Category: Melbourne and suburbs

  • Inside Melbourne’s new trains

    Last week we took a look at the mock-up of Melbourne’s new train design, to give feedback to the project team. The mock-up is one and a half carriages, designed to show stakeholder groups the layout, including the inter-carriage connections. The platform alongside the mock-up has different heights, to simulate actual conditions around Melbourne’s rail…

    Inside Melbourne’s new trains
  • Port Rail Shuttle resuscitation welcomed

    Vital context for unsolicited West Gate Tunnel Proposal, says PTUA The Public Transport Users Association welcomes the Andrews Government’s resolution on Sunday to progress work on the Port Rail Shuttle to “level the playing field” between road and rail freight for the Port of Melbourne. PTUA President Dr Tony Morton said the Port Rail Shuttle…

    Port Rail Shuttle resuscitation welcomed
  • Remember Doncaster

    Northeast has the worst traffic? It should remind planners that the idea for trains to Doncaster Hill springs from a genuine need long recognised by the community.

    Remember Doncaster
  • Lacklustre debut for route 58, while other tram routes suffer

    On 1 May Yarra Trams commenced running a new tram route 58, a reorganisation of existing routes to West Coburg and Toorak. This change had been a long time in planning, and was aimed at providing a higher daytime frequency on the increasingly popular William Street route, and providing a direct east-west connection complementing the…

    Lacklustre debut for route 58, while other tram routes suffer
  • V/Line: Jack of all trades…?

    V/Line has been very much a victim of its own success over the last decade, with each new investment, from Regional Fast Rail to the Regional Rail Link, resulting in a boom in passenger numbers. This shows that when governments invest in a decent public transport option, people will flock to it – but unfortunately…

    V/Line: Jack of all trades…?
  • PTUA welcomes new Track-free Airport Trains to Tullamarine

    PTUA president Dr Tony Morton today welcomed news of the Skybus Citylink Airport Maxi service – an innovative partnership between the state government, Skybus, Transurban and Melbourne Airport. “We have seen a massive increase in demand for transport to the airport, and something had to be done. This new service makes great sense, it’s immediate…

    PTUA welcomes new Track-free Airport Trains to Tullamarine
  • PTUA calls for Night Network to stay – but must be made more efficient

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has proclaimed the Night Network trial a success, and that it needs to be a permanent feature of Melbourne’s public transport network[1] – but said it must be reformed to improve the service and make it financially sustainable and more useful for passengers. PTUA spokesman Daniel Bowen said that…

    PTUA calls for Night Network to stay – but must be made more efficient
  • Services packed while seven trains sit idle – where is the new timetable?

    With trains sitting idle, and services getting more crowded, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on the state government to run extra train services on Melbourne’s crowded rail network. “Regional Rail Link opened more than a year ago. This opened up space on the Metro network for dozens of additional peak hour trains…

    Services packed while seven trains sit idle – where is the new timetable?
  • PTUA calls for better stations with skyrail

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for all stations rebuilt as part of the Caulfield to Dandenong “skyrail” proposal to be upgraded to Premium status, and for better facilities and more weather protection than proposed by the government. The PTUA’s submission to the Level Crossing Removal Authority called for escalators at all stations…

    PTUA calls for better stations with skyrail
  • Level crossing removal – all options must be on the table

    The PTUA believes the government is right to consider all options for removal of level crossings. Elevated rail, if it’s designed well, can be done more economically, with fewer disruption impacts and with less of a long term impact on communities than putting the railway under the road, which is expensive and time consuming, and…

    Level crossing removal – all options must be on the table
  • World’s busiest airports have rail connections – Melbourne missing out

    The majority of the world’s busiest airports have mass transit connections, and the number is increasing every year. A Public Transport Users Assocation (PTUA) study of airports around the world to be released at a forum on Friday found that by 2021, 83 of the world’s busiest 100 airports will have rail services. Of the…

    World’s busiest airports have rail connections – Melbourne missing out
  • Side Letter sign of road lobby’s anti-democratic desperation

    The unprecedented letter of guarantee on the East West Link is part of an ugly, anti-democratic “end game” by the road lobby in the face of public rejection, the Public Transport Users Association said today. Former Treasurer Michael O’Brien signed the deed on 29 September last year, eight weeks before losing the November state election,…

    Side Letter sign of road lobby’s anti-democratic desperation