Kitted out yet again in fluoro high-vis on Thursday morning, Premier Daniel Andrews was beaming as he celebrated the start of preliminary works for his government’s ambitious Suburban Rail Loop.
The pandemic has triggered a re-think of the very concept of a CBD and the future of the high-rise office building. The collapse in patronage on all forms of public transport demands we ask if our biggest transport project should be re-imagined.It is not too late to reassess the viability of this signature project.
of pre-COVID levels, with former commuters working from home for at least some of the week. On Mondays and Fridays, Docklands looks abandoned. Those who do persist with the commute are much more likely to use a car than before.Memories of over-crowded trams and trains and regular complaints of capacity limits seem surreal, but that was. Peak hour was squash hour – trains and trams could not keep up with passenger demand.
When first announced in 2018, the loop was little more than a popular thought-bubble. It tackles so many of our structural problems at the same time, cleverly pitched with multiple interconnections to regional trains and embracing the long-awaited Melbourne Airport Rail. During COVID, local trips replaced longer ones, suggesting a need for smaller buses doing neighbourhood circuits, with interchanges to bus or rail for longer trips. This is a very European solution, with light rail and express electric buses on dedicated lanes. Instead, we are locked in to contracts that guarantee near-empty diesel buses be stuck on congested arterial roads.The boom in car-share schemes, services like Uber and the reinvented taxi network cannot be ignored.
FaineJon It’s a loop that bypasses the cbd and goes to areas that have seen more built up developments like Doncaster and Box hill.
FaineJon Cancel the project. Tell me that rail on rails will be the mode of public transport in 30 plus years. With advancements l doubt it. Fill it with water and use it a hydropower
FaineJon It probably should be abandoned, what if instead they built high speed rail to the regional hubs hosting the commonwealth games? Imagine what that might do for those centres if people could get in and out of the city quickly.
FaineJon Typical Liberal paper response
FaineJon Must be an election coming up for Costello to start running the hit pieces
FaineJon Unfortunately our election cycles and media model do not favour having vision and imagination...this will be an easy and boring target for the election campaign
FaineJon This infrastructure is planning for when Melbourne is 10 million people. The Age is always (depressingly) anti planning/infrastructure.
FaineJon Doesn’t the fact that labor got elected mean that has a worthless opinion ? 😏
FaineJon What kind of barely thought through drivel is that? Oh wait it says Faine in the byline. CBDs are in decline so a project to create suburban activity centres is a white elephant? What does John use for a brain on the rare occasions he is in need? springst
FaineJon And the Age keep rolling out the s%+t! Time to give it rest! People aren’t listening to your crap anymore!
FaineJon Does anyone actually want this weird rail line? Now that more people have moved to the country, a regional rail spend would be more useful
FaineJon Rail is going to be needed well into next century.
FaineJon Opinion says it all doesn’t it? No fact, no basis.
saveheatherton FaineJon “The collapse in patronage on all forms of public transport” might need a fact check, and a context check.
FaineJon In 20 years this infrastructure will be central to Melbourne’s public transport.
FaineJon No cost $ v benefits analysis done 🤷♂️ ? Because it won't stack up Another blowout increasing state debts, while all health services go backwards ✅🙈🤣🤣
FaineJon THE AGE owned by nine network run by Peter Costello pissed off that the only Liberal election policy EWL has been scrapped 🤣 springst Keep your OPINION PIECES to yourself Peter Costello,
FaineJon Nah, really
FaineJon It’s time to turn around & face the regions, & country towns. Dan has spent years, locking us down, telling us CBD is not safe. Crowds were banned, even in kids playgrounds. Rubber bullets & teargas were health measures. Now, all roads lead. Big debt & disruption Wrong location
FaineJon This 👉👉👉👉
FaineJon Working in the CBD for me is, train ticket, before & after school care for 2 primary aged children and at least an hour 20 each way. My company is trying to pursued me with a free coffee?
FaineJon I’m still sure it will be requires in a couple decades (take that long to finish) and it deliberately keeps people out of the CBD, so why are you taking about the CBD
FaineJon It's a lemon 🍋 infrastructure project that no Victorian wants. Dan's own estimates puts it at 50 to 100 billion, Dan's infrastructure project blowouts history tells us it will be 500 billion & at that cost will never be finished & will bankrupt Victoria. 🤦 AlboMP JEChalmers
FaineJon Wow, Faine's turned on Andrews - who's next?
FaineJon That's the whole idea of the loop! So people can travel to suburban hubs without the need to transit through the CBD.
FaineJon World record lockdowns, curfews and rubber bullets ordered by Chairman Dan is the diagnosis of Melbourne's fall. Will take years to get back to normal.....that's if we are lucky.
FaineJon Currently, literally every train line goes through the city. If the CBD is becoming less important, all the more reason to have infrastructure like the suburban rail loop that links different parts of the wider city so people don’t always have to go through the CBD.
FaineJon And yet a well organised misinformation campaign of fear against bike lanes has been going on. Ridiculous stuff
FaineJon That was obvious for a long time. Rails are an expensive outdated technology that cannot adapt to changes in travel patterns as quickly as buses. A better timed bus system would be better.
FaineJon Andrews never backs down
FaineJon Maybe it is called future proofing, public transport has been in neglect for decades. Plenty of money if we cut funding to rich private schools, tax free status of churches, reducing imputation credits and having a flat 15% tax rate for all forms of super. Too easy of course.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »
Source: 7NewsMelbourne - 🏆 18. / 59 Read more »
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »