News

Over the same time, Brisbane’s population grew from about 2.095 million to 2.372 million; about 13.2%, or 1.9% per year. So ...
Here’s something I learnt yesterday: There’s a small town called Eucla, WA, near the SA border. Population: 53. Get this: It has its own timezone, which is halfway between Perth and Adelaide time. The ...
Here’s an update on the state of level crossing removals. I’ve done these lists before: 2020, 2018, 2017, 2014. They’re all based on the 2008 ALCAM list, which ranked Victoria’s level crossings by ...
There’s hidden meaning in some of Melbourne’s tram and bus route numbers. Below 150 is all trams, for a start. Above is buses. I suspect trams will move to 1 or 2-digit numbers in the next few years, ...
Remember a few months ago when I wrote about the next big train timetable change? That was originally expected in December, but got postponed due to delays completing works on the Ballarat line. Today ...
Many years ago the German city of Munster set up a photo comparing the road space taken by people in a bus, on bikes, and in cars. Earlier this month the Cycling Promotion Fund recreated that picture ...
A remark on social media inspired this: a quick comparison of suburban train punctuality in Australia. We have suburban rail networks in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, and all of ...
Planning for success Sydney’s rail network might not be perfect, but they seem to be doing a lot of things right – patronage 50% higher than Melbourne’s doesn’t happen by accident. Can Melbourne do ...
A common view is that rail stopping patterns should be kept as simple as possible. Lots of complex patterns are difficult for passengers to understand… and drivers and other staff as well. And when ...
Yesterday the State government announced funding for early works for the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL). Being a huge project, even early works are pricey – it comes out at $2.2 billion. At the same time, ...
Unlike here in Victoria, Transport For NSW regularly releases detailed patronage data. I was wondering how Sydney’s new light rail line (L2, CBD to Randwick, opened mid-December) is performing, so I ...
Here’s a snapshot of Melbourne’s public transport patronage over the past five years, by mode. Source: Budget papers. Train excludes metropolitan V/Line boardings. Tram and train are growing. Tram in ...