Category: Media releases
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PTUA welcomes improvements to Shepparton line
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the government’s announcement that the introduction of a fifth daily train to Shepparton will be brought forward. Enabling work, including a new crossing loop and more train stabling, was originally to be completed by 2020, but the state government announced on Wednesday that construction will begin sooner…
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Regional rail upgrades welcomed
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the agreement between the federal and Victorian governments which will see the release of $1.7 billion for improvements to the state’s regional rail network. The PTUA’s Regional Spokesperson, Paul Westcott, said there was a need for significant improvement of the state’s longer-distance regional rail lines. The funding…
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Victoria’s transport planning crisis: Put the public first and end partisan brawling over big infrastructure, says PTUA
The Public Transport Users Association has called for a public interest ‘circuit breaker’ to end the crisis in major infrastructure planning. The call comes amid the scuttling of Transurban’s controversial West Gate Tunnel project by the Legislative Council, which the PTUA says is merely the latest manifestation of a planning crisis in Victoria reaching back…
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Ballarat commuters shortchanged by piecemeal track duplication
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has today criticised the state government’s piecemeal approach to track duplication works near Bacchus Marsh. The Melbourne Metro Authority, which is delivering the Ballarat Line Upgrade (BLU) project, announced changes to the project in December 2017, including changing the location of one of the crossing loops. The project originally…
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PTUA, Community Groups Back Sustainable Cities “Real Plan for Melbourne”
The Public Transport Users Association has joined with Friends of the Earth and community and environment groups across Melbourne to launch the “People’s Transport Vision” as State Parliament opens for 2018. PTUA President Dr Tony Morton said the Sustainable Cities campaign had been launched in response to “widespread concern over another unfolding crisis in Victoria’s…
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No Night Buses on NYE “ridiculous”
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has criticised the state government’s decision to not run Night Bus services on New Year’s Eve this year. While trains and trams will run all night[1], the Night Bus routes, which fill gaps in the network, will not. Areas that will miss out include Point Cook, Mernda, Mornington (and…
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PTUA welcomes extra Night Coach services
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the government’s announcement of extra Night Coach services for regional Victoria. Passengers on the Ballarat and Bendigo lines will benefit from new Night Coaches leaving Melbourne around 1am, in addition to the existing coaches which leave around 2am. This fills a gap of approximately 2 hours in…
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Call for govt to fund official PTV “every 10 minutes” train plan
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has called on the State Government to fund the official PTV rail network service plan, which included trains every 10 minutes on most Metro lines by 2016 [1]. PTUA spokesman Daniel Bowen said the upgrade would revolutionise train travel around Melbourne, by cutting waiting times and crowding outside peak…
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PTUA supports call for better services for Ballarat
The Public Transport Users Association today welcomed Committee for Ballarat’s new #59minuteballarat campaign, which calls for full duplication of the line to Ballarat, electrification of the line to Melton, and faster, more frequent and more reliable services. PTUA Ballarat Branch Convener Ben Lever said the region needs a long-term bipartisan plan to deliver the infrastructure…
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Port Rail Shuttle resuscitation welcomed
Vital context for unsolicited West Gate Tunnel Proposal, says PTUA The Public Transport Users Association welcomes the Andrews Government’s resolution on Sunday to progress work on the Port Rail Shuttle to “level the playing field” between road and rail freight for the Port of Melbourne. PTUA President Dr Tony Morton said the Port Rail Shuttle…
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Ballarat bus passengers still waiting
A new bus timetable for Ballarat will come into effect on 27 August to align with new train times, but the Public Transport Users Association note that most problems with the timetables still remain. Since January 2017, Ballarat bus timetables have been excessively padded out, with overly-generous estimates for how long parts of a journey…
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State, Federal governments must make a deal to fix transport
Tuesday’s Victorian State Budget embodies a “good news for everyone” approach to transport spending, the Public Transport Users Association has said. Giving the Andrews Government a qualified thumbs-up, the PTUA also demanded the Federal Government make good on Malcolm Turnbull’s promise not to let ideology cloud investment decisions in transport. The Budget’s headline initiative for…
