourne, if you drive a car it is possible to travel 10 times further than someone taking the train or tram would travel in the same amount of time. At night, the difference becomes even bigger, when road congestion eases and public transport becomes less frequent. In the lead up to the Victorian state election, [url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria-state-election-2014/east-west-pulls-in-votes-amid-claims-it-could-save-motorists-30min/story-fnocxssc-1227121061572]Melburnians are being promised shorter commutes as part of the East West Link project spruiked by the Napthine Government[/url]. The cross-city road connection with twin 4.4km tunnels running from the Eastern Freeway to City Link, could save motorists up to 30 minutes.
A push is on to get sections of the rail track between Blayney and Lithgow straightened to speed up the trip to Sydney. The Orange Rail Action Group will tonight put a motion to Orange City Council calling on it to hold discussions with Federal MP, John Cobb, to try to seek government support for the proposal. The community committee established by the council also wants councillors to endorse its lobbying campaign for federal funding.
Rail operator Metro has terminated lucrative contracts with a transport tycoon who allegedly cheated his workers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages and entitlements. Embattled businessman Ray Evans has been hit with a Federal Court lawsuit over large-scale workplace law violations concerning multiple labour-hire firms he controlled. Mr Evans owned or directed at least three companies understood to have supplied specialist diesel train drivers to Metro to carry out track maintenance for the past four years.
JAPAN has tested its seriously fast Maglev train on 100 lucky passengers reaching extraordinary speeds of up to 500km/h. Faster than the famous bullet trains which travel at about 320km/h, the Maglev trains use magnetic levitation to float above the tracks.
A Hunter Valley public transport advocacy group has secured a meeting with government representatives to discuss additional train services for the Hunter line. Two More Trains for Singleton has been actively campaigning for about five years to get two additional daily services for the Upper Hunter. It is also campaigning for the Newcastle line's retention and will participate in an event on Friday to highlight the impact next month's planned closure will have on commuters.
The Napthine government's most senior transport planners detailed the superior economic return a rail tunnel under the city would bring to Melbourne compared with the East West Link, emails obtained by [i]The Age[/i] reveal. The emails show the planners calculated the rail tunnel would return $1.90 for every $1 invested compared with $1.40 for the road tunnel. But the government dumped that rail plan early this year and has pressed ahead with the $6.8-billion road tunnel. If the Coalition wins next Saturday's election, construction is due to start this year.
An overhaul of Sydney's rail timetable last year produced a 1000 per cent increase in complaints. The latest auditor-general's snapshot of the state's transport system also reveals an increase in security and ticketing complaints among rail passengers, and shows the experience of driving in Sydney continues to get worse. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian lauded the October 2013 rail timetable as representing the biggest overhaul in a generation.
A STRING of key reports underpinning plans to cut Newcastle’s heavy rail line and install light rail are being kept under wraps.
Two people were killed and two others injured when the Bangkok-Trang express train No83 hit a car at a railway crossing in Thung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Wednesday morning, Thairath Online reported.
AN extra return rail service to Melbourne will run on the Warrnambool line if the Coalition is re-elected on November 29, Premier Denis Napthine announced yesterday.
[justify]AN extra V/Line train will run during the week from Albury to Melbourne if the Coalition wins the state election.[/justify] [justify]A fourth weekday return train will travel between Southern Cross Station and Albury as part of a $178.1m investment.[/justify] [justify]To accommodate the extra service a fourth mainline locomotive and carriage set will be converted to standard gauge for the Albury line.[/justify]
Capital Metro Minister Simon Corbell said the report, commissioned by the Tourism and Transport Forum, supported the government's argument that light rail from Gungahlin to Civic would increase economic activity and create jobs. "We have always said that one of the many benefits of light rail is that it can have a transformative effect and this report shows the power that rail has in boosting the local economy at a time when it needs it most," he said. The report from the industry lobby says the federal government needs to start funding public transport, pointing out the area around a new Sydney rail line has grown faster than the rest of the city.
The union trying to save train manufacturing jobs in the Hunter Valley has accused the Minister for the Hunter of showing no interest in the futures of the workers and their families.
The New South Wales Government says the lessons it learnt while establishing Sydney's light rail will be applied to the project underway in Newcastle. Geotechnical investigations began last week along Newcastle's light rail route. The work includes digging small holes to collect soil and groundwater samples and assess rock composition to help with the project's environmental planning and design.
[color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]THE State Government has scrapped plans to give a first mover royalty reduction to the Galilee Basin coal proponents and dismissed plans for a second rail line to Abbot Point.[/b][/size][/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Deputy premier Jeff Seeney also lent his backing to the coal industry saying it would be around for as far into the future that he could see and employing the next generation and the generation after that.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]In Gladstone to inspect the final touches to the $4 billion Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal, Mr Seeney said the Government’s latest strategy to invest directly in infrastructure would give it influence it would not have with the first mover royalty reduction.[/font][/size][/color]
EXTRA train services on the Gippsland line and a track duplication between Bunyip and Longwarry have been promised if the Coalition is re-elected. Deputy Premier Peter Ryan visited Traralgon railway station on Tuesday to announce the commitment. The $178.1 million promise would see 24 additional train services to and from Melbourne per week, with trains departing from Traralgon, Sale or Bairnsdale.
Labor's Mernda rail extension promise has been exposed as underfunded, says the Victorian government pointing to treasury estimates.
[color=#0f0f0f][size=4][font=HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][b]Using all Australian steel in a project to remove 50 dangerous Victorian level crossings will support 10,000 manufacturing workers, Labor says.[/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#0f0f0f][size=3][font=HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]State Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews says Victorian taxpayer money should be spent supporting Victorian jobs.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#0f0f0f][size=3][font=HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]He was joined on Thursday by federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to announce Labor would commit to using only Australian steel to replace 50 level crossings with safer alternatives if it wins the November 29 state election.[/font][/size][/color]
FOR 27 years, Alex Hudson has served up the morning coffee to Newcastle’s rail commuters and fried up the hot chips for the kids on their way to the beach.
Bob Hawes was one of two directors of a company in 2009 that Hunter Development Corporation paid almost $50,000 to prepare a report for the state government, which recommended the removal of the Newcastle heavy rail line at Wickham.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A Chinese state-owned rail company has signed the country’s largest overseas contract valued at almost $12bn, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Xinhua quoted Meng Fengchao, chairman of China Railway Construction Corporation, as saying that the company had formally signed a deal to build a 1,400km railway along the coast of Nigeria.[/font][/size][/color]
Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) CEO John Fullerton today announced the appointment of Wayne Johnson as the new General Manager Customer Service and Operations of ARTC’s Hunter Valley business. With over 20 years of experience at the coal-face and in operations, coal chain optimisation and infrastructure strategy, Newcastle-based Johnson was appointed following a highly competitive recruitment search. “ARTC is in a period of growth and change and Wayne will be pivotal in helping the Hunter Valley business deliver exceptional customer, commercial and operational service,” Mr Fullerton said.
Canberra's proposed light rail network has been enthusiastically endorsed in the consultation process, according to the ACT Government.
The West Australian Opposition is questioning why a multi-storey car park at a northern Perth train station is set to cost the Government almost three times as much as a similar sized one nearby.
If Auckland transport planners are seriously considering trams as a cheaper form of rail service to the airport, they should come to their senses. Trams, called "light rail" by planners, are of very limited value over a distance of more than a few city blocks. The journey from the airport to the nearest railway station, Onehunga, would take too long. And, as Auckland Council's infrastructure committee chairman, Mike Lee, observes, what would happen at Onehunga? Passengers would have to disembark with their baggage and wait for a train to the city.
[b]THE West Coast Wilderness Railway will next month begin running the full journey from Strahan to Queenstown for the first time since April last year.[/b]
A WAVE of anger over the impending Boxing Day truncation of the Newcastle rail line washed over the Reverend Fred Nile’s parliamentary inquiry into Newcastle planning processes on Friday.
[size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][b]Upgrades to the rail line between Hamilton and Woodville will take place this weekend as the state government ramps up its preparation to truncate the Newcastle line.[/b][/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The work includes re signalling along the track between the two stations, as well as transport interchange works between Hamilton and Wickham.[/font][/size] [size=3][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Transport New South Wales is warning noisy work will take place for around 48 hours, starting at 2am (AEDT) today.[/font][/size]
A young man has been arrested after leading police on an hour-long chase through Sydney's busiest rail tunnels. The 23 year old sparked panic at Central Station when he jumped onto the tracks in front of an incoming train before scrambling up onto a neighbouring platform about 9pm.
[color=#555555][size=4][font=Guardian Sans', arial, tahoma, serif][b]Aurizon Holdings chief executive Lance Hockridge says the company has set up a project hub in Perth to work on its defining Pilbara iron ore rail and port project but warned of "a number of commercial hurdles" before it could push ahead with the billion-dollar investment.[/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#555555][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', arial, tahoma, serif]Addressing shareholders at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning to mark Aurizon's first annual meeting in WA, Mr Hockridge said the company had already invested $400 million in the State and built up a 1000-strong workforce.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#555555][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', arial, tahoma, serif]He said Aurizon, which made its name as the government-owned Queensland Rail hauling coal on the east coast, said WA was becoming an increasingly important part of its business.[/font][/size][/color]
The G20 barriers were still in place, the interstate police contingents had not left Brisbane, and US President Barack Obama’s “Brisbane” speech calling for protection for the Great Barrier Reef was still resonating when Premier Campbell Newman announced he had brokered a deal with Indian mining company Adani. Newman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Brisbane during the summit to seal the deal, whereby funds from the lease of public assets would be used to pay for the construction of the 400 kilometre rail link from the Carmichael mine in the Galilee Basin to the controversial Abbot Point coal terminal.
We've got one, why haven't you? That's the message from Melbourne's two northern rivals Sydney and Brisbane concerning an airport rail link. Tim Anderson, chief executive officer of Sydney's Airport Link rail company said there were many benefits of an airport rail link for Melbourne. "I support the concept of a Melbourne Airport rail link. In Sydney, seven million passengers will travel by our airport rail link during 2015. This reduces road congestion, is good for the environment, and integrates airport passengers into Sydney's entire public transport network. Melbourne would enjoy similar benefits if an airport rail link was established," Mr Anderson said.
There were 82 sightings for this week; this is two sightings more than last week, making a total of 4672 sightings for this year to date.
For the first time in history, young Australians are less likely to be buying a car and, even though we have more cars than ever before, we're driving them less, so have we hit peak car?
Melbourne has the sleepiest Sunday morning train timetable in Australia, with new analysis finding its trains start later than every other mainland capital city.
At a time when the Premier Mike Baird has stopped short of ruling out delaying Newcastle's rail line truncation, debate is continuing around sinking the line. Mr Baird has told a parliamentary planning inquiry delaying the rail decision would cost $220,000 a week. The inquiry has also been told that sinking the line would cost around $200 million, a third of the figure stated in 2009. Tunnel advocate Francis Young said it is outrageous that sinking the line has been ruled out on drainage concerns.
People who travel on Sydney's light rail line will be able to pay for trips using their Opal card from next week. The public transport smartcard will be available on the line, which runs from Central to Dulwich Hill, from Monday, December 1, well ahead of the government's previously scheduled start date of early 2015. The Opal card will also offer a different fare structure than the paper tickets, which will continue to be sold. Individual fares will be cheaper using the Opal card, while the "zones" used to calculate fares will also change for the card.
A truck driver has been killed in a horrific collision in Kazakhstan after his vehicle skid onto the rail track crossing right between the two oncoming trains. The crash in which both trains partially derailed was recorded by a CCTV cam. The tragedy took place between "Kondratovka" and "Petropavlovsk" stations on the South Urals Railway.
Three now completed infrastructure projects at Fremantle Port have significantly boosted its total capacity, Western Australia transport minister Dean Nalder says. The combined $65.6 million investment has also increased the use of rail to move containers to and from the port. "Making rail more efficient increases its competitiveness and the government is committed to investing in rail projects to service current needs and to provide additional capacity for growth," he says. The projects included an extension of the North Quay rail terminal line and the construction of a new crossing loop at Spearwood. This enables freight trains to pass on the rail line that connects the port with the Kewdale and Forrestfield area, home to several freight forwarding hubs.
[b]PREMIER Mike Baird has made the Parramatta Light Rail a $1 billion election promise with the impending announcement of an extra $600 million for the project’s start. [/b]
New life has been breathed into the campaign to reopen the Napier-Gisborne rail link with KiwiRail offering to lease the damaged line to Hawke's Bay Regional Council. The council is tomorrow expected to approve spending $250,000 to develop a business case to re-establish a freight service on the line. A private sector investment of about $10 million to $12 million would then need to be found on top of a $5.46 million provision the council has earmarked for the project in order for it to get off the ground. Earlier this year, the council asked the Government to repair the damaged line - at an estimated cost of between $3.7 million and $4.5 million. The council was approached by the Napier-Gisborne Railway Shorthall Establishment Group (NGR) who wanted it to become a shareholder in a rail freight operating business using the line.
[color=#333333][size=4][font=Times New Roman', sans-serif][b][b]ANITA Duffy lives in Parkdale, one of the southeast Melbourne suburbs where angry commuters are credited with the downfall of Victoria’s last Labor government.[/b] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#333333][size=4][font=Times New Roman', sans-serif]Unlike many of the Frankston train-line strap-hangers though, her frustration focuses on political promises that lack a long-term vision.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#333333][size=4][font=Times New Roman', sans-serif]“They are pandering to short-term electoral cycles,” she said. “People think, ‘What’s in it for me, what’s in it for the Frankston line’, instead of thinking about funding infrastructure needed for a growing city.”[/font][/size][/color] [color=#333333][size=4][font=Times New Roman', sans-serif]The aspiring pilates instructor will cast her vote in the electorate of Mordialloc, a bayside seat which proved essential to the Coalition at the last election.[/font][/size][/color]
Australia's rail safety watchdog is looking into allegations raised in parliament by a federal MP that Metro's track maintenance standards are so shoddy it is putting public safety at risk.
Years of inadequate funding have left Victoria's country railways so run down and unreliable, V/Line is padding out its timetables so it can run trains at reduced speeds.
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird has stepped up his sales pitch to sell the state's poles and wires, unveiling a $20 billion infrastructure plan outlining how his Government would spend the proceeds. The infrastructure plan includes a second harbour rail crossing, $2.4 billion to ease congestion on Sydney's roads and $6 billion for infrastructure in regional areas.
Melbourne's trains have long been a pressure point for Victorian governments, Labor or Coalition, and this election is no different.
THERE is no turning back for the North West Rail Link, with construction now going full-steam ahead.
IT was by no means an unexpected find, but the discovery of old coal rail lines beneath the footpaths at Nobbys beach still provided a fascinating glimpse into the city’s history.
From the end of June and the whole of July, 6029 AD60 Garratt will make the southern states home. An extensive program is being lined up for trips in Victoria and South Australia.
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman has confirmed that Cabinet was kept in the dark over deals which led to the closure of rail lines covering 500km of the Wheatbelt. Mr Redman made the admission yesterday as the State Government came under pressure to re-open lines known as Tier 3. A group of protesters led by WAFarmers and the Wheatbelt Rail Retention Alliance gathered outside Parliament House to present Transport Minister Dean Nalder with a list of demands on re-opening the lines. They want the Government to act on the key recommendations of a parliamentary committee which lifted the lid on a secret profit-sharing deal between the Public Transport Authority and Brookfield Rail linked to the closure of Tier 3 on June 30. Farmers also warned they would seek to recover $2 million a year in additional charges associated with carting their grain unless the lines were re-opened.
[color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]A CENTRAL Coast stop on the proposed $60 billion east coast high-speed rail line would massively boost jobs, business and property prices north of Sydney.[/b][/size] [/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Leading business and property figures, as well as Gosford and Wyong councils, are urging the Federal Government to expedite construction of the Sydney to Newcastle section of the 1750km track between Melbourne and Brisbane.[/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font=Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]And they want the government to confirm that a station will be built near Gosford to help move the 25 per cent of local residents who leave the area each day for work.[/font][/size][/color]
LIKE a scene straight out of the ABC TV satire, Utopia, the NSW Minister for Regional Tourism arrived in Bangalow yesterday to announce the NSW Government would be making an announcement in the future on rail trail funding. "This (rail trail) proposal is far more advanced than any other I have seen and I think it is a leading contender to see funding in the future," Minister John Barilaro said. Minister Barilaro said the Government's infrastructure strategy, announced on Tuesday, had identified $300 million for regional areas and he encouraged the Northern Rivers local councils and communities to plan ahead.
When the railway reached Nimmitabel in 1912 it connected the remote Monaro town with the rest of the world. The railway was vital to the town and affected every aspect of life and work. Nancy Burke, the station master's daughter, remembers the locomotives as living things.
A bill to ensure Canberra's proposed light rail project is built on time and with few legal appeals will be introduced in the ACT Legislative Assembly today.
[color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif][b][size=4][b]MELBOURNE’S besieged train system will reach capacity within three years and needs a significant overhaul to cope with population growth, a study has found.[/b][/size][/b][/font][/size][/color] [color=#000000][size=3][font='Guardian Sans', Tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', TrebuchetMS, sans-serif]Influential city lobby group, the Committee for Melbourne, has issued a dire warning that if action is not taken, commuters face chaos in the years to come.[/font][/size][/color]
IN 1929 a Red Rattler train could click-clack its way from Liverpool station to Central in just 45 minutes.
On Nov. 18, an 82-container freight train left the eastern Chinese industrial city of Yiwu. It was embarking on a landmark journey that is supposed to end 21 days later, in December, in Madrid.
The Greens are claiming a win in the fight to save Newcastle's rail line, with the Senate passing a motion to call on the state government to reverse its decision.
The iconic Sunlander train will say goodbye to the state in just a few weeks, with the heritage locomotive being retired to make way for the newer and faster fleet called the Spirit of Queensland.
For the 10 year celebrations a special train will depart Maldon at 2.45pm and run to Castlemaine, the return train will depart at 5.15pm and a tea will be held on the Maldon platform. Cost of this event will be available from the VGR website early next week. Also on the day, an event will be held in Castlemaine to celebrate 100 years since the “Steaming Out” of Thompsons & Co.’s first locomotive from their works.
Railpage has received information a coal wagon is on fire on a coal train at Boggabri in NSW.
The member for Parramatta, Geoff Lee is calling for his government to consider constructing two shorter light rail lines around Parramatta rather than a single long route.
The Newman Government wants to demolish Brisbane's Roma St Transit Centre, replacing it with a new building to accommodate a re-aligned underground bus and train tunnel.