Something that hasn't much changed are the services that run through it. Night Network services have improved but you'd have to go back to the Brumby government for when the area last had a significant daytime service upgrade or reform.
Attention is needed here if you want to really make local transport useful. That means efficient routes that go where people want to go and frequent timetables. Otherwise if you just miss a service you could be waiting 30 to 60 minutes until the next. Even the trains are half hourly, with less interpeak service than even Geelong, twice the distance from the CBD, enjoys.
The map below shows its current network. Trains run north west to south east. Six bus routes operate to its station. These are typically about half-hourly on weekdays and hourly on weekends. The main exceptions, with even sparser service, are the once daily 745B and occasional extension trips via the 753 to Bayswater.
Don’t be surprised if you’ve read about them before. They not only benefit Boronia but improve access over a wide area. Including a large number of seats that the government will wish to retain in the 2022 election. So I've discussed some previously.
1. Never wait more than 20 minutes for a train
Most suburban stations get trains every 15 or 20 minutes between the am and pm peaks. Some stations at similar distances from the CBD even enjoy 10 minute interpeak service.
Boronia and the Belgrave line it sits on is an unloved exception. Its trains are only half hourly until about 4:30pm. And its peak services are confusing with many different stopping patterns.
An improved station also deserves a commensurate service uplift.
Boronia's long interpeak waits can be fixed simply by operating the superior weekend timetable between the peaks on weekdays as well. That cuts maximum waits down from 30 to 20 minutes at Belgrave and Lilydale lines and enables a turn-up-and-go 10 minute service from Ringwood. Also COVID has changed peak travel patterns which may enable cost-effective simplified timetables at those times too.
The next logical step could be to boost evening and Sunday morning services. That would cut the longest time you'll wait for a train down from 30 to 20 minutes, like what the Werribee line got in early 2021 upgrades.
2. Frequency upgrades for the popular Route 737 bus
Current services run every 30 to 40 minutes. This is low for a main road bus route like the 737 mostly is. An upgrade to every 15 - 20 minutes 7 days per week would provide better access to Boronia from locations such as Croydon, Knox City, Glen Waverley and Monash Clayton. Services could also be simplified with all trips going the same way. Confusing deviations would either be removed or served by another route.
Route 737 connects Boronia from two directions - north and west. It is also the most productive bus route to serve Boronia, as measured on a passenger boardings per hour basis. Hence it's ripe for an upgrade.
3. Longer hours and weekend upgrade for Route 691
691 is the only bus route connecting Rowville to Boronia. Not only that but it's the only 7 day route from Rowville to any part of the Belgrave line (FlexiRide being weekday only). Unfortunately the 691's last Sunday trip leaves Boronia at 6:52pm and (oddly) even earlier (6:12pm) on a Saturday. This limits its usefulness compared to other routes that typically finish around 9pm on all seven days. Also Sunday service is only hourly compared to every 40 minutes on Saturdays and 30 minutes on weekdays.
A low-cost Route 691 upgrade could add trips to deliver a 9pm finish seven days. About five or six more trips per week (in each direction) could enable a Sunday upgrade from every 60 to every 40 minutes. These improvements, which are possible by working the existing bus fleet harder, would improve connectivity to shopping and jobs at Boronia from large areas to the south.
4. Wider network reform to simplify buses with more direct routes
Boronia is not far from either Bayswater or Knox City. When considering bus reform there it is also worth looking at the wider network. As I did two years ago in Useful Network Part 32. The map below shows a concept revised network. Something like this is overdue as local routes have accreted over years with no serious attempt made to review and simplify.
In summary: (a) Extending 690 to Knox City via Boronia using the existing 753 alignment in Ferntree Gully. (b) A new Scoresby Rd route created by rerouting 664 between Knox City and Bayswater. (c) Extending the loose end of the 753 created by (a) to Bayswater station via Stud Rd, replacing both the limited service 758 and the 664 rerouted by (b).
Overall this is a simpler network that improves connectivity for people across Knox. Most notable gains include a full 7 day Scoresby Rd route (as opposed to the current one trip 745), seven day service and a rail connection for Knoxfield instead of the limited service 758 and a Knox City connection for the 690.
A later stage could simplify the complex 755 around Ferntree Gully and improve access to the Bayswater jobs precinct from the south, such as by extending the 691 to Bayswater. The latter could be done without cost if the 691's basically redundant Waverley Gardens - Stud Park portion is removed.
Some boosts for the Boronia area have been described. In the main they are fairly simple. How do you like them? Are all necessary, are there better alternatives or should I have covered more, eg reform to the 755? Comments are appreciated and can be left below.
More Building Melbourne's Useful Network items are here
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