With the Christmas season upon us, the shortcomings of public transport on weekends and public holidays have been highlighted on Boxing Day, said to be Melbourne’s busiest shopping day of the year.
Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) President Daniel Bowen said the problems were threefold:
- services didn’t start early enough for Boxing Day CBD shoppers;
- infrequent services to most suburban shopping centres were expected to result in traffic chaos; and
- holiday arrangements are confusing, with trains, trams and buses running to different schedules on different days.
Boxing Day
On Boxing Day, Sunday services will run on all trams and trains [1]. The first train services won’t reach the city until around 8am, with the first trams arriving around 7:30am. Myer Melbourne and David Jones will both open their doors at 5am[2].
“In central Melbourne, the big department stores will open their doors hours before the first trams and trains arrive”, Mr Bowen said, who added that Nightrider buses were not sufficient.
“Nightrider buses will run overnight, but most people are unfamiliar with them, and with only ten routes into the city, many suburbs which have daytime public transport have no Nightrider service at all.
“Public transport fails to cater for early shoppers and staff wanting to get to Melbourne’s major department stores on the busiest shopping day of the year.”
Suburban traffic chaos
Meanwhile at major suburban shopping centres served by bus, most services will run to Sunday timetables, with a few running to Saturday times. Some will run no services at all.[3]
“At big centres like Chadstone, mostly buses services are totally inadequate, and there will be chronic traffic congestion and packed car parks”, said Mr Bowen.
“Unfortunately this is not unique to the holiday period – it happens every weekend. To most people, even fighting for a car space is preferable to waiting an hour for a bus.
“On some routes we expect to see overcrowding, as has been seen recently on weekends on routes such as the 903 Smartbus to Chadstone.”[4]
Holiday confusion
Over the holiday period, passengers will face confusion, with a wide variety of timetables in use on different days, and separate arrangements for trains, trams, buses, and V/Line.
“It’s pleasing that the summer timetable for trains was abolished some years ago”, said Mr Bowen. “But the number of different timetables in use is bewildering.
“On some days trains will run to a Saturday timetable, trams to a Sunday timetable, some bus routes Saturday, some Sunday, and other buses and V/Line special timetables. It’s all over the place. They couldn’t make it more confusing if they tried.”
Action needed
Mr Bowen said that the new government’s Public Transport Development Authority should urgently review weekend and holiday timetables, and ensure that services met community needs, with earlier services on Sundays and more frequent trains, trams and buses to cope with weekend shopping and sporting crowds and help people get around the city and suburbs.
“It’s time to cut the confusion, and provide better public transport services on weekends.
“Melbourne is a big city, and getting bigger. We need 21st century service levels to ensure that people can get to big events like the Boxing Day sales without having to drive”, Mr Bowen concluded.
Holiday timetable confusion
|
Day |
Metro trains |
Trams |
Buses |
V/Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sat 25/12:
|
Sunday timetable |
Sunday timetable with extra early services
No City Circle |
Sunday timetable, but no services on 605, 681, 682, 684 (which normally run on Sundays) |
Trains: Sunday timetable
Coaches: special timetable |
|
Sun 26/12:
|
Sunday timetable |
Sunday timetable |
Mostly Sunday timetable, but some routes Saturday timetable*
788: special timetable |
Sunday timetable
No Canberra via Bairnsdale coach |
|
Mon 27/12:
|
Saturday timetable without late-night services |
Sunday timetable with extra early services |
Mostly Saturday timetable, but some routes Sunday timetable**
684, 788: Special timetables |
Saturday timetable |
|
Tue 28/12:
|
Saturday timetable without late-night services |
Saturday timetable with extra early services |
Mostly Saturday timetable, but some routes Sunday timetable**
684, 788: Special timetables |
Special timetable |
|
29/12 and 30/12
|
Normal weekday timetable |
Saturday timetable with extra early services, and route 30 running. Also route 24? |
Unclear. Believed to be mostly normal weekday timetables, but some routes reduced services |
Normal weekday timetable |
|
Fri 31/12
|
Weekday timetable, with extra services in the evening, and all night |
Unclear if running Saturday or weekday timetable
Extra services in the evening, and all night |
Mostly normal weekday services, but some (unspecified) special timetables |
Normal weekday timetable |
|
Sat 1/1/2011
|
Saturday timetable |
Saturday timetable |
Mostly Saturday timetable, but some routes Sunday timetable***
788: special timetable
490, 503, 506: no service |
Normal Saturday timetable |
|
Sun 2/1/2011 |
Normal Sunday timetable |
Normal Sunday timetable |
Normal Sunday timetable |
Normal Sunday timetable |
|
Mon 3/1/2011
|
Saturday timetable without late-night services |
Saturday timetable (but without late-night services) |
Mostly Saturday timetable, but some routes Sunday timetable**
684, 788: Special timetable |
Special timetable |
|
4/1 to 7/1/2011 |
Normal weekday timetable |
Weekday timetable, but peak frequencies reduced to 5 mins on routes 19, 55, 59, 112 |
Unclear. Believed to be mostly normal weekday timetables, but some routes reduced services until 22/1 |
Normal weekday timetable |
*Bus routes 200, 201, 202, 207, 235, 246, 250, 251, 270, 271, 273, 279, 280, 281, 282, 284, 286, 293, 295, 302, 305, 364, 366, 367, 468, 688, 689, 690, 695, 701, 703, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 742, 753, 754, 755, 765, 766, 767, 903, 905, 906, 907 and 908
**Bus routes 215, 216, 219, 220, 223, 232, 481, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489, 562, 600, 843, 845, 849, 861, 922 and 923
***Bus routes 215, 216, 219, 220, 223, 232, 600, 922 and 923
* * *
[2] Herald Sun 24/12/2010: Boxing Day sales to revive retailers
www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/boxing-day-sales-to-revive-retailers/story-e6frf7kx-1225975621106
[3] Chadstone bus services on Boxing Day:
612 – Sunday timetable (no service)
623 – Sunday timetable – every 60 minutes
624 – Sunday timetable – every 60 minutes
625 – Sunday timetable – every 60 minutes
626 – Sunday timetable – every 60 minutes
742 – Saturday timetable – every 30-60 minutes
767 – Saturday timetable – every 30-40 minutes
800 – Sunday timetable (no service)
802 – Sunday timetable (no service)
804 – Sunday timetable (no service)
822 – Sunday timetable – every 60 minutes
862 – Sunday timetable – every 60 minutes
900 – Saturday timetable – every 30 minutes
903 – Saturday timetable – every 15-30 minutes
Source: Metlink timetables
[4] Smartbus route 903 to Chadstone regularly has standing passengers, including on Sundays when services run only every 30 minutes. www.ptua.org.au/2010/09/07/bus-903-crowded-no-end/