Re: $550m to speed up Vic rail services

[Vaughan Williams <ender2000@my-deja.com>]

> It is a very tricky balance.
> Just like I want to catch an express train from Ringwood that stops at
> Box Hill, Camberwell and Richmond and city (inc city loop) but at the
> same time the existing service levels need to be maintained to the
> intermediate stations or improved.
> All very hard thing to balance.

Thats right. The benefit of a shorter travel time for the Bendigonians
needs to be traded off against the benefit of a fast train for
Castlemaine, for example.

I'd suggest stopping the fast train at Kyneton, Castlemaine and Bendigo
only, and having a sprinter service to kyneton that connects with it as
well as possible. Remember, people from Castlemaine travel to bendigo,
so we need to provide as many options as possible for people to travel
from one point on the line to another. I don't know why Woodend is
included. Woodend is smaller than Gisborne, it only has decent
patronage because more trains stop there by accident of history. I'd
like both the Bendigo fast train and the Kyneton stopping train to run
hourly, and then perhaps two or three a day of the Kyneton ones could
extend to Bendigo to serve Malmsbury and Taradale etc.

> Good, can you let us know how we can put submitions in please?  The
next
> 12 months is important to get it right or it is stuffed for ever.

If you live along the corridors, ring your MP, make an appointment, and
go and see them. The local members are:
Joanne Duncan, Gisborne (includes Bacchus Marsh)
Geoff Howard, Ballarat E
Karen Overington, Ballarat W
Joe Helper, Ripon (includes Ararat/Maryborough)
Jacinta Allan, Bendigo E
Bob Cameron, Bendigo W

Joanne Duncan's constituents in particular will be severely affected by
the proposal to single-track Bendigo and would benefit the most from
double-tracking Ballarat.

Otherwise, I'd suggest a letter to the Premier.

> Yes, somewhere in the report is says 100% increase in service (ie
double
> the number of trains) will get a 60% increase in passengers.  So I
> totally agree, double the service (or better).

Thats because their model shows an elasticity of demand of less than
one. THis is probably true for the trains alone, but if the bus system
is fixed up to so that it is possible to go-anywhere-anytime in country
Victoria (as long as its in a town) with reasonable convenience, the
patronage should more than double for a doubling in service (the
Squaresville example from A Very Public Solution, which you should read
if you haven't already)

> > * Line to Ballarat should be duplicated at least as far as Melton,
> > preferably all the way with the exception of the bridge over the
> > reservoir
>
> At least to Bacchus Marsh (with single line over the Melton Weir)
> because all local trains should go to Bacchus Marsh (make that Zone 3
as
> well).

Fair enough, though to Melton would be a good start. Thats actually why
we don't support electrifying to Melton - because the Melton trains
should all be continuing to Bacchus Marsh anyway.

Personally I'd prefer a half hourly service all the way to Ballarat and
then local trains don't really need to be worried about.

> I understand the Ararat and Mildura studies will be in before the end
of
> the year.

Ararat has been released already. National Express want $5m of capital
works (not unreasonable) and $1.5m in extra operating subsidy to run
the service (which is a rip off, but isn't that much in the grand
scheme of things I guess)

Vaughan


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