North East Link: Call for busway to be express service

A public transport advocacy group says any hope for Doncaster Rail will be lost once and for all thanks to the North East Link’s planned busway. Here’s why.

The planned North East Link busway should be an express service into the city, the Victorian Transport Action Group says.

The planned North East Link busway will finally derail any hope for the long-wished-for heavy rail linking Doncaster and the city, a public transport advocacy group has warned.

The Victorian Transport Action Group, which has made a submission to the project’s environmental effects statement, believes a transition to heavy rail would not be feasible once the busway is completed.

While the group thinks redeveloping the road for a light rail service might work, it wants planners to focus on getting the busway right.

The group’s submission argues the infrastructure should be elevated at Thompsons Rd to avoid congestion at the Bulleen Rd intersection.

It also called on the North East Link Project to consider possible future passenger numbers as well as the possible use of electric buses.

Group secretary Mike Reece said a number of factors — including a possible connection in the State Government’s Suburban Rail Loop — would end the possibility of Doncaster Rail.

“The reality is the busway will eliminate any future possibility for a heavy rail service because the cost of transitioning from a sealed road to a heavy rail is absolutely prohibitive,” he said.

Manningham Council last week called on planners to ensure the busway can eventually transition to a rail service.

“The council should promote light rail because it can carry as many passengers in the same time frame, and is cheaper and far easier to build,” Mr Reece said.

Mr Reece said the standing design for the busway was “very sketchy”.

“Where it goes through the Bulleen Rd intersection is very poorly designed, particularly at Thompsons Rd, it seems as though it will be traffic-light controlled, but it’s supposed to be an expressway,” he said.

“They need to elevate the busway at that point so it is above grade into the park and ride which will be built there.”

The independent group is made up of former employees of State Government agencies including the Department of Transport and VicRoads.

North East Link Project chief executive Duncan Elliott said the busway would deliver fast and frequent services to the city running in dedicated lanes.

“It will allow more frequent services, carry more people and improve travel times by up to 30 per cent,” he said.

“Detailed submissions will help challenge and build on the work done to get the EES out to the community. The panel hearings will highlight both the input from landowners, community and groups like Victorian Transport Action Group and the work done by North East Link and its specialists.”

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Manningham Mayor Paula Piccinini said the council wanted the State Government to deliver better public transport solutions for the municipality.

“Current public transport solutions from Manningham to the CBD are not adequate and commuters are losing huge amounts of time that could be better spent at home with their families,” she said.

“Any upgrade to the Doncaster busway must be designed so it can transition to heavy rail, for the delivery of Doncaster Rail in the future.”

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