Passenger Relief On Its Way Under New Transport Plan

Media release

Passenger relief on its way under new transport plan

Hundreds of thousands of Melburnians will be relieved that public transport is the centrepiece of the transport plan announced earlier today by the Victorian Government.

The major coup is the long-awaited and much-needed rail tunnel from West Footscray to South Yarra.

"We're very pleased that the Victorian Government has committed to a project which will economically, environmentally and socially benefit Melbourne," Metlink CEO Mr Bernie Carolan said.

"The current level of passenger congestion on our train network is simply unsatisfactory. Connex is squeezing the most it can with current infrastructure and only a few more changes can happen before the system is completely exhausted. The rail tunnel is the answer to building Melbourne's future railway capacity.

Mr Carolan acknowledged the dimension of the project and supported the Victorian Government's intention to partner with the Federal Government.

"We look forward to an early recommendation from Infrastructure Australia so that projects can get underway as soon as possible," he said.

Together with the new rail line from Werribee to Sunshine, the rail tunnel will nearly double the capacity of the Werribee, Sydenham, Craigieburn, Upfield, Sandringham, Frankston, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, providing much needed relief for half of Melbourne's train lines and key V/Line routes. Once complete, these projects will move 40,000 people across our city in the peak period which is a vast improvement on current levels.

"The Werribee link will unblock the path of most V/Line trains and will allow the over-pressured Werribee line to breathe by running metro services only, meaning more trains can run more often," he said.

Mr Carolan also said that the plan will help bridge the divide between public transport services in the inner and outer suburbs.

"New bus services to Doncaster, continued funding of bus improvements, and rail extensions and electrifications are steps forward in bridging this divide," he said.

"It's all part of the solution to once again lay claim to a world class public transport system that is convenient and efficient to use, with excellent customer information all contributing to a comfortable passenger experience.

While the headline rail projects are very large and will reap medium term benefits, many of the tram and bus initiatives can be implemented rapidly and provide immediate relief to passengers.

"Melbourne has one of the largest tram networks in the world, but it is also one of the slowest," he said.

"Traffic priority for trams and buses needs to work in favour of public transport."

Mr Carolan also stressed that the plan needs to be reviewed every two years, with regular updates and a flexible approach to getting projects off the ground quickly. "Metlink commits to support our customers through the project delivery phase, as major projects cannot be delivered without disruption.

"We're also aware that passengers rightly have much higher expectations than in the past in regard to high quality passenger information and customer service," he said.

Note to editors
Metlink is a partnership of Melbourne's train, tram and bus operators which provides customers with a one-stop-shop for information about services, fares and ticketing.

Owned by the tram and train operators, Metlink Victoria Pty Ltd is a private company that provides services for train, tram and bus operators and the Victorian Government.

The organisation will extend its marketing and customer information activities to regional areas through Viclink.

For media enquiries:
Alice Dohrmann
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0407 338 782
[email protected]


SOURCE: Metlink