MIND THE GAP
COMMUTERS will have to wait up to 20 minutes for connecting buses when a new V/ Line timetable is introduced next month, a local public transport advocate says.
Public Transport Users Association Geelong branch convener Paul Westcott said the new timetable would deliver trains at 40-minute intervals which would not link to hourly buses.
“To be effective, public transport depends on a network effect, which requires quick and convenient transfers between different routes and modes,” he said.
“Whoever decided that trains would run every 40 minutes has completely ignored that fundamental requirement.”
Transport For Victoria spokesman Andrew Bartram said the new timetable was being reviewed before its release but flyers for 40-minute trains on weekends have already been released.
Almost 70 news services will be added to the Geelong line from August 27, including 30 at the weekend.
The new services mean trains will run every 40 minutes between 7am to 7pm on the Geelong line.
Five services running to Wyndham Vale and Tarneit will also be added each weekday to unclog the Geelong line.
Mr Westcott called for PTV to increase frequency of trains or buses to reduce the wait times for commuters catching buses.
“Forty-minute (train) schedules just don’t work. World’s best practice is to have services you can repeat every hour and 40-minute services can’t be repeat every hour,” he said.
He said trains at 30-minute intervals would overcome problems, with hourly buses linking with every second train.
“If trains do run every 40 minutes, the only solution is to introduce 40-minute frequencies for connecting buses as well,” Mr Westcott said.
He said increasing waiting time would confuse and annoy commuters.
“It is completely counter to the recent bus service changes in the Geelong region, which tried to ensure better co-ordination between public transport services,” he said.
“What is threatened in August isn’t public transport integration, it’s public transport disintegration.”
Mr Bartram said: “(We) will continue to review weekend bus timetables to identify whether any further improvements can be made to co-ordinate buses and trains.”
The new timetable is set to include several express services on the Warrnambool line between both Melbourne and Geelong.