Today we continue discussion of level crossing removals and service upgrades that could be associated with them to widen the projects' benefits. This time we're looking at Parkers Rd, Parkdale and Warrigal Rd, Mentone. Both are adjacent level crossings on the Frankston line.
The Frankston line is already the most frequent of all Melbourne's train lines. Other lines in Melbourne's north, west and outer east, often with only half the service, have higher priority for upgrade. Thus all initiatives here concern bus and connectivity improvements.
Parkdale (Parkers Rd)
Parkdale's level crossing removal involves raising the rail to form a bridge over Parkers Rd. A new Parkdale station will also be built.
Route 708 is the station's only bus route. It is roughly north-south running from Hampton to Carrum. It serves many Frankston line stations but provides coverage of many areas in between. There is substantial unique coverage particularly in the Aspendale Gardens area. It will also be the main public transport route serving the proposed aquatic centre at Mordialloc.
Current service is every 60 min on weekends and evenings, compared to 30 min during the day on weekdays. Thus a lot of buses sit in the depot on weekends when they could be out on the road serving shopping centres like Southland. Potential Route 708 service improvements with the existing fleet could include:
* Boost weekend service from every 60 to every 30 minutes
* Add extra operating hours with earlier starts and later finishes (especially weekends)
* Add one or two early evening weeknight trips so the hourly frequency cuts in later
* More evenly space commuter peak trips to form as close to as possible a 20 minute frequency (the current timetable is very 'lumpy' likely due to the route's large school transport role).
The above would boost 708's utility as a feeder bus at stations including Highett, Mentone, Parkdale, Mordialloc and Carrum. Connectivity to Southland Shopping Centre would also improve. There would be residential area benefits in large parts of Parkdale and Aspendale Gardens where the 708 bus is the only walkable public transport. I discussed a larger 708 (and other routes) upgrade in UN 7 on the Mordialloc Freeway corridor.
What about route reforms involving the 708? These may have merit as parts of Nepean Hwy (including near Thrift Park Shopping Centre) have no bus. Ditto for the northern part of Warren Rd near Parkdale Secondary College. Reform here may involve the 708 and possibly an additional route.
This is possibly better done as part of a more comprehensive review as they involve more complexity than simple service upgrades. It's worth noting that the (then) Department of Transport's record in the area hasn't been good, with them basically dumping what they proposed in a 2018 Mordialloc area bus review. The DoT plan involved scrapping the cheap-to-run 706, some modifications to the 705 and a split of the 708 at an inconvenient place for much of the route's school student traffic. If was probably for the better that it didn't go ahead, though there may be overall benefits in splitting the 708 elsewhere, especially if accompanied by service increases.
Mentone (Warrigal Rd)
This project is only a short distance between Parkdale (mentioned above) and Mentone station to the north (which got rebuilt as part of the Balcombe Rd grade separation).
Route 708, which also serves Mentone, has already been discussed.
Routes 811 and 812 currently go over the Warrigal Rd crossing. These are long complex route operating between Brighton and Dandenong. Their alignment is the same west of Braeside. There is a strong need for reform and simplification but this is best done in conjunction with a review of the Keysborough - Dandenong network. In the interim a weekday pattern could be adopted on weekends so weekend frequency in the area increases from 60 to 30 minutes.
The area's main interchange is Mentone which got a rebuilt station when Balcombe Rd was grade separated. Heritage considerations of preserving the old station building trumped transport connectivity with the result being much longer walks to buses than with the old station. The video below compares Mentone station with Ormond station, a better designed result of a level crossing removal further up the line.
It would be sensible to review the arrangements at Mentone to see if improvements can be made to make the best of interchange arrangements including considering if and how buses can be brought nearer trains.
Conclusion
With fewer intersecting bus routes and dependencies on reforms to other areas there isn't as much here to easily reform compared to some other sites. However just the Route 708 frequency boost and some extra operating hours could make a significant difference, especially on weekends. As far as bus reforms at level crossing removal sites go this is one of the simplest, being merely a timetable change not needing an increase in the peak bus requirement.
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