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Month: February 2007

  • State budget needs to rescue troubled public transport system

    Long-suffering commuters expect a major boost to public transport in this year’s state budget, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said today. “After months of poor reliability and disruptions, public confidence in the system is at a tipping point,” said PTUA President Daniel Bowen. “Decisive action is needed to regain public trust. Failure would mean…

  • Conference: the Future of Melbourne’s Public Transport

    Half-day conference, Tuesday 20th February 9am-1pm Organised by the Australasian Centre for the Governance and Management of Urban Transport (GAMUT), Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA), and the Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) Our rail system is in crisis; public transport is required to lift its game to meet the targets set in Melbourne 2030; the franchise…

  • High petrol prices a sign of worse to come

    Rising petrol prices over recent years are giving Australians a glimpse of the future, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) warned today. The warning came as a Senate Inquiry into future oil supplies highlighted growing doubts about the ability of global supplies to meet projected demand. “The transport status quo is a recipe for disaster,”…

  • Users call on Bracks to sack Connex

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) today called on the Bracks Government to commit to not renewing the suburban train franchise with Connex in 2008. The call comes after unprecedented disruptions to train services, due to problems with the braking systems on Siemens trains. PTUA President Daniel Bowen said Connex had been aware of the…

  • Melbourne set to grind to a halt

    Make no mistake: our public transport system is in crisis, and if safety concerns force the removal of the remaining Siemens trains from the network, the city is in danger of grinding to a halt. But it is the height of negligence for the Bracks Government to try and wash its hands of the matter…