Tag: rowville rail

Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) – Meeting with Terry Mulder, Shadow Minister for Transport

Posted on by alex

Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) meeting was attended by Terry Mulder, the Shadow Minister for Transport to discuss public transport issues within Melbourne’s east.

Terry Mulder as the Shadow Minister for Transport has been widely consultative and willing to engage community groups, councils and residents for the formulation of the Opposition’s Transport Policies.

With the State Government’s Transport and Liveability failing to address Melbourne’s public transport needs it is crucial that the State Opposition releases a comprehensive transport policy that will offer relief from rising petrol prices through substantially improving Melbourne’s public transport system.

Terry Mulder stated that he views public transport as a key issue for the State Election so the signs are encouraging. The recent announcement by the State Opposition to fund a detailed assessment of the long proposed Rowville rail line is a sign of this commitment and we hope that further announcements to address inadequate public transport will follow.

Rowville End Of Suburbia Screening

Posted on by alex

Rowville located within Melbourne’s outer east has a history of being long neglected in regard to the provision of public transport. Despite Rowville’s current situation as a public transport wasteland historically this was not supposed to be the case with plans for the construction of the Rowville rail line first proposed in 1969 via an extension from either Glen Waverley or Huntingdale.

While the John Cain government sold the reservation beyond the Glen Waverley line, the reservation to Rowville via Huntingdale still exists within the Wellington Road median.

In 1999 the then Bracks Opposition promised as part of its commitment to the outer east to “address the fixed infrastructure requirements for the region and in particular identify a preferred train route to Rowville via Glen Waverley or Huntingdale” (Rebuilding a Transport Network, Labor’s Plan, 1999). Six years later the Bracks Government has still failed to deliver a feasibility study into the Rowville rail line.

Due to continued inaction from the State Government Knox City Council conducted a pre-feasibility study into the Rowville rail line in 2004. The study found that the line was feasible and could be constructed from Huntingdale with very little land acquisition.

This Sunday the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), Environment Victoria (EV) and Knox Environment Society (KES) held a free screening of the documentary the End of Suburbia which explores the consequences of a limited oil supply which is resulting in rising petrol prices and the corresponding financial hardship on suburban life.

Rowville End of Suburbia Screening - Audience and facilitators

With just under 100 people in attendance it is clear that the Rowville community is demanding better public transport to alleviate car dependence and social isolation.

The State Government must not continue to bury its head in the sand and ignore the needs of outer metropolitan Melbourne.

It is time to deliver real results and substantial public transport improvements to Melbourne’s outer suburbs.

Is the Government really Meeting Our Transport Challenges?

Posted on by alex

The State Government has finally released the much anticipated and over hyped Transport and Liveability Statement. Dubbed Meeting Our Transport Challenges the statement ultimately fails to live up to its name.

While the statement claims to contain a 10 year blueprint for Melbourne’s transport needs and includes an outlook for 25 years it fails on a number of accounts:

  • Failure to provide for the timely construction of the long overdue and previously promised South Morang rail extension through making Melbourne wait until at least 2016 for this much needed extension. This means the South Morang and Whittlesea community will have been kept waiting for at least 17 years after the initial promise was made in 1999 to build the rail extension;
  • Failure to demonstrate the integration between transport and planning through the immediate construction of new rail stations at Lynbrook/Lyndhurst (Cranbourne line), Point Cook (Werribee line) and Lakeside (Pakenham line). Rapid growth is being experienced at these residential estates and yet residents will be waiting until 2012 for the construction of these stations.
  • Failure to account for rail electrifications to Baxter (on the Frankston line), Sunbury and Melton at any stage within the next 25 years. This is despite the fact that urbanisation has already exceeded many parts of the suburban rail network;
  • Failure to plan and construct any tram extensions within the next 25 years, including the much needed tram extension of route 48 along Doncaster Road to Doncaster Shoppingtown and the previously promised tram extension to Knox City;
  • Failure to facilitate an aggressive and much needed rollout of fast, frequent and readily available bus services across all of Melbourne’s main roads;
  • Failure to envisage the previously promised Rowville rail line and the Doncaster rail line within the next 25 years.

While the Statement does include a timeframe for previously the announced four orbital bus routes it anticipates an extremely long and excessive 10 year implementation timeframe.

Likewise while minimum standards for bus services are to be introduced the services will only be required to provide a minimum one hour frequency meaning the services will remain uncompetitive with car travel.

While some components of the statement are to be welcomed such as the introduction of later night train and tram services on a Friday and Saturday night (with buses being once again neglected) and the introduction of a new coordinating authority, known as the Coordinator-General, the government ultimately failed to meet our transport challenges.

Meeting Our Transport Challenges will simply continue to condemn the two thirds of Melbourne that lacks access to the rail network to continued car dependence resulting increasing financial hardship due to rising petrol prices and worsening traffic congestion.

With the display of such a poor vision for Melbourne’s future it is perhaps little wonder the government has silently dropped its goal of 20% public transport modal share by 2020.

PTUA Outer East Branch Meeting – Ensuring better public transport for all of Melbourne

Posted on by alex

March is a crucial time for public transport advocacy, with the Commonwealth Games underway and the release of the Transport and Liveability Statement expected in late April. Discussion at this month’s branch meeting focussed on the lobbying efforts of other organisations and the need to ensure that the improved public transport that exists during the games remains particularly on future SmartBus routes such as Stud Road.

Environment Victoria spoke on their campaign efforts, including their focus on public transport within Knox, which includes the need for upgraded bus services, the Knox tram and the Rowville rail line.

The additional bus services provided during the games has demonstrated that additional evening services can be readily provided. Now that these services have finally been committed the government must ensure that they remain. The provision of these additional services after the Games conclude will be a firm test on the seriousness of the State Government’s commitment towards public transport.