NEWS DESK Police patrol Remanded on robberies
Line call: State government body says no decision on elevated rail yet been made at several sites including Edithvale. Pic: Gary Sissons
‘No decision’ on raised rail Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THE state government body responsible for managing the separation of road level crossings from rail lines across Victoria denies any final decisions on elevated rail along sections of the Frankston line. Level Crossing Removal Authority CEO Kevin Devlin suggested elevated rail may be the “best outcome” as keynote speaker at a Committee for Economic Development function about cities and infrastructure this month and his comments were reported by The Age. Mr Devlin noted many bayside residents oppose any form of raised rail on the Frankston line. “They’re concerned about elevated rail solutions on the Frankston line, and we need to feed that into our assessment of our recommendations to government,” he reportedly said.
“But we need to balance other competing issues. Is it feasible in an engineering sense?” The LXRA is adamant ‘sky rail’ has been ruled out along the Frankston line but says rail over road bridges are being considered as are rail under road trenches at specific level crossings along the line. “No decisions have been made about the final designs of the further nine level crossing removal projects on the Frankston line,” project director Brad Smits said. “All feasible options for the removal of each level crossing are being considered and were provided to the community through our extensive consultation process over the past eight weeks. All those options remain on the table. “We will consider this community feedback in conjunction with dozens of complex engineering and technical assessments over coming months before determining how the level crossings
will be removed.” A ‘rail trench’ and ‘rail bridge’ are being considered for level crossings at Seaford, Bonbeach, Edithvale, Mentone and Cheltenham. A rail bridge may be built at a new crossing at McLeod Rd in Carrum and the Station St crossing could be shut and a new rail bridge built at Eel Race Rd. A new ‘road connection’ at Station St over Patterson River is also being considered by the LXRA. The state government says a trench cannot be dug at Carrum due to the nearby Patterson River. The Labor state government says there is no option at Skye Rd in Frankston – rail over road must be built due to an overland flood plain. Final decisions will be announced early next year. Critics of any moves to build elevated rail at any point along the line have dubbed such plans ‘rollercoaster rail’.
A MAN faced court last week charged with robberies at a service station in Chelsea Heights and a fast-food restaurant in Carrum Downs, 25 October. The 18-year-old Pakenham man was arrested by the Southern Metro Regional Crime Team and Box Hill Embona Taskforce at a property on Princes Freeway, Springvale, on Tuesday 1 November. He was charged with two counts of armed robbery, theft of a motor car and possession of ammunition. The man faced court on Wednesday and has been remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrate’s Court in January.
Bentley bent round pole TWO 18-year-olds allegedly stole a $250,000 Bentley from a Doncaster house and drove it to Cheltenham before crashing into a brick fence in Cheltenham, 9.30am Sunday morning (6 November). The pair, of Pakenham, are alleged to have forced open a garage door to steal the 2007 model luxury sedan from The Boulevard before driving it 22km to its crash point on the corner of Chesterville Rd and Argus St. Police in an unmarked car followed them from a distance as they drove south along Nepean Hwy and were awaiting back-up from the Air Wing and ground units before intercepting them. Near Turner Rd, the car “accelerated rapidly”. They drove the car onto the wrong side of Chesterville Rd and up onto the footpath before colliding with the fence and telephone pole. Police said the teenagers ran from the damaged car and were arrested
soon after hiding in neighbouring properties. They suffered minor injuries and abrasions from the collision. The pair were charged with theft of a motor car and bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court in May.
Supermarket robbed
FIVE offenders forced their way in to the Coles supermarket in Patterson Lakes early Friday (4 November) and stole $17,500 cash and a quantity of cigarettes. CCTV footage shows the five men wearing hoodies, gloves and masks forcing open the front electronic door of the store in Gladesville Blvd, 2.18am, and using a metal bin to hold it open. While one man waited in the getaway car, two men used an angle grinder and a jemmy bar to break open a self-service register, stealing the cash, while the other two jemmied open cigarette drawers and used a plastic bin to carry them out to the car. The alarm company notified police who arrived minutes after the men drove off. Call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.
Truck stop
A $1000 laptop and $200 cash were stolen from a trucking company in Braeside, 3am, Sunday 6 November. An offender wearing a check hoodie is seen on CCTV using a pinch bar to force open a glass door to the Urban St premises, 2.31am, and enter the office/ reception area. He rummaged through cupboards and drawers throwing papers to the floor but, luckily, missed keys to custom cars parked inside the mechanics’ area as well as keys to trucks. Meanwhile, a truck driver asleep in his vehicle out front slept on undisturbed. Call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.
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9 November 2016
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