We effectively have two-speed planning in transport. Infrastructure-based authorities and projects get the resources and profile while the network planning, operations and service areas (typically core areas of the DoTP) sit mouldering in the shadows, with backlogs growing under their feet.
The result of our failure to integrate infrastructure with service planning is that many level crossing removals have not delivered all benefits they could have, especially for bus passengers. On this we lag cities like Perth which routinely reforms buses when it adds new stations. And we've done well before, with the high point reached in 2015 when Regional Rail Link also saw dramatically reformed bus networks in Geelong and Wyndham.
The solution is to (i) fix the multi-decade backlog of bus reform, including around recent infrastructure projects, and (ii) ensure that new infrastructure projects, including level crossing removals and new station builds, get bus reform done in concert with them.
Even where the area really needs a major network overhaul, opportunities for smaller scale improvements to address the most pressing service shortfalls around the project location should not be passed up.
Beneficial examples could include timetable uplifts eg 7 day service (where lacking), longer operating hours, extra weekend trips and/or frequency harmonisation with trains. Minor route changes including short extensions to dead end routes that currently stop short of the nearest train station and network reforms for simpler routes or better coverage are other possibilities.
All would aid connectivity, improve the effectiveness of stations as transport hubs and broaden the benefits of level crossing removals if included within their project scope. The latter would be especially beneficial where projects have been somewhat controversial, such as those involving station consolidations or the construction of elevated rail.
In 2021 the government announced 10 more level crossings to be removed by 2025. That would increase the number removed from 75 to 85 since Labor took office in 2014. Then, before the 2022 state election, Labor promised the removal of 25 more by 2030, taking the total to 110.
With the Andrews government re-elected this means that there is a lot of opportunity to integrate bus upgrades with level crossing removals and station rebuilds in the next few years.
Webb St, Narre Warren
One of the removals on the agenda for 2025 is Webb St, Narre Warren. This project will involve elevating the rail and rebuilding the station. Narre Warren is a major station on the Pakenham line with many bus routes passing or terminating. It is also the nearest station to the large Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, the civic centre and Bunjil Place. Narre Warren Station abuts growth areas to the south and, unlike Cranbourne, hasn't had a full bus network review for many years. Thus if there was ever a place that deserved at least some bus service reform in conjunction with the level crossing removal, Narre Warren, the subject of today's Useful Network feature, would be it.
Existing transport services at Narre Warren
Trains at Narre Warren typically operate every 20 minutes during the day and 20 to 30 minutes at night. Peak frequency is higher. Waits between Sunday morning trains are as much as 60 minutes. This is amongst the lowest service on the network and one-third the 20 minutes enjoyed by lines like Frankston and Werribee which received upgrades in early 2021.
Surrounding bus routes are best described as complex and infrequent. Part, though not all, of the complexity can be attributed to the indirect street networks of suburbs north and south. Past reforms have often layered new routes over existing routes without serious attempt at taking a wider network view. There are some coverage gaps north of Princes Fwy with some people having to backtrack to Berwick rather than be able to get a bus to Narre Warren Station.
As for frequency, just one bus route in Narre Warren operates better than every 20 minutes and even that is just on weekdays during the day (Route 828). Other routes are typically only every 40 to 60 minutes at most times.
Network issues are summarised on the map below:
Priority service upgrades for Narre Warren
The following service initiatives could address the above issues at Narre Warren:
Train
* Sunday morning train frequency boost from 60 minutes (either 40 min for combined 20 min service from Dandenong inward with Cranbourne line) or 30 min or 20 min
* In conjunction with Dandenong line upgrade boost weekend evening service from 30 to 20 min
The above would have wider benefits than just Narre Warren with gains at multiple stations on Melbourne's busiest rail line. These boosts could be a prelude to further improvements to be delivered as part of the Metro Tunnel. We made a great start in early 2021 when we gave similar boosts for the Frankston, Williamstown and Werribee lines but seem to have dropped the ball since, despite these upgrades being cheap, high priority and involving relatively few added trips.
Bus
* Upgrade Route 841 frequency to every 20 min 7 days (at least Cranbourne - Fountain Gate portion) with longer operating hours.
Route 841 is the major north-south bus serving Narre Warren Station, linking it to major destinations and interchanges including Fountain Gate Shopping Centre and Cranbourne. Route 893, a similar north-south bus route through the rebuilt Hallam Station, already operates at the suggested 20 minute 7 day frequency. More on Route 841.
* Boost 828 weekend frequency from 40-60 min to every 20 min with longer operating hours.
While it doesn't pull in to Narre Warren station, it passes nearby. Route 828 is the area's major east-west route serving locations such as Keysborough, Doveton, Fountain Gate and Berwick's main street away from the train line. Its weekday 20 minute frequency means that upgrades can be done by working the existing fleet harder for more of the week. I discussed the 828 corridor (along with other key routes) here.
* Extend Route 839 from currently weak terminus to Narre Warren Station to lessen backtracking. Investigate options for running via Ryelands Dr for improved coverage.
Route 839 currently runs west from Berwick but ends at a local shopping centre rather than continuing onto key interchanges or destinations like Narre Warren Station or Fountain Gate. Weak termini reduce the patronage potential of a bus route and create unnecessary need to change. It may be possible for the extension to serve an area currently with poor coverage.
* Buy or find an extra bus or two so that all Route 894 and 895 trips can go the full route.
Currently both routes have to skip stops during peak times with 3 hour gaps, making catching buses chancy. Addressing this could be a prelude to subsequent network reforms as local routes are currently very complex, indirect and miss key destinations including jobs-rich Dandenong South and Fountain Gate from some areas. Information and background on this is here, here and here. Reform could complement that already budgeted in 2022 for other Narre Warren and Cranbourne West local routes.
* Ensure interchange design at Narre Warren maximises efficient through running and local travel for buses with provision made for fast and direct tram-like frequent routes.
Currently there's a planning attitude that sees stations as bus route termini where everyone alights so it's fine to have buses weave off the main road in to a side street near the station. This can work at end termini where there are few other destinations and those that exist are grouped tightly around the station. However Narre Warren's main destination (the area around Fountain Gate) is away from the station. Bus interchange design at Narre Warren Station needs to support a network topology where most (if not all) bus routes from the south continue north to Fountain Gate. And stop locations facilitate a simple frequent service to it from the station. Interchange designs should minimise (and preferably eliminate) bus turning movements for fastest run times. Hallam is a very good example (for routes like 893) while Clayton is a poor example (with routes like 703 and 733 being made indirect northbound).
The above service upgrades would have wider benefits as well, involving catchments of tens to hundreds of thousands of people. They could be the start of a staged program of bus network reform in the area. This is particularly needed here as it's been a long time since the Narre Warren bus network was comprehensively reviewed (unlike Cranbourne which got a completely reformed network in 2016).
Beaconsfield, too
Station St Beaconsfield is also getting its level crossing removed through the construction of a road bridge. The area has traditionally been less densely populated than Narre Warren/Berwick to the west. However there is substantial new suburban growth at Officer to the east.
The abovementioned train service upgrades for Narre Warren would also benefit Beaconsfield. As for buses, currently only Route 836 directly serves the station though routes 837, 838 and 926 pass nearby on the highway. Route 846 goes more than half way to Beaconsfield from Berwick but then heads west after going south. Local routes in the area tend to be short. Notably 831 and 837. Both have dead end termini that are begging to be extended.
Bus reform in the area needs to consider the growth of surrounding areas including Pakenham and Officer. A need not currently met is a frequency hierarchy with much higher frequencies on main roads. The most notable case is Princes Hwy whose Route 926 generally operates every 60 - 75 minutes rather than the 20 minute service available on some other parts of Princes Hwy. Reform for Pakenham North routes are discussed here and Pakenham South here.
Until a comprehensive Cranbourne-style review is done the highest priority upgrade to local buses would be a frequency boost for Route 926, added coverage in the Officer area and extensions to some 'dead-end' routes. However I wouldn't necessarily have many (if any) bus routes terminate at Beaconsfield as it is unlikely to ever be as significant a bus hub as Officer, Berwick or Narre Warren.
Conclusion
Sequencing train and bus network and service upgrades with level crossing removals allows the delivery of integrated transport upgrades to communities with benefits for everyone - not just car drivers. The latter is important as in some previous projects passengers have borne the brunt of disruptions but had the fewest direct benefits from completion.
Today I discussed potential service upgrades for the Narre Warren and Beaconsfield areas. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I'll return next week with a similar item on another level crossing removal.
More Building Melbourne's Useful Network items here
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