pt4me2

What's your take on Ted and Terry's progress?

2011-11-22T10:21:00.003+11:00

According to The Age, "plans to solve Victoria's public transport woes proceed at a glacial pace, despite all the election promises." What do you think?

Read the story here

IT IS not too much of a stretch to argue that public transport delivered Premier Ted Baillieu and his team government.

Certainly, a review of last November's state election for Labor by federal MP Alan Griffin told the story that Mr Baillieu might wisely heed now: public transport was a vote-switching issue from Labor to the Coalition for more than a quarter of voters.

So perhaps the most surprising aspect of Mr Baillieu's first year in the job has been the glacial pace at which he and Transport Minister Terry Mulder appear to have tackled Victoria's transport problems.

Mr Baillieu, for instance, devoted much of his pre-election campaign launch to promising a new European-style public transport authority, to fix the problems ''as quickly as we can''. A year after that speech, the authority has only just been legislated. It is still months off doing anything.

And it appears unlikely to revolutionise transport planning in the state; it remains unclear from the legislation how it will achieve its promise to ''improve services, safety and co-ordinate with other aspects of the public transport system''.

Technically, though, establishing the authority is a promise fulfilled - even if those who take a train, tram or bus every day still see little difference.

Similarly, promises to begin work on feasibility studies on rail lines to Avalon, Doncaster, Melbourne Airport and Rowville have been fulfilled.

But it appears there remains little of the enthusiasm that Mr Baillieu showed at the election-eve launch for the Doncaster rail line proposal. ''It's a great day for Doncaster,'' he said. ''We intend to plan it, find the funds, and then build it.''

Since then, little has been heard of the rail line, with a planning study to begin assessing route options in October. It will finalise its work in 2013.

Problems with Melbourne's rail system, however, have subsided in recent months, following a major timetable rewrite by Metro in May, which made it easier to run trains on time.

It also launched a handful of extra trains each day on most lines (the opposition argues many run in the wrong direction) but the problems of crumbling railway infrastructure have not disappeared.

Problems with myki have also not been fully resolved. After six months making up its mind, the Baillieu administration decided in June to keep the smartcard, but at a greater cost than Labor agreed to.

The streamlining means myki will be simpler and more reliable. But it has introduced other problems, including the removal of single-use public transport tickets once Metcard is switched off next December.

But in some areas of transport, the Baillieu government did move quickly.

Just 12 days after winning the election, an energised Premier strode down High Street in Prahran and removed the first of the Brumby government's clearways signs that so enraged inner-city traders. Other signs around inner Melbourne were quickly replaced with the old clearway times.

Similarly, a taxi inquiry established to grapple with the issues besetting Victoria's taxi industry that had been left to fester under Labor won praise.

The government also quickly signed a contract with French train maker Alstom to build seven new trains for Melbourne, adding to 38 ordered by Labor, 29 of which are already here.

The state this month handed its wishlist to Canberra for projects it wants funded, including an 18-kilometre freeway under inner Melbourne, and a metro rail tunnel proposed by the Brumby government.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/slow-slow-quick-quick-slow-its-baillieus-traffic-dance-20111121-1nqyl.html

Big projects back on state agenda, but without the billions

2011-11-17T11:08:00.005+11:00

The Age is reporting that the Baillieu government has a wish list of major transport projects. Top of the list (apparently) are the East West Road and MetroOne underground rail (artist impression of CBD south Station) see DoT site for more info.

What do you think should be the priority?

Here's what The Age had to say:

ROCKETING across China at 300 kilometres an hour by rail, Ted Baillieu recently did some quick mental calculations to see whether a high-speed train for Australia was viable.

Baillieu, who seems adroit when it comes to such thought experiments, concluded that likely patronage and the high construction costs would make it difficult to leverage the necessary private sector investment.

Baillieu stresses that major projects have often suffered from poor planning and project management, resulting in delays and cost blow-outs.

He is adamant his government will not be corralled into blindly rushing ahead with expensive projects just for the sake of having something to announce. So far, it hasn't.

After being stung by criticism in July for failing to submit a list of major projects to Infrastructure Australia, which makes recommendations to the federal government about funding priorities, the state government will today release its major projects wish-list.

The submission, which comes as the government nears its first anniversary, draws on the previous Labor government's (mostly unfunded) $38 billion transport blueprint, which in turn relied heavily on the 2008 options paper delivered by infrastructure adviser Sir Rod Eddington.

In other words, the latest submission has been a long time in the making. Unlike past proposals, there are no glossy maps showing potential routes, no timelines showing when various projects might be completed, and no estimates of potential costs.

The lack of flashiness, according to the government, is deliberate. The idea is to first develop a plan, then find a way of funding it, and then managing the project itself.

''It would be no leadership to set out a timetable you can't keep, it would be mis-leadership and I don't intend to embark on that,'' Baillieu told The Age. ''So it is step-by-step, plan, fund the planning, step-by-step, take the project through.''

There are two key elements to the plan.

First, an 18-kilometre inner urban road connecting the Eastern Freeway and the Western Ring Road, with intermediate links to the Tullamarine Freeway, the Port of Melbourne and Geelong Road. Second, a metro rail tunnel connecting the northern and south-eastern lines, with five new stations along the way.

The problem - which is not unique to Victoria - is finding the cash. As Baillieu notes, which ever way you dress it up, the money has to come from somewhere. The question is, what is the most efficient way of paying?

The options are resorting to debt, running down the budget surplus or selling assets to finance the project.

In the case of the east-west link, financing could be a profound challenge. When Infrastructure Australia last reported on its priorities in July, it delivered a blunt warning that it was ''very unlikely'' to support state government proposals for new freeways unless they were tolled.

Infrastructure Australia national co-ordinator Michael Deegan said state governments needed to realise that ''someone has to pay for major projects'', either by taking on debt, selling assets or using tollways or some other user-pays system.

''The old days of there being a magic pudding in Canberra are no longer,'' Deegan said.

Infrastructure Australia has also been cautious on the merits of the east-west road tunnel itself, saying it should be considered only if there was joint funding from the Victorian government and a focus on container traffic from the Port of Melbourne.

The thinking is that the link would only be viable if it is a tollway with various access points into the city to induce the necessary traffic.

As Labor found out, the politics of this are horrible. As a rough rule of thumb, every $1 billion of investment needs to generate about $100 million a year to get the private sector interested. That means a lot of extra cars in and around the city.

The government's second proposal, for Melbourne Metro, which was also first proposed in Eddington's 2008 study, would be more likely to be viable.

According to Baillieu, the new five-station link would move an extra 25,000 passengers an hour, with 140,000 passengers travelling each morning. Infrastructure Australia, which identified the project as ''ready to proceed'', concluded that every $1 spent on construction would generate an economic return of $1.30.

The ultimate challenge will be delivering in the not-too-distant future as Melbourne's population continues to swell.

Monash student forum keen on rail to uni

2011-08-31T14:14:00.003+10:00

30 Aug: Showing their support for the State Government’s proposed Rowville Rail Link, members of the local community, staff and students of Monash and several colourful cardboard trains filled the Airport Lounge at the Clayton campus in an historic public forum yesterday.

The forum was an opportunity for the wider south eastern community to voice their views on the Rowville Rail Link and hear the positive benefits of the rail line.

Paul Barton, Director of Environmental Sustainability and MC of the event made the first major announcement of the day, explaining that the Rowville Rail Link Facebook page had attracted 3000 ticks of approval by local residents wanting to see the rail line come to fruition.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ed Byrne addressed the audience, stating how important this rail extension would be. He reminded listeners that the proposed line would put residents within 30 minutes of the centre of Melbourne and explained that it would boost productivity, ensuring the region’s prosperity in the years ahead.

The forum concluded with Paul Barton thanking the panel, and encouraging the community to get behind the push for the Rowville Rail Link, declaring “Next stop: Monash University!”

Read full report

Visit the Rowville Rail Study page

Some suggestion from the better station survey

2011-07-29T11:30:00.002+10:00

Some suggestion from the survey (downloaded today)

Not done the survey yet? Hurry it closes on Fri 5 Aug - do the survey now

Aircraft: Sealed car park - currently parking in undefined spaces on gravel/mud
Aircraft: Better bus connections to Point Cook (more frequent and more direct).
Aircraft: Retail outlet on the platform for coffee, snacks
Albion: Some communication when train late/cancelled. Kiosk or drink machine.
Albion: I have never see the toilets open. Dark and dingy subway access strewn with litter.
Alphington: signage that is useful - tell me when my train is coming, not when it should come.
Altona: Station is forgotten about and has less services as of 2011
Altona: More Myki Readers
Altona: A duplicated line so we don't have just 3 trains per hour in peak times. Trains every 10 minutes.
Anstey: electronic display signs
Anstey: Electronic customer board blocking exit on Platform 2; more seats
Anstey: bins are in place but wrong location. Not near exit but at each end of platform and council wont install bins in surrounding area
Ardeer: The platform is in a poor state and large puddles form during rain
Ardeer: The line, despite running through a metropolitan zone, is still not electrified. It is well overdue for an upgrade to an electrified line to properly service the local residents.
Armadale: indoor waiting areas
Armadale: A functioning EFTPOS card reader on the ticket machine
Auburn: Express trains stopping at the station, electronic timetable screens, how long til next train.
Balaclava: width of platform
Balaclava: Wider platforms before somebody falls off (in)!
Balaclava: wider platform before somebody falls off!
Balaclava: TV Screens with Train Timetabling Details; Ramp access is too steep for wheelchair and pram users; Cafe / areas for commercial activity; Rooms that are heated in winter; baby changing facilities
Balaclava: toilets not always open. trains 24 hours.
Balaclava: Restore access ramps or steps from the south in addition to current north. Carlisle St access
Balaclava: more ticket machines. You can miss the train waiting. Also there is very poor lighting along the path to and from the station and I don’t feel safe.
Balaclava: More lighting and more bins.
Balaclava: Lighting
Balaclava: General clean up & modernisation; cafe & newspaper stand
Balaclava: clearer signage to the station, from the footpaths & remaining suitable access ramps
Balaclava: Better local amenity
Balaclava: Better area around the station
Balaclava: a complete revamp to make it more modern and welcoming
Balaclava : It would also be nice if I could get a train at 6 am Sunday to go to work
Batman: more trains every 20 min in peak hour is ridiculous
Batman: More plants and garden around the station and why not include some community art as well, so a station is an interesting and dynamic place to be and enjoy
Baxter: More services
Bayswater: open at all times when trains are running
Bayswater: moving on of unsocialable persons
Bayswater: better access to the platform, no choke points
Beaconsfield: no shelters, platform seats, toilets are locked, cctv and passenger information would be welcome
Belgrave: it always looks grimy
Belgrave : Clean up all the big piles of rubbish next to the bus stops
Belgrave Station: Better connecting bus services, so I don't have to drive!!!
Bell: the staff seem reluctant to serve customers. I often wait at the window for several minutes before a staff member emerges from behind the two-way mirror - they clearly know you are waiting but don’t bother to get up straight away!
Bell: Planting up the bare dirt areas with native plants. Tree pruning took place here 2 months or so ago and the work that was done was shameful. The trees have been left with stumps from the trunk. Do us all a favour; get a qualified pruner next time.
Bell: Plant up the barren areas with native plants and keep maintained. Pruning took place on some of the trees a few months back, the pruning was obviously not carried out by qualified trad
Bell: Food/beverage/newspaper shop or stand
Bell: Better maintained gardens, remove litter, coffee stand
Bell Station: Wider exit/entrance where the Myki machines are on the Epping bound side
Bentleigh: This station has killed a couple of people we knew one of them an underpass or preferably a bridge for a the train or cars.
Bentleigh: This is a 'premium’ station and while all above are attended to it looks and feels shabby like most stations. Having a reliable and frequent services is more important to me. Since the 2010 timetable changes, loss of express trains to CBD fewer passengers
Bentleigh: The staff are horrid get rid of them. the station is always looking like it needs a good clean, keep on the graffiti and get rid of it, also the station has no style at all. bring back the federation style, it needs a similar treatment to Highett
Bentleigh: Staff are lazy, and don't upkeep the safety, Need an underpass at Bentleigh. too many deaths due to collisions, and too many missed trains.
Bentleigh: Express trains during peak times
Bentleigh: cleaner toilet areas, less graffiti, electronic signs for train timetable
Bentleigh: A Myki top up machine
Berwick: There is no footpath on city bound side to Clyde Road so very dangerous walking on road with aggressive motorists. Guttering on Platform 1 has been leaking for ages
Berwick: No Smoking signs placed under the shelter. People continually smoke under the shelters and on the walk ramp going in and out of the station so one cops face full of smoke.
Berwick: No coordination between bus and train. Train frequency for Pakenham line poor
Berwick: could do a lot better
Berwick: cleaner toilets, more professional staff, underpass for the train tracks as too much traffic builds up, more security checks on parking defenders ( people park everywhere even though it’s not permitted,
Berwick: additional heated waited room like Cranbourne got
Beulah: trains
Blackburn: The underpass is a trip hazard in a couple of spots
Blackburn: Stop the flooding in the access tunnel
Blackburn: More toilets for the disabled
Blackburn: make entire platform a smoke free zone
Blackburn: Improvement of underpass - always wet and yukky - maybe make a new overpass
Blackburn: Better flood drainage, so that the subway doesn't flood during heavy rains
Blackburn : Underpass is very dark and dirty, frequently smells of urine. Car parking limited and bus interchange needs to improve
Bonbeach: More shelter that is not the actual waiting room on the going to Frankston side. If there are rowdy people in there, one is very exposed to the cold and wind and possibly rain.
Bonbeach: graffiti is a daily occurrence
Boronia: CONTINUOUS VERANDAH ROOFING TO REPLACE THE EXISTING GAPS BETWEEN SECTIONS
Boronia : Better and new lifts
Box Hill: Reconfigured platform layout, improved lighting, simpler connectivity with buses and trams, emergency exits, staff on platforms not in coffee shops
Box Hill: no smoking policy enforced
Box Hill: I don't feel safe there
Box Hill: Enforce "no smoking", STRICT enforcement NO LITTERING
Box Hill: Easier "uncluttered" access to station entrance through the shopping centre, from bus depot with totally inadequate escalators.
Box Hill: Box Hill station needs redevelopment. More working escalators easier access between the platforms
Box Hill: Better flow of crowds during peak times, its currently very poorly managed.
Box Hill: Actually having a station in Doncaster!
Box Hill: 4 platforms in 2 island arrangement. toilets on platform, emergency exits
Brighton Beach: Whilst there are some bike racks, there are not enough on the side of the Were Street pathway access. Car parking is an increasing issue, with the surrounding streets and residents having to battle cars standing all day in front and around homes .
Brighton Beach: There are toilets at the station, but leave a bit to be desired
Brighton Beach: Bus stops closer to station!!
Broadmeadows: The train station smells like urine and is always dirty and has graffiti everywhere - it is a disgrace
Broadmeadows: enclosed waiting area
Brunswick: more frequent trains that go both ways through the loop at peak times
Brunswick: Electronic signs
Brunswick: commercial activity eg. cafe
Brunswick: Better to encourage enthusiasm and positivity rather than these sort of whines and wish lists!!
Bulleen-Doncaster: We don't have a train station in our area. This makes travelling increasingly difficult for family/friends to visit and for us to travel to work. We need a train station in our area. The government has been planning this since the 1960's. IT'S TIME!!!
Burnley: Train stations shouldn't look dodgy, how about making it look visually appealing. The subway at the station looks so creepy and the pavement is uneven. I've seen many people fall cause of it.
Burnley: The whole station looks like a dump and feels very unsafe at night.
Burnley: cleaning / painting of the pedestrian access tunnel
Burwood: Trains that run on time including at weekends
Burwood: Making the platforms flatter: people trip up.
Burwood: I would like the toilets to be open and to be able to buy V/Line tickets from staff. Security guards are a total waste of money as there are no safety problems at Burwood.
Burwood: Flattening out the platforms
Camberwell: Myki machine not in convenient location
Camberwell: Multi level car parks
Camberwell: better connect with trams and buses
Canterbury: The approaches to the station are substandard
Canterbury: Secured bike racks like those at Surry Hills Station
Canterbury: maintenance (panels near seats) and cleaning (seats and tracks)
Canterbury: lighting would help security of passengers
Canterbury: Approaches & environment under railway need renovating
Carnegie: screen with train arrival information rather than just the press button which cannot be heard
Carrum: when at the end of the platform we cannot hear the announcements
Caulfield: accurate announcements of arriving trains
Chelsea: Vegetation in pots on platforms
Chelsea: The speakers are difficult if not impossible to hear. Commuters are highly exposed to weather conditions. There is inadequate protection from traffic on the Nepean Hwy side. The station has become a point of congregation for drinkers and other unsociable
Chelsea: Hardly any of platform 2 is undercover, which is horrible in the cold weather. it puts me off catching the train from there, if at all
Chelsea Train Station: Better train info such as electronic updates. Current speaker is very insufficient.
Cheltenham: Larger, clearer ETA SIGNS viewable from street
Cheltenham: Clearer ETA signs visible from Charman Rd
Cheltenham: Clean up graffiti, Platform 2's building is disgusting and dirty and needs to be cleaned up
Clifton Hill: Toilets and staff on BOTH platforms
Clifton Hill: Proper turnstiles to enter platforms
Clifton Hill: more touch off scans for Myki
Clifton Hill: More staff presence
Clifton Hill: Frequent and on time trains
Clifton Hill: A Parkiteer bike shed would be very welcome, as would bike parking on both sides of the station.
Coburg: Myki recharge on both sides of the track
Coburg: Myki purchase/top up machine on the city bound/sheltered/staffed side.
Coburg: More entry/exits to both platforms. Myki machine on southbound platform
Coburg: Lighting and better access to the Upfield side of the station. That bluestone cobbled lane is not well lit at all and is very slippery when wet. An accident waiting to happen!!
Coburg: Clean level surface on the exit car park city side of station. Adequate lighting across car park as well.
Coburg: An overhead footpath bridge from the car park to the platform that goes to the city
Coburg: Access/ egress from south end of platforms
Coburg: a user friendly walk over from west platform to east platform
Coburg: A Myki top up station on the city-bound platform
Coburg : A Myki machine on both sides of platform - currently only on "to Upfield" platform
Collingwood: The ticket machines that are reliable, fast, and with easy to see screens. I have had to pay hundreds of dollars before because of a fine due to ineffective machines.
Collingwood: Better or new sound speakers for announcements
Collingwood: Better access and amenity around station - stairs, paving
Coolaroo: Ramps like Roxburgh Park has. I hate stairs/elevators.
Craigieburn: it just needs more shelter for when it rains..... bad design to where to stay dry..
Craigieburn: Get rid of the graffiti. More transit police to deal with anti-social behaviour.
Craigieburn: a public phone
Cranbourne: Rain proof shelters
Cranbourne: more lights around the parking area, please!!!!!
Croxton: seating
Croydon: Stop smoking completely. because lots of smokers smoke under covered areas anyway.
Croydon: New shelters to replace the very old and dirty corrugated iron ones
Croydon: Modernisation and people not smoking on the platform
Croydon: Helpful staff that will make eye contact, communicate pleasantly with assistance and not go out of the way to deliberately ignore/avoid customers standing at ticket office. Staff that don’t use the point/grunt method when asked what time is next train.
Dandenong: there aren't enough toilet facilities and they are filthy. The whole station needs a good gurney and scrub. bike lockers needed.
Dandenong: Staff to move around the station, rather than hiding in the ticket booth. And more frequent bus services to/from the station.
Dandenong: needs to be redesigned - stairs are so steep they are dangerous to use
Dandenong: more policing to cut down drug exchanges, fights, knives
Dandenong: Dandenong station is violent and has a constant undercurrent of danger. It is NOT a safe place to be and I dread going there.
Dandenong Victoria: IT WANTS PULLING DOWN AND REBUILDING, ITS DISGUSTING.
Darebin: Electronic sign providing real time information on next train
Darling: Lockable bike cage and more lockers
Deer Park: More access points, more services
Dennis: more frequent train services
Dennis Station: In summer the Airconditioning unit seems to always be on even though the station is unmanned. It is a waste of energy.
Diamond Creek: toilets open - better info
Don't Have One: WE NEED A TRAIN FOR NORTH BALWYN, DONCASTER AND BULLEEN
Don't Have One: To have one
Eaglemont: fix ticket machine (vandalised)
East Camberwell: better lighting for the station approaches, one of which is through a dimly lit park.
East Malvern: More trains - peak hours, off-peak, evening, and run trains later.
East Richmond: Trains should stop there occasionally.
East Richmond: More trains stopping there - the current timetable is APPALLING
East Richmond: Having trains stop there !
Echuca: better local transit buses servicing the station
Elsternwick: Station needs more security and more comfortable seating on the platform other than plain stainless steel benches
Elsternwick: Keep the train tracks clear of rubbish
Elsternwick: display OF NEXT TRAIN TIMES OUTSIDE AT TRAM STOP
Eltham: MORE TRAINS
Eltham: More seating along the platform, not only in the waiting room
Eltham: At times staff can be slow to attend to customers.
Eltham: art on the walls rather than graffiti. a morning hose to get rid of the urine smell in the tunnel
Elwood: Clean up of graffiti on platforms
Epping: Better passenger information- electronic signage plus clear announcements as to which platform has a train due to depart
Essendon: Toilets need upgrading, difficult to wash hands with taps that don't stay on. Need times of upcoming trains on display at bottom of ramp so passengers know how long they have till next train b4 they reach top of ramp. o need to
Essendon: Stopping people smoking under cover and in the underpass!
Essendon: More seating
Essendon: Indoor area facing station desk with heating and weather protection.
Essendon: Don't sell drinks at the ticket window!! I have missed trains because there's a queue of kids buying drinks, and I wanted a ticket that wasn't available from the machine - it is very frustrating!!!
Essendon: Correct passenger information- electronic signs are frequently wrong
Fairfield: Our station staff - who are there in the morning, are fantastic. More like them! They assist passengers and make the station feel like part of a community. They should be there all day!
Fairfield: More MYKI touch pads to reduce congestion at station platform exits.
Fairfield: more Myki touch pads on platform so there's not a huge jam as a whole trainload of people try to touch off on 2 pads at the 1 point
Fairfield: Better ticketing system
Ferntree Gully: better lighting
Flagstaff: OPEN WEEKENDS
Flagstaff: Open at weekends!
Flagstaff : It needs to be open on weekends!! Lots of residential nearby
Flemington Bridge: Access from Racecourse Road
Flinders St: Would be convenient to be able to see what platform your train goes from but no signage exists after going through the barriers - very helpful! This station is filthy and in serious disrepair- it leaks like a bucket with holes during rain.
Flinders St: There should be a board at Flinders St at all entrances that shows when the next train to Richmond/South Yarra etc, is (like the boards they have at Richmond Station and Parliament & Melb Central)
Flinders St: more places to sit
Flinders Street: The overall station needs a face lift, the state it is in is disgusting
Flinders Street: Requires a train shed over all platforms to protect travellers. Threatening behaviour by drunks and druggies should be policed. Beautification program needed North Carlton station on Doncaster line. Or divert Epping and Hurstbridge P
Flinders Street: Departure platforms for a particular line often follow little logic No maps to major destinations. Very low standard of information for visitors to Melbourne
Flinders Street: Definitely need more seating on all stations. Ludicrous how little seating is provided for tired and weary passengers. I've previously written to the railways complaining of this problem, but with no joy.
Footscray: train info at entrance to station that can be easily read from ground level
Footscray: There is a big gap between the middle platforms and the trains
Footscray: The new station pedestrian overpass roof allows rain through. It is absolutely absurd that up to 50% of the roof panels are perforated. The steps down to the platforms are the barest minimum and dangerous. Compare the quality of N. Melb station with Fcray
Footscray: The design of the station should complement the area, the parts of current design of the station is at odds with the suburb that it’s in.
Footscray: replace the new steep slippery wet steps with wheel the old wheel and rain friendly ramps (u might find the old ramps at the local tip)
Footscray: Need accurate real time announcements, not misleading announcements
Footscray: lots more seating under cover as well as in the open
Footscray: Footbridge has no escalators causing ugly competition for available lifts
Footscray: escalators, large format electronic details of when trains are due & which platform etc
Footscray: Escalators - stairs to steep for elderly and disabled
Footscray: escalators
Footscray: Design of station should be to standard and functional which it isn't for its use.
Footscray: bus interchange at station, paint job in waiting room, heated waiting room, wider gates for faster customer throughput, remove junk food from forecourt outlets
Footscray: better access to platforms the stairs are too dangerous, more Myki machines at other locations as it's hard to swipe on and off
Footscray: Better access between platforms - stairs are poorly pitched (possibly outside design standards) dangerous. toilets dodgy. Forget security guards with guns - what about a customer service presence on the platform, or selling good coffee & snacks
Footscray: A footbridge that is 'fit for purpose', instead of the terrible structure we've been saddled with.
Footscray: A bridge that works and shelter
Footscray: A bridge that works
Footscray: 1. Put Myki readers near the entry/exit gates on platforms 2 (otherwise you have to exit via the inside of the station building). 2. Customer service staff should do something about smoking in covered areas. 3. Announcements make no sense.
Footscray : Secure bicycle parking, lockers or cages.
Frankston: Police frisking random people for drugs
Frankston: more seats
Frankston: last year's upgrade produced very badly (steep and too narrow) stairs leading to the station when coming from the car park, too many reserved and unused staff carapaces, no free customer spaces left when arriving after 6.50am
Frankston: Enforce No Smoking under covered areas!
Frankston: Better design - more welcoming, better way finding & train time signage, accurate train information
Frankston North: I do not even know where to start to be honest!. But swearing, drinking and shouting, etc.. are Rife in and around the station area
Gardenvale: better lighting, more seating, timetable information and better integration of bus and rail.
Glen Huntley: easier, less congested access to/from station
Glen Huntly: A tunnel or bridge for passengers to cross the rail, so they won’t get blocked by trains.
Glen Iris: Grading of ramp and surface of platform more even, and smooth.
Glen Iris: Better information about available bus and tram connections. Less incline on the underpass.
Glen Waverley: restricted platform access/exit, bus area is poorly designed
Glenferrie: More Myki validators - There are not enough validators, and there gets to be a banking up of passengers at peak periods.
Glenferrie Station: More trains, particularly at peak hour- it is a station surrounded by schools.
Glenhuntly: The exit tunnel is very crowded in the evening rush hour
Glenhuntly: Re-surfacing and widening of the approach ramp
Glenhuntly: Due to the number of users, more shelter (we don't fit), underpass access to the station (both sides) and more Myki facilities to log off their ticket as they block everyone exiting and it will soon be all of us.
Glenhuntly: Better access. Boom gates prevent access, as does a narrow & uneven ramp. Also access from the southern end of the platform would be a huge help.
Glenroy: Security at night, better lighting, more attractive appearance, more activity near the station to feel safer
Glenroy: Real time passenger information
Glenroy: Heating in Glenroy station
Greensborough: There is plenty of parking, but it is restricted time, so needs to be unlimited
Greensborough: Local minibus services. Local area is very hilly. This would reduce need for car parking, reduce traffic in congested roads, and improve access to public transport for older residents.
Greensborough: In its current location, another overpass to the car park. However the station should actually be relocated to underneath the shopping centre. Would cut time of an old circuitous route and revamp the community.
Greensborough: Another overpass to the car park
Hallam: Wider entrances and exits to and from the platforms. Access to the platforms from both ends, not just one end.
Hallam: The platform is too narrow that during peak hour, if I am trying to move further down the platform (weaving in and out) I feel that one small push I will fall onto the tracks. The shelter also has some shortcomings with poor lighting & very small shelters
Hallam: Need better traffic control measures across Hallam Road
Hallam: More than 1 Validating Machine for City Bound Travellers
Hallam: It seems 3/4 of passengers in my carriage get off at Hallam. Only narrow exit to get through. Only one way to get to station by road which has heavy traffic no matter what time of day. An road overpass would help traffic flow.
Hallam Station: A lot more parking. I get to the station at 7: 40am and there is no parking whatsoever left, people have resorted to parking on the walkways
Hartwell: more trains, especially during p.m. peak. Why can't the 3 carriage shuttle run at this time so that there is a 10 minute service from Camberwell to Alamein.
Hawksburn: more shelter on platform 1 specifically
Hawthorn: Staff; shelter at the end of the platform where I wait with my bike
Heatherdale: the car park is across the road not by the station itself, it is not lit at night or monitored and is scary in the dark
Heatherdale: operational ticket machines
Heathmont: Someone manning the station to buy tickets from.
Heathmont: More peak hour trains (services) stopping at Camberwell
Heidelberg: the facilities are fine, the staff are rude and unhelpful
Heidelberg: stopping teenagers from urinating in the access tunnels
Heidelberg: Some wicking garden beds along the platforms
Heidelberg: Move Myki readers out of people's way
Heidelberg: Currently there is a time readout for the next train and smart bus at the smart bus terminal, but there would be an advantage to have the bus departure times at the station itself, say on the exit ramp from the station.
Heidelberg: Better bus co-ordination, staff who actually come out of the office like they used to, more Myki readers, when everyone has to touch off it will be a nightmare, time to train displays at bottom of ramp, two tracks to Rosanna, more notice about cancelled
Heidelberg: lights run all night long cost150/200 a night to run
Highett: This station once won the best station garden, but with no staff it is now a desolate wasteland
Highett: More trains and buses
Highett: Electronic display - next train details, updates, etc
Holmesglen: Need a digital display which shows when the next train is due like most other stations
Holmesglen: Make it pretty
Hoppers Crossing: You can miss a train if Vline or freight trains are coming past (sometimes they take 5 - 10 minutes) and the boom gates stay down. An entrance to the station that is an underpass or overpass would make it better.
Hoppers Crossing: More benches and proper lighting
Hoppers Crossing: Definitely more parking!
Hoppers Crossing: Better access to timetables or LED timetables as well as functional clocks
Hoppers Crossing & Aircraft: Electronic Screens giving out information
Hughesdale: Less trains expressing past
Huntingdale: toilets open in afternoon
Huntingdale: Pedestrian subway should be cleaned every morning not just once or twice a week.
Huntingdale: More Seats
Huntingdale: Minimise entrance tunnel flooding
Huntingdale: Easier and safer access to the station
Huntingdale: Closer bus terminal
Hurstbridge: Ticket machines that work 100% of the time
Hurstbridge: more trees
Hurstbridge: more frequent trains
Its The Trains Not The Stations!! Trains Are Filthy Had Bugs And Very Unhygenic!: Stricter penalties for those who spit on trains and rubbish train seats. Some are so bad it smells of urine!
Ivanhoe: More space - very cramped particularly when it rains or is cold and everyone wants to be inside. Also platform surface incomplete
Ivanhoe: Lights in the car park often go out and take a while to be replaced- needs better maintenance
Ivanhoe: Carpark and surrounds need delittering. The squash courts on railway land are an eyesore. Get rid of them
Ivanhoe: Car spots are starting to fill up quickly and have often resulted in illegal parking. I've contacted Metro and my local council yet no action has been taken. It's very frustrating
Jewell: This station is so bad I think it is a candidate for replacement with something aligned with modern standards.
Jewell: Screen based up to date information on services (e.g. delays), waiting room opened, more seats, beautification (e.g flower beds).
Jewell: Nothing really, it's great.
Jewell: More room to exit on the Upfield-bound side of the station. They have blocked it off with a fence and in the evenings, people have to queue up to get out. Not enough Myki validators - it's going to be an absolute bunfight when everyone is using Myki.
Jewell: i'd like to see station beautification, in the form of plants. what about green roofs for our stations?
Jewell: CLEANING ++++ within and around, MAJOR UPGRADE!!!
Jewell: Car park is shared with a shared walkway/bike path, would be good to have some line markings or something to designate a 'footpath', keep pedestrians safe and out of the way of cars & bikes.
Jewell: Better access from the surrounding streets - better lighting
Jordanville: The kiosk closed years ago. I wonder whether some entrepreneur could make some money opening it in the morning peak while providing a service to commuters?
Kananook: better access- ramps too steep
Keilor Plains: Wifi connection for commuters to access data while waiting.
Keilor Plains: better access to each side of platforms. more ticket machines.
Kensington: PIDS, Clocks, Enclosed waiting rooms, staff presence between first and last, extended canopy coverage, DDA compliance, public toilets, extended PA coverage, repainting of the brick work
Kensington: Better Lighting and better guttering on roof.
Keon Park: A more pleasant environment
Kooyong: You should add improved pedestrian access as an option.
Kooyong: bicycle cage that you could lock
Laburnum: The station embankment at laburnum needs relandscaping & planting. Trackside up to Middleb. Rd was never landscaped after track reconstruction. The amount of rubbish surrounding the station in revolting.
Laburnum: SOME shelter, there is no place to shelter from the cold winter winds and rain like the old station had, also stop the express trains that were introduced with the new time table, se4rvice is poor now
Laburnum: new timetable is a disgrace and has seriously reduced number of trains stopping at station
Laburnum: More train services in the morning peak.
Laburnum: more express trains. old timetable was better.
Laburnum: Metro's new timetable has cancelled 11 peak hour stops at Laburnum which is monstrously inconvenient for workers and Box Hill High School students
Laburnum: Get rid of the new timetable so that more trains stop at the station
Laverton: Working paths to bus stop
Laverton: The new pedestrian overpass on Railway Ave side, funnels pedestrians into the car parking area causing conflicts between cars and pedestrians.
Laverton: If you are in a wheelchair and the lifts are not working there is no way to get from one platform to another.
Laverton: Escalator
Laverton: Cafe
Lilydale: shelters open to the wind,govt needs to replace rail structure old and weary
Macleod: station master whilst station open, bike lock up shed
Macleod: More outdoor shelter
Macleod: Improved toilet facilities, particularly the male ones, and better lighting on the nearby footpaths and bus stop
Malvern: More seats and more bins
Malvern: more express trains stopping from City in peak time, and not just Frankston trains Stopping all stations from city peak times
McKinnon: Staff
McKinnon: needs to be modernised as it looks very tired and dirty (paint, new and more seating etc)
McKinnon: More than one Myki reader
Melbourne Central: More seating
Melton: Sea car park and add much increased security
Melton : more frequent trains to the city
Mentone: More electronic display information sets would be useful particularly at the bus interchange at Mentone showing train and bus times.
Mentone: Disability access between buses and station is convoluted
Mentone: Better cleaning of Subway and improve med lighting during daytime
Mentone: Better aesthetically - the Friends of Mentone Railway station do a FANTASTIC job of the gardens outside the train station, but the actual station itself is rather ordinary
Merinda Park: bike locker not racks
Merinda Park Station: DOUBLE TRACKS & MORE TRAINS SERVICES
Merlynston: plants, trees, general appearance of car park. car park is muddy in winter, dusty in summer
Merlynston: Pave the car park- it's a mud bowl
Merlynston: More Trains!
Merlynston: Integration with bus stops. Currently Bus 534 route bus stops on Merlyn & Lorensen st.s, disrupts local traffic, integrates poorly with Upfield train. These could be moved to an upgraded car park adjacent train line between Orvieto & Shorts roads.
Merri: More vegetation and landscaping.
Merri: Create a community hub around the station which has great underused park next to it. It is a walk to station that could be a centre of local community life which would make travelling by train a lot safer and more appealing. i.e. would attract people and pa
Middle Brighton: tidying and cleaning bushes around station
Middle Brighton: Some years ago many thousands of dollars were spent building new toilets. Since completion they have had a locked steel bar gate in front of them & can't be used. Why?
Middle Brighton: Notifications/signage when trains aren't running.
Middle Footscray: Better information about when trains are due/arriving. Ticket machines which accept notes and cards would be good.
Mitcham: renovate buildings (slippery floors are dangerous), better designed car park/bus terminus, remove level crossing
Mitcham: pedestrian bridge or subway
Mitcham: Better train info (electronic displays)
Mitcham: a snack bar/ coffee bar
Mont Albert: more regular services stopping at the station
Montmorency: Recycling facilities including "compost" bins, more than one train track.
Montmorency: electronic signage. Pa system that works reliably- it often breaks down and we get no info if train delays are occurring from neighbouring stations
Moonee Ponds: look nicer
Moonee Ponds: Electronic screens for the next trains instead of that lovely green button.
Moorabbin: Train details on LED signs
Moorabbin: Drop a bomb on the place and start again
Mooroolbark: Improving the existing graffiti-covered, dirty corrugated iron shelters. They're AWFUL !
Mooroolbark: bigger entrance and exit
Mordialloc: Bike Shed thing like Cheltenham has
Mordialloc: A big bike cage like Cheltenham has
Moreland: More Myki swipe terminals and more exits
Moreland: Bike racks with cover from the rain
Moreland: Better lighting and replacement for demolished pedestrian bridge
Mount Waverley: Make it a hub for police station and convenience stores
Murrumbeena: Undergrowth cleaned away from station precinct, it is dark and forbidding. As an older commuter who uses the trains at night, walking to my cat is the worst part of the trip. Scrub overhanging, bushes near toilets etc. Very unsafe.
Murrumbeena: Screens to inform about train times
Murrumbeena: Railway line separation from Murrumbeena Road
Murrumbeena: Myki readers (And not all at the entrance where they block your access)
Murrumbeena: Better, safer stairs across the tracks. Better level crossing.
My RAILWAY Station Is Gardenvale: A clock; a departure indicator; monitoring the security cameras to catch graffiti "artists".
Narre Warren: electronic sign board, proper shelter for passengers
Narre Warren: clean floor tiles
Narre Warren Railway Station: MAJOR PROBLEM IS LACK OF CAR PARKING. Literally have to park 1km away and walk, trying to cross major roads, because all the car parks are taken. Check out Centre Rd to see where all the parking overflow is- that road is now completely full also.
Narre Warren Station: more lighting, seats indoors
Newmarket: Better lighting of areas around the station
Newmarket: Better customer information including PIDs
Newport: Improved displays on next few trains to depart
No Station: connection with feeder buses
North Melbourne: Ramps to platforms in case lifts break down
North Richmond: More inspectors and station staff to deter drug dealers
North Richmond: clean up the syringes and drug users
North Richmond: Access is poor, feels isolated and unsafe at night
North Shore Station: Rubbish bins
North Williamstown: Landscaping of station surrounds
Northcote: pot plants, shrubs, flowers
Northcote: planting and landscaping to front
Nunawading: Nunawading is new so should be 'state of the art'. However deficiencies include eg. a reliance on escalators & lifts rather than ramps. Also it was built without thought to a 3rd rail meaning it will have to be rebuilt if a 3rd rail happens.
Nunawading: Nothing, great example of how all stations should look and feel.
Nunawading: Nothing
Nunawading: Escalators and larger no smoking signs
Nunawading: adjacent car park is only 4hr and staff car park is 6 spaces
Nunawading, Mitcham, & Box Hill: More Press Button Info and Signage availability
Oak Park: Better Lighting, more ticket validators/machines, better announcements
Oakleigh: Another Myki recharging station.
Ormond: the stations should be staffed from the time the trains start running, most of the time when I am leaving for work the station attendants haven’t even arrived and they toilets and everything are still locked up.
Ormond: Shop/newsagency/coffee stall
Ormond: Safe access to North road bus to Elwood
Parkdale: walking underpass
Parkdale: Rubbish bins are often overflowing (opp Pizza Hut). Area needs landscaping particularly on the "down" side near the boom gates/bus shelter. So much is spent on Mentone station however Parkdale is the poor cousin.
Parliament: Clearer viewing of screens with train info (currently behind poles) at Lonsdale St entrance. And get rid of the magpie that always swoops people at this entrance (Lonsdale/spring)!
Pascoe Vale: Feeder bus service so people don't need to drive and park - this station has NO connecting bus service.
Pascoe Vale: a pedestrian ramp over the rail line
Preston: buses more often to match trains departures and arrivals in particular after 5 pm
Preston: bridge from main station side to other platform, so don't have to go all the way round - from middle to end back to the middle. would feel safer at nights and be quicker and easier when need to buy ticket
Regent: underpass access to station, the gates close and you can often wait up to 5 min to get across while train travels the other direction, meaning you miss your train. and better lighting in surrounding areas.
Regent: Multiple Entrances Exits, moving of ticketing equipment away from entrances/exits to enable better dispersion of passengers leaving the station
Reservoir: Staff at Reservoir are rude- especially Carmine who wouldn't sell a ticket to save his life! Parking is a major issue The station has become unsafe with many motorists parking illegally... and Metro or the Police won't help by fining motorists.
Reservoir: parking signs are simply not enforced by staff creating an unsafe area to drive and park cars in. Staff are rude and unhelpful
Reservoir: Parking restrictions enforced. the car park is dangerous and unsafe to park in and walk through
Reservoir: Myki top up machine on both platforms
Reservoir: A pedestrian underpass is needed
Reservoir: A pedestrian under/overpass, or another pedestrian crossing at the south end of the station.
Reservoir - This Filthy, Grafitied Stalinesque Manky Box Of Concrete And Smashed Glass Is An Affront To The Soul. Demolish And Redesign It. : Delightful aesthetics, as at Mentone Station, designed for enjoyable all-weather comfort, putting local walkers at the heart of a carless living system which protects them from sun, wind, driving rain.
Richmond: WORKING TOLL GATES & BETTER ARRIVAL INFORMATION
Richmond: The whole station needs an upgrade and the cafe area is horrible - unattractive, smelly, food scraps and packages left everywhere. Needs a Myki machine at the front end of the station!
Richmond: The entrances are stark and horrible. However, Richmond Station is a major interchange but and its design requires a major upgrade, including bigger displays/signage of trains/timetables.
Richmond: north exit turnstiles often closed & lot of commuters enter/exit here Need 1 turnstile open all times station open More & comprehendible loud speaker announcements
Richmond: It's a major station, but it's a bit crappy. Lots of leaking.
Richmond: It functions well, it's just SO unappealing! Surroundings more than the actual platform. Also I would REALLY like to see a pedestrian underpass from Swan St through to Stewart St on the eastern side of Punt Rd.
Richmond: Given it is a major interchange, a major upgrade to enclose it is in order!
Richmond: An upgrade worthy of the volume of traffic that goes through there every day. How can Southern Cross be state of the Art, yet the South East gets neglected?
Richmond North: Gut it and start again
Ringwood: Stop druggies from hanging around and pushing passengers and yelling. It's not safe.
Ringwood: Ringwood train station is dirty, the over pass is unstable, and a temporary barrier blocks gaps between the footpath and fencing. Not safe. Almost daily intoxicated people block the exit, pushing past you yelling. Young teenagers hang around the station.
Ringwood: Pull it down, start again. Overheads walkways terrible.
Ringwood: needs a lift, ramp too long, I am 88
Ringwood: More timetables on display so you know which platform to go to.
Ringwood: More room at entrances. The entrances are too narrow and confined.
Ringwood: Less gangs and druggies at night!
Ringwood: it’s terrible, poor connections to Eastland. lack of car parking space, looks uninviting and unsafe
Ringwood: get rid of the loitering. open up frontage more it is such a bottle neck.
Ringwood: get rid of the gangs, my son and 3 friends were attacked by a gang of up to 12 youths in an unprovoked cowardly assault that left all 4 with black eyes and 1 a fractured cheekbone
Ringwood: Get rid of teenage druggies & drunk teens that sit there all the time with no life.
Ringwood: easier access for the elderly
Ringwood: Disability Access -No steep ramps
Ringwood: A complete rebuild with better access to platforms via crossovers
Ringwood East: some planting in large tubs on the station
Ringwood East: PID (Information on how many minutes to next train)
Ringwood East: more trains at peak hour
Ringwood East: Improved advice regarding when trains are due to arrive/depart
Ringwood East: Better access, secure over passes & security patrimony the area, because weirdos and intoxicated people are always hanging out around the exit/entry, as a female in her 30's pregnant I don't feel safe and I've been bumped and pushed when exiting the toll.
Ripponlea: Ticket conductors on site
Riversdale: Bridge to connect the platforms, or a safe crossing place near the platforms
Rosanna: Some flowers or a community mural wouldn't hurt!
Rosanna: Should make them community hubs by building shop accommodation and smart car parks with integrated bus terminus so you can stay undercover while interchanging. The crossing on Lower Plenty Rd. Needs submerging. Development lacks vision & commitment.
Rosanna: Get rid of the street level crossing
Rosanna : More seats are needed at city stations
Royal Park: maintenance of the ticketing systems. MYKI machine NEVER works
Royal Park: 1. Timetables TO and FROM this station to the city/Upfield should be on pasted up on BOTH sides of all stations, not just the timetables going one way. Sometimes you want to look at trains to go home on. No room for more comments.
Royal Park : Poor lighting in surrounding areas and paths back to main streets
Rushall: Needs better lighting in the bike path that leads to the station as at night it feels unsafe
Rushall: More lighting to make it feel safer at night. Especially more lighting at the underpass. More seating would also be good.
Rushall: a public phone box
Rushall: A feeling of isolation once it becomes dark and hence a sense of being vulnerable, if you are a woman and/or an old person.
Sandown Park: Visual timetables, both on approach to station and on the platform
Sandringham: Stop skateboarders, illegal drop-off/pick-up drivers and graffiti
Sandringham: enforcement of no smoking under covered areas, including out the front of the station where passengers wait to be picked up
Sandringham: Better access from car park to platform
Seaford Station: more seating, there is barely any
Seddon: Creating a sense of community ownership with creative initiatives like displaying artwork or growing vegies on or near the station
Seddon: 1-2 Small kiosks for community groups to provide local information
South Geelong: Better rail service one train every hour is pathetic
South Kensington: There's also a great area for a kiosk!
South Kensington: not enough train go pass this station
South Kensington: kiosk, better protection on the platforms from trains passing either side
South Kensington: a general renovation to bring to 21stC standard
South Yarra: No smoking anywhere
South Yarra: more turnstiles, there is SERIOUS congestion during peak hour
South Yarra: Better trained staff who can give accurate information and more accurate real time screen announcements.
South Yarra: Better Access. The Turnstiles area is chaotic and dangerous at times, particularly in the morning when the Melbourne Grammar students are exiting the station in droves.
Southern Cross: When entering the station from the bus depot/Docklands Stadium end, there's no way to see immediately when the next train to Flinders St, Richmond, City loop is - you have to check every screen. There should be a board like they have at Richmond Station.
Southern Cross: We need accurate real time announcements. I had been mislead by the screen announcements and staff for too many times
Southern Cross: staff who know something about the stations environmental credentials eg what is done about harvesting rain water
Southern Cross: larger train & bus signage for platform/departure locations & changes
Southern Cross: Desperately need clear audible overhead announcements in English. V line trains drown out voice over & staff accents are so strong it’s impossible to understand. Tourists/commuters miss trains due to this stupid problem.
Southern Cross: An undercover walkway from Etihad stadium
Springvale: More sanitary and less-cramped toilets.
Springvale: If the rail crossing was separated, allowing more space for pedestrians to move, and closer bus stops (just like the new Nunawading Station)
St Albans: This is a HORRIBLE station with allot of 'undesirable' people accosting you and being a nuisance.
St Kilda: Other
Strathmore: Re-surface the platforms to be flat
Strathmore: Hand the station to local community/local government for use as a community hub
Strathmore: audible announcements on platform 2
Sunbury: More gates to platforms
Sunbury: Currently my station is under V line and I am concerned about staff coverage, security and access once it becomes a Metropolitan station.
Sunshine: The underpass, although it has cameras, is dark, dingy and unsafe
Sunshine: The station, with notoriously unsafe underpass splits the suburbs in two and the underpass is the only way across. It is filthy and incredibly unsafe
Sunshine: staff are very rude and arrogant. eg: they themselves smoke in non-smoking areas.
Sunshine: no smoke laws to be enforced
Sunshine: It's dirty/hard to access/and feels unsafe
Sunshine: it needs to be renovated and updated
Sunshine: Is the major junction west of the city yet only 25% of Bendigo services stop there. Disconcerting for us locals, yes, but must be a major inconvenience for regional passengers who wish to change trains.
Sunshine: Better security
Sunshine: * Too many blind corners for undesirable people to hide in. *Can not see what is happening in the tunnels from any entrance point. *Tunnels too narrow, even in non-peak periods difficult for people to walk in different directions.
Sunshine : to many bad kids
Surrey Hills: Wider platforms. Doors regularly shut on exiting passengers because the driver can't see past the crowd funnelling out.
Surrey Hills: More express services in PM
Surrey Hills: Building way out of keeping with local architecture
Surrey Hills, Victoria: Larger Platform Entry/Exit Points . Speed up Myki touch on/off . Wider platforms where the exit/entry points are located as it is a safety issue when the train departs/arrives. Insufficient car parking, discussion with council to allow more street parking
Syndal: Way more frequent and co-ordinated bus connections, and improving bicycle access to the station via dedicated paths.
Syndal: More lighting along the platform and station surrounds
Syndal: Better bicycle facilities/less car parking
Tecoma: Used tampons and condoms regularly on platform, sheltered areas locked off. Station is disgusting - filthy, uncared for, needs staff, cleaning and a good paint!
Tecoma: regularly see used tampons and condoms on platform. Place is filthy, uncared for, unwelcoming, unsheltering, needs staff and a good paint.
Thomastown: More space to leave the station in peak hour
Thornbury: Staffing, not guards
Thornbury: MYKI ticket machine on city bound platform
Thornbury: I have trouble getting my two kids in a pram off the train because the platform is too low. I usually need help or else the front wheel will disappear into a gap. It's scary.
Thornbury: higher service frequency! complete public management!
Tooronga : The platform has to big gap between it and the open door for people like me who have walking issue. And have station staff
Tottenham: no open drains, more lighting, upgraded facilities and overpass for pedestrians not present underpass, which puts pedestrians within centremetres of freight trucks
Tottenham: Landscaping
Tottenham: Improved surrounds and approach from north (currently share road underpass - channel of water covers half of path, making it one way pedestrian traffic only; also inhale excessive exhaust fumes
Tottenham: Extra speakers so everyone can hear announcements; improved pedestrian access from north (fix underpass); dynamic signage to advise next train; more trains in peak periods
Tottenham: Current car parking is in a muddy paddock. Needs asphalting and lighting. Ramps and walkway under bridge are 'scary'. I rarely use the station because of appalling conditions. This station would not be tolerated if it was in a more affluent area.
Tottenham: Complete rebuild of station would be nice. Maybe with bridge access from north to remove having to travel through terrible Ashley Street underpass.
Tottenham: Better, safer pedestrian access from northern side
Tottenham: Better speaker system - announcements can only be heard close to the station building. Also, better parking facilities needed on the Rupert Street side of the station
Tottenham: Better amenity/landscaping- its ugly cold and windy, the 'landscaping' is dust and gravel. the underpass to access the station is narrow and covered in seeping groundwater water and litter. Only 1 loudspeaker works so you can't hear announcements
Victoria Park: More inspectors and station staff to deter drug dealers. The station is actually busy.
Watergardens: There ARE 3 lifts, but 2 are on WG side, and many times I have seen Syd end not working as well as 1 down the other end. My 85yo father in law was looking at unit at syd end but its far to risky as you can’t expect him to walk those stairs.....
Watergardens: just put access ramps in
Watergardens: If lift on Sydenham Road side is not working (which happens regularly) the is no access to the station for wheel chair bound passengers
Watergardens: Gravel car park causes damage to cars
Watergardens: Better parking. The gravel car park is the biggest there and has holes everywhere. Dirty and muddy when it rains.
Watergardens: Better connections between buses and trains (timetables)
Watergardens: Better bus interchange operation.
Watergardens: As Bus transfer point it is totally unacceptable
Watsonia: Much more car parking
Watsonia: More. Car. Parking.
Watsonia: Christmas decorations during Christmas. Also more security cameras.
Watsonia: Bus stop on western side needs to be closer to station.
Watsonia: Better access to west side bus connections, restoring the pedestrian friendly traffic sequence in Watsonia Rd on the walk between the station and bus interchange / shops
Watsonia: A heated waiting room - the current one is very cold. Also important to me is an improved passenger information service - the times till departure displayed by the LED displays are unreliable
Wattle Glen: Miki "touch off" is behind a fence, not at the station exit
Werribee: The toilets are filthy and scary. Not the fault of the cleaners, it's the age and condition of the facilities.
Werribee: The ramps are covered in terracotta making them very dangerous
Werribee: Repair damaged notice/schedule boards
Werribee: ramp surface in need of repair, a better surface is needed very slippery when wet
Werribee: Proper usable toilets
Werribee: On platform train arrival and departure information; reliable information about which platform trains are arriving on.
Werribee: nowhere near enough parking. car park is full before 7.30am. People get parking fines.
Werribee: More platform level shelter, presently it is very poor and provides little relief from cold weather.
Werribee: more Myki readers to prevent bottlenecks as people are running to catch buses that WILL NOT WAIT
Werribee: I try to park in the car park because its safer and that’s why it is there! but I get parking fines because it is always full early in the morning.
Werribee: General upgrade of station and facilities
Werribee: Enforce no smoking rules
Werribee: Coordination of Train and Bus Services timetable
Werribee: better shelter out of the weather/wind, way way way more parking
Werribee: Additional ramp/escalator for platform access (disembarking passengers need to bottleneck down one ramp blocking anyone trying to access the platform). Replacement of non-slip tiling (existing "non-slip" tiling has no traction on raised circles)
Werribee Railway Station: More buses to the station during peak times to alleviate the need for parking. Buses every 40 minutes is not acceptable
West Footscray: Very dim lighting outside of station. Unsafe at night. Police monitoring to deter drug trafficking
West Footscray: Needs shrubbery, flower boxes, litter removal from track, better and safer access to the station across busy Sunshine road
West Footscray: Needs pedestrian crossing on North side entrance
West Footscray: By staff I mean more staff
West Footscray: Better/ more lighting
West Footscray: Better lighting - it's a dodgy station in a dodgy area.
West Footscray: Actually running trains through it! Or at least have the train replacement busses stop there reliably - no-one wants to go to Tottenham and back for the fun of it.
West Footscray.: Police monitoring to deter drug trafficking. More street lighting outside of station. Very dim and unsafe at night.
West Richmond: more trains to the city
Westall: Station has been redeveloped to a good standard however the stairs are dangerous when wet.
Westgarth: When waiting for the train going away from the city, there is no seating that is undercover in winter or shaded in summer! Quite unacceptable!
Westgarth: Sometimes I think cautionary signs could be put on the footbridge that warn people of how dangerously slippery this bridge is if it's frosty. Westgarth station has just had its platforms re-bitumen so I don't think locals could complain too much.
Westgarth: Signs to show when next train is coming
Westgarth: Better lighting along the platforms
Williamstown Beach: Removing Metcard equipment that slows down entry
Williamstown Beach: I'm incontinent
Williamstown Beach: Better train departure details
Williamstown Beach: Better electronic details of next couple of train services
Williamstown North: Beautification of the Station surrounds to better integrate with the neighbourhood
Yarragon: upgrades to the gardens- smaller plants so you can see past them
Yarraville: UNDERGROUND PASS
Yarraville: pedestrian underpass or overpass of tracks
Yarraville: pedestrian under or overpass
Yarraville: Overpass or underpass
Yarraville: More Myki readers on the south bound platform
Yarraville: More frequent services
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Station survey in the news

2011-07-13T14:00:00.012+10:00

The better station survey has received a lot of coverage - if you haven't had your say yet - do the survey now!

It started with the Herald Sun report (print version) and online with hundreds of on-line comments - Commuters name Melbourne's worst train stations

National Nine News report

Ten News report - in two parts

And more on Ten

Seven New report

Rowville study wants your ideas

2011-07-08T11:50:00.002+10:00

http://www.rowvillerailstudy.com.au/

Work has started on the Rowville rail study - and they want your ideas. Get your social media tongues wagging and support this vital link!

Ideas for better stations - hot off the survey!

2011-07-06T15:02:00.002+10:00

Here are some of the ideas for better stations from our mobile survey

Royal Park Timetables to and from this station to the city/Upfield should be on pasted up on BOTH sides of all stations, not just the timetables going one way. Sometimes you want to look at trains to go home on. No room for more comments.

Box Hill Four platforms in two island arrangement. Toilets on platform, emergency exits.

Footscray A bridge that works.

Footscray A bridge that works and shelter.

Rushall A feeling of isolation once it becomes dark and hence a sense of being vulnerable, if you are a woman and/or an old person.

Armadale A functioning EFTPOS card reader on the ticket machine.

Watsonia A heated waiting room - the current one is very cold. Also important to me is an improved passenger information service - the times till departure displayed by the LED displays are unreliable.

Clifton Hill A Parkiteer bike shed would be very welcome, as would bike parking on both sides of the station.

Pascoe Vale A pedestrian ramp over the rail line.

Reservoir A pedestrian underpass is needed.

Craigieburn A public phone.

Flemington Bridge Access from Racecourse Road.

North Richmond Access is poor, feels isolated and unsafe at night.

Coburg Access/egress from south end of platforms.

Caulfield Accurate announcements of arriving trains.

West Footscray Actually running trains through it! Or at least have the train replacement busses stop there reliably - no-one wants to go to Tottenham and back for the fun of it.

Coburg An overhead footpath bridge from the car park to the platform that goes to the city/

Oakleigh Another Myki recharging station.

Greensborough Another overpass to the car park.

Eltham Art on the walls rather than graffiti. a morning hose to get rid of the urine smell in the tunnel.

Watergardens As Bus transfer point it is totally unacceptable.

Williamstown North Beautification of the Station surrounds to better integrate with the neighbourhood.

Footscray Better access between platforms - stairs are poorly pitched (possibly outside design standards) dangerous. Toilets dodgy. Forget security guards with guns - what about a customer service presence on the platform, or selling good coffee & snacks.

Sandringham Better access from car park to platform.

Jewell Better access from the surrounding streets - better lighting

Footscray better access to platforms the stairs are too dangerous, more myki machines at other locations as it's hard to swipe on and off.

Hoppers Crossing Better access to timetables or LED timetables as well as functional clocks.

Tottenham Better amenity/landscaping- its ugly cold and windy, the 'landscaping' is dust and gravel. The underpass to access the station is narrow and covered in seeping groundwater water and litter. Only 1 loudspeaker works so you can't hear announcements.

Mentone Better aesthetically - the Friends of Mentone Railway station do a fantastic job of the gardens outside the train station, but the actual station itself is rather ordinary.

Syndal Better bicycle facilities/less car parking.

Watergardens Better bus interchange operation.

Belgrave Station Better connecting bus services, so I don't have to drive!

Newmarket Better customer information including PIDs.

Glen Iris Better information about available bus and tram connections. Less incline on the underpass.

Middle Footscray Better information about when trains are due/arriving. Ticket machines which accept notes and cards would be good.

West Footscray Better lighting - it's a dodgy station in a dodgy area.

East Camberwell Better lighting for the station approaches, one of which is through a dimly lit park.

Gardenvale Better lighting, more seating, timetable information and better integration of bus and rail.

Balaclava Better local amenity.

Tottenham Better speaker system - announcements can only be heard close to the station building. Also, better parking facilities needed on the Rupert Street side of the station.

Chelsea Train Station Better train info such as electronic updates. Current speaker is very insufficient.

South Yarra Better trained staff who can give accurate information and more accurate real time screen announcements.

Tottenham Better, safer pedestrian access from northern side.

Kooyong Bicycle cage that you could lock.

Merinda Park Bike locker not racks.

Moreland Bike racks with cover from the rain.

Mordialloc Bike Shed thing like Cheltenham has.

Riversdale Bridge to connect the platforms, or a safe crossing place near the platforms.

Footscray Bus interchange at station, paint job in waiting room, heated waiting room, wider gates for faster customer throughput, remove junk food from forecourt outlets

Preston Buses more often to match trains departures and arrivals in particular after 5 pm.

Jewell Car park is shared with a shared walkway/bike path, would be good to have some line markings or something to designate a 'footpath', keep pedestrians safe and out of the way of cars & bikes.

Ivanhoe Car park and surrounds need delittering. The squash courts on railway land are an eyesore. Get rid of them.

Watsonia Christmas decorations during Christmas. Also more security cameras.

Cheltenham Clean up graffiti, Platform 2's building is disgusting and dirty and needs to be cleaned up.

Elwood Clean up of graffiti on platforms.

Burnley Cleaning / painting of the pedestrian access tunnel.

Balaclava Clearer signage to the station, from the footpaths & remaining suitable access ramps.

Parliament Clearer viewing of screens with train info (currently behind poles) at Lonsdale St entrance. And get rid of the magpie that always swoops people at this entrance (Lonsdale/spring)!

Brunswick Commercial activity e.g. cafe.

Boronia Continuous veranda roofing to replace the existing gaps between sections.

Werribee Coordination of train and bus Services timetable.

Merri Create a community hub around the station which has great underused park next to it. It is a walk to station that could be a centre of local community life which would make travelling by train a lot safer and more appealing. i.e. would attract people and pa.

Seddon Creating a sense of community ownership with creative initiatives like displaying artwork or growing vegies on or near the station.

Tottenham Current car parking is in a muddy paddock. Needs asphalting and lighting. Ramps and walkway under bridge are 'scary'. I rarely use the station because of appalling conditions. This station would not be tolerated if it was in a more affluent area.

Hoppers Crossing Definitely more parking!

Flinders Street Departure platforms for a particular line often follow little logic No maps to major destinations. Very low standard of information for visitors to Melbourne

Mentone Disability access between buses and station is convoluted.

Essendon Don't sell drinks at the ticket window! I have missed trains because there's a queue of kids buying drinks, and I wanted a ticket that wasn't available from the machine - it is very frustrating!

Huntingdale Easier and safer access to the station.

Glen Huntly Easier, less congested access to/from station.

Anstey Electronic customer board blocking exit on Platform 2; more seats.

Highett Electronic display - next train details, updates, etc.

Moonee Ponds Electronic screens for the next trains instead of that lovely green button.

Narre Warren Electronic sign board, proper shelter for passengers.

Darebin Electronic sign providing real time information on next train.

Montmorency Electronic signage. Pa system that works reliably- it often breaks down and we get no info if train delays are occurring from neighbouring stations.

Brunswick Electronic signs.

Broadmeadows Enclosed waiting area.

Sandringham Enforcement of no smoking under covered areas, including out the front of the station where passengers wait to be picked up.

Footscray Escalators.

Footscray Escalators.

Pascoe Vale Feeder bus service so people don't need to drive and park - this station has no connecting bus service.

Balaclava General clean up & modernisation; cafe & newspaper stand.

Craigieburn Get rid of the graffiti. More transit police to deal with anti-social behaviour.

Laburnum Get rid of the new timetable so that more trains stop at the station.

Rosanna Get rid of the street level crossing.

Glen Iris Grading of ramp and surface of platform more even, and smooth.

Albion I have never see the toilets open. Dark and dingy subway access strewn with litter.

Burwood I would like the toilets to be open and to be able to buy V/Line tickets from staff. Security guards are a total waste of money as there are no safety problems at Burwood.

Jewell I’d like to see station beautification, in the form of plants. what about green roofs for our stations?

Watergardens If lift on Sydenham Road side is not working (which happens regularly) the is no access to the station for wheel chair bound passengers.

Springvale If the rail crossing was separated, allowing more space for pedestrians to move, and closer bus stops (just like the new Nunawading Station).

Laverton If you are in a wheelchair and the lifts are not working there is no way to get from one platform to another.

Macleod Improved toilet facilities, particularly the male ones, and better lighting on the nearby footpaths and bus stop.

Blackburn Improvement of underpass - always wet and yucky - maybe make a new overpass

Greensborough In its current location, another overpass to the car park. However the station should actually be relocated to underneath the shopping centre. Would cut time of an old circuitous route and revamp the community.

Armadale Indoor waiting areas.

Merlynston Integration with bus stops. Currently Bus 534 route bus stops on Merlyn & Lorensen st.s, disrupts local traffic, integrates poorly with Upfield train. These could be moved to an upgraded car park adjacent train line between Orvieto & Shorts roads.

Belgrave It always looks grimy.

Richmond It functions well, it's just so unappealing! Surroundings more than the actual platform. Also I would really like to see a pedestrian underpass from Swan St through to Stewart St on the eastern side of Punt Rd.

Sunshine It needs to be renovated and updated.

Elsternwick Keep the train tracks clear of rubbish.

South Kensington kiosk, better protection on the platforms from trains passing either side.

North Williamstown Landscaping of station surrounds.

Frankston Last year's upgrade produced very badly (steep and too narrow) stairs leading to the station when coming from the car park, too many reserved and unused staff car spaces, no free customer spaces left when arriving after 6.50am.

Ringwood Less gangs and druggies at night!

Coburg Lighting and better access to the Upfield side of the station. That bluestone cobbled lane is not well lit at all and is very slippery when wet. An accident waiting to happen!

Ivanhoe Lights in the car park often go out and take a while to be replaced- needs better maintenance.

Greensborough Local minibus services. Local area is very hilly. This would reduce need for car parking, reduce traffic in congested roads, and improve access to public transport for older residents.

Canterbury Maintenance (panels near seats) and cleaning (seats and tracks).

Royal Park Maintenance of the ticketing systems. MYKI machine never works.

Blackburn Make entire platform a smoke free zone.

Mount Waverley Make it a hub for police station and convenience stores.

Burwood Making the platforms flatter: people trip up.

Laburnum Metro's new timetable has cancelled 11 peak hour stops at Laburnum which is monstrously inconvenient for workers and Box Hill High School students.

Wattle Glen Miki "touch off" is behind a fence, not at the station exit.

Huntingdale Minimise entrance tunnel flooding.

Deer Park More access points, more services.

Hoppers Crossing More benches and proper lighting.

Mentone More electronic display information sets would be useful particularly at the bus interchange at Mentone showing train and bus times.

Coburg More entry/exits to both platforms. myki machine on southbound platform.

Surrey Hills More express services in PM.

Malvern More express trains stopping from City in peak time, and not just Frankston trains Stopping all stations from city peak times.

Laburnum More express trains. old timetable was better.

Brunswick More frequent trains that go both ways through the loop at peak times.

Sunbury More gates to platforms.

Moreland More myki swipe terminals and more exits.

Fairfield more myki touch pads on platform so there's not a huge jam as a whole trainload of people try to touch off on 2 pads at the 1 point.

Fairfield More MYKI touch pads to reduce congestion at station platform exits.

Glenferrie More Myki validating machines - There are not enough validating machines, and there gets to be a banking up of passengers at peak periods.

Macleod More outdoor shelter.

Werribee More platform level shelter, presently it is very poor and provides little relief from cold weather.

Watergardens More seating.

Eltham More seating along the platform, not only in the waiting room.

Huntingdale More seats.

Malvern More seats and more bins.

Rosanna More seats are needed at city stations.

Balaclava More ticket machines. You can miss the train waiting. Also there is very poor lighting along the path to and from the station and I don’t feel safe.

Clifton Hill More touch off scans for Myki.

Laburnum More train services in the morning peak.

Eltham More trains.

Hawksburn More trains.

Highett More trains and buses.

Batman More trains every 20 min in peak hour is ridiculous.

Mont Albert More trains!

Merlynston More Trains!

Hurstbridge More trees.

Merri More vegetation and landscaping.

Watsonia More car parking.

Bayswater Moving on of unsociable persons.

Regent Multiple Entrances Exits, moving of ticketing equipment away from entrances/exits to enable better dispersion of passengers leaving the station.

Footscray Need accurate real time announcements, not misleading announcements.

McKinnon Needs to be modernised as it looks very tired and dirty (paint, new and more seating etc).

Sunshine No smoke laws to be enforced.

South Yarra No smoking anywhere.

Nunawading Nothing.

Werribee On platform train arrival and departure information; reliable information about which platform trains are arriving on.

Bayswater Open at all times when trains are running.

Flagstaff Open at weekends!

Heatherdale Operational ticket machines.

Fairfield Our station staff - who are there in the morning, are fantastic. More like them! They assist passengers and make the station feel like part of a community. They should be there all day!

Reservoir Parking restrictions enforced. The car park is dangerous and unsafe to park in and walk through.

Reservoir Parking signs are simply not enforced by staff creating an unsafe area to drive and park cars in. Staff are rude and unhelpful.

Merlynston Pave the car park- it's a mud bowl.

Yarraville Pedestrian under or overpass.

Yarraville Pedestrian underpass or overpass of tracks.

Ringwood East PID (Information on how many minutes to next train).

Clifton Hill Proper turnstiles to enter platforms.

Werribee Proper usable toilets.

Murrumbeena Railway line separation from Murrumbeena Road.

Cranbourne Rain proof shelters.

Box Hill Reconfigured platform layout, improved lighting, simpler connectivity with buses and trams, emergency exits, staff on platforms not in coffee shops.

Montmorency Recycling facilities including "compost" bins, more than one train track.

Tecoma Regularly see used tampons and condoms on platform. Place is filthy, uncared for, unwelcoming, unsheltering, needs staff and a good paint.

Mitcham Renovate buildings (slippery floors are dangerous), better designed car park/bus terminus, remove level crossing.

Flinders Street Requires a train shed over all platforms to protect travellers. Threatening behaviour by drunks and druggies should be policed. Beautification program needed North Carlton station on Doncaster line. Or divert Epping and Hurstbridge.

Balaclava Restore access ramps or steps from the south in addition to current northern. Carlisle St access.

Glen Waverley Restricted platform access/exit, bus area is poorly designed.

Strathmore Re-surface the platforms to be flat.

Glenhuntly Re-surfacing and widening of the approach ramp

Parkdale Rubbish bins are often overflowing (opp Pizza Hut). Area needs landscaping particularly on the "down" side near the boom gates/bus shelter. So much is spent on Mentone station however Parkdale is the poor cousin.

Ormond Safe access to North road bus to Elwood.

Jewell Screen based up to date information on services (e.g. delays), waiting room opened, more seats, beautification (e.g. flower beds).

Carnegie Screen with train arrival information rather than just the press button which cannot be heard.

Croxton Seating.

Canterbury Secured bike racks like those at Surry Hills Station.

Glenroy Security at night, better lighting, more attractive appearance, more activity near the station to feel safer.

Ormond Shop/newsagency/coffee stall.

Alphington Signage that is useful - tell me when my train is coming, not when it should come.

Westgarth Signs to show when next train is coming.

Albion Some communication when train late/cancelled. Kiosk or drink machine.

Heathmont Someone manning the station to buy tickets from.

Westgarth Sometimes I think cautionary signs could be put on the footbridge that warn people of how dangerously slippery this bridge is if it's frosty. Westgarth station has just had its platforms re-bitumened so I don't think locals could complain too much.

Southern Cross Staff who know something about the stations environmental credentials e.g. what is done about harvesting rain water.

Hawthorn Staff; shelter at the end of the platform where I wait with my bike.

Thornbury Staffing, not guards.

Altona Station is forgotten about and has less services as of 2011.

Elsternwick Station needs more security and more comfortable seating on the platform other than plain stainless steel benches.

Sandringham Stop skateboarders, illegal drop-off/pick-up drivers and graffiti.

Essendon Stopping people smoking under cover and in the underpass!

Heidelberg Stopping teenagers from urinating in the access tunnels.

Canterbury The approaches to the station are substandard.

Heatherdale The car park is across the road not by the station itself, it is not lit at night or monitored and is scary in the dark.

Laverton The new pedestrian overpass on Railway Ave side, funnels pedestrians into the car parking area causing conflicts between cars and pedestrians.

Ardeer The platform is in a poor state and large puddles form during rain.

Hallam The platform is too narrow that during peak hour, if I am trying to move further down the platform (weaving in and out) I feel that one small push I will fall onto the tracks. The shelter also has some shortcomings with poor lighting & very small shelters.

Collingwood The ticket machines that are reliable, fast, and with easy to see screens. I have had to pay hundreds of dollars before because of a fine due to ineffective machines.

Werribee The toilets are filthy and scary. Not the fault of the cleaners, it's the age and condition of the facilities.

The trees have been very heavily pruned. These provided shelter from the sun and rain. We can't all shelter under the main station canopy.

Sunshine The underpass, although it has cameras, is dark, dingy and unsafe.

Burnley The whole station looks like a dump and feels very unsafe at night.

Richmond The whole station needs an upgrade and the cafe area is horrible - unattractive, smelly, food scraps and packages left everywhere. Needs a Myki machine at the front end of the station!

Brighton Beach There are toilets at the station, but leave a bit to be desired.

Dandenong there aren't enough toilet facilities and they are filthy. The whole station needs a good gurney and scrub. bike lockers needed.

Greensborough There is plenty of parking, but it is restricted time, so needs to be unlimited.

Flinders St There should be a board at Flinders St at all entrances that shows when the next train to Richmond/South Yarra etc, is (like the boards they have at Richmond Station and Parliament & Melb Central).

South Kensington There's also a great area for a kiosk!

St Albans This is a horrible station with a lot of 'undesirable' people accosting you and being a nuisance.

Bentleigh This is a 'premium’ station and while all above are attended to it looks and feels shabby like most stations. Having a reliable and frequent services is more important to me. Since the 2010 timetable changes, loss of express trains to CBD fewer passengers.

Bentleigh This station has killed a couple of people we knew one of them an underpass or preferably a bridge for a the train or cars.

Jewell This station is so bad I think it is a candidate for replacement with something aligned with modern standards.

Ripponlea Ticket conductors on site.

Clifton Hill Toilets and staff on both platforms.

Essendon Toilets need upgrading, difficult to wash hands with taps that don't stay on. Need times of upcoming trains on display at bottom of ramp so passengers know how long they have till next train b4 they reach top of ramp.

East Richmond Trains should stop there occasionally.

Yarraville Underground pass.

Murrumbeena Undergrowth cleaned away from station precinct, it is dark and formidable. As an older commuter who uses the trains at night, walking to my cat is the worst part of the trip. Scrub overhanging, bushes near toilets etc. Very unsafe.

Yarragon Upgrades to the gardens- smaller plants so you can see past them.

Tecoma Used tampons and condoms regularly on platform, sheltered areas locked off. Station is disgusting - filthy, uncared for, needs staff, cleaning and a good paint!

Syndal Way more frequent and co-ordinated bus connections, and improving bicycle access to the station via dedicated paths.

Bulleen-Doncaster We don't have a train station in our area. This makes travelling increasingly difficult for family/friends to visit and for us to travel to work. We need a train station in our area. The government has been planning this since the 1960's. It's time!

Southern Cross We need accurate real time announcements. I had been mislead by the screen announcements and staff for too many times.

Carrum When at the end of the platform we cannot hear the announcements.

Southern Cross When entering the station from the bus depot/Docklands Stadium end, there's no way to see immediately when the next train to Flinders St, Richmond, City loop is - you have to check every screen. There should be a board like they have at Richmond Station.

Westgarth When waiting for the train going away from the city, there is no seating that is undercover in winter or shaded in summer! Quite unacceptable!

Balaclava Width of platform.

Laverton Working paths to bus stop.

Flinders St Would be convenient to be able to see what platform your train goes from but no signage exists after going through the barriers - very helpful! This station is filthy and in serious disrepair- it leaks like a bucket with holes during rain.

Hoppers Crossing You can miss a train if Vline or freight trains are coming past (sometimes they take 5 - 10 minutes) and the boom gates stay down. An entrance to the station that is an underpass or overpass would make it better.

Kooyong You should add improved pedestrian access as an option.

Use your mobile phone to rate your station

2011-06-29T12:07:00.002+10:00

Commuters can now rate their local train station and suggest improvements on their mobile phones.

Organised by local councils, the pt4me2 Better Stations survey will be used to advocate to the State Government for improvements to train stations.

Metropolitan Transport Forum Chair Cr Jackie Fristacky said the survey had been customised for mobile phones because so many commuters had smart phones.

‘You can do our survey waiting on the station or riding on the train,’ she said.

Cr Fristacky said the promise of PSOs on stations had highlighted the need to improve stations in many ways.

‘Already the survey is showing strong support for more shelter, better cleaning and toilets on stations,’ she said.

‘Stations are the beginning and end of every train trip. We’re looking for cost effective ways of making them better that we can advocate to the state government and councils,’ she said.

www.pt4me2.org.au/mobile

Or visit pt4me2.org.au and follow the links to the survey

The Age: Metro Trains rated Australia's worst

2011-06-15T17:29:00.002+10:00

THE AGE: METRO Trains has been voted the worst city rail system in the country, according to a commuter satisfaction survey.

Metro came last in all surveyed categories, which included reliability and performance, comfort of trains, safety, timetables and scheduling, and signage and announcements.

The survey of 2500 Australian commuters, conducted by independent research group Canstar Cannex, compared train passenger satisfaction between Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Queensland rail systems.

''Victorians are the grumpiest commuters, with 55 per cent of those surveyed believing overcrowding was substantially impacting their quality of life, compared with only 27 per cent of South Australians," the survey group's head of research said.

Read the full report at The Age:

Audit General's Management of Major Road Projects: Interesting reading

2011-06-02T11:10:00.004+10:00

As reported in today's edition of The Age, Victoria's Auditor-General's report of major road projects is highly critical of the cost-benefit predictions behind road project decisions. You can read a nifty two page summary at the Auditor-General web page here. Highlights include:

"VicRoads and LMA have not been fully effective in developing the major road projects examined. Both agencies fell short of the standards required to reliably forecast traffic and estimate projects’ economic benefits when informing the decision to proceed. LMA also had weaknesses in the way it had informed procurement decisions."

"Addressing these weaknesses is critical because decisions have been made without a complete understanding of the consequences."

"Based on the projects reviewed, neither organisation has effectively measured all of the intended project outcomes, but both are working to do this for current and future projects.

"The two major weaknesses were in the way VicRoads and LMA forecast traffic and estimated benefits for projects affecting congested parts of the road network. They did not adequately assess the traffic induced by these improvements, communicate the risks, or estimate the impact on the economic benefits.

"These shortcomings create a risk of overestimating the benefits and giving decision makers false confidence about the capacity of the project and the surrounding road network, to cope with future traffic. If these risks materialise then additional investment will be required to realise the benefits promised when justifying a project."

Visit the AG's page

What do you think? Are you surprised that freeways 'induce' traffic?

The Age editorial: Yes or Noville for Rowville?

2011-05-31T16:00:00.003+10:00

TUE 31 MAY The Age editorial: Taking the right track to Rowville?

IN THE 42 years since a rail line to Rowville in Melbourne's south-east was proposed by the then Bolte government, the idea has got precisely nowhere.

Somehow, somewhere, over the decades, a straightforward scheme of linking the city with one of the metropolitan area's most densely populated regions now resembles a model railway: a circle line whose starting point and terminus are one and the same. Rowville, Rowville, Rowville has been the mantra of successive oppositions that, when in government, all too quickly amend it to Noville, Noville, Noville. For example, Labor, which promised to consider building the line when it was elected in 1999, swiftly abandoned the project — too expensive, and, besides, improved bus services would more than do.

But cars and buses co-exist on increasingly clogged roads, and rail is now the only answer. As the former Brumby government discovered to its cost at last November's election, public transport has become a fundamental public issue capable of swaying popular support. In opposition, Victorian Liberals made public transport a key election policy. Among their promises, which included the armed-guards-on-stations proposal and the formation of a single public transport authority, was a feasibility study into a Rowville rail link. On Sunday, the Baillieu government kept its word, announcing a two-stage $2 million study, to be completed by mid-2013.

Transport planner William McDougall, who was in charge of a preliminary study into the unbuilt $5 billion trail tunnel from Footscray to Caulfield, commissioned by the former Labor government, will lead a team of engineers from Sinclair Knight Merz.

Although this appears to augur well, there lingers an uneasy sense of deja vu. After all, since there have been so many discussions of a Rowville line, will this one really make any difference? Perhaps so. There are encouraging signs that the government is taking things more seriously, indeed pragmatically. Transport minister Terry Mulder has already indicated likely stations along the 12-kilometre line, and has said there will be a "strong emphasis" throughout the study on community involvement.

In the end, time and circumstance have caught up with reality. There have been too many studies, too many excuses (almost as many as those routinely offered for not proceeding with the rail link to Melbourne Airport) and reasons have become almost as exhausted as public patience. Rowville must happen; the sooner, the better.

ALSO: Interesting opinion piece from Committee for Melbourne on planning for population growth Read it here

What do you think? Is this real progress?

New train timetable: What's your verdict?

2011-05-09T11:22:00.002+10:00

Metro has a new train timetable. With 127 ‘new services’ each day, it's sure to require a bit of getting used to. With such a big shake up, there are bound to be winners and losers. The Age reports that 'some stations in Melbourne's east will lose up to 10 morning peak-hour services each weekday.’ And in the West, there have been a number of public meetings about changes to the Williamstown line.

To make this even more interesting, The Age has published the Metro report to government about the timetable. It’s an interesting read if you like detail.

How does the new timetable work for you? Comment below (or today Monday 9 May you can be part of the Herald Sun survey here)

Fix trains, then roads: commuters

2011-04-10T14:40:00.009+10:00

FROM THE AGE: MELBURNIANS want the lion's share of transport funding to be spent on improving the public transport network rather than on building more roads.

A survey of attitudes to transport found that 94 per cent of respondents believed more money should be spent on public transport, while just 68 per cent said the government did not spend enough on roads.

This trend was reflected nationally, with an average of 88 per cent of those surveyed calling for more public transport funding, and 73 per cent wanting more spending on road infrastructure.

The survey, commissioned by Metlink - the marketing agency owned by Metro Trains and Yarra Trams - asked 1000 Melburnians about their use of and attitudes towards transport in 2010.

The survey found:

■ Public transport usage rose by 6 per cent overall (18 per cent of respondents said they used more public transport last year, but 12 per cent said they used it less).

■ The number of people walking more often rose by 15 per cent.

■ The number of cyclists fell overall by 4 per cent.

■ Car usage remained static (19 per cent said they used their car less often; 19 per cent said they drove more frequently).

Metlink chief executive officer Dale Larkin said governments had spent a lot on the system recently, but more was needed. A quarter of respondents to the Metlink survey who said they travelled less frequently on public transport said they did so because it was unreliable, crowded, ''not safe'' or it did not go to their destination.

What should Minister Mulder put first? Whats your view?

Do freeways get built faster than railways - or does it just seam that way?

2011-04-05T15:43:00.007+10:00

From The Age THE proposed new rail line through Melbourne's western suburbs will take an extra two years to complete as the Baillieu government struggles to meet what it says is an uncosted blowout of up to $700 million.

After months of speculation about the fate of the Regional Rail Link, Transport Minister Terry Mulder yesterday confirmed that it would go ahead.

But he said the line would take two years longer to build than promised by the previous government after state Treasury officials found a ''financial black hole'' in costings totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.

When first announced by then premier John Brumby in 2008, the line was to be completed by 2014 at a cost of $4.3 billion. It emerged yesterday that this figure included an $800 million allowance for unforeseen contingencies.

Now, Mr Mulder says, the final bill will be closer to $5 billion and construction will take longer to help find money for it.

The link will involve a 47-kilometre extension to Melbourne's railways, running from Southern Cross Station to near Werribee with new stations at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale. The project will allow V/Line and Metro services to run on separate tracks, reducing delays to services currently caused by the sharing of tracks through Melbourne's inner west.

Do freeways get built faster than railways - or does it just seam that way? What do you think?

FYI East Link - comprising about 39km of freeway-standard road - started construction in early 2005 and the road opened to traffic on Sunday 29 June 2008, five months ahead of the scheduled opening date

Mapping Baillieu public transport promises

2011-03-19T12:36:00.004+11:00

ABC 730 Friday 18 March looks at public transport in Melbourne's West.

View DRAFT: pt4me2 map of Ballieu public transport promises in a larger map

Map of metropolitan public transport promises made during the 2010 election campaign by the Baillieu team. Items not mapped include:
> $3.5b Regional Rail Link which makes way for additional suburban services on the Werribee, Sunbury and Craigieburn lines
> $2 million feasibility study into extending the city's rail network from Huntingdale to Rowville will begin within the three months;
> Feasibility studies for Doncaster and Melbourne Airport train links, and plans for an Avalon Airport rail link;
> $4m for high speed rail access advocacy unit;
> independent Public Transport Development Authority
> 940 fully trained Victoria Police Protective Services Officers
> $40m for planning of Metro One East West underground link

Minister Mulder and Guy's presentations at the MTF launch 9 March 2011

2011-03-09T17:10:00.010+11:00

On the 100th day of the Ballieu Government, Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder gives a brief overview of his plans for public transport for Melbourne.

Minister Mulder committed to supporting the Regional Rail Link stating this was an important project and he will do everything he can for this project to proceed. He also set out commitments to implementation of key electoral promises:
• Public Transport Development Authority
• Protective service officers at rail stations
• New timetable for the Frankston line to Werribee
• Rail station upgrades with full accessibility including DDA compliant ramps to enable access when lifts out of action
• 10 Grade separations of level crossings
• Studies for Doncaster and Rowville rail

A new commitment was setting up a Taxi Industry Commission (outside DOT) in lieu of the Taxi Directorate in DOT, given the very low customer satisfaction with existing arrangements. Full consultation with industry over structural reform to the taxi hire set up.

Minister for Planning, Mathew Guy, spoke about the integration of planning and transport. His comments include new growth areas and the role of loacl government.

Minister Guy spoke of his enthusiasm for the Planning portfolio in terms of city shaping, including:
• Opportunities for development in inner Melbourne, like no other capital city in Australia
• lessons learned from the Southbank re urban development
• Urban Renewal Authority to work closely with Melbourne and Port Phillip Councils re Fishermen’s Bend 240 hectares
• Work on a new Metropolitan Planning Policy (building on M2030)
• Support for development of regional cities
• committed to working closely with and learning from local government.

We welcome your comments on the ministers' comments. Use the comments link below.

Ministers Mulder and Guy talk on transport at MTF monograph launch

2011-03-02T15:03:00.005+11:00

You are invited to a key Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) event on 9 March 2011, 10 am at the Melbourne Town Hall.

Launch MTF Monograph 'Economics of Transport: Smarter Transport - Better Cities'
10.00 am - 11.30 am, Wednesday 9 March 2011
Supper Room, Level 3, Melbourne Town Hall

Chair: Cr Jackie Fristacky, MTF Chair

Welcome: Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, City of Melbourne

Terry Mulder: Minister for Transport: to launch the Monograph and speak on the transport agenda of the new Government

Mathew Guy: Minister for Planning: to speak on the Government approach to integrate urban planning and transport

The MTF Monograph includes contributions by Professor Bill Russell, Professor John Stanley, Professor Graham Currie, Deloitte’s Henry Ergas, Rose Elphick (FLC - CEO), DOT’s Eric Keys, Dr Michael Keating, and others, with a preface by Professor Ross Garnaut

No entry charge – but bookings required by COB 4 March to mtf@mtf.org.au

Backtracking on regional rail is a perilous route for Victoria: The Age

2011-02-22T13:41:00.003+11:00

THE AGE 22 FEB: Opinion by Jason Dowling, City Editor

Inaction speaks louder than the Coalition's words on an urgently needed upgrade.

DOES the Baillieu government have the memory of a goldfish? How else do you explain talk of possibly scrapping the $5 billion-plus Regional Rail Link.

Not so long ago, images of dangerously overcrowded platforms and packed trains dominated the news - a few additional services have not fixed the problem.

Melbourne's rail capacity is insufficient, particularly on key lines in the north and west that will benefit from the regional rail project.

The Regional Rail Link can, should and must be built, for the following reasons.

Read the full story here

Public transport usage must double, says Metro chief

2011-02-22T13:31:00.002+11:00

Highlight of Fast Track Transport for Sustainable Cities forum at Melbourne Town Hall Wednesday 16 Feb 2011.

Andrew Lezala,Chief Executive Officer, Metro Trains Melbourne, on Metro Rail Services

Free forum: Fast Track Transport for Sustainable Cities

2011-01-17T11:19:00.003+11:00

You are invited to a free Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) event on 16 February 2011 as part of the Sustainable Living Festival being held in Melbourne 12-27th February 2011.

Free forum: Fast Track Transport for Sustainable Cities
4.45 pm for 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm, Wednesday 16 February 2011
Swanston Hall, Level 1, Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street, Melbourne
Forum Chair: Cr Jackie Fristacky, MTF Chair

Guest speakers
Brian Howe: Chair COAG Capital Cities Review, Professorial Fellow, Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne, former Deputy Prime Minister, speaking on Planning for Cities
Dr Marcus Spiller: Director SGS Economics, on Integrating Land Use and Transport Planning
Andrew Lezala: Chief Executive Officer, Metro Trains Melbourne, on Metro Rail Services
Alan Burns: Strategic Connections Group, former CEO Coffey Rail, on High Speed Rail Linking Cities
Michael Buxton: Associate Professor of Planning and Environment, RMIT with a Summary of presentations

There is no entry charge. Bookings by COB 14 February to mtf@mtf.org.au

The MTF represents 21 Melbourne metropolitan councils – 2.25 million residents
See http://www.mtf.org.au/

Venue kindly provided by the City of Melbourne

Labor's loss is explained by the rail politic: Davidson in The Age

2010-11-30T17:16:00.003+11:00

Those who believe the Brumby government was a good government voted out by an electorate bored after 11 years simply haven't been paying attention.

The key to understanding why the Brumby government held on in the regional centres of Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong and lost badly in the outer suburbs of Melbourne - both to everyone's surprise - can be largely explained by the fact that they kept their promise to build the Regional Fast Rail network linking Melbourne to the regional centres but failed to do anything about the abysmal standard of public transport to the outer suburbs. Read full story

What do you think?

Opposition pledges Doncaster rail line study

2010-11-02T13:28:00.005+11:00

CUP DAY: The odds of a Doncaster rail link have shortened after the State opposition announced a $6.5m feasibility study into the rail link.

According to The Age, planning for a new rail line to Doncaster will begin if the Opposition wins the state election. The reported that Opposition leader Ted Baillieu said a $6.5 million study would begin to plan for the new railway.

"The new line would link Doncaster with the city via Clifton Hill ... with consideration of a further link from Doncaster to Ringwood in the east," he said. Read the Opposition's media release

The announcement follows a morning of intense speculation on Twitter after ABC reporter Ryan Shields speculated on the Lib announcement. One Twitter said 'Libs to do a study 4 doncaster line... just take a helicopter ride over the eastern freeway @ 7:30am, study done, build the line.'

Meanwhile, Minister Pakula has Tweeted back, saying 'Government instead pledged to build Doncaster Area Rapid Transit and we have - 6 months early. Now more than 3000 trips per week'.

What do you think? DART vs train, plan vs study?

Community Q&A about public transport. What questions will you ask?

2010-10-11T11:03:00.004+11:00

Public transport forum with community Q&A
Preston City Hall
Wednesday 27 Oct 2010
7.15 pm - 8.30 pm
All welcome
RSVP northernrsvp@pt4me2.org.au

You're invited to a public transport forum and community Q&A with three local MPs and candidates in the forthcoming election. Hear from the ALP's Jenny Mikakos MLC, Greens' Greg Barber MLC and Liberal Matthew Guy MLC. Ask questions and join the debate. Likely topics include extending tram route 112, more trains, better bus services and level crossings.

Here are the first presentations by each speaker:
ALP's Jenny Mikakos MLC

Greens' Greg Barber MLC

Liberal Matthew Guy MLC

Private operators raid public transport purse: The Age

2010-09-24T16:33:00.004+10:00

By Clay Lucas September 24: THE cost of running Victoria's public transport has more than doubled in six years, despite the state's trains, trams and buses travelling only 26 per cent further. Read the full story

Meanwhile a national transport lobby has called for fewer concession fares.

Rein in concession fares, says lobby group: The Age

ELIGIBILITY for concession fares on public transport should be drastically restricted or available only during off-peak times, to improve the profitability of trains, trams and buses, according to an influential transport lobby group - whose members include the Brumby government. In a report to be launched today, Meeting the Funding Challenges of Public Transport, advocacy group the Tourism and Transport Forum proposes six ways to increase revenue and cut the costs of running public transport. Read the full report

What do you think? Are concession fares the issue?

CBD showdown: Pakula, Mulder and Barber face2face with commuters

2010-09-02T16:44:00.004+10:00

State election
Public transport forum
Melbourne CBD

Pakula, Mulder and Barber
take questions from commuters

5.30 pm – 6.45 pm
Wednesday 8 September 2010
Melbourne Town Hall (Supper Room)
Chair: Terry Laidler, former ABC broadcaster and psychologist
RSVP 9534 2833 Melbrsvp@pt4me2.org.au

What questions will you ask?

Libs pledge action on Rowville line

2010-08-25T16:14:00.000+10:00

The Age 24 Aug 2010 by Clay Lucas
A STATE Liberal government would move to build a railway line past Monash University to Rowville.

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder yesterday said his party would commission a $2 million study to confirm the feasibility of the long-promised railway line if it wins government in November.

The line would give Monash University's 28,000 students an alternative to driving or taking the often overcrowded bus service.

Mr Mulder said the report would be completed by external engineers, and not commissioned by the Department of Transport, which has long argued against construction of the rail line. He said his party ''believes in the necessity for more heavy rail lines in Melbourne''.

Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula's spokesman said the government had no plan to extend the rail network to Rowville, and the opposition was merely rehashing a promise made at the 2006 state election, instead of releasing a more comprehensive transport strategy.

''The Rowville area is well serviced by an extensive bus network, which also delivers excellent public transport connections for Monash University,'' spokesman Bill Kyriakopoulos said.

Up to 5000 people a day use the Wellington Road bus, which started running in 2006. The Sunday Age revealed in April that hundreds of Monash University students often had to wait up to 45 minutes for a bus from Huntingdale railway station. Read story in full

What do you think? What about Doncaster rail too?

STATE ELECTION: Commuters face2face with candidates

2010-08-10T17:18:00.003+10:00

Commuters will meet state candidates face-to-face at town hall transport forums in some of Melbourne’s most hotly contested state seats.

Organised by the Metropolitan Transport Forum, the town hall transport forums will feature speakers from the major parties and questions from the community.

MTF Chair, Yarra Councillor, Jackie Fristacky, said the public had many questions about Melbourne’s public transport.

‘We are holding forums in municipalities where opinions about transport could have a real impact on the outcome of the 27 November State election,’ she said.

Forums are being held at St Kilda, Brunswick, Richmond, Box Hill and Maribyrnong town halls immediately after the 21 August federal poll.

These areas include hotly contested seats of Brunswick, Richmond, Prahran, Mitcham, Forest Hill and Burwood. It also includes the recently highlighted Footscray area.

‘We are anticipating that the public’s attention will swing to key state issues like public transport, planning and infrastructure after the federal election.

Cr Fristacky said that the forums would look at a range of citywide and local issues.

Town hall community forums on public transport
Whitehorse Mon 30 Aug; 6.15 pm - 7.30 pm
Maribyrnong Mon 6 Sep; 7 pm – 8.15 pm
Port Phillip Wed 8 Sep; 7 pm – 8.15 pm
Yarra Sun 12 Sep; 3 pm – 4.15 pm
Moreland Mon 13 Sep; 7 pm – 8.15 pm

RSVP details and confirmed speakers http://www.pt4me2.org.au/tm_details.html

What are your top questions for state candidates?

Sydney survey: More Would Use Public Transport

2010-07-02T10:04:00.002+10:00

A NSW government survey reveals that most respondents who use their cars do so mainly because of problems with public transport. Only 47 per cent of people drive to work because they prefer the convenience or independence of the car. Another 38 per cent drive because public transport is indirect, 24 per cent because it is too slow, and 61 per cent because it doesn't go where required, is constrained by timetables, unavailable, infrequent or unreliable.
See Sydney Morning Herald story

What Moves You survey results

2010-06-26T11:12:00.004+10:00

Thank you Melbourne. The pt4me2 people's poll has closed and we received over 10,700 responses.

We have presented your comments and the final report to the Minister for Public Transport, Opposition Transport spokesperson, Greens transport spokesperson and the Premier's office.

In coming weeks, we'll be publishing their responses to the issues raised.

Here is the summary report of your responses and comments ...

Summary report - 8 pages

Final report - Part one 43 pages

Final report - Part two appendices 270 pages

You are welcome to comment on the survey or the issues - simply click add comment

More frequent public transport will attract more votes in State poll

2010-06-25T12:33:00.001+10:00

MTF MEDIA RELEASE: The party that can deliver more frequent and reliable public transport to more parts of Melbourne will win more votes in the November state election according to Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) Chair, Cr Jackie Fristacky.

Cr Fristacky said a recent survey of Melbourne public transport users showed that more frequent and reliable services to more places were the voters’ top priorities.

Last week the MTF presented the results of its What Moves You survey to the Minister for Public Transport, Opposition transport spokesperson and Greens transport spokesperson.

‘All three party spokespeople acknowledged that public transport would be a top issue in the November election,’ she said.

Cr Fristacky said all the parties were impressed by the responses and insights of the public’s comments.

The survey pointed to increased frequency of services, less overcrowding and greater reliability as the top priorities. There was also strong support for extending services, especially to growth areas and other areas currently beyond the reach of public transport, and for extending hours of service.

‘While safety, graffiti and aggressive ticket inspectors are frequently cited as concerns, the strongest negatives were overcrowding, unreliability and infrequent services. The improvement most wanted was more frequent services across a greater number of hours,’ she said

There was also much support for extending public transport, especially rail lines to Doncaster, Monash-Rowville, Tullamarine airport and new suburbs. Tram extensions were also popular, especially in the East and North. A greater span of hours for bus services was also popular.

The public’s biggest likes and dislikes

Negatives
* Overcrowding, cancellations, lack of co-ordination between services;
* Lack of services to new suburbs and outer suburbs;
* Frustration that nobody was accepting responsibility for the system – with responsibility gaps and buck-passing.

Positives
* Public transport because it reduces dependency on cars and reduces carbon emissions;
* SmartBuses and more frequent bus services;
* Super stops, low floor trams and other access improvements.

The complete survey results can be found at www.pt4me2.org.au

Town meetings: election candidates face public transport voters

The MTF is organising a series of town hall community meetings on public transport in August as a follow up to the survey. Meetings are planned for the cities of Yarra, Moreland, Port Phillip, Whitehorse, Manningham, Boroondara and Maribyrnong in late August or early September.

Have your say about the new Metro timetable - take our survey

2010-06-06T21:02:00.006+10:00

Metro has started using a new timetable. Use our survey to tell us what you think.

Take the survey now

Tell us what you think about the timetables impact of frequency, overcrowding and reliability. Does the new timetable connect well to buses and trams?

Or make a comment below.

Herald Sun: State Government believes commuters prepared to stand for 45 minutes

2010-06-02T11:13:00.003+10:00

VIDEO: Will you stand for it?

HERALD SUN 2 JUN: Transport department bureaucrats believe commuters will tolerate standing for that long so long as it is an express train.

Standing for 45 minutes would mean no seat from the city on trains to Carrum, Boronia, Mooroolbark, Dandenong, Glen Waverley, Eltham or Werribee.

The report, obtained by the State Opposition, also says it was assumed passengers needed just 40cm x 40cm of space.

That is about one and a half times the space of a single Herald Sun page.

The department's Initial Strategic Operations Plan, dated July last year, was a key document used during the process of choosing Metro as Melbourne's new train operator.

It says: "Surveys in recent years have shown increasing numbers of peak trains with loads in excess of 1000 passengers.

"Experience in Melbourne and observations in other jurisdictions have shown passengers are prepared to stand on express services for 45 minutes. On 'all stations' services (they will stand) for shorter periods (of) up to 25 minutes."

Government sources sought to distance themselves from the report last night, blaming the words on out-of-touch bureaucrats, adding it was never seen by ministers.

What do you think?

Comment on the new bike hire scheme ...

2010-06-01T14:19:00.002+10:00

Melbourne's Euro style bike hire scheme has started. Were are interested in your comments.

Have you used the bikes? Are helmets going to be a hassle? Will you use them; often, a lot, never?

Interestingly, its run by the RACV as the Melbourne Bike Share Scheme. They plan to have 600 bikes available from 50 terminals around the CBD (and Melbourne University).

The RACV points to similar schemes overseas where most users are inner city residents who will have helmets.

What could be done to make them better?

Have your say ....

Attention platform one! Melbourne Complaints Choir

2010-05-12T10:28:00.002+10:00

Melbourne Complaints Choir
conducted by Stephen Taberner and Katrina Wilson
is arriving
Saturday 15th May 2010 at Wesley Anne, 250 High St Northcote, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Do you want to see improvements to Melbourne's 'public' transport system?

Validate your metcard, myki and general public transport complaints at the Melbourne Complaints Choir!

WELOVEPT is a brand-new organisation advocating for creative change in our public transport system. We are launching our campaign with the Melbourne Complaints Choir which starts this Saturday at the Wesley Anne from 2:00- 4:00pm.

Join us for a pleasant afternoon of complaining on an open mic. We welcome you to get up on our soapbox and have a whinge in your choice of performance art style, lecture, rant poem, song or interpretive dance. Alternatively you can add your complaint to the suggestion box, mingle with the anarchists, sip chardonnay with the socialists, heckle with the audience, ENROL IN THE COMPLAINTS CHOIR or just enjoy the line up of performers and guest speakers that we have lined up.

To find out more, please visit our website: www.welovept.com.au

More feedback from our inbox

2010-04-21T09:29:00.005+10:00

Three cheers for Rosemary at Balaclava station

Despite the various complaints about Balaclava train station, I would like to really commend and thank the ever-cheerful and helpful platform assistant Rosemary who never ceases to keep often disgruntled passengers informed of delays and reasons why. Along with the decent coffee served on the platform, she is the highlight of my start to the day on the train. Cheers it would be great if you could publish some component of this. Susan

To electrify or not electrify? That's the question according to Kylee

I don't believe the question is correct for the Bacchus Marsh line. I believe that most people do not really care whether our line gets electrification from Sunshine to Bacchus Marsh they just want more trains and a reliable service. Many people are happy with Vline (feel safe as there is a conductor) but the services and trains are so outdated. Two to Three trains an hour in peak hour is ridiculous and the fact that Melton is growing faster than China and the population is due to double in 10 years time means that something needs to be done quickly. We don't want out suburb to become a ghetto. We have a suburb being built to accommodate 60,000 - 80,000 people just before Melton (Toolern) and all that is being done in the future is a new train station will be built but nothing on services. The trains are full now. I have lived in Melton for 5 years and have seen no extra services to peak hour. I believe when the Sunbury line is electrified then we will get more trains - but will we get more services! I caught the 6.21am from Melton this morning and still people stand up. It is quite a long journey standing up from Melton to the city.
Just wanted to bring this to your attention re the question being asked as I don't believe you will get a great response to what is being asked.
Thanks for reading. Kylee

Airports - are they up to standard?

Would airports fall into the Transport Forum? I would like to see some debate/discussions/surveys about our airports as well - Tullarmarine and Avalon.

Are the air travel facilities serving Melbourne user friendly at all? Seriously, our image is one of a third world country trying to pass off as a 1st world one.

Sincerely,
YF

Not enough bus

I am writing regarding the lack of buses from the Ivanhoe/Eaglemont area to Kew Junction and Camberwell.

As a resident of Eaglemont, I drive to Kew twice daily to take my son to school along with a multitude of other parents, and have done this for the past six years.

My son is 10 years old and could hardly be expected to catch both a train and bus as
well as carry a laptop.

This is an ongoing problem for our community as there are no secondary schools in our area, and all secondary students are required to catch public transport to the schools in the Boroondara area.

Alison

17 mayors say get on board

2010-04-20T17:22:00.004+10:00

The mayors of 17 Melbourne councils have called for residents to use the pt4me2 public transport poll to have their say about public transport before 30 April.

The pt4me2 poll is a project of the Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF), which represents Melbourne councils on transport issues. The MTF will be collating the survey results and presenting them to all the major parties before the state election.

“With the state election coming up in November, now is a crucial time to raise public transport issues,” said MTF Chair Cr Jackie Fristacky.

Cr Fristacky said that the surveys look at a range of citywide and local issues.

“Get on board our surveys to help get better public transport for all of Melbourne,” she said.

Visit www.pt4me2.org.au to have your say. The survey closes 30 April 2010.

Supporting mayors include:

Banyule: Mayor Cr Wayne Phillips
Boroondara: Mayor Cr Jack Wegman
Casey: Mayor Cr Lorraine Wreford
Darebin: Mayor Cr Vince Fontana
Glen Eira: Mayor Cr Steven Tang
Hume: Mayor Cr Geoff Porter
Kingston: Mayor Cr Steve Staikos
Manningham: Mayor Cr Charles Pick:
Maribyrnong : Mayor Cr Sel Sanli
Melbourne: Lord Mayor Robert Doyle
Moonee Valley: Mayor Cr Shirley Cornish
Moreland: Mayor Cr Stella Kariofyllidis
Nillumbik : Mayor Cr Ken King
Port Phillip: Mayor Cr Frank O’Connor
Whitehorse: Mayor Cr Bill Pemberton
Whittlesea: Mayor Cr Mary Lalios
Yarra: Mayor Cr Jane Garrett

Good ideas from our in-box

2010-03-23T10:24:00.006+11:00

What about bike riders, especially on Sundays?

What is being done about the difficulty in taking bicycles on replacement train buses? I was stranded a few weekends ago when trains were replaced with buses and I have travelled to the city with my bike.

Also, why are the train services on Sundays and Public holidays so late starting in the mornings in comparison to Saturdays? The first service on Sunday morning from my local station, Middle Brighton, is not until 7.40am where as on Saturday it is at 5.08am. And usually there are quite a number of people waiting at the station for the arrival of the first train.

Jacinta

Parking at stations

There should be more parking stations for those using trains. I am sure that residents who live in the vicinity of railway stations along with commuters who use trains would appreciate having adequate parking at railway stations. A two part public transport journey is not very practical time wise.
If there were adequate parking stations commuters could park at a station and catch even the most crowded express train to their destination.

Jill and Joy

How long must we wait for Doncaster rail?

We have been rallying for the Doncaster Rail System for some time now and still there is no update.

We have been living in Bulleen for over 5 years. We work in the city and take the bus/drive but there is just too much traffic on the roads. This is both stressful, time consuming (it takes forever) and isolating. There are times when we wish that we had a rail system in our area and we could just hop onto the train and reduce our travel time and carbon footprint. Also the area is quite isolated as family and friends find it difficult to visit us without a rail system.

Bulleen was promised a tram line in the 60's/70's. It never happened! Bulleen/Doncaster/Templestowe is no longer the small business owner capital of Melbourne. The demographic is ever changing and we are reliant on public transport. It is about time that a rail system was delivered as promised to improve our area. Otherwise, i find it difficult to imagine that this would be an area that families would want to live in long term.

Please note that Oakleigh is further from the city than Bulleen and it is only a 25 minute train ride into the city. In comparison Bulleen takes double the time by bus ride and is closer to the city.

Enough is enough and we are exhausted and i would like to see a Doncaster Rail System in my lifetime.

Regards

Maria

What about post-grads?

Great work on the website - great work on the surveys.

One thing I'd love to see added to the agenda is to allow access to
concession public transport fares for full-time post-graduate students.

Postgraduate students in other states already receive access to
concession transport. Victoria is the only state that refuses to foster
the growth of educated and talented members of its society. Not only
are we denied any form of income support (Austudy, Rent Assistance) but
we are also denied concession transport.

It's any wonder that there is a post-graduate sector in Victoria at all!

Thanks for listening.

I should really send this to my local parliamentary rep.

Tim

Good idea: lost but not forgotten

About 7 years ago a Bentleigh resident took up a petition for a direct bus service between Bentleigh/McKinnon and Southland. There were 300 signatures on the petition which was sent to Glen Eira Council and never heard of again. Last year I attended a meeting with local member Rob Hudson and several local residents regarding this proposal. We have heard nothing. I have contacted two local bus companies and they are extremely interested in running this bus service. We also contacted the local Glen Eira Council, met with a councillor, Jamie Hyams, who said that he couldn't understand why there wasn't this particular bus service. Local residents who don't drive (and there are many) and who don't live near a train station are completely stuck. A public transport "workshop" was held in Moorabbin and ironically, because there was no bus service to Southland, none of us could attend. Every visitor I have comments that they never see buses running in the area. There is something terribly wrong when people's basic needs are ignored.
Christina

And the worst station in Melbourne is .... Richmond

2010-03-09T13:51:00.003+11:00

Yes, in our poll of train users, Richmond station was nominated most ofeten as the worst in Melbourne.

Other contenders included Ringwood, Dandenong, West Footscray, Yarraville, Huntingdale, South Kensington, Tottenham, Balaclava, East Richmond and Footscray.

You can read a sample of what the public said here

Unsafe, unsightly, unaccessable - unacceptable in a modern tramsport system? What do you think?

Is Balaclava Station the worst in Melbourne?

2010-03-05T11:09:00.002+11:00

The Mayor of Port Phillip has nominated Balaclava Station as possibly the worst in Melbourne. What do you think? What other stations in Melbourne could rival Balaclava as the worst in town?

What’s wrong with Balaclava station?

Not DDA compliant – in other words, poor access for disabled

Narrow platforms

The lane ways leading up to the pedestrian ramps are dark, dirty and uninviting, especially at night.

Is there another station that you think is worse than Balaclava?

Maybe this is what Metro has in mind?

2010-03-03T15:47:00.009+11:00

OK, we are only kidding. But after reading that Metro plans to double patronage in just 7 years, we wondered where the extra people would go!

Here's what was reported in The Age: Metro pledges to double rail patronage by 2017

IN A case of history repeating in Melbourne's privatised train system, new operator Metro has promised a massive increase in patronage.

With Melbourne's rush-hour trains already choked with passengers, Metro chief executive Andrew Lezala yesterday promised to double patronage on the system by 2017.

Read the full story by Clay Lucas

What's your reaction to the idea of doubling train patronage in 7 years? Dream large, nightmare on Flinders Street, a promise to rival Myki promises, or timetabling genius?

Click on comment to have your say - or do our train users survey here

Rail to Tullamarine - a broken promise worth revisiting?

2010-03-01T10:46:00.003+11:00

THE AGE (1Mar): Airport road won't cope with demand, study shows

TRAFFIC could grind to a halt on the freeway to Melbourne Airport in the next two decades unless dramatic action is taken, modelling commissioned by the government shows.

Despite this, Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula has said the state government will not resurrect Labor's ditched 1999 promise to build a rail line to the airport.

For the past nine months, the government has been again studying traffic to the airport.

The Melbourne Airport Transport Requirements Study, completed by consultants IMIS, predicts traffic to the airport will slow to a crawl by 2021 unless major changes are made.

In 2007, 22.5 million passengers passed through Melbourne Airport. By 2028, this is predicted to rise to 50 million a year.

Read the full story

What do you think? Is an airport rail link a project worth landing? Click comment below to have your say)

U18 voice: Public transport matters

2010-02-16T13:28:00.002+11:00

Relying on buses, trains and trams to get around can be drag. There is always something to say when it comes to public transport. But when it comes to election time, and it’s time to vote, young people just don’t get a say. Public transport is on the agenda for the November state election and as some of the biggest users of public transport, people 18 years and under should get a say. pt4me2/u18 voice is giving young people this voice through a short survey. pt4me2 will be collating all the information received and presenting it to the major parties before the state election. pt4me2 is a project of 18 local councils; it is not affiliated with any political party and exists solely to work for better public transport. Speak up and have your say on public transport and be part of the democratic process. Just because you may not be able to vote doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have your ideas heard.

Visit pt4me2.org.au/u18 and be heard

What role did public transport issues play in the Altona result?

2010-02-14T16:30:00.004+11:00

SUN 14 FEB: Despite a 12.3% swing against the government, Labor's Jill Hennessy will be the new member for the state district of Altona (taking over from former Minister for PT Lynne Kosky).

The media nominated law & order and public transport as the two major issues in the result. Congratulating Ms Hennessy on her victory, Premier Brumby said he would fast track public transport projects (Herald Sun 14 Feb).

What part did public transport issues play in the Altona result? What role will public transport play in the state-wide poll in November?

Have your say in the "What moves you, what moves your vote?" survey before 30 April - and we'll pass on your opinions to all the major parties before the November election.

Did Kosky fight hard enough for pt?

2010-01-20T15:51:00.005+11:00

19 Jan 2010. After four years as minister driving public transport , Lynne Kosky has opted for a new track - away from politics.

During her time in the hotseat public transport has emerged as a crucial issue for Melbournians - up there with health, education and policing. PT patronage is up, but so it over crowding. Private operators have changed, so too have the ticketing systems - although the jury is still out on Myki.

As Melbourne grows by about 1500 people each week, there is absolutely no doubt that public transport will need to accommodate more people in the future. But while the government looks to Melbourne at 5million, the public transport system seems to always lag behind the growth in demand.

Do you think that Ms Kosky fought hard enough for public transport?

Metro plans to stand and deliver

2009-12-02T11:14:00.004+11:00

The Age 1 Dec 09: THOUSANDS of seats will be removed from Melbourne's existing trains over the next two years by new operator Metro to squeeze in more passengers.

And the trouble-plagued air-conditioning units on the city's 92 Comeng trains - which failed dramatically in last summer's heat - will not need to be completely overhauled for another six years.

Contracts worth about $9 billion signed in August by the Government with Metro and Yarra Trams' new operator Keolis were posted on the Department of Transport's website yesterday.

Financial details are deleted, but the details of key projects were included.

They show that the number of much-loved W-class trams will be reduced to just 38 (about 50 were supposed to run under the old contracts).

Among train projects detailed is a plan to remove about 12 seats per carriage from the city's 29 six-carriage Alstom trains, bought in 2002. Seats will also be removed from 13 of the older Comeng trains.

Connex tested removing 12 seats per carriage on a trial train earlier this year and reported positive feedback. A spokeswoman for Metro confirmed the plan last night.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen backed the move, saying it made sense to change the layout of the trains ''to more efficiently distribute people''.

Almost 1200 air-conditioning units on the Comeng trains could also be replaced, although this is dependent on a trial overhaul being carried out now and to be assessed by February.

The contracts show the Government does not require the upgrade of air-conditioning to be complete until 2015.

Are fewer seats the answer? Can we wait for six years for better air-con? What do you think?

PICTURE: Herald - Sun shot of Premier Brumby and Minister Kosky visiting Flinders Street station for the first day of Metro KDR

Car use driven by lack of trains, buses: The Age

2009-11-23T14:35:00.008+11:00

BY CLAY LUCAS, The Age 21 Nov 2009
FAMILIES in suburbs with poor access to trains, trams or high-frequency buses are being forced to buy a car for every adult, a new study of car ownership has found.
The study, compiled by the Bus Association of Victoria, has identified Melbourne's highest areas of car ownership. Those suburbs include Narre Warren South, Strathmore, Cranbourne East and Ringwood North.
A new rail line to Rowville, running past Monash University, would drastically reduce their car reliance, Ms Rowe said.
The new study also shows that Melbourne's pockets of low car ownership are found:
> Where there is a dense grid of high-quality public transport.
> In some low socio-economic areas, such as around Broadmeadows, St Albans and Dandenong.
> Near activity centres such as Ringwood, Box Hill and Frankston.
> Near university suburbs (such as Clayton, Caulfield, Bundoora and Maribyrnong) and prisons.
But some suburbs with good access to public transport remain notably heavy car users, including Toorak, Brighton and Black Rock.
The Bus Association's policy manager, Chris Loader, who compiled the data, said areas with low car ownership levels had plenty of public transport options, which moved in many directions - not just into and out of the city.
Professor Adams said the Bus Association study showed that ''if you provide people with alternatives [to the car] they'll jump at them''.
He said buses were ''a blind spot'' for Melburnians. They weren't popular partly because a lack of dedicated bus lanes meant they were often stuck in traffic. Melbourne should consider allowing buses - and eventually taxis - to run along tram corridors separated from car traffic, he said.
''A car for a family is anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000 a year, if you take on things like petrol, where you live, depreciation,'' he added.
Full story

Would your household have less cars if public transport was better?

Caption: In Rowville, the Rowe family has five cars on the go. Lynette Rowe said her sons would like to use public transport more but the irregularity of bus services and the distance from train and tram lines meant it was unrealistic.

Friends of Tram 96

2009-07-31T16:08:00.004+10:00

Tram 96 has its own lobby group – the Friends of Tram 96.
Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) Chair, Cr Jackie Fristacky, and Deputy Chair, Cr Janet Bolitho, launched the group at a meeting on the Bumblebee tram to St Kilda.Route 96 runs through Port Phillip, Melbourne, Yarra and Moreland; these councils are committed to promoting tram use. Tram 96 links key locations including Luna Park, South Melbourne Market, MSAC, Southbank, Museum and Exhibitions Centres, Nicholson Village and CERES.
Friends of Tram 96 invite Melburnians and visitors to ride Tram 96, seeing all that Melbourne has to offer.
Friends of Tram 96 will focus on tourism, tram priority, accessibility, capacity and services to meet growing demand.

Join the Friends of Tram 96 Facebook group

Read The Age report about the first Friends meeting

State retreats from sustainable development for Melbourne

2009-06-19T14:42:00.000+10:00

The Metropolitan Transport Forum, representing 19 councils on transport issues, has said the state government's proposed extension of Melbourne’s urban growth boundary will exacerbate Melbourne’s land use and transport problems.

‘While many overseas cities are consolidating, the state government is intent on sprawling further into farming and recreation land, without adequate passenger transport or other facilities,’ said MTF Chair Cr Jackie Fristacky.

‘It will take decades before realistic services are available for the northern, north western, eastern, and south eastern urban expansion,’ she said.

According to Cr Fristacky the plan released yesterday is flawed in key respects, namely:

1. The low target of residential density at an average of 15 dwellings per hectare is a serious retreat from the Melbourne 2030 blueprint for a more compact and sustainable city. An average of 25 was initially targeted for development at Aurora and 40 dwellings per hectare were identified around activity centres and rail stations. Highly sought-after areas in inner Melbourne such as Port Phillip and Yarra are 40 and 60+ dwellings per hectare;

2. The failure to integrate planning for extending the rail line to Epping North, from South Morang to Mernda to Whittlesea and beyond Cranbourne East. The catchments for developments in the north and south east require integration with planning for further rail extensions. This is critical to tackle congestion and ensure a high mode share for public transport in these growth areas.

‘Unless average densities far exceed 15 per hectare, further pressures on Melbourne’s growth boundary will be inevitable’ said Cr Fristacky.

‘Melbourne will pay for these low aspirations set out by the Government with reduced liveability, environmental and social costs.

‘The MTF urges the Government to plan for real ‘smart growth’ by committing to sustainable residential density in growth areas supported by integrated public transport services.’

What do you think?

Hooray for South Morang – at last

2009-05-05T18:02:00.000+10:00

Melbourne councils reacted positively to today’s state budget spending on public transport.

Metropolitan Transport Forum spokesperson, Cr Janet Bolitho, said the budget delivered on the first commitments announced last year in the Victorian Transport Plan.

‘We particularly welcome the South Morang rail extension, and the additional funding for buses and cycling,’ she said.

‘The South Morang rail extension will bring better public transport to Melbourne’s rapidly growing North.’

Cr Bolitho said that the budget was definitely going in the right direction. ‘This is good but we still face overcrowded trains and trams.’

Cr Bolitho said that vital projects like Tarneit rail extension (as recommend by the Eddington Report) were still waiting for federal funding.

‘With more and more people turning to public transport, it is crucial that federal infrastructure money flows to urban public transport projects.’

‘Federal funding or not, it is crucial that more is done by the state to ease commuter crowding on trains and trams,’ Cr Bolitho said

What do you think?

Obama says, yes we can to rail

2009-04-17T18:02:00.007+10:00

Watch President Obama outline his vision for high speed rail. He blends the need for a low carbon future with job creating infrastructure development.

"Now, all of you know this is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It is now. It is happening right now. It's been happening for decades. The problem is it's been happening elsewhere, not here."

Could our leaders get inspiration from Obama's vision?

The Age says Kosky should go. What do you think?

2009-03-21T16:27:00.005+11:00

It’s not been a good year for the embattled Minister For Public Transport, Lynne Kosky. First there was the summer meltdown of the train system, then buck passing about who was at fault, followed by the revelation that only one of the promised new trains would arrive before year’s end.
Now The Age has revealed surprising government data about passengers numbers - Melbourne's big squeeze.
Today’s editorial in The Age left nothing to the imagination. ‘It is time for her to go,’ they concluded.
What do you think?

Our solitary new train deserves a name ...

2009-03-11T17:30:00.002+11:00

After so much fanfare about the Victorian Transport Plan and the billion $$ investment, its hard to believe that the state government plans to add just one extra train in 2009. (See The Age report “One new train due despite rise in trips” 10 Mar 2009)

pt4me2 reckons we can't let the delivery of just one new train pass without recognition. So we thought we might ask the public to suggest a name for the train? Maybe Welcome Stranger, Hens Teeth, Lonesome Lorry, …. Anyway, we’d like to hear your suggestions.

We need a very special name for a very special train … but don't hurry, it doesn't arrive until December 2009.

Make a comment with your suggested names ..

Track record documents the diabolical start 2009 on the rails

2009-02-21T17:02:00.005+11:00

Track Record is the Dept of Transport regular report on the performance of Victoria's public transport services. The January figures show that train cancellations in January were up to five times higher than average.

Read the figures for your line here.

What was your experience?

Train system is run down and dangerous

2009-01-15T16:33:00.002+11:00

The Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) has joined the chorus of concerns about the state of our public transport system, especially the struggling train network.

MTF Chair, Cr Jackie Fristacky said the dangers were made clear by Connex’s plan to close stations to prevent customers being pushed in front of trains at peak periods. ‘Some signalling and power boxes are nearly a hundred years old. They place the whole system in jeopardy,’ she said. ‘Instead of grandiose plans for 10 and 12 years ahead we need renovation of the railways now before tragic accidents occur. ‘Tracks, signals, power, stations, and trains all need upgrading urgently. ‘The Victorian Government seems determined to shift the congestion back on to the roads, creating more pollution and emissions, and even greater danger of deaths and injuries,’ she said.

Cr Fristacky also called for a return to local manufacturing of trains to suit Australian conditions.
‘Locally made trains and trams should replace European made trains that apparently malfunction under Australian extremes,’ she suggested.

What do you think?

Boulevard instead of traffic trap

2008-12-15T11:07:00.003+11:00

Letter to The Age from Cr Jackie M Fristacky Chair Metropolitan Transport Forum

The Age headline, “The real plan is to push us back into cars” (15/12), is prescient about the government’s transport objectives.
These objectives are reflected in the $5M engineering study to create an expressway on Hoddle Street with concrete flyovers and underpasses at key intersections such as Johnson Street, Victoria Parade and Bridge Road.
Hoddle Street’s problems arise from the influx of vehicles exiting the Eastern and Monash Freeways. The Eastern carries 120,000 vehicles a day, while the M1 is being expanded to double its capacity. Hoddle Street congestion is compounded by the car centric approach to transport through building Eastlink and expanding the M1.
These key freeway expansions were decided without proper public policy assessment based on principles of integrated transport and land use planning.
Developed in secret, the Hoddle Street proposal has had no public input or consultation, or cost-benefit analysis. Nor has it been appraised against alternatives. The new $5M study is now an admission that the Doncaster Area Rapid Transit (DART) bus system will be ineffectual to impact on mode share to alleviate congestion on Hoddle Street.
The Government has been silent on the City of Melbourne, Yarra and Manningham joint submission to Infrastructure Australia, seeking a $5M feasibility study of a rail service for the growing Doncaster corridor.
The cost of the Hoddle Street proposals would exceed the $1.5B cost of rail to Doncaster. Other costs are added congestion at Hoddle Street intersections, huge lost opportunity costs, reduced road safety and amenity and increased emissions.
There is a superior alternative vision for Hoddle Street to be renovated as a key Melbourne boulevard and activity centre.
The Cities of Melbourne, Yarra, Stonnington and Port Philllip, through a joint Inner Melbourne Action Plan (IMAP) have endorsed improving the quality and design of Alexandra Parade and Hoddle Street as boulevards. Submissions to the Eddington Review and Government, proposed mass transit by rail from Doncaster to Carlton and the extension of tram route 86 along Hoddle Street from Clifton Hill to Richmond and South Yarra.
Improvements have been made through tree planting, footpaths and council assuming maintenance of street medians for VicRoads. The underlying objective is the development of our key parades as attractive assets like St Kilda Road.
The Dynon to Domain metro rail tunnel supports the boulevard status of St Kilda Road. Similar commitment is required for a metro rail system in the east to enable Alexandra Parade and Hoddle Street to fulfil their destiny.
The Hoddle family have suggested renaming the latter as Robert Hoddle Boulevard in recognition of the huge contribution of Melbourne’s pioneer surveyor, to the layout and liveability of Melbourne.
The alternative view for Melbourne’s key boulevards requires wide public debate and policy analysis, rather than a narrow $5M engineering study for a Hoddle Street traffic trap.

What do you think?

Transport plan: Where’s the greenhouse emission reduction?

2008-12-08T16:40:00.003+11:00

Where’s the greenhouse emission reduction? Where’s the rail to Rowville or Doncaster? Where are the extra tram lines?

The Metropolitan Transport Forum (MTF) has welcomed the public transport projects and new rolling stock announced in the State transport plan but has questioned a number of crucial gaps.

MTF Chair, Cr Jackie Fristacky, said the plan didn’t do enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport. ‘The transport plan shows minimal change in emissions over the next 30 years. This will need revision if Victoria is going to have any hope of meeting greenhouse emission reduction targets.’

The MTF welcomes the omission of the Eddington east-west road tunnel. But the $5 million allocated to study Hoddle Street flyovers and underpasses, demonstrates confusion over how to deal with congestion, emissions and road safety. ‘Hoddle Street should be a boulevard like St Kilda Road, not an LA style spaghetti junction,’ Cr Fristacky said.

Cr Fristacky said extending the reach of public transport to the rapidly growing outer suburbs is absolutely essential.

‘We applaud the extension to South Morang, Sunbury electrification and the new Tarneit line but we remain very concerned about public transport in the outer east and south east.

‘The plan fails to meet major gaps in public transport. There’s not enough being done to increase the reach, speed and capacity of public transport to the east and south east.’

Cr Fristacky said the MTF has also questioned why there were no extensions to current tram routes.

Here's a link to the government's announcement

What do you think?

Leaked plan: Too little, too late?

2008-12-04T09:37:00.004+11:00

Leaked details of the long awaited Government transport plan have been reported in today's papers. The Age and Herald-Sun. More trams and trains are on the shopping list, and the rail line to South Morang gets a tick. Public transport supporters will be very keen to see the details, especially the construction timetable. No doubt there will be disappointment about Doncaster and Rowville rail.

(Pictured: The end of the Epping line)

What do you think? Do these leaks make you feel positive about the looming transport plan?

Fix public transport, Brumby urged: The Age

2008-11-25T11:53:00.006+11:00

ALMOST two thirds of Victorians are unhappy with the State Government's handling of public transport, and an equal number say new public transport should be given priority over roads.

As the Brumby Government prepares to release its multibillion-dollar transport plan next month, Victorians have sent a clear message of frustration to the Government over its handling of public transport.

A special Age/Nielsen poll found 61 per cent of people are dissatisfied with the Brumby Government on public transport — and only 27 per cent are satisfied.

Read The Age report in full

Acording to The Age, sources close to the strategy expect it to include:
¦ planning to begin on linking the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough to the Eastern Freeway or EastLink;
¦ plans for the $700 million Frankston Bypass;
¦ at least 60 new trams and 40 new trains;
¦ a $200 million tram depot at Preston;
¦ a new $1 billion rail line between Werribee and Sunshine to speed up V/Line trains from Geelong; and
¦ a new toll road linking the western suburbs to the east.
A senior Government source also confirmed the $7 billion rail tunnel from Footscray to Caulfield would be included in the plan, but construction would not start until 2014.
The tunnel's first stage would take four years to build.

Where's the new rail to the North or East? Rowville, Doncaster, South Morang/Mernda shunned again? Would you be satisfied with these plans to improve public transport?

New timetable - better or worse?

2008-11-10T11:12:00.004+11:00

Today is the first day of a new train timetable - with big changes to the Werribee line and how it connects to the city.

The changes are:

Werribee weekday peak services will travel direct to Flinders Street via Southern Cross Station allowing for two extra morning peak services on both the Werribee and Sydenham lines. This will occur during morning peak 6.42am and 8.23am, and during the afternoon between 4.08pm and 5.48pm.
Werribee passengers wanting to travel through the City Loop can change trains at Southern Cross or at North Melbourne Stations.
The 9.51am Werribee to Flinders Street service will no longer run.

Share your experiences of the new timetable ... Add your comment ...

Transport plan in doubt - send a message

2008-11-08T13:02:00.003+11:00

The Age is reporting that plans for a dramatic redesign of Melbourne's transport system may have been scaled back as Canberra threatens to take off the table billions of dollars promised for major projects.

Read The Age story in full

We've made it easy for you to tell Mr Brumby and Mr Lenders how you feel about public transport - just click here to go to our 'email the premier' page

Use this blog to share your feelings with others. Make a comment

Prof Peter Newman on bus vs rail in Perth

2008-11-05T15:20:00.001+11:00

Professor Peter Newman explains the decision of transport authorities to opt for rail over bus when they wanted to expand their public transport. See part 2 for the rest of the story.

Invest in PT says councils: ABC News

2008-10-20T21:25:00.003+11:00

The Age: Flinders Street dangerously overcrowded

2008-09-23T14:47:00.002+10:00

THE AGE: Hundreds of commuters crammed into Flinders Street Station yesterday, forcing trains to pull into packed platforms and leading to calls for more trains to cope with surging passenger numbers.
- 'Dangerously overcrowded'

- Connex investigating

- Platform 'blocked by commuters'

Read the full report

What is your experience of our platforms at peak hour?

... it must be awful to be a driver on these buses

2008-09-16T14:39:00.005+10:00

I want to talk about buses. I regularly get 201 from Box Hill (East Balwyn for me) to the Carlton Elgin/Lygon run. I go to volunteer at a bookshop. I attend once a week.

The buses run every 25 mins. They are rarely on time. Not the poor
drivers fault because the bus runs are awful. There is a bus stop about every 50/60 meters with one person who needs to give money. It so
slow. It takes about 45 mins to drop me at Victoria and Lygon and another 25mins down to the back of Myers for the rest of the poor buggers.

Coming home it is even slower - lots of students Uni and high schools.
Just about every stop from Kew onwards is used. The whole journey is noisy, slow and it must be awful to be a driver on these buses.

Sincerely yours.

Nina

Messages to our MPs in the West

2008-08-26T14:01:00.003+10:00

Comments from letters to MP from commuters:

From a Werribee line customer, there's not much point complaining to Kosky. When the new Werribee Line Timetable comes out, and she's stopping our peak services going through the loop, that's when the complaints will start. She wont realise the impact, until the state election, when her constituents turn on her. Kennett tried to tried to dump on us, and look what happened to him. Western Suburbs people don't forget stupid government decisions.

Ian
Western suburbs resident

I urge you not to forget those on the Sydenham line which I believe has well and truly reached capacity during peak hour. It is becoming more and more difficult to board the train at Sunshine each morning not to mention dangerous. Please consider building another train line for the west, or using the train line that currently runs through Ardeer and is only used for Vline trains, perhaps it would better serve the community and in particular residents of Deer Park, Ardeer, Caroline Springs & West Sunshine to have this train line used also for suburban trains. I fear that an accident is going to occur on the Sydenham due to the amount of people that already travel on this line. People are fainting as they are so crammed in, this is only in winter, it is only going to get worse in summer. Please do something to help.

Natalie
Caroline Springs Resident

Please invest in public transport. We'll happily stay off the roads if the infrastructure is there to make trains viable for us.
Years ago, no one talked about public transport in the office. Now people are retiring early from their city jobs because they can no longer stand the commute. Every day our colleagues have gripes about the trip to work. So much for work/life balance.

Nicole
Point Cook

From The Age letter (15 Aug): Beware the backlash

2008-08-18T10:59:00.002+10:00

INNER-CITY residents recognise the need for government to invest in public transport for neglected growth suburbs. Currently, two-thirds of Melbourne has no practical alternative to cars. Without investment in sustainable alternatives, more people will be left behind or burdened with larger transport costs.
Inner-city residents also recognise that apart from being unfair, Government failure to extend public transport to growth areas has caused congestion, poor air quality, poor street amenity, and extra road costs in inner areas.
The solution for all climate change-sensitive governments is to rapidly expand investment in infrastructure for public transport, cycling and walking. With fuel price increases and peak oil, inner and outer residents will inevitably rely on these modes.
Shaun Carney (Comment & Debate, 13/8) highlights the fact that "governments are made and broken in the outer suburbs". The Government can expect to face a major electoral backlash in inner and outer suburbs for failing to meet these alternative transport needs.
Jackie M. Fristacky (councillor, City of Yarra), North Carlton

Is access to public transport an issue that unites or divides inner and outer Melbourne? What do you think?

Melton goes online with petition

2008-08-06T13:15:00.002+10:00

Mayor Sam David (Brimbank) and Mayor Bruce Rowan (Melton) were at Melton Station recently to encourage commuters to sign the pt4me2 petition calling for better public transport in Melbourne’s West.

The Mayors joined in with other councils in the Western region to voice their support for improved rail services on the Bacchus Marsh line which takes in the rapidly growing areas of Melton, Caroline Springs and Deer Park.

Add your voice http://www.pt4me2.org.au/west/index_2.html

Monash gets on line to get campus on track

2008-07-30T15:44:00.001+10:00

A Facebook group and an online petition aimed at Uni students is the latest tool in a campaign to improve public transport in Melbourne's East.

The MTF, a coalition Melbourne councils, has launched an online petition supporting a new rail line to Rowville including a service to Monash University's Clayton campus.

The petition was launched by Monash Uni Vice president administration Peter Marshall, Knox Mayor Cr Jim Penna, student activist Patrick Fitzgerald and pt4me2 spokesperson Cr Janet Rice.

Sign the petition here

Climate change and public demand must be the deciding factor in tunnel vision

2008-07-16T16:07:00.001+10:00

The MTF has come out against an East – West Road tunnel in a submission to the Government’s Eddington study.

Cr Fristacky said the MTF did not support the recommendation for the road tunnel because it was wrong economically, wrong for congestion, and wrong for a climate change driven future.

'Melburnians want and need more public transport – they are voting with their feet for more services.'

'A Doncaster rail line should be part of the solution to support public transport in Melbourne's key eastern corridor.’

Cr Fristacky said the terms of the Eddington study were too narrow. 'Melbourne needs a metropolitan-wide transport plan for the next 30-50 years. We need a plan that gets freight and people moving, as Melbourne's population grows.’

Cr Fristacky said the MTF supported the public transport recommendations of the Eddington study, provided they were not at the expense of current public transport commitments.

'We need to act now to keep Melbourne moving in a climate challenged world,' she said.

Read the MTF submission executive summary and media release

The Government has been inundated with pro-public transport submissions.
Cr Jackie Fristacky, said these submissions overwhelmingly supported public transport. ‘There is a groundswell of concern about Melbourne’s transport future and the public clearly want to have their say.’

Last chance for public comment on Eddington ..

2008-07-14T14:18:00.001+10:00

Tuesday 15 July is the deadline for the public to comment on the recommendations of Sir Rod Eddington’s East West transport study.
We’ve made it easy to have your say by email – simply click here and you’ll be taken our website where you can send an email to Sir Rod and all the relevant MPs simultaneously.
Your say could make a big difference because the government has started preparing a new transport plan for Melbourne for release later this year – the plan that it will take to the next state election!

Call for Canberra help on PT

2008-07-09T14:49:00.000+10:00

What do you think?

Rowville clergy on board rail rustle-up

2008-07-08T14:43:00.002+10:00

Did any one see this story in the Know Leader?

ROWVILLE church ministers have added their voices to the call on the State Government to provide the suburb with a rail line.
Six ministers signed an open letter to Minister for Public Transport Lynne Kosky to conduct the Government's promised feasibility study into extending the existing rail network to Rowville.
But the Government wanted to assess its SmartBus program before considering rail for Rowville, spokesman Michael Sinclair said.

Rowville Baptist Church senior pastor the Rev David Devine said the letter had arisen out of shared concerns for the people of Rowville.
"I think it's frustrating for all of us in the area. There's a growing need for it as the area continues to develop," Mr Devine said.
Due to lack of public transport and rises in the cost of living, particularly petrol, Rowville residents were now thinking twice about attending social gatherings and activities, he said.

A rail line to Rowville would provide an alternative for cash-strapped locals.
"Time used to be people's primary concern, but the use of petrol is now entering those conversations," Mr Devine said.
Mr Sinclair said pursuing a rail line to Rowville would cause further congestion when the Brumby Government was focused on reducing it.
Ferntree Gully state Liberal MP Nick Wakeling said he was heartened to see community leaders standing up to the Government's inaction.

"I am 7 months pregnant at the moment and have had to sit on the floor on many occasions "

2008-06-16T12:36:00.003+10:00

Kylee from Melton sent pt4me2 this email after reading the Express Telegraph

Good on you both and everyone else involved in this project. I travel from Melton to the City and return 5 days a week. Each month I submit my monthly ticket with a list on various problems and just get the same default letter back apart from once I received a phone call when I complained online.

Here are some of the problems I encounter almost everyday:

overcrowding - getting to the point that there has been one fist fight, Connex train travellers can pack in like sardines but with Vline when there are too many people standing up we are told to get off the train if standing and catch the next train. I am 7 months pregnant at the moment and have had to sit on the floor on many occasions and when I have complained to Vline I was told to try and get there another 5 minutes early - already getting there 10 minutes earlier than the train departs from Southern Cross.
Travelling into the city is not so bad. Getting home can be a real problem. We get stuck behind the Connex train from Footscray to Sunshine (stopping all stations). I am really lucky that I have family looking after my two kids otherwise I would not be able to work in the city and unfortunately with my job it is very hard to get a matching salary in the west compared to the city so that is why I travel. If I had my kids in child-care with the times that I would pick them up late I could not afford to work in the city at all.
As Melton station has only one validating machine - you are meant to but sometime the line is 20 metres long to validate your ticket at Melton station and if you wait in line you miss the train.
Lack of trains. In a growing suburb (3rd fastest growing city in Australia) generally 2 trains an hour is a weekend service not a peak hour service.
I would be interested to hear how Deer Park residents travel. Very few people get on this train in an area that is becoming very populated with new housing estates. Why is this so - no seats, little standing room, Zone 2 fare instead of driving 5-10 minutes to Albion or Sunshine for a Zone 1 fare. This station is 20-25 minutes from the city and still has a vline service.
The red trains (not sure what these are called) are just so slow and out of date.

Whats your experience of the Melton service?

See the pt4me2 launch on Channel 10

2008-06-02T15:52:00.000+10:00

See the pt4me2 launch on Channel 7

2008-06-02T15:50:00.000+10:00

Say YES to the best for the WEST

2008-05-31T14:42:00.012+10:00

Melbourne's West deserves the best in public transport. That why pt4me2 has joined with Wyndham, Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley councils to get your support for important public transport projects in the West, including:

Tarneit rail link

Better buses and better connections

Bacchus Marsh and Sunbury electrification.

You can support these by joining our online petition.

Almost everyone agrees that better public transport is important. With Melbourne growing by over 1000 people every week, it’s clear that more and better public transport is essential.

It’s good that the Brumby Labor Government has plans for the biggest investment in transport since World War II (see The Age report: Brumby to steer transport plan). But many in the community remain concerned that public transport projects are taking too long and may not reach the people that need them most.

We want the Brumby Labor Government to bring forward existing public transport projects, commit to new projects and accelerate plans to move freight off local roads and onto rail.

How would you improve public transport in the West?

Extra public transport funding welcome but inadequate says local government

2008-05-06T17:26:00.001+10:00

Local government is right behind better funding for public transport in the Victorian budget said Metropolitan Transport Forum Chair Cr Jackie Fristacky.

‘The $10.4 M for design work on the Epping rail extension to South Morang is long awaited good news,’ she said. ‘this should go to the end of the old line to Whittlesea’.

Other good news was the funding for track capacity improvements at Laverton and Westall stations.

But Cr Fristacky said dealing with climate change and greenhouse gas emissions was only token in the budget.

‘Road based transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. To meet greenhouse targets we need to get more freight off roads and much more substantial investment in public transport.

‘Where is the level of public transport funding that will reduce congestion, provide better services and cut greenhouse emissions?’

‘The extra $700 million for public transport is welcome but grossly inadequate when compared to the $8 B in rail projects identified in the Eddington Report.

‘Despite over $1B funding to alleviate social disadvantage, the State Government has not grasped the crucial role of public transport in giving more people affordable access to jobs and services.

‘Low income families in growth areas are being forced into multiple car ownership because of the failure of the government to adequately fund and expand public transport to keep pace with Melbourne’s growth.’

Soaring petrol prices are hitting Melbourne's outer suburbs hardest

2008-04-28T09:56:00.002+10:00

Soaring petrol prices are hitting Melbourne's outer suburbs hardest – suburbs like Caroline Springs, South Morang and Mernda where there is no real alternative to driving to work, school and shops.

The Victorian Government has told South Morang residents that work on the rail extension won’t even commence until 2016 and that the Mernda railway extension won't be completed until 2027. Twenty years is just too far away.

If you live in Caroline Springs, plans for electrification of the rail line to Bacchus Marsh (through Melton and Caroline Springs) have not even been approved by the State Government.

With petrol already over a $1.50/litre, $2/litre is now being talked of as a real possibility in the next few years.

According to Darren Peters of the South Morang Rail Alliance, “Residents won’t be thanking the State Government in 5 years time when petrol is $2 per litre and there are still no rail services to South Morang and Mernda”

Petrol price rises will hit families and low income residents hardest – rail extensions are the solution to providing affordable alternatives to the car.

Obit for Doncaster rail?

2008-04-21T15:35:00.005+10:00

Graeme Davison, writing in The Sunday Age, says the Doncaster rail line is a dead issue.

"Beyond the reach of trains and trams, middle class Doncaster already had the highest level of automobile ownership in the metropolis. Its sprawling haciendas, with long drives and triple garages, epitomised the new model of car-dependent suburbia Australians had copied from the United States."

Read his story in The Age

But despite being fascinated by the automobile, Mr Davidson says there are some worthy PT ideas kicking around.

"A light rail along the wide median of Wellington Road from Huntingdale to Rowville via Monash University's Clayton campus might pay much better than mega-projects such as the multi-billion-dollar cross-city underground or well-meant but flawed projects such as the Doncaster railway."

What PT ideas take your fancy?

You’d expect greenhouse gas reductions in a modern transport plan

2008-04-03T15:23:00.003+11:00

Sir Rod’s Investing in Transport plan is certainly full of big ideas - $18 billion dollars worth! Supposedly it has something for everyone – a tunnel here, a rail line there, a rapid bus line called a DART.

But there were a few things missing …

> Rail to Doncaster - missing
> South Morang line extension – missing
> Epping North extension – missing

But most disturbingly, reductions in Greenhouse gas emission are missing.

This was neatly described in Royce Millar’s analysis in The Age.

Would you like greenhouse reductions with your transport plan?

Send an email to the Premier in support of public transport by clicking here

No going back says NSW Premier with $12b metro plan

2008-03-23T16:44:00.002+11:00

SYDNEY Mar 21: The NSW Government has promised to build a state-of-the-art underground metro to the city's north-west in just nine years, ushering in a long-awaited new era of commuter travel to Sydney.
Yesterday the Premier, Morris Iemma, finally unveiled the $12 billion North West Metro, with high-frequency trains to Rouse Hill via Drummoyne, Gladesville and Ryde.

The metro would run for 38 kilometres between St James and Rouse Hill, via Pyrmont, Rozelle, Gladesville and Ryde, including 32 kilometres underground - one of the longest tunnels in the world.
So frequently would trains run on the all-stops service that commuters would not need a timetable. Instead, they could expect a train within three minutes of arriving at any of the 17 stations along the line. Travel time to the city from Rouse Hill would be 42 minutes; 20 minutes from Epping; and five minutes from Rozelle.
"It is bigger and better," Mr Iemma said yesterday. "After today there is no going back."

Read The Sydney Morning Herald report in FULL

Councillors deliver petition to Minister for Transport

2008-03-21T13:43:00.001+11:00

The Doncaster rail petition with 7,000 signatures has been presented to Public Transport Minister Kosky by councillors from Yarra and Manningham with the Metropolitan Transport Forum.
Thanks for your support of the petition. You helped show that public transport has a lot of public support.
But we need to do more
The government is about to receive an important report on transport links across Melbourne, so it's a good time to let our members of parliament know how we feel about public transport.
Make sure our local members of parliament get the message about public transport - send an email by clicking on the button below. Don't forget to add your name and address at the beginning and you can change the message text in any way you want.

Click here to send an email to your local member of parliament.

Policies leave the city choking on traffic fumes

2008-03-18T10:32:00.002+11:00

From The Age opinion pages (17 March 2008)

WITH EastLink due to open in the middle of this year, inner-city Melbourne will need to brace itself for the additional traffic that will hit the end of the Eastern Freeway.
Around 140,000 vehicles use the Eastern Freeway every day, and EastLink is expected to add more than 20%.
So where do these extra vehicles go? As 90% of Eastern Freeway traffic heads for the city centre and surrounding areas, the fight for exit spaces to the city will intensify dramatically.
Hoddle Street, Melbourne's busiest road, where 37% of cars and 35% of trucks leave the Eastern Freeway, will have to take even more, causing traffic snarls at intersections along its length.
Also, the influx of EastLink traffic into Smith and Brunswick streets will delay trams. Yarra Trams can forget its aim of increasing tram speeds along what are some of their busiest routes, including Swanston Street and Royal Parade.
All this is the result of outdated transport planning by the Government, which clings to the myth that congestion in a city the size of Melbourne can be resolved by freeways that move mostly sole-occupant vehicles. It is committing billions of dollars to projects that only worsen congestion.
Read the complete opinion

Today Tonight explodes transport myths

2008-03-10T10:53:00.002+11:00

Monday 10 March. Today Tonight spoke to transport academic Dr Paul Mees about the performance of public transport in Melbourne. Dr Mees says fewer people are travelling on today's trains than 50 years ago. Why is that so?

pt4me2 – transport for you and me too - our new charter

2008-02-15T18:03:00.003+11:00

Melbourne is growing and more people need transport. With concern about climate change and rising petrol prices, Melbourne’s growth is not sustainable without more and better public transport.

pt4me2 imagines a Melbourne that’s growing, but growing greener. We see more people catching public transport, cycling and walking; fewer trucks on our roads, more freight on rail; and fewer kilometres travelled by car and truck even with population growth.

Better public transport is crucial to the future of Melbourne and the planet

Public transport should:
· be fast, frequent, reliable, affordable and safe;
· grow as Melbourne grows;
· be available to all Melbournians;
· and be managed as an integrated, co-ordinated network.

This means bringing forward existing public transport projects, committing to new projects and accelerating programs to move freight off our roads and onto rail.

Public transport should better serve the public … for a change

Trams are important too says Rebecca from Carlton North

2007-12-21T11:19:00.000+11:00

I think that pt4me2 is a good idea, however can we please focus more on trams. Trains get all the attention but the trams are in a terrible state as well. I live within 5km from the city on the 96 tram route, yet the trams are always late, very late, so packed that you can’t get on or they break down (a lot). To pay (next year) $3.50 for such a short journey of poor quality is unbelievable. No wonder everyone is choosing to drive and our roads are so clogged. We need a big campaign on transport in Melbourne. I work out at Monash University in Clayton where PT is basically non-existent so everyone drives. The Monash freeway is dangerous and often completely clogged inbound and outbound in the peak times. A rail link to Monash (the biggest University in Vic) is essential I believe to the future of this city.

Thank you for your efforts in this area.
Rebecca, Carlton North

Go online to get Doncaster on track - sign the petition at www.pt4me2.org.au

2007-11-05T13:10:00.002+11:00

The cities of Yarra, Manningham and Boroondara have teamed up with the Metropolitan Transport Forum to launch an online petition supporting a rail line to Doncaster.

A Doncaster rail line would be faster and greener than any other proposals to improve East-West transport.

A Doncaster train will be faster and will encourage greener travel. With the land already set aside for a track along the Eastern freeway, the line to Doncaster can be built sooner.

Get online to get Doncaster on track - sign the petition here.

The councils have put billboards at key locations near the Eastern Freeway promoting the online petition.

Have your say about a Doncaster rail line by adding a comment (click on comments to add your say)

New train timetable: Send a message

2007-10-17T10:30:00.000+10:00

Have your say about the new train timetable and we’ll pass your comments onto the Public Transport Minister Lyn Kosky.

Are the extra peak hour services reducing overcrowding? Are you more likely to get a seat? Is it making train travel more attractive?

Or are the extra services just a drop in the ocean? Is getting a seat still an impossible dream? Are peak hour trains still like sardine cans?

Have your say before 31 October and it will be included in our next report to the Government.

Comment on the blog or SMS 0428 pt4me2 (0428 784 632)

PT on track: London, Brisbane and Melbourne?

2007-10-10T10:36:00.000+10:00

Major announcements about public transport have hit the headlines in London, Brisbane and Melbourne as a major greenhouse report says that public transport is crucial.

In London, UK PM Brown has finally given the go-ahead to the £16bn Crossrail express rail link in London, 17 years after it was first proposed. Read the Telegraph report

In Brisbane, new Premier Bligh’s government is looking at London's public transport network as one potential model for its new Transit Authority, which will manage all buses, trains and ferries in South-East Queensland. Read a local report

In Melbourne, Premier Brumby has announced eight new trains for Melbourne. These will join the 10 new train sets announced earlier. The trains will come into service in late 2009.

Meanwhile, UNSW researcher Dr Mark Diesendorf has reported that public transport improvements could help Australia cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. Read Dr Diesendorf's report

Is enough being done locally to promote public transport?

New trains: 10 becomes 18!

2007-10-10T10:00:00.000+10:00

UPDATE 10 October: More trains on order says Brumby They will come on line 2009/2010

The recent State Government budget includes cash to buy ten new trains to arrive by late 2009.

There’s also a new timetable with extra services especially on the Broadmeadows, Sandringham, Werribee, Dandenong, Cranbourne and Hurstbridge lines.

In the meantime, what can be done to ease-the-squeeze on Melbourne trains and trams? Share your ideas at pt4me2 ...

Too many forced to have two cars?

2007-09-25T13:44:00.000+10:00

A new book by Monash University transport researcher Professor Graham Currie says many residents of outer suburbs are forced to use cars because of poor public transport.
As reported in The Herald Sun today, the research found that more than 20,000 of the poorest households in the city's outer suburbs are being forced to run two cars because of a lack of public transport.
The Monash University research found that households in Wyndham, Melton, Caroline Springs, Casey, Cardinia, Hume and Whittlesea were identified as the growth areas at greatest social risk from the lack of public transport. The lack of transport options on Melbourne's fringe is likely to worsen under plans to further the urban sprawl.
Meanwhile, The Age has reported that Melbourne’s population is set to swell to 5 million – pushing overstretched infrastructure beyond breaking point. The Age said ‘the population explosion will compound anxiety about urban congestion, housing affordability and water security, while adding to pressure on the State Government over how to manage it.’

Two cars too many - what can we do to make public transport work for more people?

Free early bird - will it work for you?

2007-09-18T17:49:00.000+10:00

The Victorian Government will trial a new ticket to try to ease congestion on Melbourne's train services. The new early bird ticket will be available to travellers on the Sydenham and Frankston lines who reach their destinations by 7:00am. If the trial is successful, the free ticket will become available across the city's train system sometime next year.

Read The Age story and also the Herald-Sun for more details.

Travelling to the city from Frankston, you'd need to catch the 4.17, 4.47, 5.17 or 5.47 trains. From Sydenham to the city, it means catching the 4.55 , 5.25, 5.49 or 6.09 services.

What do you think? Is free off peak travel the answer to crowded trains and trams? Is this change any benefit to people with weekly or monthly tickets? What about bus and tram travel to the early train?

Have your say about the new timetable

2007-09-12T09:59:00.000+10:00

Details of the long awaited new train timetable have been announced. The timetable offers 39 extra services per day across the whole network. Follow this link to Connex for the new timetable or to Metlink a list of new services. What difference will these changes make to you?

In October, after you've experienced the timetable working, we’ll be conducting an SMS poll about the new timetable. Watch this space and get your mobiles ready.

Car-free day for the city in 2008

2007-09-05T10:06:00.000+10:00

Last a night a group of five young environmentalists won support from Melbourne City Council’s Planning Committee to close some central streets to motorists on Friday February 15 next year. The event will coincide with the Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival. See the full story in today’s newspapers

What do you think? Is a car-free day for the city the best way to get people to think about how they travel to work? Will it lead to an increased focus on improving Melbourne’s public transport?

See whats happening around the world at http://worldcarfree.net/

Desperately seeking solutions

2007-08-30T14:58:00.001+10:00

Concerned commuters crowded into the Melbourne Town Hall in search of solutions to Melbourne’s public transport crisis. With trains, trams and roads filled to capacity, our city struggles to meet day-to-day transport needs.

The meeting heard the latest ideas for better public transport from Paul Mees (transport academic), Janet Rice (MTF Chair) and Peter Fitzgerald (infrastructure expert).

Were you there? Share your feedback.

pt4me2 for drivers too

2007-08-27T15:18:00.000+10:00

Two-thirds of Melbourne is only served by buses, the trains are full and so are the roads.

More investment in roads means more traffic and ultimately more congestion. Only more public transport can move more people and reduce traffic congestion at the same time.

What would make public transport more attractive for you? Price, frequency, safety or convenience? Share your ideas at pt4me2 ...

Public transport for a change

2007-08-27T15:17:00.001+10:00

Every kilometre travelled using public transport, rather than by car, saves around three kilograms of carbon dioxide.

Tackling greenhouse gases seriously means making alternatives to cars more attractive, not just for commuting but for leisure and routine travel.

To maintain transport greenhouse emissions at today’s levels in 2020, we need to increase public transport use to at least 20% of trips (up from the current 9%).

Do you think the government is doing enough to attract people to public transport and help reduce greenhouse gas pollution? What more should they do? Share your ideas at pt4me2 ...

Oh so squeezey - You Tube captures everyday chaos

2007-07-25T16:29:00.001+10:00