The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed state budget funding for more V/Line carriages and for three level crossing eliminations, but noted there was little new funding for bus and tram services, nor any funding to complete Southland station, as promised before the 2010 election.

“V/Line patronage is booming, and the extra carriages are desperately needed”, said PTUA President Daniel Bowen. “While a few carriages will become available once the Sunbury electrification project is finished, the government clearly needed to act on ordering more.

“Passengers unable to find a seat, forced to sit in the aisles or stand for long periods of time, have become a regular occurrence on V/Line services. Expansion of the fleet is very welcome, and needs to be matched by a commitment to more frequent services, including at off-peak times when V/Line services currently run only once an hour.

“Let’s hope they don’t prematurely scrap older V/Line carriages as the new ones come in – we don’t want a repeat of the Hitachi trains fiasco.”

Mr Bowen said grade separation projects at Springvale Road, Springvale, as well as Mitcham and Rooks Roads in Mitcham would improve safety, and reduce delays for bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as motorists.

But new funding for buses is limited to one route[1], and there is no commitment to fulfil the election commitments to construct Southland station, and to expand by 10 the current order for new trams[2].
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A future rail service plan hidden away in a Rowville Rail study technical document has been uncovered by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA).

The plan is contained in Travel Demand Modelling Draft Report for the Rowville Rail Study[1], and although it emphasises that the plan does “not necessarily represent the actual planned services”, PTUA President Daniel Bowen said that for the first time it gave the public a glimpse of what was planned for the future operation of their rail network.

The plan was based on the completion of the Regional Rail Link project in Melbourne’s west, and made the assumption that there would be enough trains to run services more frequently.

“The good news is the plan does include services at least every ten minutes all day on most lines. If implemented, this will make a huge difference to travel around Melbourne, making it easier to get around much of the city without long waits or relying on timetables”, said Mr Bowen.
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Trains every ten minutes on weekends on the Dandenong, Ringwood and Frankston lines have been welcomed by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA).

PTUA President Daniel Bowen said the proposed services, due to start in late-April[1], would be a good step towards more frequent train services, seven days-a-week, that would encourage people out of cars.
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Public transport fares have risen at double the rate of inflation, a study of fares over the last twenty years by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has shown.

PTUA President Daniel Bowen said that the Consumer Price Index was 66.7% over the last two decades[1], but that many fares had jumped by about 120%. Mr Bowen said that the government should – at the very least – cut monthly fares to help ease the pain, encourage more regular use of public transport, and help ease the transition to Myki.

The study found that from 1992 to 2012:
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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on the Baillieu Government to ensure greater transparency in transport planning for the proposed Chadstone shopping centre expansion.

PTUA outer east convenor Jeremy Lunn said public participation must be a key component of the planning process, but the government and the developer seem to be operating behind closed doors.

“Without sufficient public participation and debate, Chadstone’s expansion plans should not be approved,” said Mr Lunn. “Chadstone is a major activity centre and the public must be given a genuine say on transport issues before any proposals become official.”
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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has warned that a modified bus interchange will not be enough to cater for expansion of the Chadstone shopping centre, as it would be only a partial solution. It says bus services themselves need significant upgrades, along with the extension of train and tram services into the centre.

“It’s going to take a lot more than a change to the bus interchange to attract people out of their cars and onto public transport. If that is
the only improvement to public transport, permanent traffic jams can be expected around Chadstone,” PTUA outer east convenor Jeremy Lunn said.

“To really make a difference, bus services need a major upgrade. In fact, these upgrades are needed now to cope with current traffic volumes around Chadstone.”
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Visitors to the Portsea polo event at Point Nepean National Park last Saturday were cheated by the poor quality and over-priced public transport service offered, according to the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA).

PTUA spokesman Jeremy Lunn said people wanting to travel by bus to the polo event from Sorrento to Point Nepean National Park were not allowed to use the regular public transport service.

The PTUA received reports of passengers being denied access to the regular 788 bus by drivers and instead being forced to board “special” buses organised for the day which cost them $10. If they had been allowed to use the regular bus service, it would have cost them only $2.20 (or $1.10 concession).
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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has slammed the State Government for failing to provide sufficient bus services over the summer holiday period on route 788 between Frankston and Portsea. It has further accused the government of poorly advertising service amendments, nor promoting the service as an alternative to driving, leading to increased road congestion on the Peninsula.

“With a 45 minute service frequency each day until 29 January, the 788 ranks amongst the very worst of all the 337 bus services in Melbourne over the holiday period,” said PTUA spokesman Jeremy Lunn.

Even with revised weekend and public holiday service frequencies between 26 December and 29 January running every 45 minutes from the usual 75 minutes, many travellers have been left confused because the timetable changes were announced very late and still remain virtually unadvertised.
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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has warned that expansion of the Chadstone Shopping Centre will lead to greater mayhem on roads and buses around the centre if high quality public transport is not provided.

PTUA President Daniel Bowen said that the expansion should not take place unless it was accompanied by an overhaul of public transport in the area: a railway connection, an extension of the number 3 tram route and major upgrades to bus services.

“The car parks at Chadstone are already unable to cope with the volumes of visitors, and nearby roads are regularly gridlocked”, said Mr Bowen. “If public transport services remain as they are today, it would be a disaster to upgrade the shopping centre.
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The Public Transport Users Association has described as “pure spin” Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder’s excuse for regional trains not stopping at North Melbourne station under the Regional Rail Link (RRL)

“The minister is trying to dress up a downgrade as an improvement,” PTUA regional spokesperson Paul Westcott said.

Mr Mulder has said that continuing to allow V/Line passengers to use North Melbourne would “add to congestion” at the station, yet it was recently rebuilt at a cost of $30 million to increase its capacity.

“It’s nonsense to claim that regional trains will suffer delays from congestion by stopping at North Melbourne because they will now all stop at Footscray instead,” Mr Westcott said.
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