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Australia

Sydney news: Illawarra South Coast Line commuters urged to take alternative transport due to industrial action

Sydney news: Illawarra South Coast Line commuters urged to take alternative transport due to industrial action

Here’s what you need to know this morning.

Illawarra rail line closed

From 10am to 4pm today there will be no trains running on the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra and South Coast rail lines due to ongoing industrial action.

Although the protected action does not officially start until 10am, the head of Sydney Trains predicts impacts from about 6am.

“We urge all our customers to plan ahead by catching alternative public transport or working from home on Wednesday if possible,” Matt Longland said.

He said the line, which runs from Bondi Junction to Bomaderry, would not be fully operational until about 8pm.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) secretary Alex Claassens said union members were fighting for a greater commitment from the government to fix the new intercity fleet.

The RTBU says the fleet, built in South Korea, has a safety flaw which means guards cannot monitor passengers getting on and off the train.

The government has agreed to the safety changes in an enterprise agreement but the union wants a deed of agreement.

Mr Claassens said the NSW government chose to inconvenience customers on the T4 line today by not bringing in trains from other areas.

“90 per cent of our train crews and trains are still available to go form the other regions into that region to provide a level of service,” he said.

“Unfortunately… [Sydney Trains] management made a decision that they weren’t going to run any additional trains on that Illawarra line.”

Monkeypox vaccine rollout goal

a health professional holding a vial of monkeypox dose
There are currently 33 cases of the virus in NSW, two of which were locally acquired.(Reuters: Given Ruvic/Illustration)

The government wants everyone in NSW who takes HIV-prevention medication to be vaccinated against monkeypox before WorldPride 2023.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the government was aiming to have the 22,000 people who currently took pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) inoculated before Sydney hosted the pride event next March.

“NSW Health has been working with community partners … including doctors who have a special interest in HIV and sexual health … to support the vaccine rollout,” Mr Hazzard said during Question Time in parliament yesterday.

“With monkeypox cases increasing internationally, it’s expected there will be further cases in NSW and local transmission may increase rapidly.”

Men who have sex with men are considered most at risk of contracting monkeypox, which spreads through skin to skin contact.

There are currently 33 cases of the virus in NSW, two of which were locally acquired.

Vaccines are already being distributed in Sydney and on the Far North Coast, with 5,500 doses being provided by the federal government.

NSW Health expects to receive between 24,500 and 30,000 doses in September and another 70,000 in early 2023.

The symptoms of monkeypox include headache, fever, chills, sore throat, body aches, rash, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue. The rash may initially look like pimples.

Resignation letter sought from building commissioner

The NSW Building Commissioner’s private resignation could be made public amid scrutiny over the conduct of sacked Fair Trading minister Eleni Petinos.

Commissioner David Chandler quit in late July.

The state opposition wants to see Mr Chandler’s resignation letter, amid reports the relationship between Mr Chandler and Ms Petinos had soured.

Debate on a motion to compel the state government to hand over a copy of the letter is expected today.

Ms Petinos was sacked from cabinet last month over bullying allegations.

Bill to ban Nazi symbols passes

A state government bill to ban displays of Nazi symbols in public has passed the lower house with unanimous support.

The bill criminalises knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public without a “reasonable excuse”, which includes artistic, academic or educational purposes.

Offenders can face 12 months’ imprisonment or fines of up to $11,000 for individuals and $55,000 for corporations.

Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the bill would provide additional safeguards against hate speech.

“The display of a Nazi symbol undermines our shared values ​​and causes harm and distress to others in the community, including those from the Jewish faith,” he said.

“This bill recognizes that the public display of Nazi symbols is abhorrent, except in very limited circumstances such as for educational purposes.”

The bill will ensure that use of a swastika by religious groups including Buddhists, Hindus and Jains will not be a criminal offence.

Mr Speakman said he expected the bill to pass the upper house and be enacted by next week.

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Categories
Australia

Industrial action to stop train services on Illawarra South Coast line

Wollongong train station in the afternoon, with commuters waiting.

The rail union says it has been advised Transport for New South Wales will shut down the Illawarra rail line on Wednesday, amid planned industrial action.

Workers at dozens of stations including Wollongong are set to walk off the job for six hours on Wednesday, as the union’s ongoing dispute with the state government about the safety of new trains continues.

But the union says Transport management yesterday advised it of plans escalate planned action by deciding to stop running trains on the Illawarra South Coast line.

Alex Claassens from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union says it’s disappointing as the industrial action was designed to ensure services could continue to run.

“Senior management and the transport bureaucrats have made a decision they are going to stop all trains on the Illawarra line from 6am to 8pm Wednesday which we believe is a drastic escalation of our industrial action,” he said.

“Yet again it’s another example the transport bureaucrats have deliberately used our industrial action to escalate it and make it seem like we’re doing this horrible thing.”

In a statement, Transport for NSW said that while the industrial action officially runs from 10am – 4pm, customers will likely be impacted for longer.

“Our customers will start to feel the effects from around 6am,” a spokesperson said.

“To ensure the safety of our customers, staff, and the network overall, trains will need to be taken back to stabling yards and depots before the industrial action starts.”

Customers are being advised to plan their journeys in advance, consider alternative transport options and allow extra travel time.

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Categories
Australia

Transport chaos in Brisbane CBD as ’emergency roadworks’, accidents cause huge delays

Cars lined up in a traffic jam.

Brisbane’s CBD was hit by transport chaos on Wednesday morning, with roadworks and several accidents causing delays of up to 45 minutes.

Translink informed commuters that all CBD buses were delayed due to congestion, with some passengers told their buses would divert to nearby train stations due to a “massive backlog into the city”.

A section of Adelaide Street between North Quay and George streets was closed for safety reasons, according to a statement from Brisbane City Council (BCC).

Cars backed up.
“Emergency roadworks” contributed to the delays. (ABC News: Michael Rennie)

“This decision was made for safety reasons after a contractor reported an issue with tunneling works beneath Adelaide Street for the Brisbane Metro project,” Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Ryan Murphy said.

Mr Murphy said no-one was injured and further updates would be provided as they became available.

Some commuters were stuck in buses for more than an hour while others were turned away from boarding buses in some locations.

Police motorbikes have been dispatched to Adelaide Street and George Street in an attempt to get traffic flowing.

There have been complaints of drivers blocking intersections, exacerbating the issue.

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Categories
Australia

YouTube sensation TrainGuy 659 turns childhood passion into unique career on the tracks and online

YouTube sensation Lego Joe turns childhood passion into unique career on the tracks and online

Joe Dietz has loved trains ever since riding the railways of Europe on family holidays as a child.

As a young man now living in Cairns, he has turned his boyhood passion into a unique career on and off the tracks.

His day job is driving locos during the far north Queensland sugarcane crushing season, which stretches from May to November.

man leans on cane train with load of sugar cane in background
Joe Dietz has been driving cane trains, or locos, in far north Queensland since finishing high school.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

Mr Dietz, aka TrainGuy 659, says winding his way through the neighborhoods and farmlands on the cane train tracks of far north Queensland is a dream job.

“I’ve just always had a thing for trains,” he says.

“I’ve always wanted to work on the railways.”

Mr Dietz’s family moved to the region when he was in high school.

“I was just lucky that, after graduating, I ended up getting a gig on the cane locos,” he says.

“You get the best of the city life, but you also have the countryside too and making connections with the farmers and the community in those areas is something unique.

“I’m living the best of two worlds.”

Mr Dietz is also living in two worlds when it comes to train driving — the real world and the online world.

Young man in high vis at controls of train
Joe Dietz says driving trains is his dream job.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

During the other half of the year, he drives miniature Lego trains on intricate tracks around his family home, and millions upon millions of people watch him do it.

Seven years ago, I started the YouTube channel TrainGuy 659.

His unique work-life balance has allowed him to build a massive audience and become a professional YouTuber.

“When I first started, I wasn’t getting paid or anything from YouTube, so every season, I go back [to the cane trains],” Mr Dietz says.

“The YouTube audience grows every year because I have that time off, so I’m just lucky to work six months on, six months off.

“The YouTube thing pays the bills but isn’t something I can live off independently… but there is more potential.”

Massive miniature feats of engineering

Mr Dietz became an internet sensation when he began producing his annual Christmas Lego train videos, all of which have attracted audiences in the tens of millions.

loading

These involve constructing about 120 meters of Lego train track around his parents’ home, across obstacles including the backyard swimming pool, and even through the neighbours’ yard.

Lego train runs across bridge built in pool
Joe Dietz’s train videos involve constructing around 120 meters of Lego train track through various obstacles.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

Mr Dietz says it is a painstaking process that can be up to a month of work.

“It’s like building an actual railroad but in miniature,” he says.

“It takes three to four weeks to set up. It takes about a week or two to film, and it’s packed up within three days.

“There’s a lot of trial and error, and you do a lot of testing too. There’s a lot of time that goes into it.”

Mr Dietz says there is no shortage of derailments during the shoots, which have resulted in some highly entertaining blooper reels, usually featuring cameo appearances from the family pets.

Blue Healer cattle dog sitting next to Lego rail track and bridge.
The Dietz family’s dog, Matilda, has been responsible for numerous Lego train derailments, which appear in the TrainGuy 659 blooper videos.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

“We’ve got a blue heeler, and you know what cattle dogs are like… they go after the train… [in one video] she’s nipping at it, she’s knocking it over,” he says.

“They actually end up doing better than the main video — everyone loves bloopers.

“There’s one time the train accidentally fell in a pool, which was like, ‘Oh no!'”

loading

He says the odd, stray Lego piece also poses hazards for his supportive but long-suffering family.

“The amount of sore toes around the house during Christmas and New Year’s, it’s not funny,” Mr Dietz says.

The secret building blocks of internet stardom

Mr Dietz’s YouTube channel has amassed 660,000 subscribers, while his combined views are in the tens of millions.

Young man in pool with Lego set
Joe Dietz is a professional YouTuber having attracted an audience in the tens of millions who watch his Lego train videos online.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

He’s often asked what the secret is to becoming internet famous. His answer to it is relatively simple.

“Find something that’s unique that hasn’t been done before,” he says.

“And if you’re doing something that’s already out there, find what makes you stand out to make it different to the others.”

In addition to his annual Christmas specials, Mr Dietz began producing a series of Lego train road trip videos.

“I started doing these tunnels with some PVC pipe, the Lego train goes through this, and it’d transition to a different scene,” he says.

“I did this one around Australia, and that really took off.”

loading

The initial concept film in 2019 was well-received, attracting 10 million views, but his grand plans were ultimately derailed by COVID-19.

Now that national and international borders have re-opened, Mr Dietz says he is hoping to get his Lego train road trip dream back on track with plans to take his train set through Europe when the crushing is over next season.

.

Categories
Australia

YouTube sensation Lego Joe turns childhood passion into unique career on the tracks and online

YouTube sensation Lego Joe turns childhood passion into unique career on the tracks and online

Joe Dietz has loved trains ever since riding the railways of Europe on family holidays as a child.

As a young man now living in Cairns, he has turned his boyhood passion into a unique career on and off the tracks.

His day job is driving locos during the far north Queensland sugarcane crushing season, which stretches from May to November.

man leans on cane train with load of sugar cane in background
Joe Dietz has been driving cane trains, or locos, in far north Queensland since finishing high school.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

Mr Dietz, aka Lego Joe, says winding his way through the neighborhoods and farmlands on the cane train tracks of far north Queensland is a dream job.

“I’ve just always had a thing for trains,” he says.

“I’ve always wanted to work on the railways.”

Mr Dietz’s family moved to the region when he was in high school.

“I was just lucky that, after graduating, I ended up getting a gig on the cane locos,” he says.

“You get the best of the city life, but you also have the countryside too and making connections with the farmers and the community in those areas is something unique.

“I’m living the best of two worlds.”

Mr Dietz is also living in two worlds when it comes to train driving — the real world and the online world.

Young man in high vis at controls of train
Joe Dietz says driving trains is his dream job.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

During the other half of the year, he drives miniature Lego trains on intricate tracks around his family home, and millions upon millions of people watch him do it.

Seven years ago, I started the YouTube channel TrainGuy 659.

His unique work-life balance has allowed him to build a massive audience and become a professional YouTuber.

“When I first started, I wasn’t getting paid or anything from YouTube, so every season, I go back [to the cane trains],” Mr Dietz says.

“The YouTube audience grows every year because I have that time off, so I’m just lucky to work six months on, six months off.

“The YouTube thing pays the bills but isn’t something I can live off independently… but there is more potential.”

Massive miniature feats of engineering

Mr Dietz became an internet sensation when he began producing his annual Christmas Lego train videos, all of which have attracted audiences in the tens of millions.

loading

These involve constructing about 120 meters of Lego train track around his parents’ home, across obstacles including the backyard swimming pool, and even through the neighbours’ yard.

Lego train runs across bridge built in pool
Joe Dietz’s train videos involve constructing around 120 meters of Lego train track through various obstacles.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

Mr Dietz says it is a painstaking process that can be up to a month of work.

“It’s like building an actual railroad but in miniature,” he says.

“It takes three to four weeks to set up. It takes about a week or two to film, and it’s packed up within three days.

“There’s a lot of trial and error, and you do a lot of testing too. There’s a lot of time that goes into it.”

Mr Dietz says there is no shortage of derailments during the shoots, which have resulted in some highly entertaining blooper reels, usually featuring cameo appearances from the family pets.

Blue Healer cattle dog sitting next to Lego rail track and bridge.
The Dietz family’s dog, Matilda, has been responsible for numerous Lego train derailments, which appear in the TrainGuy 659 blooper videos.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

“We’ve got a blue heeler, and you know what cattle dogs are like… they go after the train… [in one video] she’s nipping at it, she’s knocking it over,” he says.

“They actually end up doing better than the main video — everyone loves bloopers.

“There’s one time the train accidentally fell in a pool, which was like, ‘Oh no!'”

loading

He says the odd, stray Lego piece also poses hazards for his supportive but long-suffering family.

“The amount of sore toes around the house during Christmas and New Year’s, it’s not funny,” Mr Dietz says.

The secret building blocks of internet stardom

Mr Dietz’s YouTube channel has amassed 660,000 subscribers, while his combined views are in the tens of millions.

Young man in pool with Lego set
Joe Dietz is a professional YouTuber having attracted an audience in the tens of millions who watch his Lego train videos online.(Supplied: Joe Dietz)

He’s often asked what the secret is to becoming internet famous. His answer to it is relatively simple.

“Find something that’s unique that hasn’t been done before,” he says.

“And if you’re doing something that’s already out there, find what makes you stand out to make it different to the others.”

In addition to his annual Christmas specials, Mr Dietz began producing a series of Lego train road trip videos.

“I started doing these tunnels with some PVC pipe, the Lego train goes through this, and it’d transition to a different scene,” he says.

“I did this one around Australia, and that really took off.”

loading

The initial concept film in 2019 was well-received, attracting 10 million views, but his grand plans were ultimately derailed by COVID-19.

Now that national and international borders have re-opened, Mr Dietz says he’s planning to get his Lego train road trip dream back on track with plans to take his train set through Europe during the crushing is over next season.

.