Planning? I fail to see how any of that is done well in Australia…
I’m intrigued by the current debates around immigration and urban planning. On one hand there’s a faction that wants only detached housing on big blocks. The other wants density, density, density. But density is what enables well-connected public transport and services. Sprawl makes it super expensive.
And then we throw millions more immigrants in the mix which makes the former impossible to sustain. No wonder it’s a fraught issue…
not even weekends. I live less than 12 km from Brisbane (as the crow flies) and after 7pm weeknights its hourly to and from the city. I used to often work after 7 and it made a long commute, especially if you just missed a bus. I switched to a motorbike and it made my life so much easier
I’ve yet to see any government, left, right or centre, do planning properly.
They want to bring more people in, probably to expand the tax base, yet they don’t work out where they are to go, and how they’re going to live their lives.
And bringing it back to public transport, they don’t do that properly either. Like Box Hill - they build it but don’t put in infrascture of any proper benefit, until well after the fact.
The Victorian Government announced this morning that public transport would be free on weekends for Seniors Card holders, from January 1 next year.
UPDATE 18/5: Sunday Herald Sun reports today that the government will also announce in Tuesday’s State Budget that all public transport will be free for everyone under 18, everywhere in Victoria, from January 1 next year. It will be accessed through a new youth Myki card which will remain valid until the cardholder turns 18. Children living in non-myki areas in regional Victoria will also be eligible for free travel.
Looks like the New South Wales rail network will undergo a significant transformation, with the merger of Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink (the regional operator).
Not that significant really. Half of Trainlink (the intercity services) were already brought back under Sydney Trains, and they’ve never really been completely separate anyway. NSW Trainlink had always been heavily reliant on the services of Sydney Trains. This may have changed with the introduction of new intercity and regional fleets but not anymore.
The Victorian Government announced today that there would be a dress rehearsal for Melbourne Metro Tunnel on Saturday, June 21. On this day, more frequent trains will run, but passengers on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will have to switch trains at Caulfield or Footscray stations. The empty trains will then continue on through the tunnel as a sort of dry run.
Brisbane’s Exhibition train station will soon reopen for major events at the city’s showgrounds, including the Ekka, before operating year-round from 2029.
The station at Bowen Hills has been closed in recent years while it underwent a significant upgrade as part of the Cross River Rail project.
The first event the station will service is this week’s camping and caravan show, which kicks off from Wednesday and goes through to Sunday.
The Victorian Government has launched a new design competition for the new youth myki card. It will be open to 5-17 year olds. Entries close next Sunday, June 15.
