Category: Media releases
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PTUA calls for immediate action on Port Rail Link
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has urged the Victorian Labor government and Liberal/National Opposition to incorporate plans for direct freight rail links to the Port of Melbourne as part of the lease being debated in Parliament this week. PTUA President Tony Morton said, “Without direct rail links from the Port to an intermodal rail…
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World’s busiest airports have rail connections – Melbourne missing out
The majority of the world’s busiest airports have mass transit connections, and the number is increasing every year. A Public Transport Users Assocation (PTUA) study of airports around the world to be released at a forum on Friday found that by 2021, 83 of the world’s busiest 100 airports will have rail services. Of the…
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Mr Turnbull unlocks the box, but will public transport benefit?
The Public Transport Users Association today congratulates Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for opening the “locked box” reserved by former PM Tony Abbott for the wasteful and ideologically motivated East West Link project. At the same time, the Association urges the State and Federal Governments to use the opportunity to fund urgently needed public transport upgrades,…
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PTUA welcomes new PM
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the position, and expressed the hope that his ascension will herald a new era of Federal funding for both urban and regional public transport. “Mr Turnbull is to be congratulated”, said PTUA President Tony Morton. “While we may not see him…
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Homesafe a great start to all-night weekend PT
The PTUA has welcomed confirmation that the “Homesafe” all-night weekend public transport services will start in January 2016, while noting that the government would need to make adjustments to the trial as it became clearer what worked and what didn’t. PTUA spokesman Daniel Bowen said that Melburnians had been calling for all-night trams and trains…
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State Budget: Big boost for rail, less for trams and buses
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has praised the State Budget for taking significant strides to bring the rail system into the 21st century, but noted tram upgrades are more limited, and most bus routes are unlikely to see any improvements. PTUA spokesperson Daniel Bowen said the Andrews Government deserved credit for taking rail transport…
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Westlink revival: Where’s the business case?
PTUA Demands End to ‘Knee-Jerk Planning’ The Public Transport Users Association has demanded the Andrews Government and Transurban publish all analysis supporting the government’s decision to progress the $5.5 billion Western Distributor toll road project. “The government has joined up with the company that makes money off tollroads, and together they’re springing on the public…
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End of East West Link ‘Zombie project’ a victory for Victoria
State, Feds must now get moving on positive agenda, says PTUA. The Public Transport Users Association has welcomed the settlement between the Andrews Government and the East West Link consortium for the sum of $339 million. “After many months of claim and counterclaim from all sides of this affair it is a great relief for…
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PTUA delivers transport verdict
The Public Transport Users Association has delivered its verdict on party policies going into the state election. While the PTUA recommended the Coalition over Labor in the 2010 election, PTUA President Tony Morton said they could not do so this time, because the unwanted, unmandated East West Link was a spectre hanging over the Coalition’s…
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Melbourne’s Sunday trains now start last
A survey of rail timetables by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has found that Melbourne trains start later on Sundays than any other city in Australia. PTUA spokesperson Daniel Bowen said the comparison of timetables from Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne showed we are lagging behind. “Last time we looked at this[1], Adelaide’s…
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Rise above doubters on Doncaster rail, says PTUA
Study author re-think on Rowville suggests way ahead on Doncaster The Public Transport Users Association has backed a renewed push on rail service to Doncaster Hill, and called for signalling upgrade works on the Dandenong rail corridor to be expanded to include the South Morang and Hurstbridge lines. “We’ve all heard the arguments about there…
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Victorians sold out by reckless road contract
Taxpayers on the hook for decades unless contracts annulled, says PTUA The ‘reckless haste’ to sign East West Link contracts before November’s State election has been slammed by the Public Transport Users Association, who warned the decision could torpedo the state’s transport policy for decades. “Premier Napthine is attempting to tie the Victorian public’s shoelaces…