Why cutting bus fares is a bad idea

A bus at Wyndham Vale station (via Thebusofdoom)

Recommendations 45-47 of Infrastructure Victoria's 30-year Strategy deal with various changes to public transport fares. Some of these are good ideas, but others very much aren't, so let's take a closer look at the problems they're trying to fix, and why I disagree with some of their solutions. 

The legacy of Ballarat's tramways

The shape of Ballarat's tram network in 1971

On Sunday 19 September 1971, 50 years ago today, the last ever revenue service on Ballarat's tramways ran from Lydiard Street to Sebastopol. The mayors of Sebastopol and Ballarat ceremoniously piloted it back to the depot, and the transition of Ballarat's public transport network to motor buses was complete, with the tramways entering their preservation era. But the legacy of the tramways echoed through Ballarat for many years after, and can still be heard today. 

How should we build Melbourne Metro 2?

Diagram of proposed MM2 amongst Melbourne's network (via IV)

Recommendation 61 of Infrastructure Victoria's 30-year strategy is to "Prepare for Melbourne Metro Two and direct Geelong rail services". They're more positive about the project than last time, and it seems the potential for Geelong services to use it has been one of the key things to influence this. But they're less keen on the northern part of the project, recommending it be built in two stages and that the route from Southern Cross to Clifton Hill be reconsidered. Let's take a closer look at this. 

Getting off at Rockbank: should we go all the way to Melton?

Infrastructure Victoria's vision for rail extensions (source)

Recommendation 74 of Infrastructure Victoria's 30-year strategy was to "Extend rail services in Melbourne's western and northern growth areas" - specifically, they recommend extending electrified Metro trains to Wyndham Vale, Rockbank, and Beveridge. Why Rockbank and not Melton? Good question. 

A flick through Infrastructure Victoria's 30-year strategy

The cover of IV's strategy document

Infrastructure Victoria recently came out with their 30-year strategy. There are some recommendations that I want to do full posts on, but a lot of stuff that just needs a couple of lines - so I thought I'd do something like Gareth Dennis has done with various policy documents, and just flick through it and give some brief commentary. 

Level crossing-free lines

Union Rd, Surrey Hills (via Philip Mallis)

The government recently announced they'd be grade separating ten more level crossings, bringing it to a total of 85 pledged and/or delivered under the Andrews government. They also announced they'd be closing four crossings, so it's sort of 89, but their messaging consistently says 85 so let's stick with that. As Daniel Bowen pointed out on his blog, this means about half the level crossings in suburban Melbourne on the 2008 ALCAM list will have been eliminated - very impressive. 

Are passenger trains to Mildura worth it?

The T&G Mutual building in Mildura (via Mattinbgn)

A few months ago, the Parliamentary Budget Office released the results of modelling instigated by Liberal Democratic MLC Tim Quilty, who represents the Victorian upper house region of Northern Victoria. Quilty had asked the PBO to cost a proposal to run three shuttle services per week in each direction from Maryborough to Mildura, and to pay for this by scrapping the Victorian Government's subsidy for the Overland. To my mind this is completely the wrong way to go about things - running a train every second day makes it unlikely to be useful for people, and cannibalising the Overland to do it is just petty and unnecessary - but it does at least give us some very useful numbers from which to extrapolate.