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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 escalating congestion, pollution, greenhouse emissions and vulnerability to high oil prices as people abandon the system.”
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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 agreements on which our current privatised system is based expire by the end of next year.
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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,” said PTUA President Daniel Bowen. “We’re burning oil as if there’s no tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes we’ll find rampant climate change and major transport problems for car-dependent communities. All levels of government must refocus transport policy towards public transport, walking, cycling and rail freight to mitigate the inevitable decline in conventional oil supplies.”
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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 brake problems for over two years but still went ahead and scrapped the Hitachi trains that the Siemens trains were supposed to replace.
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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 and pass the buck to the private operator.

Handing the rail franchise to Connex in 2003 did not absolve the Government of its duty to serve the public interest. The brake problems first surfaced in 2004, so we have had more than two years to plan a response. It seems our current governance arrangements have been a barrier to any appropriate action being taken.
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