Are you being served? Commentary on the service aspects of public transport in Melbourne, Australia. Covers networks, routes, timetables, planning, co-ordination, information, marketing and more.
Yesterday premier Jacinta Allan announced 25 precincts, mostly around train stations, that would be zoned for increased housing density including apartments.
Overall I thought the locations were about as good as you could get for access to frequent public transport. For example 24 of the 25 housing activity centres were on train lines that ran every 15 minutes or better on weekdays, with the 25th near a frequent tram. Furthermore, 9 listed locations have a 10 minute 7 day service.
The media release mentioning train frequencies (although I'd have preferred off-peak to peak) was also good, drawing a link between development and service levels that was previously less articulated.
Having said that there was still room for improvement. With housing abundance must come transport service abundance. Housing activity centres need to be near 7 day frequent transport, day and night. Otherwise residents will be stuck in traffic, have high transport costs and be hardly less car dependent than those in less dense areas.
Despite our large train and tram networks, all week frequent transport is scarce in Melbourne, being accessible to under 5% of the population, as shown on these frequency maps by Philip Mallis. And such frequent transport access needs to be available not just by train to the city but by tram or bus between suburbs for a truly versatile and connected network. Just as I discussed cost-effective network needs for six proposed social housing priority areas in 2020and ten housing priority areas in 2023, here's my top service priorities for the 25 centres listed yesterday.
Sandringham line
North Brighton, Middle Brighton, Hampton, Sandringham
* Boost Sunday am rail frequency from 40 to 20 min on the Sandringham line * Implement 10 min 7 day rail frequency upgrade as proposed in 2016 Metro Tunnel Business Case * Bay Rd SmartBus from Sandringham to Southland and beyond (either straightened and upgraded Route 828 to Dandenong/Berwick or as part of extended Route 733 SRL SmartBus to Box Hill) * Upgrade Route 703 SmartBus from Brighton to full SmartBus standards including service until midnight, more frequent weekend trips and a 10 minute off-peak frequency. * Extend Route 824 from Moorabbin to Brighton via South Rd with higher frequency to replace current infrequent and complex 811/812 routes * Reform complex 600/922/923 routes, with simpler and more frequent services * Potentially extend 64 tram to Middle Brighton
Frankston line
Toorak, Hawksburn, Armadale, Malvern
* Boost Frankston line frequency to operate every 10 min or better between at least 7am and 10pm 7 days * Stop all Dandenong line trains at Malvern to provide a direct Metro Tunnel connection and relieve stress on Caulfield as an interchange point * Tram network reform and shorter/more legible interchanges at stations to make north-south travel easier * 7 day tram frequency boosts for routes 3, 5, 6, 16, 64 & 72 with maximum 6 - 10 min waits off-peak during the day and every 10-15 min at night and Sunday mornings * Extend Route 604 north to Victoria Gardens via Burnley to provide a new north-south connection * Bus 605 upgrade with improved operating hours and weekend frequency * Consider extending 5 tram to Darling station and 6 tram to Glen Iris station for better network connectivity * Major upgrade for Caulfield station to facilitate accessibility and interchange between services
Pakenham/Cranbourne line
Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Oakleigh
* Ensure Metro Tunnel trains operate every 5 min or better all day between 7am and 10pm between at least West Footscray and Westall 7 days * Boost buses on Routes 900 and 903 to operate every 10 min or better 7 days with Sunday evening serviced added and 24 hour weekend service * Major bus reform and service uplifts including: (a) Route 767 frequency boost and rerouting via East Boundary and Chesterville Rds with maximum 15-20 min waits over longer hours, (b) Route 623 upgraded to run every 15 - 20 minutes 7 days with operation via more of Neerim Rd (replacing 624) and Caulfield Station, (c) New north-south route from Caulfield to La Trobe University involving consolidated and more frequent routes 548 and 624 every 10-20 min or better. * New bus rapid transit on Princes Hwy between Caulfield, Chadstone, Monash and Rowville incorporating network reforms to Route 900 and other routes in the Oakleigh area. * 7 day tram frequency boosts for route 67 with maximum 6 - 10 min waits off-peak during the day and every 10-15 min at night and Sunday mornings. * Consider extending 67 tram to Carnegie station for better network connectivity * Major upgrade for Caulfield station to facilitate accessibility and interchange between services
Glen Waverley line
Tooronga, Gardiner, Darling
* Upgrade Glen Waverley line to run every 10 min or better 7 days between at least 7am and 10pm * Frequent north-south bus link from Caulfield - La Trobe University via Tooronga Rd (incorporating existing 624 and 548) operating every 15-20 min over long hours * New Burke Rd bus from Camberwell to Caulfield operating every 15-20 min over long hours to fill existing 'missing link' * Extension of Route 734 bus from Glen Iris to Caulfield to provide a stronger terminus and boost to every 20 min or better 7 days * Extend operating hours on 612 bus to at least 9pm and boost weekend frequency to 30 min * 7 day tram frequency boosts for routes 5, 6 and 72 with maximum 6 - 10 min waits off-peak during the day and every 10-15 min at night and Sunday mornings. * Potentially extend 5 tram to Darling station and 6 tram to Glen Iris station for better network connectivity
* Upgrade Ringwood train frequency to every 10 min or better between at least 5am and midnight 7 days and simplify peak stopping patterns with new greenfield timetable * Introduce new frequent Chandler Hwy bus from Hawthorn/Glenferrie area to Northland/LaTrobe University via a reformed and extended Route 567 operating every 15-20 min 7 days * Upgrade Route 703 SmartBus from Blackburn to full SmartBus standards including service until midnight, more frequent weekend trips and a 10 minute off-peak frequency. * Upgrade service on Route 902 SmartBus between Nunawading and Springvale South, including 7.5 min peak frequency, 10-15 min evening and weekend frequency and Sunday evening service until midnight. * Upgrade service on Route 907 SmartBus to Mitcham, including 10 min maximum waits 7 days until 9pm and evening service every 15-20 min. * Wider bus network reform in Blackburn/Nunawading area, including a simple and frequent Box Hill - Ringwood bus along Canterbury Rd and a more direct Route 273. * 7 day tram frequency boosts for routes 16, 48, 70, 75 and 109 with maximum 6 - 10 min waits off-peak during the day and every 10-15 min at night and Sunday mornings.
Sunbury line
Middle Footscray, West Footscray, Tottenham
* Ensure Metro Tunnel trains operate every 5 min or better all day between 7am and 10pm between at least West Footscray and Westall 7 days * Boost frequency on routes 216 and 220 buses to every 10 min weekdays and 15 min weekends, with longer operating hours (eg earlier weekend starts) and potential other network reform in area * New Ashley St bus route between Highpoint and Yarraville via Tottenham station operating every 15-20 min over long hours * Upgrade bus route 411 to SmartBus standard with longer hours and frequent 7 day service (in conjunction with bus network simplification in Altona North area) * Upgrade bus route 414 to operate 7 days with longer hours * Consider bus network reform in West Footscray area including a direct bus to Highpoint * Major upgrade for walkability, visibility and safety around Tottenham station and underpass
Toorak Village
* 7 day tram frequency boosts for route 58 with maximum 6 - 10 min waits off-peak during the day and every 10-15 min at night and Sunday mornings. * Extend Route 604 north to Victoria Gardens via Burnley to provide a new north-south connection * Bus 605 upgrade with improved operating hours and weekend frequency
That's it from me. Additions welcome in the comments below.
Yesterday premier Jacinta Allan said that she'll soon have more to say about planning for more housing in established, well-serviced suburban areas. Or, in her terms, "in the community you love, near the things you need". And it would be close to transport and jobs, giving people an option to live nearer family.
That's an issue because older people snaffled homes in many of the choice suburbs years ago (when they were cheaper relative to incomes) and are tending to remain in place. That leaves only limited choices, often only a CBD area apartment or a less accessible outer suburb, for younger people just starting out and those on average incomes or less, including the key workers needed to keep Melbourne going.
Maximising service to the many
I have been particularly interested in the relationship between housing and public transport access.
It has been repeatedly shown and mapped that Melbourne has done poorly at bringing people, jobs and high-quality (ie frequent 7 day) public transport together despite (unusually) retaining both its legacy train and tram networks. Doubly so for people on low incomes, where Melbourne ties with Brisbane for the wooden spoon of the large Australian capitals. For evidence, see reports and maps prepared by (1) Climate Council, (2) Philip Mallis and (3) my own interactive network frequency maps.
To fix this we need to (a) bring frequent all-week public transport nearer more people and jobs, or (b) bring more people and jobs near all-week frequent public transport
This sidelining of service has left Melbourne with 30 to 40 minute gaps on much of our rail, bus and even tram networks at times many are still travelling, while Sydney is powering ahead with more 15, 10 or even 5 minute frequencies across more areas. There's also implications for transit-convenient development since outside the CBD and surrounds almost no suburban site (not even a big one like Box Hill) features true all week frequent service on even one line.
The other element is clustering jobs and housing around the transit infrastructure and service. A bit like the 20-year old Melbourne 2030 plan but with more emphasis on housing affordability this time around.
Higher density needs all week frequent public transport in multiple directions so that redeveloped precincts are as accessible as they can be and that space-inefficient car use becomes an option rather than a necessity. I discussed cost-effective network needs for six proposed social housing priority areas in 2020 and ten housing priority areas in 2023.
Could there be more established areas earmarked for denser housing? At least as far as planning goes the answer is yes, and I'll get on to today's announcement from the premier later. First a bit about current activity centre planning.
When the government puts planning and transport matters out for public consultation they will often use the engage.vic.gov.au site. Like they did for the housing activity centres.
Submissions for the Activity Centres Program closed on September 29, 2024. It's after then but they will often leave some information up. That's worth reading this to understand how they select the housing precincts.
As explained on the current Engage Activity Centres Program page, it's a three step process. The first step is used to determine a 'density index' for each centre which is like an overarching target. The next two steps are more to do with the internal structure of each centre (what they call 'precinct typologies'). For broad network planning we are only interested in Step One.
Probably of greatest interest are the factors considered when determining density. There is a matrix comprising two main factors: These are (a) access to jobs and (b) access to fixed route public transport (ie trains or trams). Precincts near a lot of both get earmarked for high density, as does anywhere within 2.5km of the CBD, provided it has at least one tram line.
The matrix is reproduced below (click for improved clarity):
Mapping to density is mostly on a 1 to 10 scale with a dense major activity centre rating off the scale. It is tempting to surmise that the 1 to 10 rating is roughly the number of building storeys but this is not stated.
What aspects of public transport aren't considered? Service frequency is one. Being on an infrequent train line rates higher (up to 6) than the highest scenario for buses (4). You can justify this on the basis of trains' superior capacity, speed and isolation from traffic delays. However a single tram route (5) ranks higher than multiple frequent bus routes (4). Although there's only a handful of the latter corridors in Melbourne so this is relatively unimportant.
However I do think that our densest centres need fast and frequent transport in multiple directions, not just one. A factor considering this would be good. Failure to consider this may result in excessive density being built in near-CBD but mostly inaccessible precincts like Fishermans Bend and parts of Docklands. A look at SNAMUTS maps shows how much accessibility falls on the CBD fringes with somewhere like Waterfront City having terrible connectivity despite having a tram route due to bad geometry (which is expensive to overcome).
As Jarrett Walker says, 'be on the way'. You really can't (or shouldn't) built much at Fishermans Bend without Metro 2 to the west. A stub tram route won't do much more than the current frequent Route 235 bus. If you don't want to build Metro 2 yet then defer Fishermans Bend in favour of 'on the way' precincts like Arden, Footscray, Sunshine and Caulfield which will be on Metro 1.
What would an activity centre density allocation look like in practice using the PT infrastructure/jobs matrix set out? The currently available Engage link shows it for the first announced centres.
Broadmeadows, Epping, Ringwood and Frankston ranks as Metropolitan Activity Centres, so are earmarked for the highest densities. All are rail-based centres. However the first two (Craigieburn and Mernda lines) lack frequent trains outside peak hours. Ringwood and Frankston do have 7 day frequent train service during most daylight hours, with weekend mornings being the main exception. However, as with even the best served public transport in Melbourne, evening service drops to every 20 - 30 minutes. This lags Sydney and is not consistent with Metropolitan Activity Centres growing as food, arts and entertainment hubs, especially when bus services from the surrounds are also considered.
The next tier down, scoring 6 or 7 (storeys?) is occupied by Preston (High St), Camberwell Junction and Moorabbin. All are at least somewhat near to rail with Camberwell also being a tram hub. The abovementioned service frequency issues apply for these centres as well.
Finally there is a lower cluster (scoring between 3 and 4) for North Essendon, Niddrie-Keilor Road and Chadstone. The first two have trams while Chadstone (scoring 4) has buses only. While the 4 score might reflect existing activity and the large number of bus routes, it's a case of quantity over quality; not a single bus route in Chadstone runs much after 9pm Sunday nor has gaps of less than 30 minutes on weekends. Doncaster, which has much better bus services, oddly is not in this first crop of centres.
Today's announcement
This morning the premier announced (via Facebook) that they were 'helping build more homes' close to 50 train stations and tram stops in Melbourne.
Overall there is a skew towards inner and south-eastern suburbs, ie those with some of Melbourne's highest property prices, access to jobs and best public transport connectivity. The first 25 also appears to be a subset of the Major Activity Centre list. Part of a long-term plan up to 2051.
All locations are near a weekday off-peak service every 15 minutes or better (either existing or likely post Metro Tunnel). Furthermore, 9 listed locations have a 10 minute 7 day service. That could double provided Metro Tunnel delivers the goods re frequency on (a) Sunbury line, (b) Sandringham/cross-city line and there is (c) a revised greenfields Belgrave/Lilydale timetable implemented shortly afterwards.
In short the location choices are about as good as possible when it comes to locating near frequent rail transport. Explicitly linking land use with service frequency, as stated in the premier and minister's media release, is excellent. Hopefully there will be more attention to cross-suburban transport, notably bus operating hours and frequencies to make car-free living both possible and convenient at many of these locations.
The article says the government has promised to consult councils and residents on height limits. This August 30 2024 archived version of the Activity Centre Density Allocation map may give some indication on recent thinking regarding potential relative development intensity at some centres.
As a caution, it's worth noting that a government plan for zoning density doesn't automatically make new homes appear. It also has to be an economic proposition for developers to build and buyers (or tenants) to move in to. The relatively subdued prices of established homes in Melbourne at the moment might make some think twice about developing. Factors like interest rates, economic sentiment, taxation policy, immigration and more are also important in shaping what gets built where.
We'll know where the remaining 25 activity centres will be later this year according to the article.
Various campaigns have asked 2024 council candidates to commit to advocating for better public and active transport. Here's a quick summary of known campaigns, what they want and areas they're active in:
Melbourne FOE Better Buses campaign
Campaign seeks a radically reformed direct and frequent bus network across Melbourne's western suburbs. Also advocates for new bus routes in growth areas.
Most active in Wyndham, Melton, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong with some candidates from other municipalities also signing up.
Campaign seeks budget funding for 7 day service on all bus routes in Dandenong, with 2025 priorities being routes 802, 804 and 814. It follows from the #Fix800Bus campaign that got 7 day service on Route 800 funded in the 2024 state budget.
Active in the City of Greater Dandenong, the campaign emailed candidates requesting support for council advocacy for better 7 day bus services.
A broad campaign from nearly 40 local transport and environment advocacy groups to create safe and pleasant streets with good walkability and cycle access.
Candidates from councils across Melbourne have been asked for their support. You can enter your address and the website will tell you which candidates have pledged for better streets.
Seeks to boost all-week train frequencies on the Craigieburn, Upfield, Mernda and Hurstbridge line to match service levels on other lines. The campaign's first priority is to cut 40 min (Sunday morning) and 30 min (evening) waits to 20 minutes. Then a phased upgrade to every 10 minutes all week, starting with the busiest lines.
Candidates in Hume, Moonee Valley, Whittlesea and Darebin in wards served by trains have been asked (via their Facebook pages) to support improved more frequent 7 day rail services.
Seeks 7 day service on bus routes in Merri-bek, starting with important east-west routes 503, 506 and 536. Campaign has asked candidates in Merri-bek wards served by these routes for their position on advocating the better service needed.
I've long maintained a set of interactive network frequency maps showing where Melbourne's frequent public transport goes. There are sets for various times of week and day and you can select layers by frequency threshold. But I have never quantified the population near frequent public transport at various times of week and day.
But Philip Mallis has. And has presented figures and maps at last Friday's Transport Camp and earlier this week on his blog item here.
I'm a big fan of this service/population based approach. More people in the industry should do it more often. And the expansion of the frequent network should be a leading KPI for the transport portfolio and the incoming DTP secretary with their pay depending on it.
Public transport isn't just about building infrastructure as an end in itself. Instead it's more about serving people, making their lives better and connecting them to opportunity. Measuring access to frequent service is one great way to check the effectiveness (or otherwise) of investment choices.
Below are a few of the maps presented. They show the extent how Melburnians' access to frequent public transport changes across the week and time of day.
As you might expect, frequent service (defined as every 10 min or better) is most prevalent at peak times. It exists in all directions from Melbourne, thanks to frequent peak rail service on all the longer lines. The gaps increase further out as only a few suburban bus services run every 10 minutes or better, even in the peaks.
M-F Peak: Overall about 50% of the population are within 800 metres of frequent service in peak times. Though note this will be an overestimate since the measurement method is based on services per hour and if there are multiple infrequent routes in an area this will count as a frequent service even though they may use different stops. Also even if (say) a route every 15 minutes and one every 20 minutes share a stop then you might still get 15 minute gaps even though 7 buses an hour means an average 9 minute headway. This effect is very pronounced in areas like Mornington, which show up on the map has having frequent service even though all routes are either every 30, 40 or 60 minutes in peaks.
M-F interpeak: About half a million Melburnians who had frequent service in the peaks lose it in the weekday interpeak periods. It's a bit hard to see from the maps but the big losses come from the outer parts of the rail network (notably in the outer south-east, outer east and almost all of the north and west) dropping from every 10-15 min in peaks to every 20, 30 and even sometimes 40 minutes (identifying these line sections is where my interactive network frequency maps will come in handy). Buses also fall off. Again its hard to see but it is common for buses in areas like Brimbank, Wyndham and around South Morang to fall from 20 minutes peak to 40 minutes off-peak. The 'holes' in many middle distance suburbs also increase.
Saturday: Compared to weekday interpeak, a further 700 000 people lose access to frequent service during the day on Saturday. Generally train and tram frequencies hold up but buses do not. In the south-east you can see the areas with frequent service are much more spindly around the railway lines on Saturday versus a more filled in look on weekdays. A large part of this is attributable to orbital SmartBus routes (meant to be a premium bus service) collapsing from every 15 to every 30 minutes on weekends. As well, particularly in eastern middle suburbs, it is common for local routes every 30 minutes on weekdays to fall to hourly on weekends. In contrast other areas have a flatter 40 or 60 minute frequency pattern all week on their buses. Very roughly one-quarter of Melburnians have frequent service on Saturdays versus one-half during weekday peaks. On Sundays it's more like one-fifth (noting that the method overestimates all proportions).
Sunday evenings: When Sydney upgraded its train frequencies in 2017 it made a point of ensuring its 15 minute service extended to midnight or later. Melbourne has also had off-peak train frequency upgrades in the past two or three decades but they were overwhelmingly confined to daylight hours and/or a few lines (notably in the south-east). The result is that Melbourne had (and still has) zero routes that could individually be considered frequency on Saturday and especially Sunday evenings. Typical train and tram frequencies then are 30 minutes while most SmartBuses join local buses in finishing at 9pm Sundays. Thus just 5% of the population has frequent Sunday evening service and it is only because they live near sufficient infrequent routes that the analysis includes them. Saturday evening fares better, but even with the generous method used is still under 10%.
I've summarised the above (and a couple of extra time bands) below. This shows that the proportion of Melburnians with all week frequent public transport is a small minority. This is not due to infrastructure limitations or rolling stock shortages. Instead it is directly due to a political choice in the 12 or 13 years to avoid funding all-week service, with declining service per capita on our busiest metropolitan modes.
The Australasian city that has made the fastest progress towards spreading all week frequent service from the few to the many is Auckland. They did upgrade their train network but most of the gain is due to bus network and service reform, with Auckland now operating 40 routes with 7 day service every 15 minutes or better.
Climate Council analysis shows that Sydney has done quite well in making sure that its lower income people have as much access to frequent service as its higher income people (on average). And Perth, hampered by high growth and sprawl, has come off a low base, building its now significant frequent train and bus network from almost nothing, thanks to a sustained program of incremental all week train frequency increases and reforming buses far quicker than us.
Melbourne's got a great public transport infrastructure legacy. Unlike most US cities it kept substantial metropolitan and regional rail systems. And unlike most other western cities it kept a large, substantially intact, tram network. These factors give us a big advantage over other cities that need to make do with buses and/or rebuild their rail and tram systems (at great expense).
With easy day trips possible to destinations like Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Traralgon and even Warrnambool, our regional trains compare well with those elsewhere, with substantial investments in both infrastructure and service in the last two decades.
Maybe its massive transit infrastructure inheritance made Melbourne complacent; less endowed cities like Auckland and Perth had to be smarter at working what they have harder. Brisbane, in contrast, provides a data point in the other direction, demonstrating how to run an extensive and expensive network that benefits fewer people than it should.
With better 'bones' than most other cities, Melbourne's public transport needs just one main thing for it to really shine. Yet, it is far less spoken about than specific high profile projects like Airport Rail and the Suburban Rail Loop.
Thus it was great to see an article this week in Australasian Bus and Coach discussing the potential for increased frequency to turn its service from underwhelming to world class. The item covered themes familiar to most readers here but which may be new to others.
VTAG's paper notes that many timetables, especially for buses, reflect historical patterns such as old shop trading hours. More recently, reports from Melbourne CBD indicate increased evening activity. However metropolitan train timetables have been basically static, with many lines dropping back to half-hourly service after about 7 or 8 pm. And despite sometimes carrying standing loads, our main bus routes are often less frequent than trains or trams, especially on weekends.
Within modes there is sometimes a mismatch between usage (or usage potential) and service levels provided. Thus sparsely populated Yarrambat gets a SmartBus every 15 minutes, while dense Highpoint, Tarneit and Brunswick have none. Sparsely populated Research, with its two buses per hour (even on Sundays), wins the bus lottery while residential Dandenong North and Campbellfield do not with most routes not even operating 7 days despite their higher social needs.
The state government is aware of this with prominent mention in 2021's Victoria's Bus Plan. On Tuesday I demonstrated similar for rail, with high patronage but safe seated areas in Melbourne's north and west having double the waits for trains outside peak periods compared to well served lines like Frankston. Some welcome service reform has happened but the will and capacity to implement appears limited, even relative to smaller cities such as Perth.
Fixing a multi-decade backlog takes time, not least with sourcing recurrent funding, driver recruitment and then driver training. This is why VTAG recommends a staged process starting with popular routes that can be boosted by working the existing fleet harder. That has the effect of benefiting the most people soonest and lessening the risk of services being added but just carrying 'fresh air'.
Increasing Melbourne's service frequency suggests some priorities areas for all week bus frequency improvements. These include: Point Cook-Werribee-Tarneit, Springvale-Dandenong, Footscray-Sunshine and around Craigieburn. Most bus routes in these typically diverse areas have high boardings per hour productivity despite often dropping to every 40 minutes midday and weekends (as common in Wyndham) and/or not running 7 days (as common in Greater Dandenong).
All week frequency is also essential given increased travel on weekends, much of which includes people getting to jobs. Priorities for better frequencies are especially high around major shopping centres like Highpoint, Northland, Box Hill and Chadstone. Some recent progress has been made but potential still exists for our key routes (including busier portions of our orbital SmartBuses) to continue their 15 minute weekday frequencies on weekends rather than drop to every 30 or even 40 minutes as now. This would provide a much more legible and saleable network that can be depended on every day.
Starting by shortening the longest waits is particularly cost-effective as not very many extra service kilometres need adding to cut maximum waits, especially for trains. As an example going from 40 minutes to 30 minute frequencies requires just one extra return trip per two hours improved. When the 40 minute service is only at a few times (eg Sunday mornings) then the number of extra weekly trips needed to cut maximum waits is very small indeed.
Evening boosts from 30 to 20 minutes are also economical, in this case involving one extra return trip per hour of improved frequency. Boosts would lessen or eliminate Melbourne's severe evening service 'cliff' where service collapses to minimal (for trains) or nothing (for many buses) in the 7-9pm range. By running its trains every 15 minutes or better until midnight, boosting tram services and having generally more frequent service on its main bus routes, Sydney has surged ahead of us here. A worthwhile start can be made with 1 to 3% extra trains scheduled per week, as explained here and here, with a sustained program providing further gains.
Just like with anything the better you make something the more people will use it. Including well-targeted frequency upgrades on public transport. That has benefits including addressing cost of living (public transport is cheaper than driving but a reasonably convenient service needs to exist), widening housing choices (as more homes are near the frequent network), easing traffic congestion (by providing driving alternatives) and maximising returns from the government's investments in infrastructure including level crossing removals and rebuilt stations.
Another theme is promotion and information. As it stands passengers have little information about buses at train stations. Bus to bus interchanges often require walking around a large interchange to find the one you need with signage at only one or two points. There is also scope for more network maps on the network. Also those that are produced, such as the somewhat hard to find local area maps on the PTV website, insufficiently differentiate between frequent (and thus useful) and part-time routes.
That's a quick summary of the Victorian Transport Action Group's Increasing Melbourne's Service Frequency paper. I've only scratched the surface so I suggest reading it here (pdf 38 pages). You can also follow the Victorian Transport Action Group on Facebook here.
To what extent do Melbourne rail service levels reflect line usage? What is the geography of rail service versus usage? Who is well served and who gets short-changed? And what are the implications for service upgrade priorities, especially with the Metro Tunnel opening next year and a state election the year after?
These are some of the questions I'll try to answer today.
Station boarding data graphs posted by user AB014A on the Reddit r/MelbourneTrains group have made the job easier. The source Victorian government data is published here for those who want to do their own analysis.
Boardings by line
The simplest graph shows passenger boardings by line. Numbers exclude central area stations served by multiple lines. But there has been some apportionment of numbers by suburban stations served by multiple lines. The original graph and discussion appear on this Reddit thread.
Very roughly the longer the line the more the stations and the more the boardings.
Be aware of branched lines, especially where the split is so far out that most stations are on two lines (and at most times of day get double the service frequency). The two 'giants' in this regard are Pakenham/Cranbourne (about 20 million boardings) and Belgrave/Lilydale (17 million boardings including the minor Alamein branch).
Mernda/Hurstbridge are different in that most of their stations are beyond the Clifton Hill 'fork'. At around 16 million their combined usage is similar to Belgrave/Lilydale.
Service frequency can matter too, with lines like Sandringham and Glen Waverley carrying substantially more than comparably long Upfield. In short, the better you make service the more people use it. But what's striking is how well some lines do despite having frequency handicaps. For instance Werribee, Craigieburn, Mernda and Sunbury are about 88% Frankston line's usage despite having twice the waits off-peak. Even assuming a conservatively low service-patronage elasticity, you can reasonably predict that boosting each from 20 to 10 minutes off-peak will increase usage enough for all four to overtake the Frankston line (ie pushing that down from 2nd to 6th in ranking).
Wondered about the colours? These correspond to the network's five main line groups. Eg light blue is Caulfield group, green is cross-city, orange is northern, red is Clifton Hill, blue is Burnley and purple is V/Line. Sandringham, on its own, is pink. Some will change when the Metro Tunnel opens next year.
The coarseness of this data limits what conclusions you can draw from it. And some may be incorrect if you haven't considered factors like shared line sections, service levels and the number of stations. For instance Wyndham Vale's V/Line service doesn't look much but the few stations it has punch above their weight, especially after its generally lower frequency is considered. Also most lines serve inner, middle and outer Melbourne, with greatly varying demographics along their segments.
Boardings by line segment
User AB014A went on to split the above data into line segments, with the graph and discussion in another Reddit thread. With this you can see which segments had the most entries at their stations, and thus identify busier and quieter portions of each line.
Some commenters didn't like the way the data was segmented. However I like it because each segment has pretty much the same service levels at all stations in it. That allowed me to annotate the graph with off-peak service levels above each column, as below (click for clearer view).
The numbers are maximum waits between trains in minutes for various times of the week. These are explained in the highlighted frequency key. I've used Saturday evening frequencies but on most lines this applies for other nights as well.
Colour coding is used for several purposes. Line group is identified just as it was in the first graph, ie you can quickly identify all northern group line segments by looking for the orange. My additions shade particularly high or low frequencies. Look for green and yellow for 10 - 15 minute frequencies and grey for 40-60 minute gaps. That way you can see at a glance which segments get particularly high or low service.
Observations
1. The busy and well-served inner to middle east. The first five columns show segments that combine higher usage with higher service. These segments include all stations from the City to Dandenong and most to Ringwood. In these better served segments you can expect trains every 10-15 minutes during the day all week. At most stations peak waits are much shorter while evening and Sunday morning waits are longer.
2. The busy but underserved north and west. If you're just scanning colours the first thing that jumps out is that patch of four adjacent orange columns. And if you follow to the frequencies you'll see they all have gaps of up to 40 minutes.
We're talking about the Sunbury and Craigieburn lines here. Or more specifically Middle Footscray - Watergardens, Kensington - Essendon and Broadmeadows - Craigieburn.
Passengers in these segments use trains a lot, but unlike their eastern suburbs counterparts, don't get the same frequent service. This is most notable interpeak weekdays (20 versus 10-15 min), weekends (20 versus 10 minutes) and Sunday mornings (40 versus 30 min).
The Sunbury line will become part of the Metro Tunnel. Moving their trains out of the northern group City Loop portal will (in theory) allow higher peak Craigieburn line frequency. However not even broad service specifications have yet been made available so it's just guesswork as to whether these lines get the frequent all day service they need in the post Metro Tunnel timetables.
3. The Wyndham patronage powerhouse. Those prominent orange bars might have caused you to skip the two even busier segments around Werribee/Tarneit.
The Deer Park - Wyndham Vale portion of the Geelong line is extremely productive. And, more than other lines, 40 minute gaps on it are common including at times when Metro lines enjoy 20 and sometimes even 10 minute frequencies. Labor promised an upgrade to 20 minute frequencies before the last election. This won't come a moment too soon given its high passenger numbers. Ultimately, given the area's massive growth, that also probably justifies a full two tier service including all week 10 minute frequencies to Wyndham Vale.
Metro's Werribee line is also a strong performer west from Laverton. The very welcome 2021 train timetable cut maximum waits from 40 to 20 minutes, with particular gains at night and on Sunday mornings. Continued suburban growth justifies further improvements, starting with broadening shoulder peaks and moving to a 10 minute all week service, such as already enjoyed by its cross-city partner out to Frankston.
4. Quiet but frequent. Let's ignore the line colours and just look at which segments get 10-15 minute service. The quieter segments that nevertheless have good frequencies are all in the east or south (but not south-east).
Most notable is the Alamein line, which enjoys a 15 minute off-peak service. East Camberwell - Union and Heyington - Darling, areas home to some of Melbourne's choicest real estate, were in about the bottom third. However both segments were en-route to busier sections, such as Box Hill - Ringwood and East Malvern - Glen Waverley.
The first graph had the Frankston line as having the second highest number of boardings. It's a long line with many closely-spaced stations. Its inner section is busy (aided by Dandenong train express patterns) but usage falls away from the CBD. The Mentone - Frankston portion is its quietest segment, though Frankston station itself is busy. Its high 7 day frequency should induce more patronage than it has. Possible reasons why it hasn't include (i) weak catchment (including the bay), (ii) poor reliability due to frequent bus replacements and (iii) a new competing parallel freeway that is more attractive than often limited feeder buses.
5. Battle of the branches. Which of the branches beyond Dandenong and Ringwood do better? The answers might surprise.
For Dandenong the Cranbourne branch got about 50% more passengers than Pakenham. Even though Pakenham has some significant destinations like Berwick and Fountain Gate near (but not on) its corridor. Both are urban growth areas where most development has been away from stations. Some areas like Clyde got extra or extended buses. But Officer and Pakenham generally have not. Cranbourne generally has better buses than Pakenham with some routes (eg 897) operating every 20 minutes 7 days. I don't want to read too much in to numbers here as factors like frequent bus replacements (as have occurred on the Pakenham line) can depress patronage.
The branches east of Ringwood are about evenly matched with regards to both service frequency and patronage. Both also get more numbers than Alamein even though Alamein gets twice the weekday off-peak frequency. This matches what I saw in 2020 when I concluded that there was a 'greater good' gain of boosting weekday Belgrave and Lilydale frequencies to 20 minutes even if it meant that Alamein got a decrease from 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Average performing lines with below average service. Here there's a mismatch between patronage and service but perhaps not quite as much as those in 2 or 3 above. I'd put most of the Mernda line in this category due to its low off-peak frequencies.
Also while the Sandringham line has above average service at most times, its 40 minute Sunday morning service lets it down. This is a case where adding just a few trains per week can half maximum waits and provide a more legible and dependable all week service (especially given its already good evening frequency).
7. Poorly performing segments with high patronage potential. Some lines have a lot of stations in areas that have the density and demographics to support higher usage. These are often inner ring suburbs that also have trams.
In these parts public transport is abundant when looking at the map but each mode has problems that stop it from reaching maximum patronage potential as part of a connected network. For example trams are frequent but slow, trains are faster but infrequent while buses join the radial lines but have short operating hours. Boosting train frequencies would provide a frequent/fast option that would free up sometimes crowded trams for feeder and local trips.
Examples of infrequent rail segments with patronage potential include Rushall - Bell on the Mernda line, Macaulay - Coburg on the Upfield line and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Westgarth - Eaglemont on the Hurstbridge line. Rushall - Bell would support usage of the Mernda line, which along with Werribee, has the highest claim to go to a 10 minute all week service after the busy Craigieburn line and the very cheap to upgrade Ringwood line.
Interestingly the Kensington - Essendon portion of the Craigieburn line has equally low service but is already a good patronage performer. Essendon station's very high patronage (aided by some good tram and bus feeders) plus the high density around Moonee Ponds would explain all or most of this.
Why are service levels as they are?
The above has taught us that there are some busy lines that have high service while other busy lines have low service relative to usage. Other lines are better served relative to their patronage. And there can be significant variations across the week, with even the busiest lines not necessarily having the most frequent service at certain times.
Here are four elements that I think have been decisive:
1. The past. Go back about 50 or 60 years. Manufacturing was much bigger, especially in the west and north (including suburbs that would later gentrify). Such jobs were often local and suburban. Whereas middle class white collar workers favoured the east along lines to destinations like Ringwood and Glen Waverley. These have had more frequent service deeper into the suburbs than other lines. And it was true that the Burnley group was the busiest of Melbourne's then four operational groups until about the mid-2000s when that got overtaken by the Caulfield group. So if you look at the 1975 Working Timetable it was only Burnley group lines that had a basic 15 minute off-peak weekday frequency (with 20 minutes being more common elsewhere).
2. Advocacy/policy entrepreneurship. Despite the general doom and gloom there was a concerted campaign around 1991 to improve the frequency of the Sandringham line from every 20 to every 15 minutes. Advocates demonstrated that an upgrade was cheap and could even recoup what it cost in fares. This got implemented and was apparently successful. Except for Sunday mornings the Sandringham line continues to enjoy above average day and night frequency today.
3. Who is in government. There are exceptions but the general pattern is that political parties will add service in areas most politically important to them. In a traditional two party system with many safe seats they will often neglect their 'base' voters or those they think will never vote for them.
Despite its record of closing regional lines and sacking workers, the Kennett Coalition government also introduced some significant metropolitan rail frequency upgrades during its time. The 1996 off-peak boosts were confined to seats that were politically important to it in Melbourne's south and east. That saw Frankston and Dandenong trains improve from every 20 to every 15 minutes interpeak. 1999 saw a big upgrade in metropolitan Sunday train and tram services, but this time across the network.
Subsequent Coalition governments boosted south and eastern metropolitan train frequencies further, including Ringwood, Dandenong and Frankston getting 10 minute weekend services. Around this time Dandenong and Frankston got 10 minute interpeak weekday services too.
Labor governments have different priorities. They can point to significant records of extending rail electrification and (more recently) building the Metro Tunnel and removing level crossings.
Labor has only won office when it has won major regional city seats so regional rail has been a major priority since the 1999 Bracks victory. Improvements here have included both infrastructure (including line reopenings) and service levels (especially weekday).
However Labor has rarely added service on the metropolitan rail network, especially in established areas historically regarded as safe such as Broadmeadows, Coburg and Preston. Because the Liberals improved service in 'their' areas when in office but Labor didn't do likewise (and has governed for so long) the long term trend is towards an inequality in which some lines (like Frankston) have double the all-week frequency of others (like Craigieburn) despite similar patronage levels. It remains to be seen whether the timetables associated with the Metro Tunnel will buck this trend or not.
4. Crowding. If crowding gets extreme (to the point of trains being crush-loaded) or reliability suffers then that can force reformed timetables, operating patterns and service levels, particularly during peak times.
However the Melbourne record is that the lag time can be as long as 8 years. As an example, metropolitan rail reliability was good in the first three years of franchising then fell off a cliff in 2004 in line with rising patronage. This should have forced some action but the prevailing ideology was to blame the franchisee (in this case Connex) with the hope that the public would too. Performance continued to decline with train disruptions frequently making headlines from 2007. After overcoming a driver shortage the government slotted in a few extra peak trips in twice-yearly changes but the slide continued. They dumped Connex for Metro and it still continued. The service changes became more radical, including new simpler 'greenfield' timetables with more consistent service and more separated operations. Reliability rebounded markedly after about 2012 and the service improvements on some lines, notably in the south-east, extended to off-peak times.
To summarise, the timetables we have now most reflect (a) past travel patterns, (b) inertia as the default state and (c) politics. Other criteria, such as patronage or social needs, are less important but can force upgrades when crowding affects swinging voter commuters or unreliability makes the headlines.
Concepts influential in other cities, such as a network-wide service standard or a culture of incremental service improvement (such as we saw a little of in January 2021), are weak on Melbourne's metropolitan rail network. As an example all other Australian capital cities (with some minor exceptions) have a 15/30 min 'pulse' on their train network, whereas Melbourne can have frequencies of 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 and 60 minutes at various times, making connections between lines haphazard.
Whether it's the stable branding, advertising or information, in a city like Perth you get the sense that there is a strong, competent and multimodal 'network owner' able to pursue at least steady service improvements, we don't get quite the same vibes that our anonymously-led and continuously re or debranding DTP/PTV are moving the network forward at the same rate.
Priorities for improvements
There's no one correct answer or order for improvement. But benefiting the most number of passengers for the lowest cost would be a major factor.
If one wants a simple network without nasty surprises (like 40 or 60 minute gaps in broad daylight) then you start by cutting the longest waits on the busiest lines. These include Sunday mornings on the Metro network and weekend services on regional lines at least to Melton and Wyndham Vale.
Such an incremental approach might also see the widespread 30 minute evening headways cut to 20 minutes until say 9 or 10 pm with further pushing back in later years. This staged approach involves only a small percentage rise in service kilometres each year so is easier to manage with regards to driver recruitment and training etc.
Getting to all week 10 minute frequencies on all lines needs more service investment. This would probably need to be in phases over say 2 to 3 years. A start could be made by broadening the shoulders on high patronage potential lines like Craigieburn, Werribee and Mernda.
Sections of some lines aren't as strong patronage performers as those listed. But if an upgrade is cheap and benefits a lot of stations (eg Ringwood 10 min interpeak, Sandringham Sunday mornings) then it would be a high priority.
When patronage was growing rapidly about 15 years ago there were typically two timetable changes a year. That's a good approach as you can't do big upgrades overnight. It's good to do what you can when you can to bring the benefits of service forward. As opposed to doing nothing for many years and trying to tie service improvements to big infrastructure projects (that, contrary to some impressions conveyed) are not a pre-requisite for all-week service improvements.
Such a program could be linked to supporting bus coordination, as PTV commenced doing in its early years. A routine like this would make service upgrades more similar to (say) level crossing removals in that there are established processes rather than something so rare that it requires the 'wheel to be reinvented' each time or inefficient peaks and troughs in work-flow.
Local councils can't fix PT but they can advocate for improvements to infrastructure and services. And where they control roads and parking they can improve the operating environment for buses and their passengers.
Here's a quick whip around all Melbourne's local government areas and what I see as the top few big PT issues for each one. This could be handy for council candidates wishing to make transport advocacy part of their campaign.
Banyule
* Cutting train waits: Trains to at least Greensborough boosted to operate every 10 minutes 7 days in a staged upgrade starting with cutting 30 and 40 minute gaps to 20 minutes.
* SRL North SmartBus:Swap bus routes 901 and 902 at Broadmeadows so Route 902 operates from Melbourne Airport across the northern suburbs as a Suburban Rail Loop precursor service to at least Doncaster. Improve weekend frequency to 20 min and extend operating hours (notably Sunday evenings).
* Simpler buses: Split the very complex Route 566 at Greensborough into two simpler routes (565 and 566) and upgrade frequency from 22-25 min to 20 min to more consistently meet trains.
* Murray Rd Megabus: a major east west bus route operating every 10-15 min or better 7 days between Heidelberg, Northland, Preston and Coburg incorporating resources from existing duplicative routes. Service to have long operating hours including Sunday evenings.
* Other bus upgrades: Simplify bus routes in area including reducing overlaps, improving connectivity with trains and boosting weekend frequencies (as promised in the DTP Northern area bus review).
Bayside
* Cutting train waits: Sandringham line frequency boosted to every 10 min 7 days starting with Sunday am service boosted from every 40 to every 20 min.
* Frequent Bay Rd bus: Frequent 7 day bus from Sandringham to Southland via Bay Rd with longer operating long hours (potentially part of the extended 733 SRL SmartBus or a straightened Route 828).
* Simpler buses: Bus network simplification including reform of complex 600/922/923 corridor and improved west-east connections.
Boroondara
* Cutting train waits/simpler timetables: Trains to Ringwood boosted to operate every 10 minutes until midnight 7 days with a simplified greenfield timetable including fewer peak stopping patterns.
* Evening/Sunday tram boosts: Boost tram frequencies to operate every 15 min or better at night and on Sunday mornings.
* North-south buses: Add two new or upgraded north-south 7 day bus routes (Chandler Hwy and Burke Rd) to connect the inner north with the inner east. Former could be Route 567 extended south to Glenferrie area, latter a merged 548 and 624.
* Cross Gardiners Creek link: Route 734 extended to Caulfield Station to provide improved connectivity in the Ashburton area and between train lines.
* Longer bus hours: 7 day upgrade to bus routes 284 and 285 and extend operating hours on Route 612.
Brimbank
* Airport Connector: Frequent long hours limited stop bus route operating from Sunshine Station to Melbourne Airport (Route 500 concept).
* New SmartBuses: Bus routes 418, 420 and 460 upgraded to SmartBus standard with frequent 7 day service until midnight.
* Longer hours buses: Improved operating hours and off-peak frequencies on other bus routes including 419, 423, 424, 428 (with 429 consolidation), and 471.
* Triple service on Melton weekend trains: Boost Melton weekend trains from every 60 min to every 20 min with earlier weekend starts
Cardinia
* Princes Hwy bus boost: Major upgrade and straightening of bus route 926 to operate every 20 min or better 7 days with longer operating hours.
* New station connection: Extend bus route 925 to Cardinia Rd station.
* Local bus upgrades: Boost local bus routes from every 60 - 80 min to every 40 min off-peak.
* New bus coverage and service: Bus network review in Pakenham with new coverage to growth areas, longer operating hours and higher frequencies.
Casey
* Clyde rail: Extend Cranbourne line to Clyde with supporting reformed bus network.
* Three new SmartBuses: (i) Frankston, Cranbourne and Fountain Gate (791, 841 merger), and (ii) Cranbourne to Berwick (new merged route) and (iii) Boosted Route 828. All with more frequent 7 day service and longer hours.
* Route 861 extension: Extended from Endeavour Hills to Fountain Gate, incorporating part of 841. Would improve connection to Dandenong hospital and TAFE from area.
* Simpler buses: Simplification of complex and indirect bus routes including 892 and 894 in Narre Warren South area, multiple overlapping routes on Clyde Rd and better connections to Dandenong South jobs.
Darebin
* Cutting train waits: Mernda line boosted to operate every 10 minutes 7 days in a staged process starting with reducing 30 and 40 minute gaps to 20 minutes.
* Tram service upgrade: Boost tram frequencies to operate every 15 min or better at night and on Sunday mornings on key routes such as 11 and 86.
* Murray Rd Megabus: a major east west bus route operating every 10-15 min or better 7 days between Heidelberg, Northland, Preston and Coburg incorporating resources from existing duplicative routes. Service to have long operating hours including Sunday evenings.
* Get buses connecting with trains: Improve train-bus connections at stations such as Reservoir by boosting bus frequencies from 22-25 min to every 20 min to mesh evenly with trains. Also simplify complex routes including an extension of Route 552 to Keon Park and 558 to Campbellfield Shopping Centre.
Frankston
* 791 SmartBus to Cranbourne: Upgrade Route 791 with longer hours and higher frequency as a SmartBus to Cranbourne and potentially Fountain Gate.
* Route 901 weekend upgrade: Boost SmartBus 901 weekend frequency between Ringwood and Frankston to every 15 minutes and add Sunday evening service.
* Weekend bus service boosts: Including (i) Upgrade the popular Routes 832 and 833 from 60 to 30 min on weekends and (ii) introduce 7 day service on routes without it, notably in the Frankston South area.
* CBD through routes: Improve Frankston CBD area bus connectivity by reconfiguring some routes as through services operating from south to north rather than all terminating at station. Pay particular attention to access to Frankston Hospital and Monash's Peninsula campus.
* Simpler buses: Simplify complex bus networks in Karingal (770/771) and Frankston South (772-776) with bidirectional routes rather than confusing loops.
* Bring trains closer to people: Build a new northern entrance for Frankston station for improved connectivity to trains and intermodal interchanges.
Glen Eira
* New LaTrobe - Monash link: A new frequent 7 day north-south bus connection from Caulfield Station to La Trobe University by upgrading portion of Route 624 to every 15-20 min and merging with Route 548.
* Frequent St Kilda bus link: A frequent 7 day bus between St Kilda, Caulfield Station, Neerim Rd and Chadstone incorporating a modified Route 623 amalgamated with portions of the 624. As a shorter term step, boost weekend frequency on existing Route 623 to 30 min and lengthen hours. This initiative would replace the now deleted Route 3a tram.
* Nepean Hwy connection: A new 7 day Nepean Hwy bus route between Southland and Elsternwick incorporating the existing limited service Route 823.
* Gardiners Creek connection: Route 734 extended to Caulfield Station to provide improved connectivity in the Ashburton area and between train lines.
* Bentleigh East connector: Simplify bus routes 627, 701, 767, 822 in Bentleigh East area to enable a direct and frequent route down East Boundary and Chesterville Rds operating every 20 min or better 7 days.
* Caulfield transit hub: Rebuilding of Caulfield Station with additional entry points and connections between platforms to make it fit for purpose as a major transfer point between lines for Metro Tunnel trains and to trams and buses.
Greater Dandenong
* All buses running 7 days: Upgrade all bus routes to operate 7 days including 802, 804, 814, 844, 857 and 885 with service until 9pm. Longer hours for Endeavour Hills routes.
* 7 day frequent SmartBuses: Major weekend bus frequency upgrades for Routes 901 and 902 going to every 15 min and gaining Sunday evening service on busiest portions,
* New east-west SmartBus: Enabled by higher frequency and longer hours on Route 828, starting with boosting weekend service from every 40-60 min to every 20-30 min.
* New north-south SmartBus: Boost Route 850 to Glen Waverley to SmartBus standard, with longer hours and higher frequency. Implemented in stages with first upgrade being weekends upgraded from every 60 to every 30 min.
* Heatherton Rd bus boost: Portion of Route 811 between Springvale and Dandenong boosted from every 60 to every 20-30 min for improved connectivity to hospital and TAFE.
* Route 861 extension: Extended to Narre Warren station via Fountain Gate to improve connections to Dandenong TAFE and hospital.
* Fixing missing links: Examine scope to simplify local bus network with increased frequencies, more routes running through Dandenong CBD (rather than terminating) and better connections to jobs at Dandenong South.
Hobsons Bay
* New Paisley station: Altona North Park & Ride replaced with new station with bus interchange at Paisley to connect Altona North with an upgraded Werribee line with trains every 10 min all day.
* Millers Rd SmartBus: Route 411 upgraded to SmartBus with long operating hours and 7 day frequent service, meeting trains at Footscray, Laverton and Paisley.
* Fishermans Bend connection: Enabled by rerouting Route 232 to connect Fishermans Bend jobs from Newport station and complementary bus network reform in Altona North and Williamstown.
* Simpler frequent 7 day buses: Other bus service upgrades including 7 day service for 414 and 415, upgraded. Route 472 Sunday frequency.
Hume
* Cutting train waits: Craigieburn line boosted to operate every 10 minutes 7 days in a staged process starting with cutting 30 and 40 minute gaps to 20 minutes. This would bring Craigieburn line (which is busier than Frankston line) to equal service to it.
* SRL North SmartBus: Swap bus routes 901 and 902 at Broadmeadows so Route 902 operates from Melbourne Airport across the northern suburbs as a Suburban Rail Loop precursor service to at least Doncaster. Improve weekend frequency to 20 min and extend operating hours (notably Sunday evenings).
* 7 day bus upgrades: Upgrade bus routes including 531, 536, 538 and all of 542 to operate 7 days until at least 9pm.
* Weekend bus frequency boosts: Boost Dallas, Meadow Heights and Craigieburn routes to operate every 20 minutes on weekends (matching weekday frequencies) with longer operating hours and improved coverage in growth areas. Highest priorities are 529, 533 and 541. These already operate every 20 min weekdays so this works the existing fleet harder.
* New Coburg connector: Add a new bus connection to Coburg by extending Route 527 to Broadmeadows via Widford St.
* New Campbellfield station with airport link: Construct new Upfield line station at Campbellfield with easy interchange to buses including 902 to Melbourne Airport (see above). Duplicate Upfield line and extend to Roxburgh Park to provide additional capacity from north.
* Broadmeadows station upgrade: Upgrade Broadmeadows station to modern standards, noting its town centre and 'international gateway' status.
Kingston
* More local SRL coverage: Suburban Rail Loop station near Warrigal Rd (for interchange with 903 orbital)
* SRL SmartBus: SRL precursor bus with long hours and frequent service (Route 733 extended south)
* Warrigal Rd bus boost: Bus route 903 upgraded to every 15 min on weekends between at least Mentone and Doncaster, with new Sunday evening service.
* Weekend bus upgrades: Weekend bus hours and frequency upgrades on key routes like 708 and 828. Aim for every 20-30 min as opposed to current 40 or 60 min services.
* Nepean Hwy connection: A new 7 day Nepean Hwy bus route between Southland and Elsternwick incorporating the existing limited service Route 823.
* Chesterville Rd jobs connector: Simplify bus routes 627, 701, 767, 822 in Bentleigh East area to enable a direct and frequent route down East Boundary and Chesterville Rds operating every 20 min or better 7 days.
Knox
* Cutting train waits: Trains to Belgrave boosted to operate every 20 minutes or better until midnight 7 days with a simplified greenfield timetable including fewer peak stopping patterns.
* 900 SmartBus upgrades: Upgrade Route 900 SmartBus to operate every 10 min or better weekdays, 15 min or better weekends with new Sunday evening service.
* Route 901 weekend upgrade: Boost SmartBus 901 weekend frequency between Ringwood and Frankston to every 15 minutes and add Sunday evening service.
* New Glen Waverley - Knox City SmartBus: Upgrade bus route 737 to operate as a frequent long hours SmartBus between Croydon, Boronia, Knox City, Glen Waverley, Monash Clayton and Westall station (extension).
* Bus network revamp: Major bus network reform including replacement of FlexiRide with fixed routes, all routes boosted to run 7 days, a new 7 day Scoresby Rd bus route from Bayswater Station and new frequent connections to major stations such as Glen Waverley.
Manningham
* Tram-like service for Doncaster Rd: Boost Route 907 on Doncaster Rd to run every 10 min 7 days per week and every 20 min or better during evenings.
* Frequent orbital: Boost Route 903 to run every 15 min or better on weekends with new Sunday evening service added. Split orbital at Heidelberg to enable extension to La Trobe University.
* Simpler Templestowe bus: Consolidate bus routes 281 and 293 to provide a simple 7 day corridor between Templestowe and Box Hill, operating every 15 min weekdays and 30 min weekends.
* Straighter 279: Simplify the popular Route 279 to go one way for all trips, starting with removing the Blackburn deviation.
* New Heidelberg link: Provide a new Pines - Templestowe - Heidelberg station route via Reynolds Rd as part of network simplification in the area involving splitting the poorly used 280/282 'Manningham Mover'.
* Simpler buses: Simplify other bus routes with a view to improving frequencies and operating all services 7 days.
Maribyrnong
* Footscray - Highpoint every 10 min: Simple frequent 7 day bus between Footscray and Highpoint running every 10 min or better (potentially consolidated Route 223 and 406)
* Ballarat Rd every 10 min: Upgraded Route 220 Megabus along Ballarat Rd, operating every 10 min or better 7 days. Potential to do in combination with reform to route 410.
* Weekend boosts: Boost Sunday services on Route 406 and 408 to every 20 min to match Saturday services with longer operating hours. 7 day service for Routes 407 and 468 prior to further improvements (see below).
* SmartBus for Highpoint: SmartBus 903 rerouted via Highpoint Shopping Centre to provide more frequent long hours connection between it and the Craigieburn line and Sunshine. This compensates for the Blue Orbital SmartBus via Highpoint that was proposed but got cancelled.
* Footscray - Northcote SmartBus: Upgrade bus route 404 to operate 7 days with potential to merge with Route 508 across inner north. Ultimately operate as frequent 7 day SmartBus operating long hours.
* Tram boosts: Boost evening and Sunday morning tram services to every 15 min or better on routes 57 and 82. Boost Route 82 to operate every 10 min off-peak.
Maroondah
* Turn up & go trains day and night: Trains to Ringwood boosted to operate every 10 minutes until midnight 7 days with a simplified greenfield timetable including fewer peak stopping patterns.
* Route 901 weekend upgrade: Boost SmartBus 901 weekend frequency to Frankston to every 15 minutes and add Sunday evening service.
* Canterbury Rd bus: New direct Canterbury Rd bus route between Ringwood and Box Hill. Introduced in conjunction with bus network simplification in area.
* New 7 day coverage: Increased bus coverage in unserved areas including Ringwood East and Croydon South. Upgrade all routes to operate to minimum standards, ie until at least 9pm.
Melbourne
This is a council where it's best to disregard the loudest Lord Mayoral candidates due to their obsession with free rather than good PT. If you want the latter, tell them they need to advocate something like this to boost the CBD's night time economy.
* Cut train waits: Maximum waits on all rail lines cut from 30-40 min to 15-20 min until midnight to boost night time economy plus more frequent 6am - 10am Sunday service to match Saturday timetable
* Cut tram waits: Maximum waits on all tram lines cut from 20-30 min to 10-15 min until midnight to boost night time economy plus more frequent 6am - 10am Sunday service to match Saturday timetable
* Improved bus hours and frequencies: More frequent service and longer hours on CBD periphery bus routes including 246 and 402.
* Bus lanes: 24/7 bus lanes on Lonsdale St with more attractive waiting conditions for passengers.
Melton
* Electric trains: Rail electrification and more stations (eg Mt Atkinson and Thornhill Park) to bring service nearer growth areas
* Cut weekend train waiting: Boost Melton weekend trains from every 60 min to every 20 min with earlier weekend starts.
* New bus network for Melton town: Major bus reform including more direct Wyndham-style greenfields network for Melton town with 7 day service every 20 min or better.
* Taylors Rd east-west BRT: Frequent bus rapid transit type service connecting Deanside with Caroline Springs, Keilor Plains and potentially Melbourne Airport.
* New bus coverage/replace FlexiRide: New routes for growth area coverage including Mt Atkinson and replacing the unreliable FlexiRide with new fixed routes in areas like Thornhill Park.
Merri-bek
* Upgrade Upfield: Upfield line frequency boost, starting with cutting 30 and 40 minute gaps to 20 minutes with ultimate duplication and a new station at Campbellfield.
* 508 SmartBus: Upgrade bus route 508 to operate as a high frequency 7 day SmartBus operating long hours. Potentially extend to Ascot Vale station and Footscray by merging with Route 404.
* Murray Rd Megabus: a major east west bus route operating every 10-15 min or better 7 days between Heidelberg, Northland, Preston and Coburg incorporating resources from existing duplicative routes. Service to have long operating hours including Sunday evenings.
* 7 day service rolled out: Major weekend bus frequency and operating hours boosts, including new 7 day service on routes 503, 506, 512, 526 and 536.
* Optimum station locations: Ensure proposed relocated Upfield line station are optimised for connectivity with major bus routes, notably 508, 503 and 506 in that order.
Mitchell
* Rail extension: Extension of Craigieburn line electrification to Beveridge or Wallan
* New bus routes: Extension of metropolitan bus network to municipality
Monash
* Less train waits: Glen Waverley line service upgraded with maximum 20 minute waits at any time (including evenings and Sunday mornings). Ultimate aim is a 10 min service.
* SRL SmartBus: Every 10 min or better 7 days operating between Box Hill and Southland/Sandringham based on extended and upgraded Route 733.
* 900 boost: Upgrade Route 900 SmartBus to operate every 10 min or better weekdays, 15 min or better weekends with new Sunday evening service.
* 737 SmartBus: Upgrade bus route 737 to operate as a frequent long hours SmartBus between Croydon, Boronia, Knox City, Glen Waverley, Monash Clayton and Westall station.
* Frequent 7 days on Springvale Rd: Upgrade Route 902 SmartBus to every 15 minutes on weekends by adding short trips between Nunawading and Springvale South to more intensively serve the route's busiest portion. Also add Sunday evening service on this portion.
* Ferntree Gully Rd bus upgrade: Extend bus Route 693 west to Chadstone and boost service to operate every 20 min or better 7 days a week with longer operating hours, in conjunction with local area bus network reform involving merging with part of 742.
* 7 day upgrades: Upgrade all bus routes to 7 day service starting with 802, 804, 814 and 885, with operating hours extended to 9pm.
Moonee Valley
* Cut train waits: Craigieburn line boosted to operate every 10 minutes 7 days in a staged process starting with cutting 30 and 40 minute gaps to 20 minutes. Essential as this line has Frankston's patronage but half the service.
* Airport Connector: Frequent long hours limited stop bus route operating from Sunshine Station to Melbourne Airport with potential stop at Keilor East.
* Inner north SmartBus: Upgrade bus route 508 to operate as a high frequency 7 day SmartBus operating long hours with an extension to Footscray through a merger with Route 404.
* 7 day bus upgrades: Major weekend bus frequency and operating hours boosts, including new 7 day service on routes 503, 506, 512, 526 and 536.
Mornington Peninsula
* Bus hours: Upgrade bus operating hours so that all routes operate 7 days and over longer hours, notably in parts of Rosebud and Hastings and fill coverage gaps (right now some routes finish as early as 3 or 4pm) .
* More fixed routes: Replace unreliable FlexiRide with fixed route services operating 7 days.
* Stony Point Upgrade: Economical upgrade of Stony Point line to permit more frequent services.
Nillumbik
* Train boost: Boost Hurstbridge line frequency to run every 20 min or better at all times to at least Eltham.
* Bus reform: Simplify bus network with fewer overlaps and better access to key destinations including La Trobe University, hospitals at Heidelberg and Northland Shopping Centre. Adjust frequencies so they harmonise with trains. Add coverage where needed (Eg Bolton St) and improve services on urban routes (eg 513 and 514) to minimum standards (eg no 80 min frequencies).
Port Phillip
* Tram service boost: Evening trams boosted from every 20-30 min to every 10-15 min until midnight to reflect the area's nightlife. Also greater Sunday morning frequency.
* Frequent Sandringham trains: Sandringham line frequency boosted to every 10 min 7 days starting with Sunday am service boosted from every 40 to every 20 min.
* East-west bus upgrades: Major upgrade to bus routes 623 and 630 with services every 20 minutes or better 7 days and longer operating hours.
* Simpler buses: Simplification and consolidation of complex bus routes 600/922/923 and 606 in St Kilda - Elwood area with fewer routes, higher frequencies and longer operating hours.
Stonnington
* Train frequency boost: Glen Waverley line service upgraded with maximum 20 minute waits at any time (including evenings and Sunday mornings). Ultimately aim for 10 min service.
* Evening/Sunday tram boosts: Boost tram frequencies to operate every 15 min or better at night and on Sunday mornings.
* North-south buses: Two routes including (a) Add new Caulfield - La Trobe University route offering frequent service via the Glenferrie/Camberwell area, linking numerous tram lines, likely a merged 548 and 624 and (b) new Burnley St bus connect inner east with inner south (potentially extended route 603 or 604), terminating at Victoria Gardens or Hawthorn.
* Cross Gardiners Creek link: Route 734 extended to Caulfield Station to provide improved connectivity in the Ashburton area and between train lines.
* Bus hours: Boost operating hours on buses 605 and 612 and Sunday frequency on 605.
Whitehorse
* Ringwood train turn-up-and-go: Trains to Ringwood boosted to operate every 10 minutes until midnight 7 days with a simplified greenfield timetable including fewer peak stopping patterns.
* Tram frequencies: Boost evening and Sunday morning service frequency on trams such as Route 109.
* SRL SmartBus: Frequent route operating between Box Hill and Southland/Sandringham based on extended and upgraded Route 733 operating every 10 min 7 days.
* Route 903 weekend upgrade: Boost SmartBus 903 weekend frequency to every 15 minutes and add Sunday evening service between at least Heidelberg and Mentone.
* Route 703 upgrade: Boost 703 from Blackburn to full SmartBus operating hours and boost weekend service.
* Canterbury Rd bus: New direct Canterbury Rd bus route between Ringwood and Box Hill. Introduced in conjunction with bus network simplification in area.
* Bus operating hours and weekend frequencies: Extend hours on short-span routes like 612 to 9pm or better. Improved weekend frequencies on key routes such as 302, 732, 765 and 767.
Whittlesea
* Turn-up-and-go trains until midnight: Mernda line boosted to operate every 10 minutes 7 days in a staged process starting with cutting 30 and 40 minute gaps to 20 minutes.
* SRL North SmartBus to the airport: Route 902 orbital transformed into a frequent 7 day 'SRL SmartBus' across the northern suburbs between Melbourne Airport and at least Greensborough via Keon Park.
* Weekend orbital upgrade: Route 901 boosted to every 20 min or better between at least Broadmeadows and South Morang, with new Sunday evening service added.
* Wollert buses: A Wollert transit system comprising buses on their own right of way every 10 min or better feeding trains at Epping. Such frequent service could operate via two main corridors - Edgars Rd and Epping Rd.
* Epping bus extension: Route 566 extended to Epping Plaza to provide a stronger east-west link for Childs Rd. Route also split at Greensborough to eliminate complex and confusing backtracking.
* Direct buses that connect with trains: Major bus network review with routes like 555, 556 and 566 simplified and made more direct with clockface 20 minute frequencies that mesh evenly with trains.
Wyndham
* Werribee fast trains: Werribee line boosted to every 10 min 7 days with all trips operating direct all week (ie not via Altona).
* Boosted weekend trains: Trains to Wyndham Vale boosted from every 40 to 20 min with weekend service commencing 2 hours earlier on both Saturday and Sunday.
* Wyndham Vale electrification: Electrification of Tarneit line to Wyndham Vale with new stations. Configured to provide a two-tier service in conjunction with Geelong.
* Werribee line extension: Extension of Werribee line to Wyndham Vale with new stations to enable rail-rail connection to Geelong line. Politically even sellable as 'SRL West' since it will be possible to travel entirely by train to Sunshine.
* Tram-like spinal bus: Buses upgraded to every 10 min 7 days with improved stops. First stage Route 170 Tarneit - Werribee. Then through-routed to 190 to Wyndham Vale as second stage. Third stage potentially a route to Williams Landing eg 150. Service on these would continue until midnight Sun-Thursday and be 24 hours on weekends.
* Most buses every 20 min 7 days: The following high patronage mostly every 40 minute routes to operate every 20 min 7 days: 150, 152, 160, 182, 190, 192, 494, 495 & 497. Operating hours extended on these and other routes such as 170 and 180. These work the existing fleet harder.
* Jobs connector: New route from Tarneit Station to Laverton North jobs, likely via Dohertys Rd to include residential catchment.
* Sneydes Rd bus: New east-west Sneydes Rd route in Point Cook from Laverton to Hoppers Crossing or Werribee.
Yarra
* Train boosts: Trains to Ringwood boosted to operate every 10 minutes until midnight 7 days with a simplified greenfield timetable including fewer peak stopping patterns.
* Tram upgrade: More frequent evening and Sunday morning trams.
* Route 246 upgrade: Upgrade weekend frequency to 10 min with evenings boosted to 15 min or better.
* North-south bus link: A new Burnley St bus connect inner east with inner south (potentially extended route 603 or 604), terminating at Victoria Gardens or Hawthorn.
Yarra Ranges
* Less train waiting: Belgrave line upgraded to operate every 20 minutes or better weekdays interpeak and ultimately until midnight 7 days.
* Dandenongs tourist and hospital visitor connector: Bus Route 688 extended to Ringwood to improve connections to hospitals on Mt Dandenong Rd.
* Maroondah highway 7 day bus boost: Weekend frequency on bus route 670 upgraded from 40 to 20 minutes.
* 7 day buses: 7 day service on routes such as 675, 677, 680 and 689 with network simplification in Montrose area.
Other resources
Street People Love is asking candidates to complete surveys on their views on active and public transport. This is one way to find supportive candidates.
All serious candidates will have phone numbers and email addresses published. Once you know your council and ward you can find them here. Why not get in touch to ask what their views are and how they will advocate for better transport your areas needs? FixDandyBuses will be doing this and publishing replies on its Facebook page for Dandenong area transport issues.
