UN 243: Simpler buses for Airport West and Melbourne Airport

Executive Summary: Potential exists to make better use of our existing buses to better connect Melbourne Airport to surrounding suburbs. A cost-effective example with improved airport connectivity for Sunbury, Airport West, Essendon and Moonee Ponds is presented here. 

Last week I covered improved access to Melbourne Airport, with an emphasis on what can be done in the short term. This is important as airport rail is years away and even if we had it tomorrow it wouldn't much improve connectivity from suburbs north and east of the airport. Or for airport workers who need regular fare transit options. 

Surrounding Melbourne Airport are residential and light industrial suburbs, largely built between between the 1960s and 1990s. They were then outer suburbs but would today be regarded as middle-distance. 

They are far enough from rail to make most of their populations dependent on buses as their nearest public transport but they are not so new as to get growth area funding. Thus their bus networks can sit unreformed for years, if not decades as priorities are always elsewhere and their turn never comes (at least without community campaigning - think 527 bus in Coburg North or 536 in Glenroy). 

Northern suburbs of this type include Dallas, Campbellfield, Coburg North, Glenroy, Keilor East and, today's topic, Airport West and Niddrie. Significantly both are sufficiently close to Melbourne Airport to deliver connectivity gains for it and as far north as Sunbury if local bus networks were improved. 

Airport West bus network concept

This doesn't claim to fix everything. But it seeks to simplify existing bus routes to deliver: 

* Simpler connection from the 59 tram to Melbourne Airport with longer hours, higher frequency and just one route number to remember from Airport West with a new Route 480 to replace existing 478 and 479

* Ten times the weekend service from Sunbury to Melbourne Airport with many more trips on the 480 compared to the current twice-daily 479. Longer operating hours too to benefit airport workers    

* One seat ride to Melbourne Airport from Essendon and Moonee Ponds with new 480 to replace part of 469

* Seven day Moonee Ponds to Sunbury service over longer hours with new 480 replacing existing 483

* Simplified Route 469 with a potential Highpoint extension to deliver seven day service to all bus stops in Avondale Heights by merging with existing limited service 407

Simplifying bus routes can be a swings and roundabouts affair with some worse off and some better off. Though the above is likely better off overall for most. 

Least controversial is likely the splitting of the 469 at Airport West. No one would ride it end to end as it is so indirect. The above concept leaves the Keilor East/Airport West half as the 469 (terminating at Westfield) while the Strathmore/Moonee Ponds portion becomes part of the new 480 (effectively an extended/merged Route 478/479).

The remaining Airport West - Milleara part of the 469 could be merged with another route to improve scheduling efficiency and/or connect to a stronger terminus. The obvious route to join it to is the 407 - a local Avondale Heights route to Highpoint that currently runs limited hours Monday to Saturday only. An extended 469 could operate between Airport West and Highpoint, creating a 7 day neighbourhood style route with stronger termini. 

The new 480 (which would be more frequent and run longer hours than the current 478/479) would provide one-seat access from Moonee Ponds and Essendon Station to Melbourne Airport, restoring a connection that was (infrequently) possible before 2014. As well access between Sunbury and Melbourne Airport would be much improved, especially on weekends. 

Then there's the Moonee Ponds/Essendon to Sunbury connection. This is currently possible on the 483 Monday to Saturday. It doesn't get very strong usage, at least outside school times. The new 480 would perform this role, but at a higher frequency and seven days per week. While the 480 does not operate through Niddrie, the 476, which will soon get a large improvement from every 40 to every 20 minutes on weekdays, does. And further north in Sunbury the 483's unique catchment reduced when the 475, which already runs every 20 minutes on weekdays, commenced.  

This leaves the area with two simplified routes to replace the 407, 478, 479 and potentially 483. 

* 469 Airport West - Milleara SC - Highpoint (after merger with 407)

* 480 Sunbury - Airport West - Moonee Ponds 

The 469 might take about 55 min end to end with the existing 40 min frequency retained. The 480 might take about 70 min for its full length. This makes a 40 minute frequency economical. Short workings between Melbourne Airport and Airport West would be desirable to provide a 20 min combined frequency on this portion. 

A number of service options are possible but it should be possible to do some reform with the existing  number of buses. Not all buses in the area are run by the same operator but there is precedent of multiple companies successfully operating key cross-regional routes such as occurs on the 900 between Caulfield and Rowville. 

Need for a simpler network

The Airport West/Niddrie area has Melbourne's usual fare of meandering bus routes running every 20 to 40 minutes until approximately 9pm. The most recent significant change was several years ago where the meandering 501 was replaced by the almost as perplexing route 469. This was also associated with the deletion of the also complex 475 and its replacement with a rerouted less direct 476.

The only semi-frequent route is the 477 which runs every 20 min on weekdays (though only every 40 min on weekends). This will be joined by the 476 which will be improved to a similar frequency following 2026 state budget funding. 

Key issues with the Airport West and Niddrie bus network include: 

* Limited operating hours (and in some cases no Sunday service) on routes 478, 479 and 483. 
* Limited connectivity north to Melbourne Airport and east-west eg Niddrie - Pascoe Vale
* Complex routes such as the indirect 469
* Weak termini affecting the 469 and in adjoining suburbs routes 406, 407, 465 and 467 also. 
* Inefficient overlaps and low productivity on some routes such as 469 and 483

Sunbury (which shares some routes with this network) is handicapped by: 

* Hourly Route 479 weekday frequency to Melbourne Airport does not mesh with local buses every 40 min and runs just two trips on weekends 
* Route 483 to Moonee Ponds runs hourly, has limited hours, lacks Sunday service but is also weak on unique coverage and productivity 

Many issues are visible on the local area maps for Moonee Valley and Hume. The network concept outlined before seeks to address most of these issues while being economical with bus usage. 

Scope for more

The above cut-price network does not address all concerns with the Airport West/Niddrie bus network. Moonee Ponds Creek, the Citylink freeway and bus operator history limit east-west connectivity. Routes such as 561 and 512 have weak western termini. Extending a route like 512 westward to Essendon North or Niddrie could provide some connectivity not well catered for by existing routes. 

Previously identified issues with the weak termini for routes like 406 and 465 remain in Keilor East. A local train station will provide a logical termination point but in the interim a case exists to extend these to stronger termini such as on the Sunbury line or even Melbourne Airport. 

Airport connectivity could also be improved if a Route 500 airport rail Sunshine - Keilor East - Melbourne Airport precursor bus route commences, with potential for this to extend to Broadmeadows and Doncaster to create a Suburban Rail Loop North precursor bus.  

Also, regardless of when Airport Rail starts, a North West Melbourne Bus Rapid Transit via Keilor East could connect many currently disconnected parts of Melbourne's north-west with each other and to western growth areas. 

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