A spokesperson for the conservative Transport Workers' Union at a Labor Party conference said Victoria is an embarrassment to Australia with not having a train to the airport, especially as every other Australian capital city has one.
Our airport line has been planned, work well and truly began but has now ceased as the State Government has suspending funding until it is in a better financial position. An argument is continuing over whether the station at the airport should be underground, the airport management's preference or the State Government's preference for a cheaper at ground level station. While a private company might operate the airport, the airport is owned by the Federal Government. I honestly don't know which would be better for users. Above ground sounds like a walk, below ground will be lifts and escalators and not necessarily better. I don't know, but I do know the airport management will be arguing for an underground station for some financial reason. It wants the surface land for something? It doesn't want to lose the parking revenue from having a train service to the airport so is it just delaying the train project?
Back to the point, the TWU person said every other Australian city has an airport train. He diluted his argument with false information.
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia doesn't have an airport train, nor does the Hobart capital city of our island state Tasmania. Perth, the capital city of Western Australia has only just opened its railway line from the city to its airport. I don't know how convenient it is yet.
Neither of our two major Territories has airport trains, Canberra in the Australian Capitol Territory and Darwin in our Northern Territory.
Nor does my city of Melbourne in Victoria. There is a good chance I'll be dead by the time the train line is built.
C'est la vie.
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Misinformation, other wise known as lies, is rife. And few have the time, the energy or the skills to put into the checking required. Canberra has inefficient buses to the airport. Taxis, and Uber and the like make a killing.
ReplyDeleteEC, yes a word invented to make things sound better than a lie, and I should have used the word lie, or ignorance. Our bus service to the airport is privately operated and very expensive, but there is one every ten minutes and it is very efficient. I'm sure if your bus took pollies to the airport, instead of their chauffeured cars, it would be first class.
DeleteAfter many years of travelling around the world, one of my main criteria these days in choosing where to fly to is a decent, reliable airport train service. Airport taxis are usually expensive and sometimes not quite trustworthy.
ReplyDeletePoliticians offering disinformation? Surely not.
JayCee, I so agree. It makes the travel experience so much less stressful.
DeleteYou are so spot on with the airport train line being delayed for so long. My visits to Airport this year is plagued by so many cars trying to send off passengers. It is impossible to avoid the crowd even at 2 am in the morning!
ReplyDeleteRoentare, maybe the train will be cheaper than the current private bus, but it won't be much quicker.
DeleteI notice there is no mention of Brisbane. Do they have an airport train? Does anybody still go to Brisbane?
ReplyDeleteSorry spelling mistake.
DeleteYes - now 24 hours - at long last. It was till 9.00 pm
and in the morning at 6.00 am. Sense at last prevailed !!!!
BNE is a 24 hour arrival/departure airport.
Anyhow what's wrong with Brisbane??????????
Colin
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My mistake River. Yes, it is quite a good train service from the airport to Roma Street Station in Brisbane. We used the train two years ago and would have used it again in August for a planned holiday.
DeleteColin, we were there two years ago and planned to be there in August. I like Brisbane, in the winter.
DeleteAugust????
DeleteEkka month (the country show time and the wretched August winds and flu).
Andrew! That is the worst month to visit by the length of the
Flemington Strait.
Colin
Colin; cyclones, floods, hair-frizzing humidity. We lived there when the ex was in the Army (we lived everywhere while he was in the Army) and two children were born there, but I have no wish to go back.
DeleteWasn't there some scuttlebutt a while ago that when they built Tullamarine they built a train station underground just in case?
ReplyDeleteSo Sydney, Perth and Brisbane (yes, River!) are the only cities out of the 8 states and territories that have trains to their airport. Someone needs to learn how to count. Or maybe some geography.
It was just that Merlot, scuttlebutt. They should have done it though. Indeed that union official does need to check before opening his gob on a public stage.
DeleteTaking a train to the airport would be wonderful, but why would it have to be underground? No city on the planet could afford that.
ReplyDeleteHels, what is it, four or five underground stations have been built as part of new underground train line. Yes, it is expensive, but we are a rich country.
DeleteThey talk our their backsides sometimes Andrew, it's always full of xxxt.
ReplyDeletePrecisely Margaret, and that was certainly what is was.
DeleteAlways carry a bucket of salt - you need more than a pinch these days to counteract the 'mistruths'!
ReplyDeleteHaha JB. Yes, so true.
DeleteIt would be great (if it ever happened) for visitors to Melbourne and maybe for those locals who don’t mind humping their luggage around - personally I prefer to drive to the airport and park long term (or even short) and get a shuttle to departures rather than catch the bus to the station, lug cases onto a train, lug them onto another then haul them from wherever the stop will be to the departures.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes some do need to have the correct facts before waxing lyrical about anything
Cathy, taxi fares have risen so much. It was cheaper for us to book the long term carpark in advance, and it works quite well now. But there is the suitcase lugging when using any form of transport. To leave a train without lifting a suitcase and into a station would be nice. Lugging suitcases is something you learn when you are older. We used to carry wheelless suitcases when we were young.
ReplyDeleteIt seems you can argue what you want these days, and it doesn't have to be true. Facts don't change peoples' minds.
ReplyDeleteTasker, and haven't we seen this world wide.
DeleteKind of off topic, but what's the difference between a state and a territory? Why is the Northern Territory a territory but Western Australia and Victoria (for example) are states?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question Steve, said by politicians as they try to think of a deflecting a direct answer. All are self governing, but the Federal Government more power over the territories and is ultimately responsible for funding them. Two examples are the Northern Territory legalised euthanasia. That was struck down by the Federal Government. The Australian Capitol Territory legalised same sex marriage. Sister and Bone Doctor rushed to the ACT and were legally married. The legislation was struck down by the Federal Government and their marriage was annulled. They have since remarried under State law. In summary, the Federal Government has much more control over the territories than the states.
DeleteI don't know how broadcasting stations get away with airing outright lies from advertisers, politicians, etc. Our channels here routinely air medicare scam ads, for one. Besides the constant political ads that often include many lies. There's no refuge for the truth.
ReplyDeleteWhat is needed Strayer is strong regulation by a government authority. We supposedly have one, but it doesn't stop the outrageous Fox like right wing nutters.
DeleteAn underground station would increase the cost tenfold (found out this one from one of my patients who helped plan our light rapid transit), to what end?
ReplyDeletePixie, if I am correct, it is to help the airport operator's profit.
DeleteWe have a train going from Waterloo to the airport, directly where the check in is. That's truly a miracle because public transport is more then a catastrophe here !
ReplyDeleteThat's good Gattina. I am sure it is not quite as bad as you think.
DeleteGood luck getting anything solved. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Sandra, futile come to mind.
DeleteWe have a train from downtown through the west end of the city to the airport but it is a pain to get to it from the east end. I try to get a ride with someone or take a taxi.
ReplyDeleteI travelled on the train shortly after it opened Pat. It was hot and the aircon broke down, so the train had to halt and be reset. It was hard to find somewhere at the airport to buy a travel card but by having the card, it was quite a discount over the normal fare. I expect these teething issues have well and truly been fixed now. I guess you mean it is time consuming to get to Union Station to catch the airport train.
DeleteMisinformation/alternative facts/bullshit bugs me to no end. Our newspaper was printing provably untrue information during covid. I challenged the editor on this. He explained to me that it was not his job to separate fact from fiction. We stopped getting the newspaper.i will never understand how my country has gotten to this point.
ReplyDeleteTabloid papers can be pretty light on truth at times, as has been proven many times. But in theory and the ideals of journalism, only the truth should be published. Opinion pieces are a bit different but if they shouldn't repeat or work from lies and non facts.
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