The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the announcement of a new train timetable to begin in July.
PTUA President Daniel Bowen said that the introduction of trains every ten minutes on the Werribee line was a significant step forward.
“This is the first step towards a ‘metro’-style rail service in Melbourne. The next step is for the government to fund ten minute services right across the network, seven-days-a-week until late.
“That would give people a network that they can use at any time of day, without looking at a timetable. It would transform the rail system, cutting waiting times and boosting patronage across the day.
“Frequent trains all day also help relieve peak hour crowding, by giving more people the opportunity to travel outside peak hours without long waits for trains.”
Mr Bowen said that frequent trains all day is the key component of a ‘metro’, a vital part of most major cities.
“Metros are not about expensive tunnels, or underground stations. Metros are about running more trains, more often, right across the day. Trains every ten minutes, seven-days-a-week are possible now on most of Melbourne’s rail network, with the train fleet and the infrastructure we already have.”
NOTES
- Trains can run every ten minutes on most of Melbourne’s rail network, excluding some single-track sections in the outer-suburbs
- The PTUA has proposed trains running at least every ten minutes, seven-days-a-week until late, in the recent “Connecting To The Future” publication, which includes a proposal for services “Every 10 Minutes to Everywhere” to make public transport more attractive at all times of day.
More information:
http://www.ptua.org.au/publications/connecting
http://www.ptua.org.au/campaigns/every10minutes