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Man dies after being struck by train in Melbourne’s south-west
Victoria Police will prepare a report for the coroner after a man was struck by a train in Seaholme after 11.30am today.
Police said it appeared the man had been attempting to cross the train tracks at a pedestrian crossing when the outbound train struck him. The man died at the scene.
Seaholme station.Credit: Luke Hemer
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Anyone with information or dashcam/CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Melbourne Metro gets its Instagram moment
By Cara Waters
Our train network is not particularly photogenic, but today was the day that Melbourne’s Metro got its Instagram moment.
Travelling in the Metro Tunnel underneath the city for the first time today, it was hard to resist whipping out my phone to take photos.
Vernal Glade by Patricia Piccinini at Parkville station.Credit: Cara Waters
I certainly wasn’t the only one.
The stations feel very Melbourne with their soaring ceilings, exposed concrete and pops of bright orange and yellow steel.
It’s hard not to be impressed byVernal Glade, the large-scale Patricia Piccinini artwork that runs along the wall of the Parkville station with its retro looking colourful ceramic tiles, or the sheer length of the 42-metre escalator at the State Library – 12 metres longer than the escalators at Parliament station.
The trains for the most part have been running smoothly through the tunnel, hurtling along from Arden station to Anzac, crossing directly under the Yarra River.
The escalators near the underground concourse connecting State Library station and Melbourne Central.Credit: Jason South
I interviewed the lead architect for the $15 billion project, Ivan Harbour, when it was still under construction, and he said the scale of the stations would be something that would make passengers stop and look.
“In a world of social media and trillions of images flying around at any point in time, I suspect there’ll be a lot of so-called Instagram moments,” he said. “I think that’s a delightful thing.”
The only downside is that the Metro Tunnel shows up just how run-down and scruffy other parts of the train network are.
A walk back in time: Town Hall to Melbourne Central
By Gemma Grant
Exiting the shiny new Town Hall station and entering a Melbourne Central platform is like walking back in time.
The fresh concrete floors and sparkly lights are replaced by the scuffed walls and surfaces of an older station.
Friends Chrysann Yee and Rachel Baxter explored the Metro Tunnel’s new stations together.Credit: Gemma Grant
The walk between the two is only a matter of metres.
Friends Chrysann Yee and Rachel Baxter are travelling to visit friends in the suburbs after a day of exploring the Metro Tunnel.
They’re hopping onto a Glen Waverley service, which won’t run through the Metro Tunnel.
Baxter said she had one thought when walking into one of the new stations: “Wow. It’s beautiful.”
But being snapped back to the reality of the City Loop is a funny feeling.
“[The new stations] are much cleaner. I wish the old toilets were better,” Baxter said.
What do you think of the tunnel?
Did you ride the trains through the Metro Tunnel today?
Do you think the tunnel will change the way Melburnians travel?
We’d love to hear from you.
In pictures: A ride through the Metro Tunnel
Our photographers have followed the first trains as they travelled through the Metro Tunnel and brought you images of the five new stations throughout the day.
Here are some more pictures of the first day of Metro Tunnel operations.
Passengers on the first train to go through the Metro Tunnel.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Read all about it: Metro Tunnel services begin.Credit: Simon Schluter
Walking through Anzac station.Credit: Photograph by Chris Hopkins
Train passengers at Anzac station.Credit: Chris Hopkins
There is no shortage of train enthusiasts enjoying their time in the Metro Tunnel.Credit: Getty Images
Watch: Tunnel opening excites commuters
By Gabriela Sumampow
Before the first trains left East Pakenham and Sunbury stations this morning, we spoke to some passengers about how they were feeling about the tunnel’s opening.
Watch the video below.
Father and daughter make memories
By Patrick Hatch
Ryan Bilszta was a hardcore trainspotter for many years before the hobby – which has the tendency to become an obsession – took a backseat while family and work became priorities.
The opening of the Metro Tunnel reignited his engine – and this time, he wanted to share it with his daughter Hannah, 8.
Train enthusiasts Ryan Bilszta and his daughter Hannah from Pascoe Vale were among the first passengers to ride the train through the new Metro Tunnel.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“These are memories,” he told this masthead this morning as the first Sunbury train approached the tunnel entrance.
Bilszta spent Saturday night visiting the new stations, and was up early travelling from Pascoe Vale to Sunbury to secure a spot on the first service.
An excited young passenger at Sunbury station waves at those on the first service towards the Metro Tunnel on Sunday morning.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“Historically, politically, economically and everything in Australia, the railways have a really important role in so many different ways,” he said.
“For the minimal effort involved and for the historical significance, it’s something that you wouldn’t miss.
“It’s a pretty valuable asset to have in your brain, that you were on the inaugural service.”
Platform screen doors cause hiccups at Anzac station
By Patrick Hatch
As we mentioned earlier, there have been some issues today with one of the new technologies used in the Metro Tunnel stations: platform screen doors.
At Anzac, Metro gave up trying to get the doors to open on a heavily delayed city-bound train and sent it on its way. The train had overshot the platform by half a door width.
Anzac station’s platform screen doors have caused some issues.Credit: Chris Hopkins
The next train arrived a few minutes later – and this time came to halt about 100 metres too early, prompting groans and laughter from waiting passengers.
The train shunted forward, and this time stopped on a dime, to applause, finally allowing the platform screen doors to open and passengers to board.
To read more about IT challenges during station construction, click here.
Super-sized platforms longer than Metro trains
By Cara Waters
At Parkville station, the announcer is warning passengers about which door to stand at to get on the train.
“If you wish to board this train you have to be at doors one to 21. Any doors beyond this will not have carriages you can board,” the announcer said.
Parkville station’s platform.Credit: Chris Hopkins
That’s because the stations have been built with an eye to the future when longer trains are anticipated.
The Metro Tunnel platforms are 220 metres long, allowing them to accommodate future trains of up to 10 carriages. Initially, trains are running with seven carriages.
Passengers Karen Tsui and Hannah Li were getting ready to board at door two at Parkville.
Passengers Karen Tsui and Hannah Li at Parkville station.Credit: Cara Waters
Tsui said she was keen to check out the completed station after seeing the construction over the years.
“I used to live here so I heard a lot of the construction – the sound, the noise,” she said.
She said the finished station was “very neat and very new”.
Metro Tunnel has some of the longest platforms in the world. They are longer than Sydney’s Metro platforms, which are 170 metres.
In the meantime, just watch which door you board at.
Better disability access at Anzac than older stations
By Patrick Hatch
Catherine Beck ranks herself as “a medium” on the train nerd scale.
Catherine Beck says the access for her mobility walker is better at the new Metro Tunnel stations compared to Southern Cross Station. Credit: Patrick Hatch
But as someone with a disability, she has a particular interest in the new Metro Tunnel.
Beck, who travelled on the first train from Sunbury, uses a mobility walker and sometimes a wheelchair.
Platforms at five new stations line up level with the trains, meaning she could alight at Anzac without assistance.
“Getting off here was so easy compared to the likes of Southern Cross, where you need to have the driver actually come out and pull the ramp out,” Beck, 41, said.
“With any of these new stations, you don’t have to. Even if I’ve got my wheelchair, I’m still able to get on and off without a problem.”
Beck, whose father and grandfather were railway workers, said that would make travelling to the city from her home in Sunshine far less stressful.
“It means I feel more normal. I’m not having to bother the driver or any staff or anything like that,” she said.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
