Today is a monumental day in the history of public transport in Melbourne - and the western suburbs.
The Metro tunnel will increase capacity on the congested Sunbury line, and provide the west a dramatically improved connection to the Parkville hospital precinct and the University of Melbourne, making travel for work and for study vastly easier.
Furthermore, the Metro Tunnel will make it far easier to make cross city trips from the west, whether that be to Malvern to go shopping, or to Caulfield to go to uni - without having to change trains.
We hope to see residents of our growing western suburbs take the opportunity that the “Summer Start” provides to check out the Metro Tunnel, taking advantage of the free weekend travel until “The Big Switch”, when the Metro Tunnel opens completely, with frequent services stretching from Watergardens to Dandenong all week.
However, whilst the Metro Tunnel will provide some relief for commuters who have been dealing with over-crowded station platforms for years, many across the west will miss out on the new opportunities that the Metro Tunnel provides if the government doesn’t act to make sure people can get to the station without having to drive.
All across the West, train station car parks are full by 7am, leaving people forced to park far away from the station, or drive all the way to work.
When the tunnel opens, the pressure on commuter car parks will only increase, as passengers flock to the improved train services. We should heed the warning from the example of the Sydney Metro opening last year, which found that massive car parks were filling up at 7:13am! Luckily for Sydney, there was a solution: Buses!
The funding of bus improvements and network reform was vital in getting people to train stations - even after the car parks filled up.
“When car parks fill up, it hits uni students, health workers, and hospitality workers hardest, as they often work late hours. They are hit with a double whammy of commuting frustration - they arrive at the train station later than office workers, and the car parks are full” said Sustainable Cities spokesperson, Adam Bain, “And, if they opt to take a bus to the station, when they come home late at night, they have to rely on a friend, parent or an expensive uber to get them home as the buses aren't running anymore!”
The government has shown it can improve operating hours earlier this year, with routes like the 423 running up until 1am, so why not beat the overflowing Metro Tunnel car parks and fund similar improvements across the west?
“We all want everyone to share in the Metro Tunnel benefits”, said Bain, “I’m not alone in being fed up with having to drive from station car park to station car park to find a spot. If only the buses ran all day, we would have an alternative”.
The government has the opportunity to make the Metro Tunnel an even more iconic and city shaping project than it already is, by putting the focus on common-sense bus reform. In the meantime, we will celebrate the opening of the Metro Tunnel in anticipation that it will finally show the demand is there for fast, frequent and direct public transport options in the west.
For further comment contact
Adam Bain, Sustainable Cities Spokesperson: 0450 475 954
Elyse Cunningham, Better Buses Campaign Coordinator: 0421 559 343
