5 election-winning PT service upgrades

Let's keep this short. Here's 5 cost-effective service upgrades that would make a huge difference to public transport network usability. None are particularly expensive. And implementation can be done as quickly as driver recruitment allows as there's no increase in rolling stock requirements. 

1. 7 day service on all residential area bus routes

Every suburb should have 7 day service from morning to night. This upgrade would give all-week service to about 50 metropolitan bus routes to run Sunday and in some cases Saturdays also. There would also be operating hours extensions where these are short. Major regional cities would get similar upgrades. A staged program could allow implementation within 3 years if 2 routes per month were upgraded (same pace as the MOTC upgrades between 2006 and 2010). 

2. 20 min maximum waits on our metropolitan Metro and V/Line trains 

Right now waits between trains can be 30, 40 or even 60 minutes. Train timetables in 2022 still bear the scars of evening cuts made in 1978 (!) when Melbourne was half its current size. We're a big city yet some of our train timetables are more like that of a backward hick town like Brisbane rather than Sydney (that we like to compare ourselves to) or even Perth (that knows what good service means). 

A staged program would deliver the following service upgrades within the next term: 

a. Maximum evening waits cut from 30 to 20 min on the Sunbury, Craigieburn, Upfield, Mernda, Eltham, Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein, Glen Waverley, Pakenham and Cranbourne Metro lines (those not listed are already done)

b. Sunday morning waits cut from 30-40 min to 20 min on all the above lines plus Sandringham. 

c. Maximum waits cut on the Geelong (from Wyndham Vale in) and Ballarat (from Melton in) from 40-90 to 20 min during the day on weekends and evenings. 

Don't think 20 minute frequencies will inspire the punters enough? Go for every 10 minutes. That's super-cheap on the Ringwood line and still affordable given the benefit on other lines. In most cases you won't even need new infrastructure or rolling stock as peak service is already higher. 

3. Off-peak frequency upgrades and longer hours on key bus routes

Too many buses only leave the depot during peak periods only. This is even on routes that would attract significant usage off-peak in areas like the City of Wyndham. Right now we have routes that run every 10-15 min in the peak but drop to every 40 min off-peak. This upgrade would hire more drivers to deliver a more continuously high service with buses every 20 min off-peak 7 days per week. Evening operating hours could also be lengthened so that the system no longer shuts down at 9pm most nights.

Routes that would benefit are mainly in high bus-using outer suburbs such as around Tarneit and Craigieburn, across the middle north such as Coburg/Preston/Heidelberg and parts of the south-east eg the Box Hill / Monash precinct. No new buses need to be purchased to deliver these upgrades. Many feature in this top 40 list. 

4. Weekend service upgrades on key bus routes

Some bus routes already have good weekday off-peak (and sometimes also Saturday) service but collapse to every 30, 40 or even 60 minutes on weekends. This includes many of our SmartBuses and  popular established area routes in the inner north and inner west (eg 406, 408, 410, 472, 508, 513, 527, 561, 901, 902, 903). This upgrade would boost all these to 20 min maximum waits on weekends with longer operating hours. Again these upgrades are possible by working the existing fleet harder. Many feature in this top 40 list

5. 15 - 20 minute maximum waits for trams 

Trams are normally associated with turn-up-and-go service. However this isn't quite so for all of the day. Sunday mornings and evenings have the longest waits with some routes dropping to only every 30 minutes. Also many popular trams drop down to every 20 minutes too early at night. This upgrade would deliver a maximum wait of 20 min on all tram routes at all times before midnight while extending 15 minute service over much more of the evening. Again this does not affect the peak vehicle requirement. 

Why would any candidate or party wanting to win not back any of these given the benefits for the cost? After all some dearer and less cost-effective initiatives have already been announced. 

Now it's over to them. Here's hoping for some robust and specific pro-service policies from all sides! 

What councils want for transport in the 2022 State Election

The higher the level of government, the bigger is its revenue base. Thus states governments are always asking the federal government for money. And local governments often ask both federal and state governments for things. The latter is topical as Victorians go to the polls in about seven weeks. 

Candidates and parties will be competing fiercely for votes. So there's a bidding war with hospitals, schools, roads, train stations and police stations all being promised. Some state elections have had themes. Eg 2010, 2014 and 2018 were dominated by transport infrastructure. 2022 is shaping up to be about health infrastructure (notably hospitals). Transport services (in the form of reliability) got prominence in 2010 but it's been a while since transport services (in the form of frequency) rated.

I discussed local council transport strategies in 2019. Many also had advocacy plans back then. Almost all have been tweaked for 2022. It's not hard to know why. With both federal and state elections, 2022 has been a bumper year for advocacy (and the consultants that advise) in order to squeeze as much promises and funding as they can from ScoMo, Albo, Dan(iel) and/or Matt(hew). After all if you spend just $1m to convince another government to spend $1 billion on your pet scheme then that's pretty good leverage in anyone's language (and credit you can claim without taxing your own people much).  

So here's 2022's crop of council transport advocacy plans, ordered by council. It's worth remembering them through the campaign as they can be a source of ideas from candidates and parties.

Banyule (also project list)

Many good PT proposals including a comprehensive bus review for Banyule, improved bus connections to La Trobe University,  bus equivalent to Suburban Rail Loop ('SRL SmartBus' concept), Chandler Hwy 609 bus extended to La Trobe Uni with boosted frequency, Hurstbridge line duplication and station/interchange upgrades. The government is currently consulting on some small bus simplifications in the St Helena area. Along with doing major bus reviews in the north and north-east which will likely simplify some routes in Banyule. So council may be able to tick some things off its list. 

Bayside 

Support much-needed simplification of the horridly complex 600/922/923 bus routes including better connections to Beaumaris Secondary College. Also better SRL design around Southland and level crossing removals at Highett. 

Booroondara (part of climate action plan)
Not much found. 

Brimbank
Precinct revitalisation, notably around and including Sunshine and Albion stations. Ballarat Rd light rail, high frequency bus routes and better connections between services until late at night. The government has added a rebuilt Albion station to its scope of projects for the Airport line and is consulting on a new regional platform for Sunshine station.

Cardinia

Frequency upgrades and/or route extensions for specific local bus routes. NightRider bus network extension. 926 frequency upgrade a glaring omission as this is a trunk highway route with some >70 minute gaps. 

Casey 

Suburban rail extension to Clyde. This was promised by the Liberals yesterday.

Darebin

Electric orbital bus along the SRL corridor (essentially an 'SRL SmartBus') between La Trobe Uni and Melbourne Airport via Reservoir and Fawkner. Chandler Hwy bus route connecting La Trobe Uni to Burnley Station. Tram 86 stop accessibility upgrades. Route 11 tram extended to Reservoir with electric bus route in the interim. Train and bus frequency improvements and better east-west bus routes. 

Frankston

Not much found despite complex and infrequent bus network in much of area along with local parking issues. 

Glen Eira

Elsternwick - Clayton light rail via North Rd. 'Trackless rapid transit' from Caulfield to Rowville. Nothing for train frequencies or buses advocated. 

Greater Dandenong

Initially you don't think there's much. Key PT-related priorities for this election include DDA access and bicycle parking at Yarraman station. There are also some useful pedestrian connectivity upgrades. There's more in their detailed transport advocacy statement. Priorities include a rebuilt Dandenong Station, a Monash Uni - Keysborough - Dandenong South - Narre Warren bus and faster bus routes generally. Free 'Early Bird' travel extended to buses to relieve pressure at station car parks is another request. However much success here is unlikely unless local buses run more frequently than their typical 30 to 60 minutes.       

Hobsons Bay

Advocates building Melbourne Metro 2, investigating a train station at Altona North, review of bus services across area (especially Altona Meadows and Altona North) and bicycle parkiteers at all train stations.  

Hume

4 out of 6 key projects advocated for were road upgrades. 1 out of 6 was public transport related - a much needed upgrade to Broadmeadows Station precinct including a 'higher education services transport hub'. 

Kingston (& more recently )

To its credit council has recently been very active in advocating for improved interchange between modes at the Southland/Cheltenham SRL station site. On other transit advocacy they've been quieter. For example, despite climate emergency talk their advocacy for the 2022 election is all about building more roads (which induce more driving including on feeder streets). Their one token mention of public transport concerns an upgrade for Huntingdale Station which isn't even in the municipality.

Knox ( media here )

Public transport advocacy priorities include a Knox tram and Rowville rail. The recent news article has different emphasis including a 'trackless tram' between Caulfield and Rowville. Labor promised Rowville light rail in 2018 but has said little since. Meanwhile there's been a later 'trackless rapid transit' proposal from commercial interests. Also mentioned in the article is a vastly longer 75 tram including to Upper Ferntree Gully and Bayswater business precinct. Low train frequencies and buses, the area's most pressing public transport needs, don't get the same emphasis. However council does promote its participation in the Eastern Transport Coalition grouping which does advocate for buses.   

Manningham

Key public transport advocacy is a request for $3m for a Doncaster Rd Bus Rapid Transit feasibility study. Doncaster Rd is a very popular bus corridor supporting the well-used 907 bus along with other routes including the 902 orbital. Also requested is a bus service that replicates the Suburban Rail Loop alignment given that SRL isn't coming to Manningham for many years. This draws on an Infrastructure Victoria recommendation. Manningham's specific request is a frequent route that starts at Monash University and operates express services to Deakin University, Box Hill Station, Doncaster, Bulleen, Heidelberg and La Trobe University. Mixed use development around Doncaster Park and Ride is also something that Council would like to see. 

Maribyrnong
not known

Maroondah
not known

Melbourne
Improved connections to Fishermans Bend is the big priority. And much more than the extra buses starting this month. While suburban councils find it hard asking a few million a year for bus upgrades, the audacious City of Melbourne are requesting both light rail and Metro Tunnel 2 to better connect Fishermans Bend. And it's probably needed if they want to make it much of a place that's accessible from all directions. Council hopes that the tram will be running by 2025 - the year that Melbourne University's campus is planned to open.  

Melton ( media coverage )
Melton has previously advocated for both rail electrification and roads, but, possibly frustrated by apparently slow movement on the former (including 'Western Rail Plan' promises made in 2018) has gone for a "Fix our Roads" theme in 2022. Melton is considered one of the seats to watch. Yesterday the state government announced a new Melton station and the removal of four level crossings in the area.  

Merri-Bek/Moreland

Has presented a strong public transport wish-list including upgrading and duplicating the Upfield line to permit more services, local station modernisations and reconfiguring the City Loop to free up capacity. Council is also advocating for improved east-west buses, notably for the low income and poorly served Fawkner. 

Monash

Council isn't directly asking for much in the PT space. However they do want a redeveloped Oakleigh Station precinct. A Westall Rd extension is their key roads request. Part of its justification includes opportunities to improve public transport speeds on parallel roads like Blackburn and Springvale Rd. Unfortunately such thinking does not always endure - Stud Rd got a bus lane after Eastlink opened but it was later removed. Monash Council is an active member of the Eastern Transport Coalition which is advocating for a reviewed bus network and trackless rapid transit. 

Moonee Valley

This had just one main ask for public transport - the grandly named 'Western Gateway Station' on the Airport rail line and ultimately the Suburban Rail Loop. The government's announced they're building it so chalk that up as a win. 

Mornington Peninsula ( media coverage )

Mornington Peninsula advocated for improved buses before the 2018 election campaign, notably a more frequent Route 788. They succeeded in getting this and other network improvements during a time where funding for expanded bus services was extremely lean. This time they want a more frequent express bus to Frankston (887 is fast but currently only runs every 60 - 120 min), a cross-peninsula Mornington to Hastings service, extended FlexiRide hours and bike racks on buses. 

Nillumbik

Would like to see redevelopment of the area around Diamond Creek station including a level crossing removal. Also advocated for is a northern area bus network review. This is sensible since on the one hand the area has many bus routes but they are not necessarily very well used nor do they connect with trains. Parts of the latter may happen sooner than expected with the government recently announcing major bus reviews in the north, north-east as well as smaller reforms affecting parts of Eltham. 

Port Phillip

Would like to see an upgrade of the 109 tram terminus at Port Melbourne noting its status as a gateway for visitors from cruise ships (though no longer the Spirit of Tasmania). Like the City of Melbourne, Port Phillip is advocating for a tram to Fishermans Bend followed by Metro 2. Upgraded weekday buses were recently announced for the area. 

Stonnington
Stonnington want funding for electric car charging points.  

Whitehorse 
not known

Whittlesea

Northern growth area council with a strong list of asks. These include Wallan rail electrification, Wollert rail and, before it commences, a high quality bus every 10 minutes to Epping. An extension of the 86 tram to South Morang Station is also advocated. 

Wyndham

Council is advocating for Wyndham to be included in the Geelong Fast Rail project. Also they want progress on the Western Rail Plan including electrification, more stations and a Wyndham Vale - Werribee connection. Better buses are also proposed, with the statement pointing out that Wyndham is home to 9 of the 20 most productive bus routes in Melbourne (which I discussed here). 

Yarra

In the public transport space, Yarra, like Banyule and Darebin, supports a Chandler Hwy bus to improve north-south connectivity to La Trobe University. The most economical way of achieving this would likely involve bus resources from the existing 350, 567 and 609 routes with the main administrative complication being that they are run by two different bus companies. A key benefit for Yarra would be a north-south bus along Burnley St, better connecting Richmond. Yarra also supports an upgraded Burnley station and the roll-out of more DDA compliant tram stops. 

Yarra Ranges

Yarra Ranges have some bus requests. The one with the most patronage potential is improved frequency and express services on the area's key trunk routes of Lilydale - Warburton (683) and Chirnside Park - Healesville (685). They also want FlexiRide service for Healesville and Belgrave area. Healesville is currently undergoing a mini-review (with a 685 upgrade proposed) while routes around Upwey/Belgrave remain extremely complex and deserving of attention.  

That's it from Melbourne's local governments. 

Documents vary in the attention they give to public transport. Some councils prepared significant documents some time ago but dropped PT as a priority in their election asks. Others have stuck to a small number of major infrastructure requests. Some bus initiatives have support across local government areas. Most prominent is frequent and direct buses along the Suburban Rail Loop ('SRL SmartBus' concept) and Chandler Hwy/La Trobe University corridors. Both are good ideas and should be embraced by government and non-government parties alike.  

Have a read of some and tell us what you think in the comments. Also let me know if there are omissions as the ease of finding published information varies and only limited time was available per council to discover relevant documents. 

TT #173: The new Fishermans Bend bus timetables

Fishermans Bend has long been a public transport 'black hole'. It lacks trains or trams, unlike most other places the same distance from the CBD. Bus services are limited outside peak times. And, discounting the occasional 606, they all come from one direction - the CBD. The West Gate Punt doesn't accept myki fares and departs from a location remote for walkers. All this means that reaching Fishermans Bend from most directions by public transport is a chore that most people avoid. 

Location and network geometry are not on Fishermans Bend's side. That's significant as they can be tough masters. They can also be hard to overcome without serious investment, eg a second Metro Tunnel connecting the west.  

New Quay at Docklands is similarly afflicted. It's luckier than Fishermans Bend in that it has trams. However, like Fishermans Bend's buses they aren't on the way to anywhere with backtracking and stub routes. New Quay has not been a success for retail businesses. At best they attract local custom with the area out of sight/out of mind for others due to its poor accessibility. 

Will Fishermans Bend fare any better? I find short-term optimism difficult, especially given the current surplus of office space in the far more accessible CBD. Even if you lived at Footscray even a job location like Caulfield would be more accessible, especially after the Metro Tunnel opens. SNAMUTS maps don't show Fishermans Bend but even the more accessible Port Melbourne rates a poor performer on multiple measures. 

Fishermans Bend is accessible to car drivers with east-west freeway links already in place. But if you are to get public transport users there from most directions it will be under sufferance. 

Fishermans Bend needs a magnet or hook to get people in, the equivalent of anchor tenants like (the fast-disappearing) Myer at shopping centres. Destinations that are so prestigious, specialised or scarce that people will put themselves out to go there. Like a Melbourne University campus, for instance. 

Though that won't stop people grumbling about the commute. With current public transport being so limited, they'd probably have to bribe people to go there (by driving) with 'free' or cheap parking. The induced car-dependence brings problems like poor sustainability, congestion, noise and inefficient land use that limits the ability to create attractive places for people. 

The government has stepped in with improved buses to Fishermans Bend on Routes 235 and 237. Peak services were boosted a few years ago. These were badly needed. Pre-pandemic one witnessed crush-loaded buses at Southern Cross Station at peak times (though they were largely empty on Queen St). 

Later budgets flagged further improvements. A July 2022 release said that both Routes 235 and 237 would be improved to operate every 10 minutes off-peak on weekdays from October 31. This is a doubling or tripling of current 20 - 30 minute frequencies. This service level is sufficient to be regarded as a 'turn up and go' service with more than 900 trips being added per week. 

The new timetables

Fishermans Bend is all about weekdays. It is not expected that anyone will be there on weekends. This is reflected in the weekday-only skew of the bus upgrades, as flagged here. 

Route 235

Route 235's weekday service offer is a bus every 10 minutes between about 6am and 9pm. There are no significant peak and off-peak variations in frequency but there are to run times. The main departure from this is that a few am and pm trips start or finish at Southern Cross Station rather than going the full route to Queen Victoria Markets.

While you'd expect less usage at 8:30pm to be less than at 5:30pm, no attempt has been made to align service levels to demand. Nor even to spread trips to improve operating hours to say 10pm or later. Hence the 235 is an "it's either there or it's not" type of service. 

Route 235 has a limited weekend service with shorter hours than the 2006 minimum service standards. On Saturdays it runs every 40 min from 8am to 8pm with no service outside those times. Sunday service is hourly from about 8am to 6pm. 

Route 237

The weekday timetable follows the same basic specification of the 235. That is a consistent service every 10 minutes from about 6am that drops dead just before 9pm. Again some am and pm peak trips terminate at Southern Cross, creating some 20 min gaps at Queen Vic Markets. 

If you live in one of the high-rises on Lorimer St then bad luck - you'll get a great weekday service but your 237 bus still won't run on weekends or public holidays. 

Those extra buses on Queen St

Queen St already gets a lot of buses. Routes like 200/207, 216, 220, 232, 234, 250/251 and 605 run about 30 buses per hour weekdays interpeak. That's not including 235 and 237 which contribute a further 5 buses per hour. These upgrades boost that number from 5 to 12. 

Is that added service intensity necessary? After all existing usage of 235 and 237 is strong between Fishermans Bend and Southern Cross but weak between Southern Cross and Queen Victoria Market. Surely there are other places that would benefit more from higher bus frequency than Queen St? 

My guess is that interests like Melbourne University would most prefer a direct bus between their campuses. That could more or less come about if buses like 235 and 237 were extended further to the stronger terminus of Parkville Station when the Metro Tunnel opens. 

A reappraisal of this part of the CBD bus network is needed, especially if buses are poorly used. There's likely many other potential options where they could be redeployed for bigger benefit. Especially if combined with other opportunities eg simpler stops and inclusion in the Rapid Running trial . 

Conclusion

The 235 / 237 bus service upgrade will greatly improve weekday access to Fishermans Bend from Southern Cross Station, especially if accompanied by adequate promotion, information and potentially distinctive buses and stops to reflect the high frequency. DoT/PTV has a lacklustre recent record at this, with the new Route 202 between Victoria Park and Melbourne University not getting the sort of promotion that previously introduced shuttles like 401 and 601 had.   

I think there is scope to appeal to a wider user base if both routes had somewhat longer operating hours and a basic weekend service. That should be possible with the same number of trips as proposed by reducing the span of the 10 minute frequency (to say 7am - 7pm). 

Short of the 'gold standard' Metro Two, scope for improved Fishermans Bend connectivity from other directions could include an upgrade to the 606 bus from the south, a new bus over the West Gate connecting to trains at Newport Station and an all-day West Gate Punt service. Tram connections from Docklands have also been proposed but seem as distant as ever given the lack of a culture of incremental network extensions with our trams. This is even in dense areas or where a short extension would join 'loose ends' of the network.  

Index to Timetable Tuesday items