I'll have a good laugh at the "No Skyrail" fake news propagandists when the first Maryvale paper train trundles along it

Well, one of my Twitter friends managed to get a short video of the Maryvale freight using the elevated section at Noble Park. It seems to be moving a bit slower but there's no doubt the section can handle it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/speedemon08/40231582952

Whilst heading out for a visit to Noble Park today, I noticed that the new bus interchange at Huntingdale is all but complete and due to open tomorrow.

This will mean that the thousands (it was 6k three years ago) of commuters catching the 601 to and from Monash won't have to cross Huntingdale Road to catch the bus. I didn't look around there much, but I trust that the stops has been designed with articulated buses in mind, given that the 601 will require them to cope with increasing patronage.

And overnight another span was placed in Murrumbeena. Clearly part of the new Hughesdale Station with all the cut-outs on the side.

This must be the one.

by Gauntlet, on Flickr
There's about six more spans to go to finish the down down track at Hughesdale.
Near Caulfield there are four spans to go and one is waiting next to the ruler near Grange Road.

I made a new video on the elevated skyrail, the new Nobel park & the new metro trains. I was trying to make up a whole story that I got on the new train at Springvale and then ended up at Nobel Park. Hope you find the video informative.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyABT2n2ZSM

By last Thursday evening, 22/2, the northern ends of both viaducts were complete to the Caulfield abutment. The straddle crane placed all of the beams. By today, the northern ruler had been partially dismantled. It will all be removed on Tuesday. Work is continuing on the foundations of the earth filled abutment.

By today, the span crossing Poath Rd at the southern end of the Down viaduct had been placed. The southern end of the Up viaduct still has not been extended beyond Murrumbeena, however the massive steel buffer stops had been relocated to prevent the straddle crane from heading northwards.

Erection of the overall roof has commenced at Murrumbeena.

A local started chatting at Hughesdale. It was clear that he was of the anti skyrail mindset, considering the viaducts an eyesore and a magnet for graffiti. I didn't roll my eyes, but I think he got the message that I thought he was a nimby. On the other hand, at least one local from the Grange Rd area has visited the Noble Park viaduct and noted that the trains were quieter than near his house.

The Down viaduct between Caulfield and Oakleigh was very quietly completed (*)  sometime since I last posted. Only the embankments at each end now need to be completed.

One of the rulers has been shifted to the Up viaduct, and construction is well advanced between Murrumbeena and Hughesdale. As at today they were putting in the span at the end of Roselle St - almost exactly halfway between Murrumbeena and Poath Roads. Barring unforeseen accidents, I reckon the viaducts will be completed in one to two weeks.

Construction at Roselle St was quite impressive - this is the only bit between Caulfield and Oakleigh where the line is on an embankment, and Railway Pde is right next to the line. The straddle crane certainly towered above the road...

(*) I would have expected a press release, or at least an email, from the LXRA.

Thanks for your updates Historian.

One minor point - it's Rosella Street, like the bird (or perhaps the sauce).

The Down viaduct between Caulfield and Oakleigh was very quietly completed (*)  sometime since I last posted. Only the embankments at each end now need to be completed.

One of the rulers has been shifted to the Up viaduct, and construction is well advanced between Murrumbeena and Hughesdale. As at today they were putting in the span at the end of Roselle St - almost exactly halfway between Murrumbeena and Poath Roads. Barring unforeseen accidents, I reckon the viaducts will be completed in one to two weeks.

Construction at Roselle St was quite impressive - this is the only bit between Caulfield and Oakleigh where the line is on an embankment, and Railway Pde is right next to the line. The straddle crane certainly towered above the road...

(*) I would have expected a press release, or at least an email, from the LXRA.

Do you know exactly how much of the Up viaduct has been completed? Also any updates in regards to the stations?

ROFL, I sort of wondered if the chap with the larger camera and the IT shirt was a RailPager! I was the woman filming with her mobile yesterday.

It was indeed impressive. And impressively slow. I observed for 50 minutes; the carrier was most of the way way over the ruler when I arrived and it took 50 minutes from that point to the span being in place. I went past again an hour and a half later and the carrier had only just started heading back to Murrumbeena.

It was impressive that the final placement was adjusted by 4 men on each pier pushing the span slightly to the side. I did notice that the gap between this span and the previous one was a little larger but that should just be an expansion joint.

At 7:30 last night the ruler was secured to the next pier and a span waiting at Murrumbeena. I wonder if they put another one up overnight? I had a letter offering relocation for the week due to night works.

Audrey

At 7 am this morning another span had been installed overnight - and the carrier was sitting on top of it with yet another span. The carrier was about to start travelling on the ruler.

At this rate it will be completed very quickly! The Poath Road level crossing is closed to traffic on Saturday so I assume they are placing that span then.

Audrey

Whilst heading out for a visit to Noble Park today, I noticed that the new bus interchange at Huntingdale is all but complete and due to open tomorrow.

This will mean that the thousands (it was 6k three years ago) of commuters catching the 601 to and from Monash won't have to cross Huntingdale Road to catch the bus. I didn't look around there much, but I trust that the stops has been designed with articulated buses in mind, given that the 601 will require them to cope with increasing patronage.

Yes, both Huntingdale Station Bus Interchange and Monash University Interchange have been designed to allow 601 buses to be upgraded to articulated vehicles. When the 601 started there were three buses on this service, and we are now up to five. Further numbers of buses aren't really ideal - it's time to add capacity rather than frequency. Interestingly, an articulated bus with three double doors would actually load and unload significantly faster than the current vehicles.

Whilst heading out for a visit to Noble Park today, I noticed that the new bus interchange at Huntingdale is all but complete and due to open tomorrow.

This will mean that the thousands (it was 6k three years ago) of commuters catching the 601 to and from Monash won't have to cross Huntingdale Road to catch the bus. I didn't look around there much, but I trust that the stops has been designed with articulated buses in mind, given that the 601 will require them to cope with increasing patronage.

Yes, both Huntingdale Station Bus Interchange and Monash University Interchange have been designed to allow 601 buses to be upgraded to articulated vehicles. When the 601 started there were three buses on this service, and we are now up to five. Further numbers of buses aren't really ideal - it's time to add capacity rather than frequency. Interestingly, an articulated bus with three double doors would actually load and unload significantly faster than the current vehicles.

Thanks Revenue, good to hear.

The dwell times are too long to be able to run more buses. The 601 needs articulated buses with extra doors and as much standing room as possible to keep up with growing demand.

I don't even know why they bother with seats on the 601 either, espeically in low floor area (minus a couple of people with disability). Cram as many in as possible I think.

From the balcony of Iron Henry cafe



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While I haven't been to Noble park since the first Saturday, but a new entrance that doesn't use the old underpass near the old station should be open by now.
This should be good, the way you got in when it first opened took a good 5 minutes.

ROFL, I sort of wondered if the chap with the larger camera and the IT shirt was a RailPager! I was the woman filming with her mobile yesterday.

I'm glad I was polite And my wife can take better pictures with her iphone than than I can with my 'larger' camera. Photography is about your eye, not your equipment.

Do you know exactly how much of the Up viaduct has been completed? Also any updates in regards to the stations?

As at mid afternoon today, the Up viaduct is complete to within about 9 or 10 spans of Poath Rd (i.e. Hughesdale). So they seem to be doing a bit over 100 metres per day. Of course, the straddle crane doesn't have far to travel so the cycle times are fairly short.

As falconea says, Poath Road will be closed this Saturday, so they expect the section over the road to be completed then. That would leave only about 3 spans to do.

Drunkill has posted some photos of Murrumbeena station. The only things I'd note is that 1) the first bay of the platform verandah has been erected (this is partially obscured by the tree in the photo); and 2) the ground level buildings on the Up side seem to be complete to 'lock up stage'. I'm sure the insides haven't been fitted out, though.

Carnegie is not so advanced. I drove past today and it appears that they are still working on the platforms. None of the roof/side protection has been erected. The ground level buildings, however, are at a similar state.

Hughesdale hasn't even been started, including the ground level buildings.

It just occurred to me that the platform access to the new stations will be on the centre lines of the platforms. That is, right in the middle of the existing tracks. Presumably they won't be able to start work on that until the existing lines are closed and lifted. There will be a shut, of course, but I'm wondering if the skyrail will be opened before Carnegie, Murrumbeena, and Hughesdale stations?

It just occurred to me that the platform access to the new stations will be on the centre lines of the platforms. That is, right in the middle of the existing tracks. Presumably they won't be able to start work on that until the existing lines are closed and lifted. There will be a shut, of course, but I'm wondering if the skyrail will be opened before Carnegie, Murrumbeena, and Hughesdale stations?

Yep, I think they'll close the line down and complete Murrumbeena station to a current state that Noble Park is in, functional but not yet complete while dismantling the giant gantry cranes. They can then throw all the workers at finishing Murrumbeena and getting it open in only a week or so of shutdown. This gives the government 4 level crossings gone as soon as the shutdown begins and a week or two later one new 80% complete station opening to spruik to the media.

By then Carnegie will be mostly complete as well with installation of the escalators, lifts and stairs, building fitouts and ground level works so it can open ~two weeks later with weekend shutdowns it will be in a similar state of completion and start passenger usage; another press event.

During that long shutdown the platform deck and shell structure of Hughesdale can be completed with the line underneath being dismantled. Because of the layout of the construction zone the station buildings have not yet begun to be built there so it will require the line above to be open and running to begin construction of the station entrance and ground level buildings. Station to open a month maybe 2 after Carnegie I'd say.

In that time the other stations on the line would be 100% complete other than ground level landscaping which will take a bit longer.

Hughesdale opens and within 2 months the linear park and bike trail opens along the entire length of the line, possibly in sections from the Dandenong end towards the city.

It just occurred to me that the platform access to the new stations will be on the centre lines of the platforms. That is, right in the middle of the existing tracks. Presumably they won't be able to start work on that until the existing lines are closed and lifted. There will be a shut, of course, but I'm wondering if the skyrail will be opened before Carnegie, Murrumbeena, and Hughesdale stations?

Yep, I think they'll close the line down and complete Murrumbeena station to a current state that Noble Park is in, functional but not yet complete while dismantling the giant gantry cranes. They can then throw all the workers at finishing Murrumbeena and getting it open in only a week or so of shutdown. This gives the government 4 level crossings gone as soon as the shutdown begins and a week or two later one new 80% complete station opening to spruik to the media.

By then Carnegie will be mostly complete as well with installation of the escalators, lifts and stairs, building fitouts and ground level works so it can open ~two weeks later with weekend shutdowns it will be in a similar state of completion and start passenger usage; another press event.

During that long shutdown the platform deck and shell structure of Hughesdale can be completed with the line underneath being dismantled. Because of the layout of the construction zone the station buildings have not yet begun to be built there so it will require the line above to be open and running to begin construction of the station entrance and ground level buildings. Station to open a month maybe 2 after Carnegie I'd say.

In that time the other stations on the line would be 100% complete other than ground level landscaping which will take a bit longer.

Hughesdale opens and within 2 months the linear park and bike trail opens along the entire length of the line, possibly in sections from the Dandenong end towards the city.

Clayton in April
Carnegie and Murrumbeena and the whole viaduct in June
Hughesdale station by October

It just occurred to me that the platform access to the new stations will be on the centre lines of the platforms. That is, right in the middle of the existing tracks. Presumably they won't be able to start work on that until the existing lines are closed and lifted. There will be a shut, of course, but I'm wondering if the skyrail will be opened before Carnegie, Murrumbeena, and Hughesdale stations?

Yep, I think they'll close the line down and complete Murrumbeena station to a current state that Noble Park is in, functional but not yet complete while dismantling the giant gantry cranes. They can then throw all the workers at finishing Murrumbeena and getting it open in only a week or so of shutdown.

I'm wondering if it will be that fast.

Nothing can be done on the foundations for the stairs, lifts, or escalators at Murrumbeena or Carnegie until the existing lines are closed, lifted, and the site remediated. And the foundations need to be done before the permanent structures can be erected. (I would suspect that they will bury the existing formation and make the ground up to the existing platform level which might speed things up.) One possibility would be temporary scafolding stairs and busing anyone that needs to use mechanical access.

At Noble Park, the new station was off to one side of the existing track so the erection of the stairs etc could proceed before the shut. Even then they only managed to get the stairs and one set of lifts in use during the shut itself. And passengers could not cross the former lines at ground level (they had to continue to go through the subway) so the track removal/remediation hadn't been completed.

The other side of the murrumbeena canopy was being put up tonight, came across them hoisting it up at 2am

The crawler has finished its job. Poath road has been fully bridged by both viaducts. The two giant gantry cranes at Murrumbeena will be dismantled over the next couple of weeks and they have begun building support towers to dismantle it.


The remaining few spans will be lifted by mobile cranes on site, we're getting there, only a few months to go.

The viaduct structure is finished.

The last span in the Up viaduct has been placed by the straddle crane - might have been this morning, but was probably over the last few days. Today the straddle crane was at Hughesdale and picked up the ruler and carried it back to Murrumbeena.

That will be the last time it moves over the viaduct; both it and the gantry cranes will now be dismantled.