Public transport

Should public transport fares be abolished?

It's a popular idea, but the revenue foregone from abolishing fares in a city like Melbourne would have a bigger impact if it were instead spent on making public transport more competitive with driving

Should Shorten fund Melbourne's suburban rail loop?

Federal Labor's promise to contribute $10 billion toward the cost of the $50 billion Melbourne suburban rail loop shows it's prepared to see a generation or two of infrastructure funding pissed away if it offers a political advantage

What would happen if public transport use grew faster?

Even with bullish projections for public transport growth, cars look set to remain the dominant mode in Australian cities. Much closer attention must be given to tackling motoring directly

Suburban rail loop – how can this mistake be prevented?

It'll probably make sense one day, but the promised $50 billion Melbourne suburban rail loop is the wrong project at this time. There are much higher priorities. The Andrews government should be helped to back away from this careless and cynical commitment

Where to with transport in our capital cities?

The start of the year is an opportune time to take a big-picture view of the state of passenger transport in Australia’s major urban areas. The key challenge for policy-makers is to "tame" the car

Isn't long-term planning for urban public transport a no-brainer?

The Rail Futures Institute’s Melbourne Rail Plan is the sort of comprehensive metropolitan plan that the Government's failed to release, preferring instead to pull out ad-hoc projects just before the next election

Is Melbourne's promised loop rail line justified by jobs growth in suburban centres?

There's very little reason to think the Andrews government's promised suburban loop rail line will catalyse jobs growth in suburban centres on a scale that even remotely justifies the cost

Isn't there a much, much better way to do cross-city public transport?

Progressives and public transport advocates should be calling the Andrews government out on its nakedly political suburban rail "loop" ploy, not falling for it. There's a much better alternative that could deliver real benefits

Has Daniel Andrews gone loopy on rail?

The Andrews government's planned $50 billion loop rail line around outer suburban Melbourne signals Victorian Labor has joined the other parties in giving up on rational urban policy

Is this the end for BRT in Doncaster?

The Victorian Government won't say why it's turned down a proposal from a private company to build a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system from Doncaster to the city centre