Last night a woman was struck and killed by a v/line passenger train at St Albans in Melbourne's west.
A woman is dead after being hit by a train at St Albans in Melbourne's west.
COUNTRY level crossings were "death traps" and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau should be called in to investigate the fatal collision between a high-speed V/Line train and a truck on Friday, Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said yesterday.
The train involved in last week's fatal crash in western Victoria has been removed from the scene.
The cost of Victoria's troubled "fast" rail project appears to have blown out by a further $16 million. But the level crossing that was the scene of a fatal collision on Friday was deemed too low-risk to warrant extra money being spent on it.
COUNTRY level crossings were "death traps" and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau should be called in to investigate the fatal collision between a high-speed V/Line train and a truck on Friday, Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said yesterday.
The Member for Toowoomba North says the State Government is considering building a new rail line between southern and central Queensland.
A TRAIN driver remains in a critical condition in hospital two days after a horror crash that killed his mother.
THE cost of the State Government's troubled Regional Fast Rail project is soaring with $16.4 million extra in unforeseen costs found in the past month.
A TEENAGE boy is seriously injured after being hit by a train in a CityRail tunnel in central Sydney.
There is concern for a heritage train service in central Victoria.
A report investigating rail options for the proposed multi million dollar Melbourne to Brisbane rail freight corridor backs the New England route through Tenterfield as a more favourable option than a route through Moree.
Many questions need to be answered if the public is to have faith in a revived rail network.
The police unit investigating last week's fatal train crash wants any witnesses to come forward.
MAJOR level crossings in Melbourne's south-east are likely to be removed as part of a $1 billion upgrade of the crowded Dandenong rail line.
Police are considering using a similar truck involved in Friday night's train crash near Trawalla to re-enact the final moments before the fatal collision.
AN emotional and angry Transport Minister Peter Batchelor yesterday defended the Government's inquiry into last Friday's fatal train crash.
Residents at Inglewood, north-west of Bendigo, say any review of country railway crossing safety should look at two unprotected level crossings in the town.
A Government inquiry is assessing whether the transport corridor between Mount Isa and Townsville should be upgraded with federal funding.
Two daily rail services between Shepparton and Melbourne will be affected by track repairs over the next six weeks.
CONNEX has been forced to pay $5 million in penalties for the third consecutive quarter, bringing the amount outlaid for poor service delivery in the past 12 months to $25 million.
THE public is in fear of the public transport system, according to the Government's own surveys.
QANTAS is in the business of flying passengers, but this could soon change with the national carrier looking to expand into other modes of transport, such as road and rail freight.
AN INFLUENTIAL developer wants State Government backing for an inland port plan to divert freight from Melbourne's congested Monash Freeway to dedicated rail lines.
RAIL teams hope to have the Ararat to Ballarat line operational again by the middle of the week after Friday's train collision that claimed two lives.
The Australasian Railway Association say lessons must be learned from the Trawalla train crash in relation to level crossings.
The Redfern Waterloo Authority's exemption from the Heritage Act is threating the existence of the home of 3801 at Eveleigh.
There were 113 sightings for this week, which were 8 sightings more than last week, which included the ANZAC Day holiday. Making a total of 2077 sightings for this year to date. On day 119 last year we had seen 1583* sightings (* 1 weeks sightings missing March 2005).
The operator of the troubled Adelaide to Darwin railway, FreightLink, will go on the block, seeking a $360 million investment.
The State Government will spend $15.4 million to train 180 new train drivers over the next three years to help reduce cancellations and increase services.
Victorian Transport Minister Peter Batchelor is accusing the Liberal Party of playing politics with the regional fast rail project.
Over the past 10 years or so, it has been written about many times in The Advertiser with regards to our transport infrastructure, and the problems associated with it.
The operator of Melbourne's suburban trains, Connex, wants to extend its contract to run the system beyond this decade - despite the huge fines it has incurred for poor performance.
EXPECTATIONS are growing that the NSW Government - now in the pre-election spin cycle - is about to award its much awaited $3 billion contract to replace and maintain one-third of Sydney's railway carriages.
The operator of the Tarcoola to Darwin railway, FreightLink, is hoping to secure a long-term strategic partner to invest $360 million in exchange for a shareholding.
Transport Minister Peter Batchelor has refused to confirm whether there have been a number of near misses on the Ararat to Ballarat rail line.
A group in south Gippsland wants the Victorian Government to reopen the rail line between Melbourne and Leongatha.
The Premier of NSW, Morris Iemma, has announced a 20 per cent increase in the public private partnership order to provide new, air-conditioned rail carriages for the CityRail network.
NSW has placed the biggest train order in Australian history, but, as passengers have come to expect, it is already running late.
The NSW Government yesterday shortlisted two consortiums, led by Downer EDI and United Group, to build 600 new double-decker rail carriages in a deal that has been valued at between $3 billion and $4 billion.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) is urging the two Hunter companies bidding for a billion-dollar train carriage contract to include as much local work as possible.
The future of 39 jobs promised for Albury railway station is uncertain as the union and RailCorp struggle to finalise details of the proposal.
Macquarie Bank apparently hasn't given up hope of organising a takeover bid for Patrick Corp. Late last year it failed to get up a joint bid with Linfox, and now it's said to be trying to persuade institutions to back a consortium bid.
THERE have been quite a few answers to the question of public transport etiquette raised in The Eye last week.
A man is trapped in his car after a collision involving a train west of Melbourne today.
Friday's journey from Ararat to Melbourne for Buangor mum, Nicha Dyer and her three children was to be one of an adventure and fun.
DIM-WITTED drivers have been caught swerving around closed boom gates and escaping collisions with trains by bare seconds.
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer is supporting calls for more passenger rail services to south Gippsland.
The Macquarie Bank has come in with a last-minute proposal for port operator Patrick, just weeks after the company finally accepted an offer from Toll Holdings.
Toll Holdings Ltd said today that it would not extend its takeover offer for stevedore Patrick Corp Ltd beyond May 12.
Rail services between Melbourne and Ballarat have resumed this afternoon after an accident this morning in which a man was injured.
Macquarie Bank is at it again, with its latest attempt to spread its tentacles upsetting a mega-merger between two of Australia's biggest transport companies.
MELBOURNE'S electric tram system celebrates its 100th year of service this weekend. On May 7, 1906, electric trams started running between the inner Melbourne suburbs of St Kilda and Brighton.
A COUSIN of the off-duty train driver killed a week ago said it was "a twist of fate" that he had decided to check out the new high-speed train to Melbourne.
TELEPHONES installed in the city's underground rail network for emergency use in a fire or terrorist attack have been found to dial wrong numbers, make phantom calls and fail to ring.
Who would be Paul Little? After nine months of furious wrangling he had pretty much bagged his prey. Toll's boss had Patrick Corp in his keep.
Toll is about to be outbid for Patrick, can't lift its own offer but won't give up.
AT LAST year's annual meeting, Patrick Corp's Chris Corrigan showed a film of the famous "Black Knight" scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, likening the King Arthur character to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Graeme Samuel and the dismembered Black Knight to Toll Holdings' Paul Little.
I'm a guest on the flight deck of a Boeing 747-400 jet. We've just taxied up to the domestic terminal at Sydney Airport after completing a routine flight from Canberra. The tension in the cockpit has subsided after a safe landing. It's about 3pm.
We spot a jet alongside in the familiar livery of a rival ai
EXCELLENCE, fairness, value for the taxpayer's dollar and putting people first are the key pillars of aspiring Premier Ted Baillieu's vision for Victoria.
THE Monash Freeway in Melbourne's south-east looks set to be widened as part of a State Government plan to relieve mounting traffic congestion.
Extract below from interview with Treasurer Costello on 'Sunday' Channel 9, 7th May 2006
LAURIE OAKES: What can we expect on the infrastructure front, the Reserve Bank's identified rail as one area, there's also been mention of a billion dollar roads package?
PETER COSTELLO: There'll certainly be strong investment in roads. We as a national government are responsible for the national highway and the major freight groups throughout Australia and we're very conscious that improving those freight routes improves the capacity of the country, so there will be investment in physical transport infrastructure, which I think will be warmly welcomed by people, certainly warmly welcomed by the transport industry. At the end of the day better transport means a better economy with a higher speed limit for growth.
It would shock me if Batchelor takes the word of Dr Paul Mees or one of the other many PT critics, but lets wait untill the first transport and liveability statement...
Toll claimed yesterday that Macquarie was trying to gather more than $3 billion in capital to mount the counter-bid for Patrick.
What on earth are they doing to Spencer Street? The station redevelopment continues to win praise, and rightly so. Its roof is stunning, "breasts" and all, the remodelled West End hub a 21st century tribute to the grand 19th century terminuses of London - Waterloo, Paddington, Victoria, Kings Cross - and a fitting counterpoint to Flinders Street's grand old dame.
LABOR'S state conference has accused Premier Steve Bracks and Treasurer John Brumby of not being open and accountable about funding of major projects.
Toll Holdings boss Paul Little yesterday vowed to fight off any Macquarie Bank-led bid for stevedore, Patrick Corporation.
FRESH from its victory in lobbying the West Australian Government for the return of the Shovelanna iron ore project, Rio Tinto faces new claims it has tried to use its political clout to safeguard its business interests.
TO SECURE his grip on Patrick Corporation, Toll Holdings boss Paul Little must first try to derail Macquarie Bank's counter-bid for Patrick before it is launched.
TOLL Holdings chief Paul Little has hit back at Macquarie Bank's plans to gazump his hard-fought takeover of Patrick, saying Macquarie's scheme is risky, highly geared, speculative and vulnerable to pressure from Toll. In a paper released yesterday, Toll described the deal as "Macquarie's Big Patrick Con Job".
Farmers are calling for regional roads and rail spending to come before further investment in the Future Fund when Federal Treasurer Peter Costello hands down the Budget tomorrow night.
SYDNEY Ferries' passengers face weeks of disruptions because the corporation cannot find enough engineers to operate services to Manly.
Two recent level crossing accidents in western Victorian have prompted a warning to the Victorian Government from a Gippsland farmer.
Trains were back on track last night on the Ballarat to Ararat line, just over a week since the fatal train crash at Trawalla which killed two and injured 41.
The Trawalla rail disaster was an accident waiting to happen according to David Koch, Member for Western Province.
Macquarie Bank has decided not to go ahead with a last-minute bid for the transport company and ports operator Patrick Corporation.
The freight operator on the Adelaide to Darwin railway says it is interested in shifting nuclear waste to any of the proposed waste dump sites in the Northern Territory.
A regional tourism chief has welcomed the call to heritage list the Dandenong Ranges National Park and Puffing Billy, saying that it will boost the hills’ profile.
There were 117 sightings for this week, which were four sightings more than last week. Making a total of 2194 sightings for this year to date. On day 126 last year we had seen 1673* sightings (* 1 weeks sightings missing March 2005).
The Federal Treasurer, Peter Costello has this evening announced transport infrastructure, nationwide, will receive a spending budget of $5 billion in 2005/06 and 2006/07.
The chief executive of Railcorp has warned graffiti vandals could die if greater efforts are not made to stop them defacing New South Wales trains.
The federal MP for the seat of Hinkler says last night's Budget announcement of money towards the Melbourne to Brisbane rail link should set on track further inland rail work.
TRANSPORT associations have welcomed the Federal Government's decision to provide an extra $2.3 billion over the next four years to improve the nation's roads and railways.
Transport company Toll Holdings Ltd has upped its stake in takeover target Patrick Corp to 19.9 per cent.
Toll Holdings has declared victory in the gruelling eight-month takeover battle for Patrick Corp after fending off the Singaporean backers of a rival bid with threats of legal action.
Paul Little must feel a bit like that liquid-metal guy who took on Arnie in Terminator II. The bullets kept flying and he just kept walking. But this time, Arnie lost, and he won't be back.
THE Victorian Government has promised to spend $88 million improving the metropolitan train control system after abandoning an $11-million upgrade three years ago.
Commuters are expected to have a more reliable and robust train network following the State Government's announcement to spend $88 million to replace the control centre of the metropolitan rail system.
Stevedore Patrick Corporation has posted an eight per cent rise in half year net profit to $118.01 million.
Twenty four children who lived in or near the same street are suffering neurotoxin and lead poisoning after ingesting noxious particles carried by Port Pirie-bound trains, District Court documents claim.
It was record company profits that helped deliver the massive Federal Budget surplus, but experts say infrastructure bottlenecks are still holding the economy back. Last night, Peter Costello promised $2.3 billion for Australia's road and rail networks. But rail operators say the money heading their way will only help to cover funding shortfalls from previous years.
Toll Holdings says it has won acceptances for more than 50 per cent of stevedore Patrick Corp.
Nine months, several court cases, rival bidders and billions of dollars later, Paul Little finally has his hands on the prize — operational control of Patrick Corporation.
Police say a gang of up to six youths may be responsible for a string of recent aggravated robberies at train stations in Adelaide's southern suburbs.
Transport conglomerate Toll Holdings today finally succeeded in taking over Patrick Corp as the stevedore booked an eight per cent rise in half year net profit to $118.01 million.
Transport group Toll Holdings Ltd has declared its $6 billion-plus takeover offer for stevedore Patrick Corp Ltd unconditional, after securing more than 50 per cent of Patrick shares.
The recent disputation between Rio Tinto and Casaly over the Shovelanna iron ore deposit in the Pilbara has again exposed the nonsense of BHP's claim that its rail network does not have the capacity to carry the iron ore of third party producers.
PATRICK Corp managing director Chris Corrigan took parting shots at Toll Holdings and the competition regulator after the stevedore succumbed to a vicious nine-month takeover battle yesterday.
Outgoing Patrick boss Chris Corrigan has warned that Toll would be able to gouge billions of dollars out of its customers now it had won control of his company, leaving it without competitors in the Australian freight sector.
Police yesterday re-enacted the final moments before the fatal train crash near Trawalla on April 28.
MANLY ferry passengers were left without a 9.45am service yesterday, but it had nothing to do with recent warnings of an engineer shortage. The problem was maintenance - another of the many issues that have been dogging Sydney Ferries.
The corporation warned passengers of disruptions to Manly se
PATRICK Corp's failed efforts to resist Toll Holdings' takeover cost at least $35 million, says Chris Corrigan.
MARULAN fire captain David Berger believes his submission was "dismissed with little forethought" following news the level crossing located 900 metres south of Marulan railway station would be closed from Monday.
THE Eye is fairly picky when it comes to running competitions. They are always prizes we would like to win ourselves but can't, and this one is no exception. The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant company has a new old tram on the mobile-meals route and is looking for a name for it.
Delays are expected on some Queensland Rail services after a cane train derailed while crossing the main north coast line near Bundaberg in the state's south-east.
Evening commuters intending to travel on V/Line's Ballarat train line will be diverted to buses after signalling problems disrupted the service this afternoon.
BERLIN - A German man who unsuccessfully tried to kill himself by jumping in front of a train must pay compensation for the damage he caused, a court in the southern city of Munich ruled.
ON June 30, Paul Little will surrender the spaghetti junction of railways controlled by his currently wholly owned rail business, Pacific National.
Corporate regulator Graeme Samuel may be hoping that the track handover will be a signal moment in the new era of competition he imagined would emerge from the block-busting undertakings Toll Holdings made on the Ides of March.
But the portents are not good for Samuel. At the moment the handover of control will be pure regulatory theatre. The rail paths, delivered to the track regulator for auction, look likely to be handed straight back to PN because no one else wants them. Or at least, no one else is in a position yet to use them.
MONEY is available for Wodonga’s rail bypass but the Labor Government had delayed a start on the work so it could gain a political advantage, the Liberal Party candidate for Benambra claimed yesterday.
Bill Tilley said he had received “rock solid” information from an unnamed source that the money was there and that landowners along the proposed rail bypass corridor had been approached by a firm named Guthridge Haskin and Davey seeking permission to carry out an environmental assessment.
HUNDREDS of rail commuters were bused between Ballarat and Melbourne yesterday after a fault was found in the signalling system on the Ballarat line.
More than 20 services were cancelled, affecting 1400 passengers, when the fault was discovered at 5am, ahead of peak morning services.
V/Line brought in coaches to bus commuters between Ballarat and Melbourne, while trains continued to run between Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Melbourne.
Lithgow Council is to seek a meeting with the new corporate body in control of the Pacific National rail freight network to investigate possible options for revival of the Lithgow Loco Depot.
Football fans would get public transport built into their ticket price under the WA Football Commission plan to upgrade Subiaco Oval.
Chris Corrigan yesterday flew out of Sydney for Italy, where he will spend the next few weeks cycling with a group of friends around the hills of Tuscany, considering a future with $162 million in the bank and no job.
The Victorian Government has earmarked $73 million for the first stage of the Mildura rail line upgrade.
Funding for the freight upgrade will be part of the upcoming major transport statement.
TUNNELS linking Melbourne's east and west to form a new route across the inner-north are back on the drawing board.
It's time Steve Bracks made good on his transport promises, writes Jason Dowling.
NORTH Melbourne's outdated train station will get a $36 million makeover as part of ambitious plans to speed up Melbourne's jammed train network.
The Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport, John Watkins, is visiting Illawarra train stations today, just two weeks out from introducing the new south coast rail timetable.
Rail services for Ballarat were better organised during the gold rush, according to Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder.
While London, Paris and Sydney welcome international train passengers into their city centres, Adelaide throws down the welcome mat on a lonely platform at Keswick Railway Station.
Anglo-French cross-Channel operator Eurotunnel is in talks that may result in a new debt deal and a restart for the heavily indebted rail link, but with a new management and ownership structure.
Shares in Australia's Macquarie Bank Ltd were placed in a trading halt late on Monday ahead of "a significant announcement" to be made by Wednesday.
European media speculated on Monday Macquarie was in talks to buy into Channel Tunnel operator, Eurotunnel.
There are concerns that a new signalling system being used for trains running throughout suburban Adelaide may be faulty.
The rail, tram and bus union says three drivers were taken off duty this morning because they allegedly went through a danger signal.
ALL TRAIN LINES RUNNING 20-30 MIN LATE 15 MAY
THREE new railway stations will be built in growing suburbs as part of the State Government's much-hyped plan to tackle Melbourne's looming transport crisis.
Tomorrow the State Government is due to launch its long-awaited transport and liveability statement. But as Melbourne heads towards gridlock, is it too little too late? By Royce Millar and Stephen Moynihan.
Broken Hill city councillors have been advised not to comment on lead issues.
A RAYWOOD resident says a railway crossing over the Bendigo to Swan Hill train line onto the Bendigo-Pyramid Hill Road is a deathtrap for truck drivers.
A 55-year-old man accused of digitally raping a sleeping woman in broad daylight on a train has failed in his second bid for bail at a Melbourne court.
A residential boulevard along King William St, a public transport interchange in Grenfell St, more "Paris-style" developments and our very own Central Park.
Federal and State Governments need to invest in a transport hub at Port Augusta to head off a costly logistics logjam, the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy says.
A new discussion group for dryland farmers was launched at Euroa recently by former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer. At the workshop, Mr Fischer talked about his own inspirations for being motivated and some of the challenges for rural Australia. He commented on the urgent need for Australia to convert to standard gauge rail and "rid itself of the scourge of Irish broad gauge".
A NEW train line could link Hamilton to the existing rail network as part of Brisbane's biggest riverfront development set to begin next year.
TRAFFIC congestion in the city centre looks certain to worsen, with secret forecasts revealing up to 14,500 cars a day will use the city's western streets as a result of the East Darling Harbour development.
THE failure of a new $9.5 million rail management computer system left delayed commuters confused and frustrated yesterday.
COLONIAL Tramcar Restaurant boss Craig Opie tells us entries are pouring in for his name-the-new-tram competition.
TransAdelaide is promising there will not be delays to its suburban rail services today after a software malfunction caused problems yesterday.
Dennington's historic railway bridge will almost definitely remain behind barricades in a state of disrepair until it is eventually demolished, a city councillor believes.
There were 104 sightings for this week, which were 13 sightings down on last week. Making a total of 2298 sightings for this year to date. On day 133 last year we had seen 1765* sightings (* 1 weeks sightings missing March 2005).
The Adelaide to Darwin rail link has reached an important milestone with the arrival in Darwin of the service's first dedicated minerals train, operator FreightLink says.
Three new railway stations will be built in growing suburbs as part of the State Government's much-hyped plan to tackle Melbourne's looming transport crisis.
A NEW infrastructure fund worth at least $2 billion over the next decade will be used to finance public transport and road projects as part of the State Government's much anticipated transport plan.
In the planning, it seemed an adventure that set almost incalculable daring against absurdly wanton risk. The object: to travel from Fountain Gate Narre Warren to Highpoint Maribyrnong . . . it would be a tale of two shopping centres, an epic voyage that traversed the city's rival hemispheres, from the shadowland beyond Ernst Wanke Road to the very fringes of the civilised west.
The second oldest railroad in North America, the 121-year old Skunk Train, is hosting an annual special six-day steam engine event September 22-27, 2006. This train is located on California's North Coast and is considered one of the North America's top ten train trips.
This celebration is unique for its route, photo run bys, schedule, guest speakers, amenities and the addition of a second steam locomotive. Trips will take 6-7 hours and every trip will have a different set of photo run-by locations. Guests will be entertained on board by musicians and guest speakers. A special lunch is included with every trip. Commemorative memorabilia will be presented to every guest. Each day will have a unique schedule and amenities. The cost is $195 per trip. Children rates, group rates, multiple day passes and hotel packages available. Next year's event is scheduled Sept 21-26, 2007. For event flier, call 866-45-SKUNK (457-5865) or visit www.SkunkTrain.com.
A WOMAN has been critically injured when she was hit by a train after falling onto tracks in Sydney's north.
The Tasmanian Government says it is eager to meet rail operator Pacific National, now the company has agreed to a $118 million rescue package for the state's rail network.
Rail operator Pacific National agreed yesterday to invest $38 million into Tasmania's rail system in conjunction with the State and Federal Governments' $118 million package to save the State's rail service.
Goldman Sachs and Macquarie Bank asked Vinci to oversee Eurotunnel operations as part of a possible debt deal, the chairman of the French transport concession and construction group said on Tuesday.
A $12,500 State Government grant will allow an historic bicycle shed at the "front door" of the proposed $1 million Heritage Steam Park at Telarah to be restored to its former glory.
The State Government has unveiled its much anticipated transport plan, pledging to pour $10.5 billion into Victoria's roads, trains, buses and trams over the next decade.
The State Government has promised to spend an additional $1 billion on transport services in country Victoria over the next 10 years.
A rail operator has been told to do more to combat weeds near the tracks between Ballarat and Ararat.
A wheelchair-bound woman had both feet severed when she became the second person hit by a train in Sydney in less than 24 hours.
A MAN has died after becoming the third person to be hit by a train in Sydney within 24 hours.
THE continuing media focus that suggests the need for greater investment in public transport is to be commended - but let's place this recognition in context.
VICTORIAN drivers are being encouraged to give up their cars, with the Bracks Government pouring billions of dollars into public transport ahead of desperately needed new roads.
COUNTRY Victoria will receive more bus services, upgraded roads and new trains over the next decade under the State Government's major transport plans.
AFTER 6½ years of studying and planning, the Bracks Government has finally revealed how it intends to realise its vision of making Melbourne a more liveable place.
The integrated system will solve the state's transport problems, writes Steve Bracks.
Melbourne's secretly prepared transport statement persists with a privatised system in crisis, writes Paul Mees.
The Gold Coast Property Council says it has no firm view on which transport option should be adopted to ease traffic congestion.
IT'S a tale of two cities' public transport systems – and Sydney's story is grim.
THE State Government's failure to expand rail into the city's fast-growing suburbs has doomed Sydney to another decade of traffic gridlock.
A DAY after announcing its $10.5 billion transport package, the State Government has admitted motorists will not see any reduction in travel times on Melbourne's major east-west link for at least four years.
THE Bracks Government's Transport statement is based on two myths that have been sold to the Premier and Cabinet by their advisers, Vicroads, the road transport lobbies, and the motor vehicle industry:
TRAFFIC chaos in the CBD will worsen if the State Government continues to rely on buses instead of expanding light rail or charging motorists to drive into the city, a report prepared for the Government warns.
Traffic congestion in Sydney’s CBD will worsen if the NSW State Government continues to rely on buses. An independent study found that extending light rail from Central to Circular Quay would be a more efficient and reliable way of relieving pressure on the city's public transport than adding buses or depending on trains.
FEW would yearn for the Depression years - except perhaps rail commuters waiting on the Illawarra line from the end of this month.
New South Wales Transport Minister John Watkins says he has not ruled out light rail as a solution for Sydney city's transport problems, but he says major questions remain over its suitability.
AT first glance $10.5 billion seems a massive amount so it is amazing the Bracks Government has managed to drive these dollars so short a distance.
The Western Australian Premier has described the Indian Ocean Drive project as 'the way forward' for transport in the mid-west.
Alan Carpenter has made the comment while defending the decision not to transport about 10,000 barrels of oil a day by rail from the Arrowsmith processing plant, just south of Dongara, to Kwinana for refining.
Some people living in country Victoria are unlikely to benefit much from the Victorian Government's $10.5 billion transport network plan announced this week, according to some observers.
Young people and seniors living in small towns around Echuca are among those who miss out.
Campaspe Shire Mayor Judi Lawler is waiting for details to reveal how much the shire will receive.
Pensioners rejoice! Well, only if you plan to use public transport on a Sunday. For the rest of the week, the State Government's $10.5 billion transport package provides no financial incentive to leave the car at home.
The New South Wales Transport Minister, John Watkins, says up to 100 train drivers are on stand-by each day to ensure the reliability of CityRail services.
FED-UP southern suburbs residents have attacked State Government plans to extend the tramline to North Tce - demanding their train service and other "inadequate" public transport be improved first.
A PEDESTRIAN has been struck and killed by a train in Melbourne's south-east early today.
The NSW government is to crack down on people trespassing on railway lines, installing "Spycams" and guard fences at trespass hotspots.
Brisbane police are investigating the cause of a fire that has gutted a railway station building.
AN ALLIANCE of 26 rural councils has launched a savage attack on the Bracks Government's $10 billion transport package because it ignores the Victorian regional rail network.
The Alliance of Councils for Rail Freight Development said the "$10.5 billion extravaganza" allocated only half of 1 per cent to the country rail freight network. The alliance covers municipalities in west and central Victoria and the Riverina.
Glenelg Shire's Cr Geoff White, who is alliance chairman, welcomed the proposal to spend $53 million on upgrading the rail line to Mildura.
But this was conditional on the Federal Government reallocating the $20 million AusLink funding set aside for standardisation to merely upgrading the line, he said. The main rail line from Melbourne to Mildura is the broader gauge.
A pedestrian has been struck and killed by a train in Melbourne's south-east early today.
The mining company Fortescue Metals Group says it will still go ahead with plans to build its own railway in the Pilbara, even if today's Federal Government ruling allows third parties to share existing infrastructure.
IN A world-first, commuters will soon have instant mobile phone access to every Adelaide Metro bus, train or tram timetable.
ONE of Melbourne's main suburban rail lines could be sent underground, making way for housing, shops and parkland above as part of a multibillion-dollar proposal before the State Government.
An application by Fortescue Metals Group to use a railway in Western Australia's Pilbara region, owned by BHP Billiton, has been rejected.
China expects to start controversial passenger rail services into Tibet from the beginning of July.
Fortescue Metals Group says a decision by Treasurer Peter Costello to bar it from access to a BHP Billiton railway line will not affect its main project.
PREMIER Steve Bracks' $10.5 billion transport blueprint has come under renewed attack, this time over the appointment of a highly paid "super-bureaucrat".
Shares in Fortescue Metals Group ran down by 10 per cent on Tuesday after the Federal Treasurer decided not to force major miner BHP Billiton to share its Pilbara railway with the junior developer.
A bid by the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) to use a BHP Billiton railway in Western Australia's Pilbara has failed.
There were 104 sightings for this week, which were the same number of sightings as last week. Making a total of 2402 sightings for this year to date. On day 140 last year we had seen 1865* sightings (* 1 weeks sightings missing March 2005).
An investigation has found that poor communication and a lack of procedures contributed to a train crash near Melbourne's Southern Cross station last year.
AN appeal against the federal Treasurer's decision not to force BHP Billiton to share its Pilbara railway could take years, the West Australian resources minister said today.
SOARING fuel prices appear to be achieving what successive governments have failed to do: persuade tens of thousands of Sydneysiders to switch from using their cars and onto public transport.
LOCAL councillors, developers and residents have welcomed a radical multibillion-dollar proposal to bury one of Melbourne's main rail lines in a tunnel and to create housing, shops and parkland above. And a cautious State Government has left the door open to the idea.
EXCITEMENT about the possibility of the Glen Waverley rail line becoming a subway whipped through the autumn leaves in Toorak, Kooyong, Malvern and Glen Iris yesterday.
One of Melbourne's busiest streets is blocked after a garbage truck brought down about 100 metres of overhead tram power lines.
A Gold Coast MP says the Helensvale train station should be staffed until 1:00am AEST.
BHP Billiton could soon be sharing its rail network, in the north-west of Western Australia, with its competitors.
NORTH Korea has called off trial train runs across the heavily militarised border with the South which would have been the first such crossings in more than half a century, a South Korean official said today.
Signalling faults at Melbourne's Southern Cross Station are delaying V/Line and Connex trains through this evening's peak travel period.
Currently the Melbourne/Adelaide mainline is closed due to a derailment near Lismore.
As a result of a semi-trailer level crossing accident near Lismore Vic, at about 0715hrs Thurs 25/5, PacNat train 4AM3 became derailed with approximately five wagons off the track.
The NSW Government says it is going to spend almost $130 million buying land in Sydney's north-west and south-west for the expansion of the metropolitan rail system.
Severe fog is hampering rescue efforts at the scene of a serious accident between a truck and train in Victoria's south west in which the truck driver is believed dead.
SYDNEY'S public transport desert – the northwest suburbs – will be snubbed again in a spending splurge on trains by the State Government.
THE State Government will spend a record $4 billion on public transport in next month's Budget to stem a tide of electoral anger.
It's taken so long to reach the "little kingaroo" but Princess Mary's son finally has his christening gift.
A TRUCK driver is unaccounted for after his vehicle was hit by a train on a level crossing in Victoria's south-west.
NEW South Wales will have to borrow money to pay for an $8-billion expansion of Sydney's metropolitan rail network, Premier Morris Iemma said today.
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) says it is satisfied with the way the state and Commonwealth have handled the battle over third party use of mining infrastructure in the Pilbara.
It could take days to retrieve the body of a truck driver killed when the cabin of his semitrailer was crushed under a goods train in Victoria's south-west, police say.
The New South Wales Government has announced that rail workshops in Goulburn are to be privatised.
A bomb hreat that shut down the Airtrain and two of Queensland Rail's major lines this afternoon is expected to have little disruption on peak-hour traffic
A horrific collision between a truck and a train in south-west Victoria this morning may have been prevented had the State Government spent money on upgrading Victoria's level crossings, says the State Opposition.
A WOMAN aged in her 50s died when she was hit by a train in Adelaide.
RESIDENTS in Sydney's public transport-starved north-west are refusing to believe the NSW Government's rail plans for their region until they see proof of action.
The announcement by the Premier, Morris Iemma, yesterday of a
A VICTORIAN truck driver involved in a crash that killed three people was a "madman" who had been deliberately racing a steam train, a court has been told.
PASSENGER train services between Adelaide and Melbourne will be disrupted into next week after a fatal collision between a truck and a goods train in Victoria's south-west.
The Mayor of the Goulburn-Mulwaree Shire says he expects there will be more jobs at the Goulburn rail workshops once they are privatised in July.
Passenger trains between Melbourne and Adelaide have been cancelled until at least Tuesday after a fatal collision between a truck and a freight train in the state's south-west yesterday.
Rail investigators may ramp up their investigation today at the site of yesterday's train and truck crash at Lismore in south-west Victoria.
The leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, Ted Baillieu, says he will consider appeals for the return of passenger rail services to south and west Gippsland.
INTERNATIONAL visitors and jetsetting Melburnians could catch a train between Tullamarine and the city under plans being pushed by influential lobby groups.
VICTORIA police are seeking witnesses to an incident in which two teenagers were robbed of a digital camera and a iPod by four men aboard a Melbourne tram.
A knife-wielding man attacked people streaming out of a gala ceremony for Berlin's new central rail station on Friday night, injuring up to 20 before being arrested, police said.
If you spend any time west of Swindon this summer, you are likely to bump into Mr Brunel.
On the bicentenary of the great engineer's birth, exhibitions and re-enactments abound and one or two Isambard Kingdom look-alikes are doing good business.
The diminutive genius didn't mind a row, and it would be intriguing to know what he would make of the controversy surrounding one of his most picturesque creations - the stretch of the Great Western Railway between Exeter and Plymouth.
Running towards Dawlish and Teignmouth, the line passes estuarine mud and sand flats dotted with sea birds and pleasure boats, while on the inland side the track is edged with red sandstone cliffs.
RECOVERY crews are still removing debris from the site of a freight train collision in which a truck driver died in southwest Victoria last week.
TRAIN commuters from Sydney's southern suburbs have been condemned to spending an extra 30 minutes a week on the rails under a new, "improved" slower timetable from yesterday.
GOVERNMENT policy that favours trucks over trains must be changed if rail is to carry a bigger share of freight in the future, says Australia's rail industry.
Students vie for the chance to design a Melbourne icon. By Lisa Mitchell.
TRAIN commuters from Sydney's southern suburbs have been condemned to spending an extra 30 minutes a week on the rails under a new, "improved" slower timetable from yesterday.
Repair crews are building a new section of track beside the scene of a fatal crash between a truck and a goods train in southwest Victoria.
Chugging through the western wilderness, Richard Jinman gets a feel for Tasmania's tough mining history.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says it has made the Lismore train crash one of its priority investigations.
Repair crews are building a new section of track beside the scene of a fatal crash between a truck and a goods train in south-west Victoria.
CityRail says the new timetable for the eastern suburbs, Illawarra and south coast lines coped well with its first major test this morning.
There were only 59 sightings for this week, which were 45 sightings down on last week, due to the derailment of AM3 near Lismore Victoria at 0730 Thursday. Making a total of 2461 sightings for this year to date. On day 147 last year we had seen 1960* sightings (* 1 weeks sightings missing March 2005).
THE Bendigo Better Rail Action Group is waiting until today's Budget announcement to see where the $10.5 billion Meeting Our Transport Challenges will be spent, and if its wishes have been granted.
THE new Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line timetable has angered commuters. Here's what you're saying:
Rail services between Melbourne and Adelaide could be restored tomorrow, six days after a fatal level crossing crash between a truck and a goods train in Victoria.
A new rail access agreement between the coal industry and Queensland Rail (QR) has been submitted to competition authorities, with the hope of ending uncertainty in rail investment.
State transport ministers from around Australia will consider adopting a national education strategy to make railway level crossings safer.
The rail industry says Federal Government policies unfairly favour trucks over trains for freight haulage.