Today marked the commencement of Route 601 - Melbourne's second high frequency university shuttle service. The service operates between Huntingdale Railway Station and Monash University Clayton.
While it parallels other routes (630, 630A & 900) along this busy corridor, 601 is a little different in that it is an express service that accepts prepurchased tickets only. Its 4 minute frequency is maintained until approximately 7pm, after which it drops to 12 minutes for the next couple of hours. It's one of Melbourne's shortest bus routes, with 4 - 7 minute transit times being observed.
Monash University is about 20km east of Melbourne, built on the (then) urban fringe between railway corridors in the 1960s. The campus was built around the car, with considerable space devoted to parking. The campus and surrounding business parks have grown rapidly, and the Monash precinct is one of Melbourne's key employment areas.
The campus has its own bus interchange and generates substantial patronage, most conspicuously seen in the corridor towards Huntingdale Station. It is overcrowding in this corridor that Route 601, with its four minute frequency, was set up to address.
Below are some pictures taken during the first morning's operation:
Poster advertising the new route at Huntingdale Station
The first service - 7am Huntingdale Station
Rear of first bus at Huntingdale
Bus about to depart Monash University Clayton
Service information at Monash University
1 comment:
So is it undermining the case for rail to Monash (by proving buses can do the job) or boosting it (by developing the PT market more)
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