{"id":30523,"date":"2024-04-24T10:46:59","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T00:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railexpress.com.au\/?p=116021"},"modified":"2024-04-24T10:46:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T00:46:59","slug":"how-to-defeat-the-montague-street-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=30523","title":{"rendered":"How to defeat the Montague Street Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The Montague Street Bridge has become infamous for bridge strikes. IMAGE: PRIME CREATIVE MEDIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rail Express<\/i> speaks with the National Transport Research Organisation<\/a> to better understand what can be done to reduce impacts to the Montague Street Bridge.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) has broadened its focus to include the rail sector. A critical component of this expansion is having roads teams from the NTRO touring some of Melbourne\u2019s rail landmarks, including the Montague Street Bridge, to give them an understanding of issues the rail sector face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The NTRO provides innovative research and practical solutions to challenges across road, rail, ports and airports, developing new knowledge, innovation, standards and specifications to shape the country\u2019s transport\u00a0future.<\/p>\n

With more than 240 people and eight offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Launceston, Perth, Sydney, and Wellington and a sustainable materials research laboratory and office in Melbourne, NTRO is set to transform the way transport infrastructure is designed, built, used and maintained.<\/p>\n

Naomi Dickinson is the chief technology leader \u2013 rail, safer smarter infrastructure at the NTRO, and explained why the organisation believes it is ideally set up to support the rail network in Australia.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Naomi Dickinson is the chief technology leader \u2013 rail, safer smarter infrastructure at the NTRO.<\/strong> IMAGE: NTRO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou can use the example of pavements. The NTRO has done research around new pavements and bitumen, and we can bring that to rail and light rail, for flood proofing and to create an even stronger system less susceptible to wear and tear,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese tours have been fantastic because as we take people around the tram network we can begin to see the wheels turn in their heads and ideas begin to formulate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dickinson is an electrical engineer born and raised in Melbourne, who has spent much of her working life in and around light rail. She delivered the first low floor trams from Germany to Melbourne in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Recently completing a Masters of Energy Systems, Dickinson has been looking at the legal and regulatory frameworks around the electrification of residential buildings and public transport. She believes the tension between road and rail is coming to an end and the two systems are ready to work more closely.<\/p>\n

Melbourne\u2019s trams<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Dickinson explained that the Melbourne tram network faces unique challenges but can take suggestions from other systems to try and solve some of these issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Melbourne\u2019s rail network is one of the most integrated with road traffic in the world, posing a number of challenges, not to mention difficulties surrounding that it was constructed more than 100 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you compare Melbourne to a network like Canberra or Sydney, they are operating on a dedicated line. Melbourne has to contend with vehicles far more than other networks,\u201d Dickinson said.<\/p>\n

Common incidents that occur in the shared traffic system include:<\/p>\n