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Category: Media releases

  • Eleven years and still waiting

    The Rowville railway line should have been built by now, according to the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA). It’s been eleven years since Labor made the feasibility study promise which helped the Bracks/Brumby Government win power in 1999. “It’s absurd that the Brumby Government hasn’t even done a study when we know the railway line…

  • Users present public transport vision

    Trains, trams and Smartbuses every ten minutes, all suburban stations staffed, V/Line trains every half-hour on main commuter routes, “Tram-cams” to catch careless motorists, and a Public Transport Authority to better plan and manage public transport all feature in the Public Transport Users Association’s call to the political parties in the run-up to the state…

  • Call for more V/Line services to cut waiting times

    As the state election approaches, the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called for upgrades to V/Line short distance services[1] to run at least every 30 minutes, seven days-a-week. PTUA regional spokesman Paul Westcott said that with strong patronage growth, V/Line train services are increasingly overcrowded not just in peak times, but also at off-peak…

  • RACV in the right lane on buses, says PTUA

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has congratulated the RACV for supporting the PTUA’s call for more buses and recognising the importance of bus lanes on Stud Road. “The State Government now needs to do its part of the deal by upgrading the 901 Smartbus to operate at least every 10 minutes, from 6am to…

  • Alamein Line upgrade call

    The Alamein line which is used for over 1.8 million journeys a year is falling behind, according to the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA). Recent timetable upgrades for the metropolitan train network launched earlier in the month ignored Alamein line commuters. “Alamein passengers are tired of being left behind by the government and Metro”, said…

  • Bus issue raised in parliament

    The issue of crowded buses and slow travel time on the 903 Smartbus, which runs from Mordialloc to Altona, has been raised recently in parliament on two separate occasions. Liberal MP Andrea Coote and Greens MP Susan Pennicuik have both criticised the unsatisfactory situation first brought to the public’s attention by the Public Transport Users…

  • 21st century upgrade call – Belgrave and Lilydale lines

    Passengers on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines beyond Ringwood are receiving train services that are below urban standards according to the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA). In the off-peak, services beyond Ringwood operate half-hourly, compared with every 15 minutes between the city and Ringwood. Peak hour services also finish very early at just after 8am…

  • Crime stats highlight station hotspots

    Analysis of 2009 crime statistics by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has shown that 45% of assaults on railway stations occur at just ten locations. The figures also showed about half the assaults occurred in the daytime. PTUA President Daniel Bowen said that the figures reinforced the association’s call for all stations to be…

  • No end to crowded buses

    Upgrade call from Heidelberg to Mordialloc Passengers on the route 903 Smartbus are still being forced to stand on slow, infrequent and overcrowded buses serving the busy Chadstone Shopping Centre. Despite previous concerns over crowded buses expressed by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA), the State Government has made no commitment towards fixing the problem.…

  • More train and bus services welcomed

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed new Metro train timetables that will boost train services on some of Melbourne’s busiest lines, and as well as the boost to Smartbus services in Melbourne’s northeast. PTUA President Daniel Bowen said extra peak-hour services on the Werribee, Craigieburn and Sydenham lines would improve conditions for commuters.…

  • Call to staff all stations

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on all political parties to commit to fulltime staffing of all metropolitan railway stations, and a joint Victoria Police/Metro review to determine which stations should have a permanent police presence. “We should not have a train network of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’”, said PTUA president Daniel Bowen. “Everyone’s…

  • Photos reveal crowded weekend buses

    BUSES serving the busy Chadstone Shopping Centre are slow, infrequent and overcrowded, with many passengers being forced to stand on weekend services. Photographs taken by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) show large numbers of standing passengers, and the PTUA said the same buses waste a lot of time stuck in traffic in and around…