UN 186: Top PT issues for each local government area

As I mentioned last week, local government elections are coming up. 

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. 

Also check the Melbourne Public Transport Frequent Network maps and zoom in to your area for more potential upgraded routes and filling in of missing links. 


Contact 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. 

See all Building Melbourne's Useful Network items here

Local council elections 2024

Candidate nominations closed yesterday for next month's Victorian local council elections. 

While local governments don't directly fund or run public transport, their deliberations strongly affect the environment in which it operates. Here's just a few examples: 

* Pedestrian crossings so you can easily reach bus stops (unless they are on main roads)
* Whether development decisions reinforce or discourage public transport usage
* The extent to which parking policy supports or impedes local walkability
* Active transport connections

Councils often have transport strategies. I surveyed them in 2019, though many have been updated since. Councillors can have significant input into them and ultimately vote on if they get adopted. 

In addition councils can advocate to the state government for better public transport connections. For example Mornington Peninsula Shire advocated for (and succeeded in) getting better bus services on the peninsula including a more frequent Route 788, an extended Route 781 and an express bus to Rosebud. Advocacy will become particularly important in the next couple of years with the next state election due in November 2026.  

Councillors have four year terms. The last council election was in 2020. I wrote a big feature on that so read that for more on what councils can do for improved transport. (I recommend you do - it's mostly still applicable today). 

First find your council area on the Victorian Electoral Commission's website. Then click on 'Find candidates' to get the list of candidates for each ward. At least in metropolitan councils wards are single member. See your council's website for maps to find which ward you are in.  

People sometimes set up websites to compare candidates on policy issues such as transport, parking, housing and environment so keep a look out for them to get a better idea on what each stands for. But nothing substitutes for contacting your candidates to get their views on the local matters that interest you.  

This is a postal vote (so no sausages). You will receive your ballot in the mail. Number all boxes and return it so it it received by November 1.  

If you're a candidate please use the comments below for a quick bio and link to your website etc. Or post links to any voter resources (transport related topics only) that could be useful. 

UN 185: Network synergies from our new ZEB bus contracts

The winners of the new Zero Emissions Bus franchises were announced last week. Involving 131 or Melbourne's 350 bus routes, the new arrangements continue the long term trend of fewer but larger companies running route buses in Melbourne. Operators to benefit include CDC (west and north), Dysons (north-east) and Kinetic (inner). All already operate substantial portions of the Melbourne bus network. The new contracts take effect mid 2025. 

Smaller operators to exit the industry include Ryans and Panorama. Sensing the trend towards industry consolidation, some smaller operators sold to larger companies before the contracts were awarded. For example Moonee Valley routes 503 and 506 going to Dysons and Moreland's 510 and 512 going to Kinetic. Also it is understood that CDC have a joint venture arrangement with Kastoria/Broadmeadows in the north. 

There will be some reshuffling of routes between operators. Most notable is that some inner north and east routes will go from Dysons to Kinetic. The general aim appears to be to cluster contract packages by logical geographical area as opposed to historic family operations, as has been the case up to now. 

If done well this grouping has potential to minimise dead running and facilitate network reform. On the latter, management sometimes needs reminding that it is patronage-boosting service reform not electrification (regardless of its merits for other reasons) that offers the greatest direct benefits for passengers. Good service reform is also essential to increasing bus occupancy and thus driving down emissions per trip (regardless of whether the bus is diesel or electric). More on opportunities for that later. 

Operators whose contracts do not expire in 2025 are not part of these arrangements. Examples include Ventura and Cranbourne in the south-east, Sita/Transit Systems in the west and Donric in Sunbury. Their contracts run until 2028. Kinetic's Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise (won from Transdev) is also unaffected. 

Electric buses are different

You can't just plonk an electric bus on a diesel bus daily run sheet and expect it to work. Whereas a diesel bus can run all day without refuelling, an electric bus needs a midday siesta to recharge. And their performance can lessen when it's too hot, too cold or too windy. 

Not only do bus depots need to be reconfigured (and in some cases expanded) to include the charging infrastructure but schedules and driver rosters need to be rewritten to accommodate midday recharging. That may involve extra dead running, which risks less bus and driver hours spent in revenue service. However there may be scope to mitigate this, including considering innovations like satellite charging facilities and potential for bus operator revenue by sharing depot charging facilities with ecar owners during quiet times. 

Those wishing to learn more about our ZEB transition are encouraged to read presenter slides from BusVic's Transitioning to ZEB Summit held in July 2024. 

If you're having to rewrite bus schedules you might as well review timetables and service levels as well, which presents an opportunity since basic service levels on many routes haven't been touched for 15-30 years. Benefits can be maximised if route structures are made more efficient, eg through careful amalgamations, splitting or overlap reductions.  

Structural issues with Melbourne's bus network

The big picture of Melbourne's public transport is that trains and trams provide radial transport towards the CBD while buses are for everything else. The long-term decline and then stagnation in its modal share is because the public transport network has not adapted sufficiently for increasingly important orbital type trips. Buses are the obvious mode for this function, though this is contingent on attention to network planning and service levels. If this round of bus network refranchising doesn't lead to an addressing of long-term network issues that hold patronage back then it will have been futile. 

The diagram below shows the approximate state of play for circumferential public transport in Melbourne. 

The green lines are all SmartBus orbitals (901, 902, 903), introduced about 15 years ago. Serving suburbs approximately 10 to 30km from the CBD, they are more prevalent in the east than the west. Their operating hours are long but weekend frequencies drop to every 30 minutes, not evenly meshing with trains typically every 20 or even, on Sunday mornings, 40 minutes. In some cases, especially in the west and north, SmartBus orbitals are inefficiently overlapped by other routes, such as along Murray Rd Preston, Buckley St Essendon and Millers Rd Altona North with the result being two or three infrequent routes on weekends rather than a simpler 7 day frequent service. 

The orange links are low frequency weekdays with no or limited weekend service. Routes like 404, 468, 503, 506, 548 finish early at night and don't run Sundays while 508, 548, 567 and 624 could form orbital links but have weak termini, often stopping short of useful destinations. None of these routes have had significant reform for many years. 

Finally there are some missing links, shown in red. Examples include connections from Sunshine to Melbourne Airport, across the inner north from Newmarket to Clifton Hill, via Chandler Hwy and via Burnley St from the inner east to the inner south-east.    

Previous analysis has indicated that some weak or missing links could have very high patronage potential. This will inform some of the opportunities I identify later. 

Background to bus network reform

While bus reform can be done in an area with multiple bus companies (such as Route 900 established in 2006, Brimbank in 2014 and Geelong in 2015) it is less easy than if only one operator was involved (eg 2013 Point Cook, 2015 Wyndham and others). 

Having a single operator also makes it easier to shift resources between high and low patronage routes in an area, such as successfully done in 2021 around Doncaster. The inability to take a network (rather than single operator) planning approach probably contributed to the failure of the 2015 Transdev greenfields network proposal as it was effectively a grab from the west to the east with no offsetting gains for other operators' routes in the west.   

Melbourne's north has a long history of small family bus operators, with less of the consolidation that happened in the south-east. And even when large operators bought small family routes, there was rarely substantial network reform. Examples include Dysons' purchase of the Reservoir routes and Ventura's purchase of Ivanhoe (both over 10 years ago). In both cases routes and timetables hardly changed, despite short hours, weak termini and poor rail connections being common.

The lesson here is that you can merge operators and change contracts but neither by themselves will guarantee network reform if there is no DTP plan to push it. Also, because there is only a weak culture of infrastructure / service coordination, major projects like level crossing removals and station rebuilds only rarely result in bus reform and connectivity improvements despite the potential opportunities they create.  

All this has left Melbourne's north and north-east with a lot of closely spaced or overlapping bus routes that have not had a rethink for decades. More so than areas like Brimbank, Wyndham, Cranbourne and South Morang, which have already benefited from significant network reform in the last decade. 

This lag may be why the north and north-east were selected in 2022 as the first two metropolitan areas for bus network reform under Victoria's Bus Plan. It makes sense since a lot appears possible for a low cost. However, with no funding in the 2023 and 2024 state budgets, this along with Greensborough's FlexiRide proposal (which may or may not be a good idea), appears to have stalled. 

With time-lines set by previous contracts, operator refranchising thus jumped the queue to become the higher priority, despite lacking tangible passenger benefits. Recontracting also carries a non-trivial amount of risk as we saw with Transdev's underperformance a decade ago, with the zero emissions bus fleet transition a new factor. 

As a means to an end, refranchising should only be celebrated if it delivers better service for passengers, including progress on service levels and network reform. This is something that even the poorly managed Transdev franchise arrangements succeeded in with its generally beneficial 2014 network reforms but not in 2015 when more radical plans lost government backing. 

Possibly to avoid controversy, the media release hoses down expectations of progress this time. In its own words, The Metropolitan Zero Emission Bus Franchises will commence operation once the current contracts expire on Sunday, 30 June 2025 – with all existing routes and timetables being maintained.

Potential synergies for simpler bus routes

In many places 'all existing routes and timetables being maintained' is a bug, not a feature. 

This is especially in Melbourne's north and east, which:
(a) has many complex and overlapping bus routes that need reform,
(b) was the department's own first choice as a bus reform area, and
(c) has many routes being transferred between operators, with potential synergies. 

Below I'll list some potential network synergies, with a bias towards corridors with high patronage potential or inefficient overlaps (which might make reform cheaper if removed). 

* Chandler Hwy connector

Currently only a few trips operate per day on the 609, one of Melbourne's least served bus routes. However is a potential high patronage short-cut across the inner north-east. 

The new bus contracts will see this route switch from Dysons to Kinetic. The same will happen with routes 509 and 567 in the area. Route 350, which is not part of these arrangements, will remain with Kinetic.   

The 609 is a short route without strong termini. Merging it with another route would make sense. Options include the 508 or 567 with the latter having a potential to form a popular north-south route  especially if it finished at a stronger terminus such as Swinburne University. Given that La Trobe University now has the 301 connecting to trains at Reservoir, it may make sense for some of the extra bus hours this concept requires to come from deleting Route 350 which provides no unique coverage, especially since parts of it catchment area recently gained a much upgraded Route 546. 

* Inner north upgrades

A big change under these arrangements is that inner north's east-west routes go from being a mix to being operated by Kinetic. This group includes routes like 503 (no Sunday service despite serving new dense housing development areas), 506 (the second busiest Melbourne route without Sunday service after 800), and 508 (a major east-west route that has high patronage potential if weekend frequency is increased). 

Out of all Melbourne bus operators Kinetic perhaps has the largest scope for service hours to be redistributed from quieter to busier routes. Examples include quieter parts of some orbitals (though these are perhaps better redistributed to higher weekend frequencies on busier parts of the orbitals) and some individual routes like 350, 603 and 604. Peak frequencies on some CBD routes might also be worth looking at as not all trips may need to go the full length of the route. If such a review was done (basically a 2021 effort Mark II) it is quite possible that a route like 506 could be a beneficiary with new 7 day service given its patronage potential. 

* North-east service redistribution and timetable harmonisation

Panorama routes in the north-east around Eltham will go to Dysons under the new arrangements. Routes like 578, 579 and 580 are overserviced for the usage they get, contributed by their low catchment density and (in some cases) overlaps with other routes.

Meanwhile there's a whole stack of routes in the Reservoir / Epping area that either (a) do not run 7 days, like 559 and/or (b) run every 22-24 minutes (instead of every 20 minutes) so do not mesh with trains (eg 555, 556, 566 and more). These Reservoir area routes have higher patronage potential and serve higher social needs catchments so have a strong justification for improved hours and frequencies. Later on there is substantial scope for network reform to provide even more benefits. 

* Sunshine - Essendon via Highpoint / Millers Rd simplification

Route 468, currently run by Ryans is a short route between Essendon and Highpoint. Its operating hours are limited with no Sunday service. The new contract transfers this to CDC which operates the 408 between Highpoint and St Albans. CDC will also take over the 465 via Buckley St which is inefficiently overlapped by the 903 orbital. 

I discussed the potential to swap Route 903 with 408/468 here. This would, for very low cost, deliver a SmartBus orbital to Highpoint with extended hours connections to Sunshine and Essendon station. Highpoint was meant to get the Blue SmartBus orbital but this was abandoned by the then Brumby government in 2008. Unfortunately the 903 was not rerouted to compensate. 

The above reform requires cooperation between two bus operators - CDC and Kinetic - and an arrangement such that none loses out. However this should be easier than three, as existed before.

While this is highly speculative, as well as being good for passengers network reform could potentially give operators more geographically contiguous areas. For example rerouting 903 via the 408/468 alignment as well as transferring Route 410 to Kinetic would enable other reforms, such as rationalisation with the existing Kinetic Route 216 and/or 220. 

Meanwhile the Altona end of Kinetic's 903 is a relatively weak patronage performer, as is the 232 at some times. Yet there is scope for a simplified high frequency corridor on Millers Rd via the existing Route 411 (operated by CDC) which has potential to be upgraded to SmartBus service standards. Such a transfer of routes to the area may mean that instead of three operators in Altona North there are only two, making future further network reform easier, and, depending on depot locations, reduce dead running. 

Other overlaps, complications and opportunities

While these contracts reduce the number of operators in a particular area, they do not reduce it to one. This is because there are different sets of bus operator agreements with different expiry dates. Along with the existence of very long orbital routes, which cut across many areas.

Notable examples of overlaps and gaps whose solution would require arrangements with at least two bus operators include: 

* 223/406 - consolidation to form simple frequent 7 days Footscray - Highpoint route, with potential synergies with 409 reform and abovementioned 903 operating via Highpoint. This would require a CDC/Kinetic arrangement - unchanged from now. 

* 527/903 - consolidation to form simpler frequent 7 day route between Coburg, Preston, Northland and Heidelberg, with potential for a split at Heidelberg that permits a new connection between Doncaster and La Trobe University. This would need a Ventura/Kinetic arrangement - unchanged from now. 

* 404/508 joining. The area around Moonee Ponds is a major 'Berlin wall' for bus services with buses from the east reaching trams but stopping short of the Craigieburn line where they could usefully feed trains. The same factor makes getting from inner north to inner western suburbs difficult by public transport. A fix to this could be extending Route 508 (which will be Kinetic) to Footscray via an amalgamation with Transit Systems' Route 404 as discussed here.  

* 548 and 624. Route 548 from the north has a weak southern terminus. While Route 624 from the south has a weak northern terminus. Despite synergies for a strong La Trobe - Caulfield route. Fixing this would require a Ventura/CDC arrangement - ie unchanged from now. 

* Some ex-Reservoir bus routes move from Dysons to Kinetic under the new contracts. These include 552, 553 and 558. In their indirectness, illegibility, weak termini, deviations and timetables they rank amongst the worst bus routes in Melbourne. This is messy as the best opportunities to fix these routes might have involved merging with another operator's route, possibly run by Dysons in the north. 

Conclusion

The consolidated operating areas for many of our bus routes offer opportunities for cost-effective network synergies that deliver better bus service to more people and, by increasing public transport's mode share, help drive down emissions.

However just because the contracts have changed doesn't mean they'll automatically happen. This requires DTP to revive its (apparently mothballed) Bus Plan, including developing a workable Bus Reform Implementation Plan. 

However the opportunities, should it choose to accept this challenge, will be immense. Especially given that timetables and driver rosters will need rewriting anyway as more ZEBs with their charging requirements come online. 


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Younis quits: Five challenges for the new DTP Secretary

Today's Age is reporting that Department of Transport and Planning Secretary Paul Younis will stand down at the end of the year after 6 years at the helm. We don't know why he's leaving and there has been no official announcement as yet, with the Age relying on advice from an internal email.   

First some background. Mr Younis took over from Richard Bolt who resigned after being left out of the planning for the Suburban Rail Loop. Under Bolt there was Gillian Miles as Transport for Victoria head (one of the many names that staff have worked under due to almost continual restructuring in the transport portfolio).

Before them, when PTV was its own entity, were the three Britishers - Dobbs, Wild and Weimar - all of whom had public transport operational experience (unlike later leaders). Even further back was another in Jim Betts, who will be remembered by staff long after most other Secretaries have been forgotten.   

Younis' time spans three approximately equal periods; pre, during and post pandemic. He came to his position during the heyday of low interest rate-fuelled 'Borrow Big, Build Big' thinking in 2018 when anything in transport seemed possible. Today's environment is different, with the 3 Hs - higher interest rates, health system stress and a housing crisis - dominant. 

In June I described Mr Younis as an introverted civil engineer who hides his light under a bushel. Leaving almost all public appearances to his ministers, the man is intensely private and publicly available video footage of him is rare. This is despite him heading a major public service department with stewardship over billions of taxpayer dollars. The main time the public can see him in action is during streamed budget estimates hearings (see 17, 20 & 21 May 2024 transcripts). 

The manner of how the Secretary's departure became known matches his modesty with news coming out via what appears to be a staff email. Places I'd be looking at for official announcements, including word of the successor, include the premier's media releases and Government Gazette.  
 

The new secretary

Utopia jokes aside, who does the new Secretary need to be?

In one line, I would suggest "a tough cookie who rides the bus". 

The toughness is needed to confront things that Younis didn't or couldn't. And the bus riding would help the secretary feel and show empathy with users and passengers.

Younis might have been a 'safe pair of hands' but his time also had some missed opportunities. His low public profile also meant that our network lacked an ambassador to speak for it at important times (think an Andy Byford or Randy Clarke). 

Despite there being unprecedented state funding for transport projects, only a fraction ended up in those that his department directly managed. The big politically-important projects were spun off into dedicated well-resourced delivery agencies like LXRP and SRLA, leaving DTP with the scraps. There was inevitably some overlap but the record shows that integration between Big Build projects and DTP functions like rail timetable or bus reform was patchy and hardly ever happened.

Transport leaders elsewhere deftly used the pandemic as an opportunity to advocate for or reconfigure timetables to favour the new trends in off-peak usage. We got a little of that with some revised tram timetables. But Younis was unable to translate this into outcomes for metropolitan trains on our busiest  or highest needs lines. These continue to have sharp frequency cliffs at important times. 

Despite having a Bus Plan in 2021 (that Minister Carroll made a public release) and a team of people responsible, Younis was unable to make the case to Cabinet or Treasury for it to get 2023 or 2024 state budget funding. It can't all be put down to government parsimony since 2024 was a successful year for the much less resourced #Fix800Bus campaign. However DTP can claim success in obtaining conditional fixed term funding for growth area buses via the GAIC. 

It is known that there are certain bus network inefficiencies that could have been tackled for 'greater good' improvements if the will existed. Some of these were fixed but many big ones remain for the picking.   

If I was Treasury I would mark departments heavily on whether they defended their revenue streams or  had a program to fund improvements from internal efficiencies. Furthermore, I would oppose their budget bids until they did so. DTP cannot necessarily claim to have maximised opportunities here.  

In public transport such actions might have included cutting unnecessary costs (eg looking at administration overheads, getting better value from operator contracts, cutting out unnecessary activities or streamlining the network), minimising losses (eg cutting fare evasion), maximising patronage (through greater good network and service reform, good information and marketing).  

The new secretary needs to be resolute in doing more with less, including offering up ideas to do that to ministers. This includes asking confronting hitherto 'sacred cow' questions, like whether staffing some stations with both internal and PSO staff at night is excessive, with higher evening frequencies a better use for the money. This is just a random example - what's important is that the thinking process must be there. Going the other way, there may be scope for ministers to demand more from the department, and not take 'we don't have the funding' for granted.  

No person is an island. One Secretary (even if they get $500k pa) can't do everything. They need to delegate and inspire. That attracts loyalty and retention of the best people. Such encouragement of initiative and continuity is important for DTP to address the performance, quality and efficiency issues that have affected some of its functions. Inspiration from the top needn't cost anything; having staff at home seeing their Secretary on the TV or other media selling the department's good work (or even denying an incorrect claim) can be a real morale booster.

Five priorities for the new secretary

1. Sweat the assets / maximise community benefit / frequency first

The recent emphasis has been on building infrastructure. Much less so on working it hard to maximise its community benefits all week. For instance we have removed level crossings and new stations but the trains are often still only every 20, 30 or 40 minutes at important times people wish to travel. Newish stations like Cardinia Rd or Southland haven't yet got complementary reformed bus networks. Ditto for northern suburbs stations like Preston or Reservoir, where buses every 22-24 minutes cannot evenly meet trains every 20 minutes. With many projects now built, maximising asset utilisation may need to take over from new construction as top priority given how tight budgets are now. This is especially so given that (unlike Sydney) Melbourne has let its per capita service fall over time.  

2. Fix bus services / reform the backlog

The cheapest upgrades require internal process reform so that we can get simple stuff done as quickly as we know Perth does. This recent Healesville example shows we can do it, with only the scale and pace lacking. Fixing this requires attention to streamlining processes and building capability in certain areas.  Larger service upgrades will need external funding. This calls for an ability to advocate within government for extra service resourcing, especially noting the cost of living and housing choice benefits of same.

Focus is important. That includes avoiding fads like flexible route buses that distract from what's really important to move the numbers needed. And while not themselves without merit, initiatives like bus recontracting and electrification must never usurp the basics of good service including adequate coverage, direct routes, long hours and high frequencies that are core to growing patronage. 

3. Rebuild passenger confidence / excel with service / expect better from operators

As more projects get completed interest needs to shift to providing good service to rebuild confidence and grow patronage. 'Good service that's worth paying for' should be the motto. Perhaps unavoidably lines like Frankston have been shut down for so much of the last five years that patronage has suffered as there is no certainty as to whether there are trains or not. Also, as noted above, passengers have got fewer benefits from completed infrastructure projects than they should have. 

Better reliability has been touted as one benefit of removing level crossings and renewing rail infrastructure. However, for reasons unexplained, we have yet to achieve the same operational performance that we had between 2000 and 2003. Success here will be a major achievement for the new secretary if they can pull this off.  

4. Set a patronage target / promote the network 

When was the last time you heard a DTP secretary articulate a patronage growth target for public transport? Or even go on talkback radio to advocate the benefits of taking public transport? Whatever his other skills, the existing  media-shy Secretary has been a terrible salesperson for the network.

There is a risk that seeing this from the top sets the tone for the rest of the department and expectations of its people. Although a franchise operator can be removed for poor performance, there is not that same accountability if DTP performs its functions poorly. Passenger information, including for disruptions, real time for buses and public holiday service arrangements, are opportunities for improvement as errors and inaccuracies are too common. So is promotion of new or upgraded services, with a tendency to either not articulate or undersell the sometimes substantial passenger benefits.  

5. Defend revenue / Get passengers paying again

During the pandemic (when myki top-ups were removed) DTP lost control of bus fare evasion and has not regained it since (even denying there's a problem). This culture has led to new expectations (including amongst drivers) that make the problem hard to unscramble, especially for Labor governments with affiliated transport unions they need to please. But letting fare evasion go unchecked is costing revenue and public confidence in the competence of network leadership. 

It's not all DTP's fault. Politicians from both sides have fiddled with the fare system for their political gain. This has led to a network with an unfortunate combination of (a) the free tram zone, (b) excessively cheap long distance fares, (c) excessively expensive fares for short trips and (d) a perverse incentive for train travellers to fill station car parks early (due to the single-mode Early Bird fares). It could be argued that this, plus sometimes lax fare enforcement and poor service levels, has led to a culture of 'you pretend to pay while we pretend to provide a service' amongst some. 

Summary

As you can see there's lots to do here with a challenging fiscal outlook and a state election in 2026. But there's also a lot of opportunity to make the most of our (now enlarged) infrastructure. Let's hope the government chooses wisely so we get the right secretary to provide the leadership needed. 

UN 184: The faster Caulfield - Rowville transport we can have now

The state government is currently consulting on nine suburban activity centres that it has identified as being appropriate for higher density housing. These are the same centres that I suggested some transport upgrades for last year.     

With the consultation comes some increased detail on each centre. Today I want to discuss Chadstone as this is the only centre that isn't on a strong radial train or tram line. There's lots of bus routes but their hours and frequencies are limited. You can read specifically about the government's housing plans for Chadstone here. 

Now let's go back a bit. 

Long-term Melbourne residents and planning followers will remember Melbourne 2030 in the early 2000s. This was predicated on denser development around major activity centres. You can see evidence of this around centres like Moonee Ponds, Box Hill and Carnegie. As pointed out at the time, Melbourne 2030 did not have a serious funded transport infrastructure and service program attached. 

This is why centres like Moonee Ponds (in Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson's seat)  have off-peak train service levels basically unchanged from 25 years ago. Box Hill and Carnegie have fared better. But with 30 minute gaps still common for both trains and bus routes, service levels at key times continue to lag below what is required to reasonably live without a car and address local traffic congestion.  

Today's suburban housing activity centre plans also don't say much about the transport infrastructure or services they need. But Chadstone's has this little note below pointing to a route along Princes Hwy. 

Promises and proposals

This investigation is the latest word we have on the status of the Caulfield - Rowville tram. that was promised by premier Daniel Andrews on 10 April 2018. The Suburban Rail Loop, which would also serve Monash University Clayton, was announced a few months later and stole all the limelight. 

With the tram promise floundering, what you might call the 'big end of town' in the south-east (ie Chadstone Shopping Centre and Monash University) is backing a trackless rapid transit scheme between Caulfield and Rowville. The proposal claims to be twice as fast as existing bus services and would connect with intersecting transport services including the Suburban Rail Loop at its Monash station. 

Locals have a right to be sceptical whether it will happen or not. At the Rowville end politicians have a long history of over-promising and under-delivering on transport. Budgets for the State government's existing suite of major projects are blowing out while the Federal government's cap on overseas students will likely stymie Monash University's growth.  

However something in transport does need to be done. Not only to support the housing proposed but also because existing bus services are not up to the job, even for current land use and population. I discussed Chadstone's transport needs in 4 steps here but didn't fully cover the Princes Hwy transport corridor, especially a direct connection with Monash. The most cost-effective way to do this will be today's topic.      

Route 900 SmartBus

The last big radial public transport upgrade in the Chadstone area was the commencement of the Route 900 SmartBus in 2006. This soon became Melbourne's most productive SmartBus route with strong usage on all days of the week. It, like both the promised tram and the advocated trackless route, already operates between Caulfield and Rowville. 

Despite its good patronage performance, the 900 doesn't operate to the frequency or speed standards one would expect of a premium public transport corridor. For instance there is no Sunday service after 9pm and there are 30 min gaps between trips on weekends and evenings. Same for the other routes. 

That's not an inherent problem with buses; it's just that low frequency and short hours is a choice that  Melbourne's made for the last 60 years or so, with service on even our 'premium' SmartBuses trailing equivalent routes in other cities, especially on weekends. 

Existing travel speeds

Travel on Route 900's western portion, between Caulfield and Huntingdale, is unacceptably slow. A trip between these locations takes around half an hour. That's via the most direct road distance of about 8km or the actual bus travel distance of around 11.5km. In other words around 20km/h. 

You could blame buses being held up in car traffic for some of this, especially on busy weekends around Chadstone. But there are two other key reasons for Route 900's slowness. These are: 

* The route's travelled kilometres between Caulfield and Huntingdale, which as noted above are about 40% longer than the shortest road distance possible (via Princes Hwy and Huntingdale Rd)

* Further exacerbating the above, the very high number of turning movements. I get at least 9 between when the bus leaves Chadstone to when it leaves Huntingdale station. 

Unless it's the 82 in Maribyrnong (for historical reasons) there is no way that a Caulfield - Rowville tram would be built with so many turning movements. The so-called trackless rapid transit proposal shows just two turning movements between Caulfield and Rowville in its animation. 

TRT's PR video conveys the impression to lay viewers that high speed requires their special vehicles (and associated depot and maintenance costs). This is not so. With more direct routing and appropriate priority over other traffic conventional buses can go faster too. That could deliver speed and frequency benefits now for negligible cost, while establishing the corridor for a potential light rail for improved future capacity. If it's a choice between 'grab what you can now' or 'push it into the never-never', I'm in the first camp.    

A more direct, faster Route 900? 

Below is one concept for a faster Caulfield to Rowville Route 900 bus. I'm not saying it's the best idea out there. Like anything there will be 'swings and roundabouts'. But its advantages with regards to speed, frequency, implementation time and value for money would likely make it a front-runner for any state government investigation of the corridor's transport needs. And it's scalable in that you can start with existing buses and stops now, with upgrades later as needed. 

The pros

* Faster travel by making 900 about 2km shorter and removing 8 turns. Maybe 10 min off all up. 
* Provides a fast direct alignment for Chadstone Activity Centre that more housing is proposed in, including to Metro Tunnel trains at Caulfield

* Connects the south-east's two biggest trip generators with a direct driving-competitive route that delivers early speed and frequency benefits of various tram and trackless transit proposals
* Scope to deliver more service for no extra cost due to abovementioned run time savings. The top candidates would likely be (a) 10 min interpeak weekday service (b) 15 minute weekend frequency and (c) operating hours that better match trains (notably Sunday evenings). 
* Complements needed wider network upgrades involving routes such as 630, 802 and 804. 
* Makes it no longer necessary for Monash to run its Caulfield - Clayton intercampus bus, with a potential partnership to use the money saved to upgrade other Monash-serving routes instead

The cons

* Oakleigh Station loses buses to Monash and Chadstone as 900 no longer goes via there
* Huntingdale Station loses bus frequency to Monash as 900 no longer goes via there
* Rowville loses connection to train at Huntingdale as 900 no longer goes via there
* Overlap of several routes along a portion of Princes Hwy at Oakleigh East

It's worth noting that some of the above cons can be mitigated by upgrading or reconfiguring other routes. For example: 

* Oakleigh station already has many routes to Monash and Chadstone, including 800, 802 and 804. In addition Route 903 operates to Chadstone. When taken as a group they operate frequently on weekdays. Operating hours and weekends are an issue but that can be fixed, as discussed here for 802 and 804, with wider benefits extending as far as Dandenong.
 
* Huntingdale station already has good weekday frequency to Monash via the 601 university shuttle. The 900 provides weekend service that the 601 doesn't. However the loss from removing the 900 can be offset by upgrading the popular Route 630 to run every 20 minutes or better 7 days per week with longer operating hours. This also has wider gains, in this case west to Ormond and Elwood. 

* A rerouted Route 900 would mean that Rowville passengers would no longer be able to change to a train at Huntingdale. Instead they'd need to remain on the bus to Caulfield. However they would gain from improved Route 900 frequency and better train connections. There is also scope for other Rowville area bus network reform that would provide much more of the suburb with bus connections to nearer stations (as the current 900 only covers a fraction of the suburb around Stud Park). A less radical variation could retain the 900 route via Huntingdale but, with more turning movements, directness and travel time would be worse. 

It is true that the cost of a direct Princes Hwy Route 900 is that it overlaps portions of existing routes. However the existing Route 900 also overlaps other routes between Oakleigh and Huntingdale and the new overlap is less costly when measured in minutes. In any event it would only be a temporary problem; when the Monash SRL station opens Route 900 could be run via Ferntree Gully Rd as per the Trackless Rapid Transit proposal.

On another matter, if it is considered important that Burlington St retains a frequent service then 802 and 804 can be moved there from parallel Atherton Rd with little change in kilometres operated. This is not an important change and may only be done if wider bus network reform involving the poorly used 704 and the 742 (that inefficiently overlaps with much of the 693, with which it could be merged) is attempted. 

Conclusion

Better transport for the Chadstone / Monash area is highly desirable given the area's current intense activity and the expectation of more, especially with regards to housing.

There is interest in improved transport, as demonstrated by the various schemes promised or proposed. What perhaps isn't there is the will to commit money to large capital works, with the risk that nothing will get done for a decade or more for this corridor.

However this should not be regarded as an inevitability with a highly cost-effective bus concept that complements both the Metro Tunnel and the Suburban Rail Loop discussed here. Furthermore, while providing good speed and service now, it could set the groundwork for a future higher capacity mode when the capacity need arises.    

Wish to comment on the housing activity centre plans? You have until September 29 to do so. 

Index to other Useful Network items here