Category: Regional
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IA assessments questionable
The Geelong Branch of the Public Transport Users Association has queried the logic of Infrastructure Australia’s negative response to the business case for the duplication of the South Geelong-Waurn Ponds rail line. Branch convener Paul Westcott noted that Infrastructure Australia seems to be saying that the project would stack up if some changes were made.…
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What year did your railway station open?
What year did your local station open? Before you were born? Probably before your grandparents were born! Our population is growing, and our public transport network needs to keep growing too. Click here to view the map larger. The rail network grew rapidly between 1854 and 1930… but since then almost nothing. Expansion of rail,…
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PTUA welcomes rail investment in Ballarat
The Public Transport Users Association has today welcomed the government’s announcement of the details of a $130m project to untangle freight and passenger services in Ballarat. The project will largely separate freight and passenger trains west of Ballarat station, and upgrade the signalling system in the Ballarat area, to allow for more efficient movement of…
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PTUA welcomes study into high speed rail for Geelong
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the state government’s announcement of a study into faster rail services for Geelong. A $50 million study will investigate the possibility of trains running at between 250 and 300km/h between Melbourne and Geelong. PTUA Geelong Branch Convener and Regional Spokesperson, Paul Westcott, said faster trains would provide…
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PTUA welcomes Coalition commitments to regional rail in western Victoria
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has today welcomed the state Coalition’s commitments to improve regional rail in western Victoria if elected in November. A study commissioned by a group of councils in western Victoria in 2017 called for a swathe of improvements to public transport in their regions, including returning passenger trains to Horsham…
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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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PTUA welcomes Coalition plan for new long-distance trains
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed the Coalition’s pledge to order new VLocity trains for use on long-distance lines in Victoria, if elected in November. PTUA Regional Spokesperson, Paul Westcott, said the existing long-distance trains were overdue for replacement. The Coalition promise would see older locomotive-hauled trains replaced by more modern modified versions…
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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 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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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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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…
