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Lokan
Station Master
Joined: Jan 16, 2007
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:37 pm
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Mary Bolling
October 06, 2008 12:00am
| Quote: | | UNSTAFFED train stations are dangerous - that's the blunt warning being given to Melbourne rail users in a union campaign today. |
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24451063-2862,00.html
| Quote: | | Connex authorised officer deployment figures show non-premium stations Malvern, Noble Park, Yarraman and Albion are among some of Melbourne's worst for crime. |
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Metro Transit
Minister for Railways
Joined: Mar 08, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Stony Point Line & Frankston in Zone 3
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:56 pm
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Found at: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24451063-2862,00.html
| Quote: | Union warns unmanned stations are dangerous
Mary Bolling - October 06, 2008 12:00am
UNSTAFFED train stations are dangerous - that's the blunt warning being given to Melbourne rail users in a union campaign today.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has plastered the city's 209 train stations with a demand for all-day staff for an extra 56 Melbourne stations.
The union has warned the State Government its members will refuse to take the posters down - and if anyone removes them they'll put more up.
Pointing passengers to a website petition, the campaign is timed to embarrass the Government ahead of the release next month of its Victorian Transport Plan.
The posters depict scenes of unmanned stations - vandalised, dirty and haunted by threatening characters.
The union says the images aren't as bad as reality, with Connex reports showing unstaffed stations in the top 10 for worst crime rates in recent months.
Incident figures for August show that even train drivers and authorised officers have been victims of random attacks on empty platforms.
Only 73 Melbourne train stations are classed "premium", with staff from first until last trains.
There are 31 host stations with staff during peaks, while 105 others are never manned.
Connex authorised officer deployment figures show non-premium stations Malvern, Noble Park, Yarraman and Albion are among some of Melbourne's worst for crime.
RTBU state secretary Trevor Dobbyn said booming passenger numbers at the neglected stations should mean better service.
"Most of the stations have been basically abandoned, and there's nobody there to help you if you get into trouble," he said.
While the Government argues that unattended stations don't have the passenger numbers to justify more staff, 32 host and unstaffed stations have more than 1000 passengers every weekday, with school station Huntingdale getting more than 3300.
Connex incident reports for August show a range of attacks at train stations, including:
A WOMAN pushing a pram was thrown to the ground and robbed of her handbag in a subway under Broadmeadows station.
A 23-YEAR-OLD man was stabbed and seriously injured at Ringwood station, and was taken to hospital by another passenger.
POLICE were called after two separate incidents of late-night gang attacks on train drivers.
Mr Dobbyn said many more incidents went unrecorded, with no staff available to take reports.
Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky's spokesman, Stephen Moynihan, said the Government needed a good business case to upgrade a station, such as patronage growth and proximity to schools.
Since 1999, only 14 stations have been upgraded to premium, with three more due to complete upgrades in the next 12 months.
In 2006, the Government's commitment to upgrade seven stations and employ 26 new staff cost $27.7 million.
Connex spokesman John Rees said the rail network was "extremely safe".
"We're not saying there are never any incidents, nor that we don't have unruly or anti-social patrons, but they are the rarity in the 330,000 people who use the service every day," he said. |
Metro.
Metro Transit - For King and Country
Minister for Cultural and Ethnic Affairs, Minister for the Arts.
"Outstanding Contributor of the Month - September"
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esssee
Junior Train Controller
Joined: Jun 11, 2007
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:58 pm
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Don't read too much into deployment figures.
Noble Park, I would agree with, and the deployments were part of an attempt to tackle that.
Malvern is an AO depot, so it is effectively manned most of the time. Those Malvern deployments are probably jst at the start and finish of shift to be productive when there is no time to deploy elsewhere.
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Metro Transit
Minister for Railways
Joined: Mar 08, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Stony Point Line & Frankston in Zone 3
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:17 pm
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| Eratik wrote: | The fact that 2 train drivers were ganged up on at Ringwood, but Connex needs a "good business case" to upgrade stations is an absolute joke. Its unfortunate to think that the safety of its employees and its paying customers comes down to whether they fit into the "business case" or not.
| Post edited by RP staff | | Eratik's commenst quoted altered, as is post was deleted by mods. - Railpage Australia™ |
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The last time I was at Yarraman station was back in July when I got off there at quart to 8 at night as I parked there earlier in the day and up the top of the ramp were 2 rough looking me, in their early 40's kinda looked like bikies and they felt intimidating as they were looking around as if they were looking for some or something, so I just rang a friend and talked them just so I could pass them without trouble.
The place just needs better lighting, some CCTV and better access, but not an underpass thats for sure.
Metro.
Metro Transit - For King and Country
Minister for Cultural and Ethnic Affairs, Minister for the Arts.
"Outstanding Contributor of the Month - September"
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Batman1988
Locomotive Driver
Joined: Apr 17, 2008
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Iskenderun railway station, Republic of Hatay
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Metro Transit
Minister for Railways
Joined: Mar 08, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Stony Point Line & Frankston in Zone 3
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:36 pm
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| Batman1988 wrote: | | Metro Transit wrote: | | While the Government argues that unattended stations don't have the passenger numbers to justify more staff, 32 host and unstaffed stations have more than 1000 passengers every weekday, with school station Huntingdale getting more than 3300. |
Is there really a school at Huntingdale? Or are they mistaking it for Heyington? |
I'd say they are mistaken for Heyington.
Metro.
Metro Transit - For King and Country
Minister for Cultural and Ethnic Affairs, Minister for the Arts.
"Outstanding Contributor of the Month - September"
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pm1225
Deputy Commissioner
Joined: Aug 29, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:03 pm
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In the west [WA] we have enough CCTV on the suburban system to impress a third world dictator and fights etc still occur. But a lot of misbehaviour is urinating, smoking or drinking on unmanned stations. How much CCTV has the Melbourne suburban system? Maybe a lot of CCTV would help.
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SteamtoStay
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Sep 02, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Behind you!
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:05 pm
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| Metro Transit wrote: | | Batman1988 wrote: | | Metro Transit wrote: | | While the Government argues that unattended stations don't have the passenger numbers to justify more staff, 32 host and unstaffed stations have more than 1000 passengers every weekday, with school station Huntingdale getting more than 3300. |
Is there really a school at Huntingdale? Or are they mistaking it for Heyington? |
I'd say they are mistaken for Heyington.
Metro. |
There's a primary school nearby...
David S.
Vice President, Smart Passengers Inc
(My opinions are my own unless specifically stated.)
Holder of Cert I, Transport & Logistics
Bogie Winner 2008 - "Best Contribution to Signalling and Infrastructure"
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route14
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Dec 28, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:06 pm
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CCTV operates at most stations, the issue is timely reaction once incidents arise.
Not the black cat
nor the white cat
but the right cat
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Gwiwer
Rt Hon Gentleman and Ghost of Oliver Bulleid
Joined: Nov 22, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: Far away yet close at hand in images of elsewhere
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:23 pm
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It is no bad thing that the potential for crime to take place in unattended locations is being flagged.
What might make a better-balanced piece of journalism would be to compare the figures with a few premium stations (i.e. those which are staffed first to last train) and balance the raw figures against useage also.
There might for example be 10 serious incidents a year at Dandenong or Ringwood, which are fully staffed, and when looked at in the context of the number of passengers using those stations in that time the figures are small.
If you translate those same criteria to somewhere like Yarraman or Strathmore where there are no staff in attendance and far fewer passengers in total using the stations then 10 incidents in a year is a much higher ratio.
At that level there is a potential for such stations to be perceived as "more dangerous". It is the perception of danger which concerns most people rather than the incidence of actual violence.
There are a few (and it is only a very few) places around the network where threatening behaviour is a rather more regular occurrence.
Connex staff and police cannot be everywhere all the time and those hot spots are patrolled when possible but it is unlikely that anything will happen under the eyes of patrolling staff!
Other than that the system is very safe and the most that the majority of users will encounter is a little rowdy behaviour at times. Among station "users" there will be those who smoke, drink urinate and perform similar acts some consider to be socially undesireable but this seldom involves anyone other than those persons themselves. I accept that it might be mildly unpleasant or inconvenient for others at times.
CCTV will only deter to a certain degree and does not provide suitable response in a timely manner. Only staffing of stations is likely to assist in that. Even that is no guarantee as users of Ringwood, Dandenong and a few other locations might testify.
On my visits to Queensland I find that despite continuous staff attendance there are a few social problems at some stations. Nerang (a staffed station) seems to attract a few undesireables but with relatively little system knowledge it would be unfair of me to single that out as there are no doubt others. Adelaide, with its suburban stations almost entirely without staff, must suffer even more.
Melbourne is by no means unique.
CEO Penhayle Bay Railway. Ferroequinologist. BA Hons (Honourable Bachelor of Aquatarts  )
The wise yet mysterious Sir Gwiwer Greybeard |
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trolleybusracer
Deputy Commissioner
Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: St Albans Sydenham Watergardens Line
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:29 am
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Albion station isnt really that bad i use the place at all hours and havent seen anything yet
Just because the underpass gets repainted every day (or 2) Doesnt mean anything 
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WiRED
Station Master
Joined: Oct 25, 2007
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:28 am
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Lol did we need them to tell us that?
Cheers,
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Heihachi_73
Deputy Commissioner
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
Location: Ringwood Stopping all stations except East Richmond
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:34 am
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| Gwiwer wrote: | | ... Ringwood, ... fully staffed |
If you call platform 3 anything useful at all, since every single up and down service at night departs platforms 1 and 2, where all the trouble is. Lately, not even the security guards or AOs show up there, except when changing trains.
Not that they even do a good job at staffing there anyway, I've had to wait up to 10 minutes on more than one occasion just to get a 10 x 2 hour, Sunday Saver or Early Bird ticket from the office there, as 'early' as 9:20 at night sometimes. It's anyone's guess why they decide to close the 1+2 office and keep the disused, closed platform 3's office open. About the only thing alive at Ringwood's platform 3 ticket office after 8:30 is the LED sign there.
You cannot run from your own bunghole.
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K-Class
Locomotive Fireman
Joined: May 15, 2008
Last Visited: Nov 20, 2008
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:24 am
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My understanding is that at most maned stations there is only one person there. What do you expect them to do if something does occur. All they can do is call for backup, which is no quicker than having someone watching a CCT screen. So unless they have at least 2 staff on at each station and having them in the areas that people are, they are useless except as ticket sales/information staff.
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mjja
Sir Nigel Gresley
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 16, 2008
Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:41 am
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I travel home on the train late at night fairly regularly (at least once a week for the past year or so) and have never seen anything more serious than a drunk passenger.
Happy Gunzelling and remember, "Go by rail!"
Michael Angelico
President, Smart Passengers Inc
(My opinions are my own unless specifically stated.)
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