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Author: PTUA

  • Upgrade our trains Brumby, before we’re a backwater

    After years of government inaction, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for the immediate overhaul of train services in Melbourne’s east. Under this move, train services would be upgraded on the Belgrave, Lilydale, Glen Waverley and Alamein lines. “We’ve seen no major timetable changes or upgrades since the Kennett era and it’s now…

  • Smartcard cost would pay for conductors, station staff for over a decade

    The billion dollar cost of the troubled Myki smartcard ticketing system, revealed in the Herald Sun today, would cover the direct cost of re-staffing Melbourne’s transport system for over a decade, the Public Transport Users Association said today. PTUA President Daniel Bowen said rather than spending the money on a ticketing system which, like Metcard,…

  • Oil use sending Australia broke

    The growing cost of oil imports is a major factor in Australia’s trade deficit and household financial stress, a coalition of transport groups warned today. “Australia’s annual oil import bill has blown out from under $5 billion per year a decade ago to over $23 billion in 2007,” said Public Transport Users Association President Daniel…

  • Time running out to fix transport, Federal government warned

    Australia’s transport system is totally unprepared for the looming challenges of climate change, rising oil prices and urban congestion, a national coalition of transport groups warned today. In making the warning, the groups urged the federal government to fund the long-overdue expansion of urban and regional rail networks. “The transport sector is one of the…

  • National commitment to rail network urgently needed

    A national coalition of transport groups has urged the federal government to fund a major rail network upgrade to enable the introduction of high speed passenger services and ensure the viability of regional rail freight services. In a submission ahead of this year’s federal budget [1], the sustainable transport coalition, which includes Victoria’s Public Transport…

  • Minister to review bike ban

    The PTUA is pleased to hear that the Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky, will review the ban on bikes on peak hour trains. 1-Feb-2008: We are advised that in the mean time, no action will be taken against any cyclist with a bicycle on a peak hour train. The PTUA remains opposed to the…

  • SmartBus a success – though not quite there yet

    Following the success of the Warrigul Road SmartBus (route 700), the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for the State Government to fix bus priority along with further upgrades. This would help to bring the bus service into line with trains.

  • Public transport governance study launched

    The PTUA has today launched a study of public transport governance, comparing public transport management around the world, and looking at the past and future of Victoria’s public transport. The “good governance” of public transport systems means having the appropriate organisations with the necessary powers, skills and responsibilities to deliver services that compete effectively with…

  • Bicycles to be banned from peak hour trains

    V/Line and Connex plan to ban bicycles on peak hour trains from the 1st of January 2008. The V/Line ban will apply to all trains in the peak direction, and we understand that the Connex ban will apply to all trains in the peak direction within zone 1. (Bicycles will be allowed at all times…

  • High petrol prices here to stay – more public transport needed

    The finding that there is “no obvious evidence of price fixing” by petrol retailers underlines the need for greater investment in public transport to provide an escape from car dependence, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said today. “The report on petrol pricing released today by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) shows that…

  • No Hill without tram

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) said today that the Doncaster Hill project was destined for failure without a proper rail transport link and renewed calls for the immediate extension of tram 48 to Doncaster. “There’s no chance of a successful Doncaster Hill without a tram connecting to the city and nearby suburbs,” said PTUA…

  • Opinion piece: That slow train is still

    Opinion piece by Anthony Morton, Secretary, PTUA, published in the Herald Sun, 11 December 2007 That slow train is still HOW do you revive an ailing public transport system? Who do you blame when your train doesn’t show up because it has broken down somewhere? Or when it does show up, it’s so crowded you…