To all Melbourne public transport users, which of these points below do you see as important (you can pick more than one)?
0 voters
Would love to find someone who genuinely WANTS to preserve the Comengs 
Although thereās a few preserved Hitachis stored apparently, so theyāll likely do the same for those.
No thanks. Theyāre the default fleet on my line. I much prefer the Siemens trains but they are few and far between.
On a hot day they now have the best air conditioning, after they all got upgrades following the summer breakdowns of years ag. But I almost never need to use them so Iām sure that novelty would wear off.
More off peak services, bus and tram priority on roads and really fast tracking tram upgrades. The whole network needs to have platform stops and accessible trams - itās totally unacceptable that so much of the fleet is unairconditioned and inaccessible.
Trains have had a lot of attention, and they need it - but the tram network needs a huge amount of work, and buses equally need to finally get considered an equal, with better frequencies and clearer routes.
Iād deploy their seats to all the trains.
A railway to Doncaster is definitely a must. I really canāt understand why successive State Government refuse to build a rail or tram line to Doncaster, insisting on more buses on the Eastern Freeway. Itās like putting all the eggs in one basket. If the reason not to build a tram line is the steep gradient on a section of Doncaster Road between High Street and Harcourt Street (look up on Google Maps), make it less steep with a hybrid underpass or install new traction systems under the trams.
It was suggested to me from someone who lives in the area that a certain cohort of residents donāt necessarily want a train line there. While it is certainly a convenience etc, and personally I would think the positives outweigh the negatives, there appears to be a swell of resistance to it as there seems to be some belief that a train line will attract an unwelcome element to the area, e.g. graffiti, anti-social behaviour, thefts, noise, etc., and may not necessarily be aesthetically pleasing. Iām not sure if these are substantiated concerns but I just wonder if it might be just enough for the government to resist making the investment.
This isnāt necessarily a dealbreaking must-do, but preservation of historical features should at least be considered in any circumstance. I donāt know much about Melbourne PT but the Eltham Trestle Bridge certainly looks like an interesting piece of history and it has heritage listing. If the line were to be duplicated through that section it would at least be worthwhile looking into building a new duplicated bridge next to the timber one and convert the deck of the timber one for pedestrian use.
Moonee Valley mayor Cam Nation has called for a new Airport West station to be built on the new Melbourne Airport rail line. Tram route 59 already serves the area up to Westfield Shoppingtown. I assume the new station is needed to serve residents living in the western part of Airport West, as well as nearby Keilor Park and the Tullamarine industrial area between Sharps Road and M80 Ring Road.
If a new station at Airport West was to serve the airport line itād actually have to be built in East Keilor or Keilor Park/Tullamarine based on the proposed alignment. The route diverges from the freight corridor south of the shopping centre, well before the housing estate at Airport West borders the rail corridor.
If the Government were seriously. They would put a Airport West(or what ever it will be called Station at Sharps Rd and Airport Dr and then extend the 59 tram up Melrose Dr and Left into Sharps Road and Terminate at the Station but hey they canāt even extend the 75 to Knox City.
Think youāre on the money there personally. Move the platforms closer to Fullarton Road and you have an easy connection to the 465 and 476 bus routes.
If part of the rationale for the Airport Rail Link is to service airport workers, I think thereās merit in exploring a station site at what is essentially the border of Tullamarine and Keilor Park. Led to believe that eventually that whole area bordering Airport Drive and Sharps Road will be infilled as part of the airport business park too.
Taking Melbourne Metro 2 out of the equation for the moment, I wonder if it is possible to add a third and fourth platform from Clifton Hill to Jolimont (inclusive), to service the ever-growing Mernda and Hurstbridge lines?
With land space to add two new platforms being a major issue due to residential homes and Heidelberg Road, I reckon they could build a Skyrail that begins just after the trains go under Heidelberg Rd, and finishes and returns to ground level just before West Richmond station.
The skyrail section would be 4x platforms at Clifton Hill, 4x platforms at Victoria Park, 4x platforms at Collingwood and 4x platforms at North Richmond.
Once the railway returns to ground level at West Richmond station, one platform would be put on either side of the existing platforms (giving two island platforms), although this would probably require the acquisition of a few homes on either side, and making a large portion of Muir/Highett Street a one-way street.
Two new holes would have to be dug to create tunnels for the two far end platforms to get through the tunnel between West Richmond and Jolimont Station under Hoddle Street and Wellington Parade.
Then the same deal at Jolimont Station, where a new platform will be put on either side of the existing platforms (giving two island platforms), before returning back to the current number of tracks as present now after Jolimont and into Flinders Street.
Another benefit of this project I am proposing would be the removal of the Ramsden Street level crossing in Clifton Hill.
Thoughts?
Your plan has merit but the biggest problem is at the city end. Jeff Kennettās decision to have Princes Bridge station demolished for the development of Federation Square in the 1990s meant three platforms (14, 15 and 16) were lost, leaving only platform 1 at Flinders Street to serve both Mernda and Hurstbridge line trains. Thus the number of trains per hour for both lines during morning and evening peaks have to be capped.
The section between Clifton Hill and West Richmond is already elevated with tracks built on a 19th century embankment with height clearance of around 4m above ground level. If the tracks are raised further as Skyrail it shouldnāt be generate much opposition, the problem will be acquisition of homes on either side of the tracks given the rail corridor is narrow.
If the Skyrail is to be built I reckon it should go one step further, extending to Queens Parade overpass at Clifton Hill which currently has 4.1 m height clearance. That will require the demolition of Heidelberg Road overpass over Hoddle Street, and making it an at-grade intersection, with the rail bridge going on top of Heidelberg Road.
Fair point. If my plan was to go ahead, then the Clifton Hill Group may also need to use Platform 2 at Flinders Street (in addition to Platform 1), but I think itās unlikely as the Burnley Group can only rely then on Platform 3 (and partly Platform 4) if that was the case.
Thatās what I already thought. If a Doncaster railway line was to go ahead as a Skyrail shadowing the Eastern Freeway initially when leaving the Clifton Hill groupās tracks, the Doncaster line could then make use of what would be Platforms 1 and 2 at Victoria Park onwards (P1 for citybound services and P2 for outbound services to Doncaster), and Platforms 3 and 4 are for citybound and outbound trains for the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines.
Good idea. The only local opposition I could think of is that some residents would be unhappy about long road closures and buses replacing trains whilst this project would take place. I can imagine there would be traffic mayhem around Melbourne if parts of Hoddle Street, Queens Parade and Heidelberg Road are temporarily closed for these works.
I did not know there was even a station at Federation Square until the late 90ās. You learn something new every day.
I found out about Princes Bridge station when I migrated to Melbourne in 1988. It was located below the Gas & Fuel Corporation Towers and had its own entrance.
I only used the station once, when a train from Glen Waverley unexpectedly terminated there instead of Flinders Street station.
I used to live on the Hurstbridge Line many years ago, so Princes Bridge station, under the gorgeous Gas & Fuel twin towers, was my regular stop in the city.
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