The Allan Government’s public transport agenda is responding to community needs and pivoting from big infrastructure to service upgrades and targeted improvements. But it must resolve to do more, the Public Transport Users Association said today.
“There’s lots of overdue good news for families in the northern and western suburbs in particular,” said PTUA President Dr Tony Morton. “Suburbs like Mount Atkinson and Thornhill Park that were allowed to develop as public transport deserts finally get the bus services they need, and key train lines like Craigieburn and Werribee get a much needed frequency boost. The new Footscray Hospital will get an accessible tram stop, and there’s important new investment going into the V/Line network.”
Dr Morton noted however that the improvements were piecemeal and taking place in a climate of spending restraint. “The free travel initiative for under-18s is significant, and we hope will remove a key barrier to family travel by public transport,” he said. “At the same time, it comes at a cost that would otherwise have doubled the service improvements that could be delivered in years to come. Given the government is under such pressure with its budgeting, it has to be clear on its priorities when it comes to free travel giveaways versus better services for kids and other travellers to use.”
On the infrastructure side, the PTUA welcomed the Sunshine Superhub initiative as valuable future-proofing given the postponement of Airport rail. “This is a substantial boost to the network and is about much more than a station,” Dr Morton said. “It gets us closer not just to making Airport rail work when it’s built, but also giving Melton and the outer west more of a turn-up-and-go service in future.”
The combined $14 billion blowout on the North East Link and West Gate Tunnel tollroads could be held responsible for the delay to Airport rail, said Dr Morton. “When you consider the public debt situation Victoria is in, that’s largely something we already knew about in 2022. But to the extent it’s got worse, those two road projects have been the biggest contributors to that.”
“It’s not really about the Suburban Rail Loop at all,” Dr Morton said. “The people of Victoria learned back in 2021 that SRL Stage 1 was a $35 billion project, and it’s still a $35 billion project. But they were told North East Link was $16 billion and West Gate Tunnel $6 billion. Victorians haven’t yet had the opportunity to give their verdict on a $26 billlion North East Link and a $10 billion West Gate Tunnel and whether they continue to even stack up given the massive increase in cost.”
More details and media coverage:
- State government media release/summary of new funding
- “really good to see that focus shift to more frequent bus and train services” – The Age (paywall)
- Myki upgrade delays: coverage from 9 News and 3AW