Another time where MPs can veer off the limited agenda set by their parties is in the reports they must submit if they go on parliament-funded overseas study trips. Not only do these accounts describe what they saw overseas but they also discuss lessons and applicability for here.
Shadow Public Transport Minister Matthew Guy MP travelled to South America in 2019, 2023, 2024 and again in 2025. A substantial part of all trips included inspecting and talking to locals involved with running its public transport. Mr Guy also reflected on the applicability of what he saw to our public transport network.
Because few will have read them below is my summary. It could be topical as current opinion polls have the Coalition ahead to win November's state election.
2023 trip (notes here)
* Potential to learn from Buenos Aires metro in respect to these:
- On board PSOs in large numbers
- Free wi-fi on board and charging stations at stations
- Use of station space for local art with this exploited for tourism
- Zero tolerance to graffiti and vandalism with vandals fined and forced to clean it up
Above were described as being 'not without merit'.
* Potential to learn from Argentinian railways with regards to
- rapid response to crime
- 200 security staff and police on one line alone
- visible command control centres
This was considered to be an advance on our PSO program and potentially implemented.
* Trains had the following features
- Position displays of the train location between stations
- Windows that could slightly open at the top
- Widespread use of third rail to supply power
Third rail was considered particularly beneficial to economically extend electric traction to areas beyond overhead power. It could also be retrofitted to existing rolling stock and be rolled out quickly. This point is relevant for recent debate over Melton and Wyndham Vale electrification.
* Main stations in Buenos Aires were covered with a large central roof.
Mr Guy regarded Southern Cross Station as a success and recommended that Flinders Street be covered with a large semi-circle roof.
* Having three rail gauges presented significant operational difficulties in Buenos Aires. Dual gauging was considered complex and not widely used.
Based on this research, Mr Guy described the decision to build the Suburban Rail Loop with standard gauge and different operational specifications as 'absolutely mad'. He wanted rolling stock and maintenance procedure to be the same across the whole rail network with the SRL interoperable with the existing Metro system.
* The National Railway museum was inspirational. Mr Guy said that Victoria had done less with rail heritage than other states. He saw potential in the use of Newport workshops for this purpose.
* Mr Guy compared the SUBE travel card favourably with Melbourne's Myki system. However I don't think he was sufficiently clear on how it was superior.
* Buenos Aires had an extensive and well used bus network. This included a terminal in the CBD.
Mr Guy supported a similar terminal for Melbourne but it wasn't clear whether this was for metropolitan or regional buses. He suggested at least initially terminating more buses at Southern Cross.
* Buneos Aires has a short distance University Train to connect the campus to the main rail network. It was too crowded for Mr Guy to ride.
Mr Guy strongly backed Geelong having a regional commuter rail system such as NSW operates in the Hunter Valley and Illawarra regions. He also mentioned Coalition policy for this.
2024 trip (notes here)
* Trip (which included Wayne Farnham MP) was focused on infrastructure (particularly rail). Mr Guy saw value in learning from cities that had growing rail networks but built them cheaper than we did.
* Potential to learn from the low construction costs of the rapidly expanding Santiago Metro
- Santiago is tunnelling 76km of new metro lines at a cost of $US 9b
- Metro construction cost is less than 1/10 that of Melbourne
- Contracts are broken up and tendered as small parts to get the best price
- Procurement is not controlled by the union movement (which Guy claimed was the case here)
- Contracts are more open with less secrecy than he associated with the Big Build
* Mr Guy toured the control centre for the Metro. Lines operated independently and were supervised separately, though staff were all in the same room.
* A briefing on Barrio Bellavista (an older inner city neighbourhood) was given. It had high tourist visitation. Mr Guy saw merit in doing similar preservation of a Melbourne inner northern or eastern neighbourhood.
* Sao Paulo metro carries 4.5 million passengers per day. A major project is to standardise rail gauges.
- Line 7 was digging about 30 metres of tunnel per day
Like in 2023 Mr Guy said that it was extraordinary that our SRL was being built on a different gauge to the rest of the suburban system. Also that our tunnelling rate was much slower at 30 metres per month.
* Mr Guy returned to Buenos Aires and met people running the Metro. Expansion had been halted but was being reconsidered again. Again he reaffirmed the ticketing as being easier to use than Myki. Credit card ticketing was on the agenda (since achieved here).
* Buenos Aires had an ebike system. This was considered easy to use. Heavy fines exist for dumping or abandoning bikes. Mr Guy supported these systems for Melbourne.
* The Tren de la Costa is a 15km long light rail serving the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires. It runs between the heavy rail and the metro. it is slow (40km/h) but well used.
Mention was made about the potential for similar systems to serve parts of Melbourne including East Werribee, Rowville and Doncaster.
2025 trip (notes here)
* Travel this time included Paraguay. Key observations were:
- Its last trains ran over ten years ago so a visit to a museum was arranged. Their rail was set up by British people so it had similarities with systems in Commonwealth countries. Mr Guy said that if rail does close it was essential to preserve the rail corridor for future reopening.
- Street closures for community events were very successful in revitalising downtown for community events
- Bike tracks were being improved in Asuncion with these separate from main roads, thus not impeding road traffic or removing vehicle lanes. This was favourably contrasted with Melbourne.
- The airport is a mixed use precinct with concerts and events often held there.
Mr Guy said that the lessons for Melbourne remain around frequency and connectivity; with bus timetables designed to link to each other, similar to that of a metro rail network.
- Themes from previous trips, such as them doing ticketing, security and crime prevention better than us were reaffirmed.
- The Subte was built with very small trains which limited capacity. Mr Guy drew a parallel with the Suburban Rail Loop which had only four car trains with him seeing this as a false economy to make the SRL business case stack up.
- Maintenance standards were declining on both the metropolitan and regional rail networks. This meant more derailments.
- Crowding was a major issue in the north-western suburbs where diesel trains were required to do a suburban rail's job. There was a need for electrification due to its potential for higher capacity, with a parallel with Melton drawn.
- Multiple operators run trains in Buenos Aires. While acceptable for buses, many Mr Guy spoke to said that this fragmentation was a problem for rail including a lack of timetable efficiency. In his report he drew a parallel with the Suburban Rail Loop (if it is to be completed) that it be linked in with the existing rail and tram providers. While not stated this effectively means that he repudiates the network fragmentation that happened under the Kennett government's franchising (and potentially the Sydney decision to build an operationally separate driverless metro).
- Trenes Argentinos, the country's regional freight and passenger operator has severe problems with lack of infrastructure investment and derailment. Speeds are often reduced rather than tracks upgraded. Mr Guy drew parallels with Victoria where some lines have 65km/h limits (versus 115km/h in NSW).
- Shrinkage of the ebike network and a deterioration of service since previous visits.
Summary
Through these trip reports the shadow minister has articulated some ideas for transport in Victoria. This could include:
* Tougher South American-style security
* A rebuilt Flinders Street with a large arched roof
* A central bus interchange in Melbourne CBD
* Faster tunnelling at lower cost on major projects with greater transparency
* A Suburban Rail Loop that has bigger trains, is interoperable with the Metro network and is potentially run by the same operator
* Potential for Geelong to have its own rail system and light rail in some Melbourne suburbs
* Bicycle tracks should be off-road and not involve slowing of cars or taking space from them
Mr Guy's apparent support for bigger trains on the Suburban Rail Loop appear to indicate a view that it could carry more passengers than some if its detractors claim. And it seems to discount the possibility that automated driverless trains run close together at high frequencies can still mean a high capacity, even if they are small, like Rail Futures' light metro concept.
Have you been to South America and observed transport there? What's your thoughts on Mr Guy's ideas? Either way please let us know in the comments below.
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