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Author: PTUA

  • Ongoing study confirms no Clearway benefits

    Tram Travel Time Saving Narrows: 7 Seconds in Sydney Road An update to a PTUA travel time study has confirmed an earlier finding that extended clearway hours on Sydney Road in Brunswick have not noticeably improved tram travel speeds. Earlier results obtained in November last year, after 5 months of study, found that after clearway…

  • Influencing travel habits

    Our letter as published in today’s Age was edited, which has subtly changed the intent. Below is the original letter as submitted: Peter Fisher and Len Puglisi (Opinion, 18/3) are correct that density is not a panacea for car dependence. Los Angeles is a denser city than Melbourne but hardly rates on the sustainable transport…

  • Limit to peak hour commuter numbers

    Despite the understandable concerns of peak hour train commuters, Metro Trains should be commended for wanting to double train patronage by 2020. It shows there is more capacity to be squeezed out of the network, and smarter timetabling can get more trains on to the tracks. But there will be no doubling of peak hour…

  • Crucial interchange bypassed by Regional Rail Link

    The Public Transport Users Association has expressed serious concerns over the revelation that no platforms will be provided at North Melbourne station for Geelong rail passengers travelling on the forthcoming Regional Rail Link. Although extra platforms will be provided at both Footscray and Southern Cross stations as part of the $4.2bn project, the Department of…

  • Swanston St: Solution is Simple

    Mayor Robert Doyle’s ”Damascus” conversion on Swanston Street has led to a good plan. But on design and location of tram stops, it lets the city down badly.

  • Month-long Myki muddle — New system’s many problems

    With the new Myki ticketing system having been in public use for one month, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has compiled a list of problems with it, and has called for the government to ensure the system is running more smoothly before switching more people from Metcard to Myki. “We are continuing to advise…

  • New minister faces big challenge

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has wished departing Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky well, noting that her successor will have a big job ahead to reform Melbourne and Victoria’s public transport network. “Lynne Kosky has been much maligned, but she inherited a number of problems from former minister Peter Batchelor, including poor maintenance practices…

  • Avoid Myki for now, PTUA advises passengers

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has criticised the government’s botched rollout of the new Myki ticketing system onto Melbourne’s trains only, and has recommended that passengers continue using Metcard for the moment. “Most passengers won’t want the hassle of a flaky ticketing system, and will want to keep using Metcard until Myki works properly…

  • Peninsula Link entrenches car dependence

    From PTUA’s December 2009 newsletter. Despite having no Federal funds for its `Peninsula Link’, the State Government has announced its intention to proceed regardless, driving a motorway through precious native wildlife habitat and historic homesteads, in order to further entrench car dependence in south-east Melbourne and for visitors to the Peninsula.

  • Connex compensation for Oct/Nov

    Departed operator Connex are paying compensation to Monthly and longer ticketholders for poor performance in October and November. Unfortunately the Connex web site has gone offline, but you can get the form from the Metro Trains web site.

  • It’s called Metro, let’s run it like a Metro

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed Metro Trains Melbourne on its first day of operation, and called for the government to boost services across the week. “Around the world, the name ‘Metro’ means a service with frequent trains, from early to late, seven-days-a-week. This is what the government must commit to for Melbourne”,…

  • SmartBus stops short

    Most of the Victorian government’s flagship SmartBus routes fail to meet the defined SmartBus service standard, which itself is well below the level of service provided by Melbourne’s trams, a study by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has found.