Building Melbourne's Useful Network Part 81: VTAG's 2021/22 State Budget Submission

 The 2020 state budget seemed only a moment ago, yet we are already talking about the next one. It's not that time is whizzing by, it's because last year's was delayed due to COVID-19. Preparation for 2021's would be well underway right now. 

This year's budget is not the last before next year's election.

But, because even very modest service upgrades have long lead times the 2021 budget will be the last time to fund improvements that have any chance at all of being implemented by the November 2022 election. Even then it will be very very tight. 

There are several reasons why a family can get a house built in less time than the Department of Transport can organise even a minor change to a bus route or timetable (let alone a local network review). However a large part of it is due to paralysed internal processes. 

Because policy and resources are so heavily skewed towards building infrastructure, service upgrades are considered exceptional rather than regular business. Hence efficient internal processes to upgrade networks and services are less developed than with (say) the level crossing removals which has a large, organised and well-funded program. 

Hence 2021's budget is really important and advocacy groups need to have got their budget proposals in. One of those groups that has is the Victorian Transport Action Group. 

VTAG dubs the 2010s as the 'decade of infrastructure' and welcomes the state government's investment on new railway lines, tracks, stations and level crossing removals. However it notes that service has been starved. Accordingly it advocates a swing to service, starting with the 2021 budget and beyond. This would transform public transport from a narrowly-based CBD peak hour service to a more broadly versatile network suitable for more diverse trips for more purposes at more times of the day.

As well VTAG is advocating smaller cost-effective infrastructure works to support some of the larger projects including the Metro Tunnel and Airport Rail. 

Four priority measures are proposed. These include: 

1. SRL SmartBuses. High quality SmartBus services that would connect Suburban Rail Loop stations to bring forward SRL benefits by decades and encourage early development and orbital travel patterns. 

2. Thirty major bus and train service improvements to simplify timetables, spread turn-up-and-go service and provide a 20 minute maximum wait on the rail network.  

3. A new concourse at Caulfield Station to relieve a pinch-point on the rail network that will only get more crowded with the Metro Tunnel and Airport Rail.  
 
4. Accelerated zero emission bus roll-out. An announcement was made in 2020's budget for a modest trial but other states have been progressing faster and more decisively than we have.  

You can read the submission and other papers here:

- VTAG's 2021 budget submission

- Caulfield Station - The missing Metro connections

- Electric buses, Now

I will discuss the first two measures in more detail below. 

SRL SmartBus

This initiative adds service to deliver high quality orbital transport at most SRL station locations. All but one routes proposed are upgraded or reconfigured existing routes. This keeps implementation cost low. Some of the concepts may be familiar to long-time readers here. 

a. Upgrade 733, 737 and 767 to SmartBus

These upgrade benefit already very popular routes that in some cases haven't had substantial service upgrades for decades. They serve major destinations including Box Hill, Chadstone, Southland, Monash University, Deakin University, Clayton, Oakleigh and more. 

The most important upgrade is the 733. This most closely replicates the SRL Stage 1. It serves proposed SRL stations at Box Hill, Monash University and Clayton. An extension to Southland would allow it to roughly parallel the entire Stage 1 of SRL. The Clayton to Oakleigh portion would be served by another route where coverage requires this. Despite exceptionally high patronage 733's Sunday service is currently just hourly. Weekday service is half-hourly off-peak. An upgrade to SmartBus would double (or better) service frequencies to every 10 min peak, 15 min off-peak and 20 min weekend. Some new buses would be needed for the peak upgrade and Southland extension but a high proportion of extra service kilometres would come from working the existing fleet harder for more of the day. 

Route 767 is included for a SmartBus upgrade as it would provide long hours and more frequent service between Box Hill and Deakin University (another SRL station). It would also provide better access to Deakin from the south (which is currently lacking). Chadstone would also benefit. The dotted line on teh map shows an optional extension of the SmartBus service to Southland, likely via East Boundary and Chesterville roads. However this would require a reconfiguration of local bus routes 627, 701 and 822 to maximise speed and efficiency. 

Route 737 is included as the third SmartBus upgrade as it is a popular route and links major centres. It would serve Monash Univesity and Glen Waverley (both SRL station locations). The SmartBus service would extend to at least Knox City. The dotted line shows a potential extension to Westall to serve a rapidly densifying and developing area. 

The above routes serve marginal seats in Melbourne's east such as Box Hill and Burwood that would be endangered if the government receives even a small swing against it.  

b. Sunshine - Melbourne Airport rail precursor

This is a precursor to the Melbourne Airport Rail Link (and a later part of the SRL). Services would operate at a good frequency with fast transit due to limited stops. It would strengthen Sunshine as a transport hub from a wide part of Western Melbourne and regional Victoria. 

As it is a completely new route, new buses would need to be bought. But it would become a high profile part of Melbourne's public transport network and help establish travel patterns ahead of airport rail. More detail in my blog post here. 

c. SRL SmartBus across the north

This is the cheapest SRL SmartBus since it involves a simple swapping of two orbital SmartBus routes at two places (Broadmeadows and Greensborough). This provides large benefits, including more direct airport access from many northern suburbs and a direct Greensborough - Doncaster SmartBus. The 902 orbital is effectively reconfigured to become the SRL SmartBus across the north. 901 then gets to serve stops that the 902 is removed from, leaving no stop without a SmartBus. 

Thirty major bus and train service improvements

This is a package of service upgrades that delivers new turn-up-and-go routes between major destinations. Many are relatively low cost as they consolidate existing multiple bus routes or make use of vehicles that would otherwise be idle off-peak.

Some measures might be the sort of things that a government might wish to do before an election because they benefit marginal seats. 

I won't go through all of them but key initiatives include: 

a. New 10 minute service on the following upgraded and simplified routes and lines: 

- Deakin Uni - Box Hill express shuttle (upgraded Route 201 consolidated with 768)

- Highpoint - VU - Footscray (consolidated 406/223 on revised route) 

- Coburg - Preston - Northland - Heidelberg orbital (new 904 formed from western 903 portion merged with part of overlapping 527)

- City - Ringwood train interpeak upgrade (Belgrave & Lilydale upgraded to every 20 min)

- City - Glen Waverley train interpeak upgrade

b. Extra/revised SmartBus links

- Heidelberg - La Trobe Uni formed by splitting and extending eastern part of 903 to campus

- Essendon - Highpoint - Sunshine formed by rerouting 903 via Highpoint

- La Trobe University - Caulfield with merged 548 and 624

c. Evening train service upgrades across Melbourne

- Upgrade from every 30 to 20 min 7 nights. Watergardens, Upfield, Craigieburn, Mernda, Eltham, Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Pakenham, Cranbourne. Follows on from January 2021 upgrades to Frankston, Werribee and Williamstown. An upgrade to every 20 min would bring us closer to service standards in Syndey (every 15 min until midnight) and reverse large cuts made in 1978 (when Melbourne was little more than half today's population and night time activity was much less).    

d. Service upgrades on high patronage/high needs bus routes

- Mostly extended operating hours and boosted frequencies (particularly weekends) on over 20 bus routes across Melbourne (list in submission). Relatively low cost working the existing bus fleet harder as most are off-peak upgrades.

Conclusion

That's one group's ideas as to service priorities for public transport in 2021. What's your view? Please leave your comments below. 

See other Building Melbourne's Useful Network items here