Category Archives: News

Planning confusion sells Melbourne’s west, air travellers short

12 February 2020 PTUA

Statement by the Public Transport Users Association

The Public Transport Users Association is concerned at recent commentary on new rail developments in Melbourne’s west, specifically the promised rail link to Melbourne Airport, and the implied pressure to rush into major decisions in the absence of a comprehensive plan for public transport development.

At a high level, while we can cheer on the procession of transformative projects such as the Regional Rail Link, Metro 1 rail tunnel, Airport line and Suburban Rail Loop, it comes with a sense of unease: that they are proceeding in the absence of any kind of coherent transport plan that addresses the needs and aspirations of Victorians, and speaks to the kind of places Melbourne and Victoria’s regional cities aim to be in 50 years’ time. In place of this have come a succession of often contradictory half-plans and vision statements, mostly developed without community input.

PTV’s 2012 Rail Network Development Plan provided for new suburban lines to both Melbourne Airport and Melton, alongside the existing line to Sunbury. Yet within five years it had been discarded. Airport rail was absent from successor plans in 2017 even as a long-term prospect, only to be reinstated as government policy in 2018. Virtually all the subsequent confusion about rail options for the airport and western Melbourne more generally can be attributed to this fickle, on-again-off-again approach to planning.

The PTUA recommends a staged approach toward managing peak-hour carrying capacity between the city and Sunshine, with well-considered plans in place to guide future augmentations in response to need. With such a plan in place there should be no need to speculate about the adequacy of existing capacity projects that are still under construction.

The Metro 1 tunnel was envisaged in 2012 as providing capacity for up to 12 trains per hour to Sunbury in peak, in addition to trains every 10 minutes to the Airport and to Melton (with no changes at Sunshine). To put this in context, in the near-decade between 2011 and 2020 the number of trains on the Sunbury line in the busiest hour has risen from just 8 to 10. The line currently does double duty owing to the patchy nature of the current V/Line Melton service, and is set to benefit from new ‘HCMT’ rolling stock with over 20% greater passenger capacity per train available immediately and more than 70% in the longer term. Claims that the Metro 1 tunnel will be ‘full’ and require more than 12 Sunbury trains per hour from the day it opens in 2025 do not appear well-founded.

The parallel Regional Rail Link tracks between the city and Sunshine currently carry up to 17 V/Line trains in the busiest hour, about one-third of these being Melton or Wyndham Vale short services that should ultimately transfer to the suburban network. V/Line and Metro trains have run on fully separated paths inward of Sunshine since 2015, each with practical capacity for 20 to 24 trains per hour before considering potential improvements from high-capacity signalling. While V/Line operational practices require improvement, in particular the allocation of platforms at Southern Cross, there is little impediment to the expansion of peak-hour V/Line services requiring a new tunnel between Sunshine and the city in the near to medium term.

The likely driver for future capacity requirements, beyond tracks already operating or under construction, will be the need to provide electrified suburban train services to Wyndham Vale and Tarneit. Options for expansion are not limited to a new tunnel duplicating existing lines between Sunshine and the city. The Metro 2 tunnel proposal, for example, would route Werribee suburban trains from Newport to the city via Fishermans Bend, and has potential to also carry Geelong trains via Werribee (with provision of dedicated parallel tracks between Werribee and Newport).

In short, the PTUA rejects claims that Airport trains cannot be accommodated in the next decade without a new tunnel between Sunshine and the city, or that Victoria is missing some kind of “now or never” chance to build such a tunnel. The PTUA does call for a comprehensive transport plan that could consider such a tunnel as a future option, alongside other, possibly superior options to build capacity. It would also give careful concern to methods of financing, avoiding in particular the scenario where future governments are obliged to pay rent to a private operator for every train that runs through a future rail tunnel.

It must be kept in mind that virtually every airport rail link in the world exhibits design compromises that cause them to fall well short of ‘ideal’, yet many are well-used and well-regarded nonetheless. Melbourne’s airport link needs to be ‘done right’ but this does not demand a radical departure from existing technology or from incremental approaches to development. Global experience suggests it is more likely to provide an affordable and popular service for passengers if its development is integrated with that of the wider suburban network.

Melbourne and suburbs, News

PTUA opposed to expansion of the Free Tram Zone

3 February 2020 PTUA

PTUA does not support the Free Tram Zone, due to the problems it causes, including crowding, and the lack of benefits it provides to paying public transport users. We also do not support the Zone being extended.

Data indicates the Free Tram Zone has increased tram usage at the expense of “active” modes (walking and cycling) rather than driving, and appears to have encouraged more people to drive into the City and Docklands, while also resulting in delays due to overcrowding at tram stops.

The money spent on providing the Free Tram Zone would be better spent extending and upgrading services across Melbourne, particularly in the middle and outer suburbs, to provide more people with viable alternatives to car travel.

More details: PTUA’s submission to the Free Tram Zone Parliamentary Inquiry (PDF)

Media coverage: Herald Sun 3/2/2020; Rail Express 6/2/2020
Victorian Parliament: Inquiry into Expanding Melbourne’s Free Tram Zone

Every 10 Minutes to Everywhere, News, Newsletters

In defence of buses

17 July 2019 PTUA

From time to time politicians and others push the misleading line that passengers don’t like buses, and that they’re only a last resort form of public transport. It’s true that patronage on many bus routes is poor, but this is because the service is poor, and because bus routes are poorly understood by potential passengers.

The solution to this is to roll out more SmartBus style bus routes, and upgrade existing routes to SmartBus standards, which provide direct, high frequency “tram like” services. SmartBuses run at least every 15 minutes through the day on weekdays, and more frequently during the peaks. They also provide quite direct routes with no meandering through the back streets. That’s why they’re popular.

The parts of the SmartBus network which serve major activity centres, and Doncaster Area Rapid Transit (DART) SmartBuses, prove that good bus services can attract high patronage. In recent times DART routes have suffered severe peak period overcrowding. Some orbital SmartBus services in the Box Hill and Chadstone areas also have overcrowding problems. If good services are provided, people will use them.

Many other bus services run every hour or less, and take roundabout routes. That’s why people don’t use them. It’s not about rubber wheels or diesel engines – it’s about frequency and directness.

Comparing SmartBus experience on weekends versus weekdays is also instructive. On weekdays, when SmartBuses run every 15 minutes, patronage is far better than on weekends when they only run every 30 minutes. In the DART case, this frequency issue is exacerbated by the fact that Ringwood line trains run every 10 minutes on weekends. It appears that quite a few people who would catch a SmartBus on weekdays, drive to a train station on weekends. Weekend SmartBuses must be upgraded to at least every 15 minutes. Again, it’s not about rubber wheels or diesel engines. It’s about frequency.

Another important problem is most people’s lack of understanding of bus routes and frequencies. Most people have some level of familiarity with Melbourne’s train and tram routes, and once you find a train station or tram stop, you can generally expect a train or tram to show up within 20 minutes (during the day at least). By comparison, most bus stops are a lottery. Even with a bus tracker app in hand, just showing up at a bus stop is brave. Research in advance is mandatory!

SmartBus routes are again an example of how this can be much better done. SmartBus stops typically have maps of the SmartBus routes, and people know these routes have reasonably frequent services. Similar maps of direct, higher frequency bus routes across Melbourne more generally are needed. Bus routes should be colour coded for frequency, so people can see what combination of routes is likely to be “interchange friendly”. These maps should be provided at bus stops as well as online.

SmartBus electronic signage should be enhanced to indicate when there are alternative bus routes between major hubs on SmartBus routes. This will help in some situations where passengers are being left behind because buses are full, but other buses have empty seats which could have been used, e.g. between Chadstone and Oakleigh Station.

Interchange is another area where Melbourne’s bus system desperately needs improvement. Even where high frequency routes cross, e.g. where DART routes cross orbital SmartBuses, often no effort has been made to put bus stops on intersecting routes close together, no signage to other bus stops is provided, and no services are provided at interchange points. Even a convenience store which sells coffee, newspapers and Myki topups, and has a big map of the SmartBus network on display, would be a big improvement.

Other road infrastructure enhancements which can significantly speed up buses, are dedicated bus lanes, jump start lanes at traffic lights, and traffic light priority for such lanes.

New train and tram lines are great when the political will and funding can be found, but realistically such new lines will be built only rarely. For the two thirds of Melbourne which doesn’t have train or tram services, high quality bus services are the only option. We can’t afford to let politicians dodge this necessity by claiming that people don’t want buses.

News

Stories of Growth: car traffic driven by new roads

14 November 2018 PTUA

What’s worse than when population growth puts strain on our transport systems?

When road traffic grows even faster than population.

But that was the reality in Melbourne for nearly four decades.

No matter how much or how little Melbourne grows, we’ll need to be smarter in future.

Read the study: Stories of Growth – Population, Transport and Melbourne’s Future (November 2018) — PDF, 184 Kb

See also: The Age: Melbourne’s traffic growth outstrips population surge

Melbourne and suburbs, News, Regional

What year did your railway station open?

3 August 2018 PTUA

What year did your local station open? Before you were born? Probably before your grandparents were born! Our population is growing, and our public transport network needs to keep growing too.

Click here to view the map larger.

The rail network grew rapidly between 1854 and 1930… but since then almost nothing. Expansion of rail, tram and Smartbus services is far too slow for Melbourne’s huge population growth. No wonder the roads are congested!

Join PTUA today to help the campaign for better public transport.

Melbourne and suburbs, News

Inside Melbourne’s new trains

6 October 2017 PTUA

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 network. This model of train will initially run between Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham, but eventually will run on other lines too. (We think the front destination sign is very clear, but not so readable from an angle as the train approaches the platform.)

Ramps are also in use for testing with accessibility groups. They are testing different highlights around the doorways to assist people with vision difficulties.

A “gap filler” is being tested, attached to the doorway of the train. We’re a bit concerned that this is rubbery, and may move under-foot – it’s also incompatible with similar devices on some station platforms. The external passenger assistance button is also only a test, and may not be on the final trains built.

Inside, there is open space near the ends of the carriages, providing allocated spots for wheelchairs. Happily, the hand straps in the standing areas are soft, and don’t squeak like on the Siemens trains.

The middle sections of the carriages have a lot more seats. The total number of seats in the 7-car train will be about the same as the trains in the current fleet. The mock-up has more places to hold (rails and hand straps) on than on the Comeng and Siemens train, but we think there could be even more provided.

Above each doorway is a “Passenger Information Display” screen showing the next station and other information. They’re trying out different designs, including colour, and white on black (which isn’t as “pretty”, but is much more readable).

The inside walls have a “dynamic route map” showing the route the train is taking, and its current location. Of course these will have to be more reliable than the current fleet.

A display on the outside of the train also shows the destination. This is more readable than similar displays on the X’Trapolis trains.

Overall the mock-up looks pretty good to us, but we’ve provided some feedback on areas where we hope to see improvements in the design, as have other groups.

Anything you see here may have changed by the time the real trains start service.

Here are some more details of the mock-up, provided by the government:

The High Capacity Metro Trains Project is currently two weeks into the final train design consultation phase, which has been running all year.

14 accessibility groups, 3 passenger groups and technical experts are all now evaluating the mock-up train.

The High Capacity Metro Trains Project ran a passenger simulation exercise a few days ago, where almost 100 members of the public were brought in to experience the mock-up.

On 3 October, Guide Dogs Victoria were evaluating the mock-up – including their suggested change for more flip down priority seating as guide dogs are trained to sit beneath their owner’s seats.

Passengers, accessibility and transport user groups have already provided feedback on features such as the doors, seats, lighting, electronic signage, straps, and handrails.

More than 600,000 Australians currently use mobility aids and the design of the High Capacity Metro Trains has factored in their need for more space for mobility devices, including scooters and wheelchairs.

The final number of seats is yet to be determined and will be decided once the extensive stakeholder consultation that is underway concludes – however, the new trains will have more seats than the current fleets, which have between 420 to 432.

The feedback from stakeholder groups will be consolidated at the end of this evaluation phase, with the train design to then be finalised over coming months.

What do you think? Leave a comment on Facebook
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Media releases, Melbourne and suburbs, News

PTUA welcomes new Track-free Airport Trains to Tullamarine

1 April 2017 PTUA

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 and it’s cost effective”, said PTUA president Dr Tony Morton.

The PTUA understands that the State Government and Transurban have agreed that the recently added lane on Citylink and Tullamarine Freeway will be a dedicated lane for the track-free trains.

It is understood the state government will subsidise passenger fares, and that Transurban will receive a “toll” for every passenger carried in the train-lane. Transurban said the train-lane would carry far more people than cars, with capacity for up to 9000 people per hour. “This will benefit all Citylink users. More people will use the reliable express track-free train, meaning less cars clogging up the road to the Airport, which is great news for our Citylink customers.”

Passengers will not be required to carry eTags.

PTUA understands the track-free train fleet will be “all electric” and locally built, benefiting both the environment and local industry. An insider hinted that gantries would be installed at Southern Cross and Melbourne Airport, allowing the track-free trains to recharge as they pass through the terminals.

“Melbourne is growing rapidly, and passenger volumes through Melbourne Airport have increased by 13% in the past 2 years”, said Melbourne Airport. “We have been calling on the government to build a rail link, but something needed to be done sooner. The track-free train service is a fantastic response, and we look forward to working with the state government to make it happen.”

Dr Morton said that “The PTUA still wants to see a rail line to the airport. Although a track-free train might not be as effective as an actual train, this is a big step forward.

“The dedicated lanes will make a huge difference. You’d have to be stark raving mad to widen a motorway but leave one of Melbourne’s busiest public transport routes stuck in the traffic jams.”

The Skybus Citylink Airport Maxi (SCAM) service is expected to commence with the opening of the new Citylink lanes on 1 April.

Media releases, News

Are we actually paying more for transport?

22 August 2016 PTUA

Figures produced for the Australian Automobile Association give the impression that transport costs to households are rising.

But overall they’re actually falling. Official statistics show that household expenditure on transport fell from 13% of household income in the 1990s to 11% in 2009-10:

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Household Expenditure Survey 2009-10 Summary of Results)

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Not only are petrol prices down on pre-GFC levels, but cars themselves have been getting cheaper in real terms for decades.

Some costs such as tolls and insurance have gone up, but for motorists at least, they’re more than balanced out by savings elsewhere.

What the AAA’s figures don’t convey is how much more we’re paying for public transport. The official figures show that since 1990 public transport fares in Australian capital cities have increased around threefold in absolute terms, and by 60 per cent above inflation.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (June figures). All other capital cities show similar results – details here

The contrast with car transport costs is stark. In real terms it costs on average between 5 and 10 per cent less to run a car today than it did in 1990, while public transport costs have gone up much faster than CPI.

Cars do cost a lot of money to run in absolute terms – but that’s because they’re an inherently expensive mode of transport, which is why people shouldn’t be forced to drive everywhere. The nation’s transport policy needs to give more weight to providing fair access to multi-modal transport networks.

One way to do this is with budget repair for transport across Federal and State governments. The road lobby has argued for decades that only a quarter of petrol tax revenue comes back in road spending. This is nonsense: in very broad terms, about $35 billion a year Australia-wide is collected in road-related revenue but $38 billion a year is directly spent to support road use, and external costs like pollution account for another $14 billion. (More details)

Petrol tax is just a fraction of what our governments spend on roads every year. And for every dollar the Federal government collects, it actually gives more than 70 cents straight back in the form of motor vehicle tax concessions.

The transition to electric vehicles may accelerate over the next decade, resulting in dwindling petrol tax revenue. With the need to ensure equity of access to both roads and public transport, we really do have to think carefully about how we fund the transport systems Australia needs. There’s no way we can continue to jack up public transport fares and allow generous tax breaks on salary-packaged imported cars.

We need to come up with charging schemes in future that are fair, equitable and simple to understand – and that don’t encourage more people to drive more often – that’s the last thing our cities need.

News

It’s time for Fairer fines – Please take our survey

6 January 2016 PTUA

On December 11th 2015, Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan announced a review of public transport infringements including the 18 month-old $75 on the spot fines, handed out by the Authorised Officers that frequent our trains, trams and buses.

After hearing stories of people feeling pressured to pay $75 to avoid receiving a full fine of $223, and waive their right to appeal, Melbourne Barrister Julian Burnside has built up a 40-strong group of pro bono Lawyers who are working hard to defend people who seek to appeal their fines.

We know there are many glitches in the Myki system and often people who receive a fine are caught up in these glitches, or other failings like being unable to buy a ticket on the tram, or innocent mistakes such as forgetting to bring your concession card with you that day. But instead of having a system that accommodates these issues and allows for people to have their situation reviewed before having to present in court, we presume people are guilty and have to prove otherwise.

Public Transport Users Association and Public Transport Not Traffic will be given the opportunity to submit to this review and we want to hear from PT users about your experiences and issues you have faced when greeted by an Authorised Officer on public transport.

To join the campaign for fairer fines take our short survey and let us know your experience.

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What to do if you are fined?

Check our web page of helpful advice about contesting your fine.