All change at Moorabbin: Rail replacement buses to Caulfield

The road/rail grade separation works and rebuilding of stations meant that Frankston line train passengers had to board replacement buses during June/July 2016. This video shows the temporary bus interchanges and passenger movements at Moorabbin and Caulfield.

Major Plenty Valley bus network revamp

The Mill Park - Doreen area got a major bus network revamp on this day. Routes were generally simplified. Most of the new routes were scheduled to run every 20 min peak, 40 min off-peak with some two route corridors scheduled to provide double combined frequency. There was also a major upgrade for Route 570 running east-west across the area. 

A write-up on this network is here: https://bcsv.org.au/vm/2016-07-24-new-plenty-valley-network/

The bus network was conceived to prepare for the under construction Mernda rail extension, with relatively changes needed afterwards once the new stations were open. These opened (with complementary bus network changes) in August 2018. 

Note: Item written retrospectively for posterity. 

No immediate train timetable boost (Age article)

Article on lack of upgraded train timetables since the July 2014 upgrades despite the capacity freed up by Regional Rail Link opening in June 2015 and new trains being available. Talks about train crowding. Next service upgrades to be end of year at earliest.  

Without future service upgrades peak trains from Williamstown and Altona will continue to run every 22 min in the peak while Altona passengers travelling weekday interpeak will need to change trains at Newport - something which had been criticised as inconvenient and unreliable at public meetings. 

Age article: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-to-go-more-than-two-years-without-a-peakhour-train-timetable-boost-20160712-gq46d3.html

PTUA response: https://www.ptua.org.au/2016/07/12/where-is-the-new-timetable/

Note: This article was posted retrospectively to aid historical research.

Melbourne's Frankston Line road-rail grade separations: Part 6

Reconstruction of railway and stations at Bentleigh, McKinnon and Ormond following the grade separation of Centre, McKinnon and North roads. July 10, 2016.