NewsBite

Public transport

January

Greens leader Adam Bandt.

Greens promise $95b in new spending in one month

The minor party’s latest pitch is for Canberra to spend $8 billion over four years to underwrite 50¢ public transport fares, saving commuters about $2000 a year.

December 2024

The third stage of the Gold Coast light rail line is causing John Holland problems

John Holland overhauls executive team as projects struggle

John Holland is searching for a new CEO and its major projects boss will leave in January.

September 2024

Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson on Thursday revealed that the Metro Tunnel, expected to open next year, will cost taxpayers an extra $1 billion.

Victorian taxpayers to be slugged another $1b for Metro Tunnel

The cost of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel has blown out again, this time to $13.48 billion, with the state government blaming unprecedented cost overruns.

June 2024

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan her predecessor, Daniel Andrews

Victoria’s $14b Metro Tunnel has been delayed and will cost more

The bill for Melbourne’s long-awaited Metro Tunnel has spiralled past $12.8 billion, in yet another cost blowout for a major Victorian project.

March 2024

Crown Coaches has been operating in Melbourne since the 1960s.

All aboard! Family-owned bus operator Crown Coaches for sale

Boutique corporate advisers Nash Advisory has been appointed to sell the near 60-year-old family-owned enterprise

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January 2024

Victorian Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson says the state has enough funding to proceed with the first tranche of the Suburban Rail Loop.

Suburban Rail Loop to progress ‘regardless of federal funding’

Victorian Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson says pausing construction on the $125 billion Suburban Rail Loop will only add to the project’s cost.

November 2023

Josh Robenstone

Last stop for Ventura’s $1b sale; binding bids in

Street Talk understands sell-side adviser Goldman Sachs collected binding bids on Friday and is due to pick a preferred bidder as early as next week. 

October 2023

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has defended the government’s controversial Suburban Rail Loop, saying politicians must have the resolve to follow through on election promises.

Pallas evokes Paris in defence of $200b rail project for Melbourne

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has defended the controversial $200 billion Suburban Rail Loop, saying “we need this for the state and the future”.

September 2023

Jacinta Allan spoke to the media after being named Victoria’s 49th premier.

Allan ‘should scrap rail loop, charge cars to enter Melbourne’

The new Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan should scrap the suburban rail loop, delay any transport spending it can and charge cars to enter the CBD, experts say.

October 2022

Melbourne’s SkyBus transports travellers to and from the airport.

Melbourne Airport rail case depends on no SkyBus

The viability of Melbourne’s proposed airport rail link depends on travellers paying ‘premium’ fares and the popular SkyBus service not competing with the trains.

August 2022

The first two stages of the Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop are expected to cost $125 billion, more than double the amount first slated in 2018, which Premier Daniel Andrews says was just an estimate and not a “definitive cost”.

Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop will blow out to more than $200b: report

The total cost of Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop will top $200 billion, more than four times the amount first slated in 2018, according to a new report.

The Victorian opposition is promising free public transport for health workers.

Coalition pledges free transport for Vic health staff

Victorian nurses, age care workers and paramedics would be able to travel on public transport across the state for free under a new election promise.

June 2022

13cabs says there are more Uber users returning to taxis now.

Uber drivers stay home and suffer as petrol prices bite

Uber drivers are earning less money now than three years ago, as petrol prices force them off the road, and the taxi industry spies a chance for a resurgence.

May 2022

The Queen makes a rare public foray to inaugurate the new London Tube line named in her honour.

Boss of London’s newest train line has a warning for Australia

The Elizabeth Line, or Crossrail, this week opens four years late and $7bn over budget. Its chief executive is coming here to share the painful lessons learnt.

April 2021

Traditional bus routes may become a thing of the past in areas with poor infrastructure if the trial of an on-demand shuttle service proves successful.

Not-so-public transport trial to launch in Melbourne’s west

An on-demand start-up service is trying to solve a problem that has defied the world’s transport planners.

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December 2020

Taxpayers have been forced to cough up an extra $1.4 billion to get Melbourne's Metro Tunnel finished by 2025.

Victorian taxpayers forced to bail out Melbourne's Metro Tunnel

In a 50-50 settlement, the state will spend an extra $1.37 billion to finish the huge project after costs blew out by almost $3 billion.

Traffic banked up on Alexandra Parade in Melbourne, the site of the long-disputed East-West Link.

Pay as you drive and flexible fares key to busting congestion

Infrastructure Victoria says it's time for a radical rethink on how the state charges for using its transport network in a 30-year plan released on Wednesday.

October 2020

Peter Bollas.

Metro Trains executive admits taking $150,000 in cash payments

Metro Trains' Peter Bollas has admitted he was paid at least $150,000 by Transclean to help grow the cleaning group's business.

December 2019

Victoria is spending billions on new infrastructure like the Melbourne Metro.

Tunnel work halts on Lendlease-led rail project

Dispute with state government client worsens, raising risk of higher exit costs from troubled engineering business.

August 2019

"We will not be intimidated by Metro," Victorian RTBU secretary Luba Grigorovitch said.

Metro wins injunction against union but braces for strike

A bid by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union to leave train ticket barriers open has been blocked at the Federal Court.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/melbourne-public-transport-5zh