General News
20 August, 2024
Transport reform push by group
The Rail Revival Alliance is calling for a “major revamp” to public transport services in the Central Goldfields, after a local report found it to be inadequate and impractical.
While welcoming the insight offered by the local youth council-led survey, the alliance is pushing for improvements to be made to get quality and quantity of services back on track.
“Our public transport system, right across the Central Goldfields, leaves a lot to be desired,” the group’s president Noel Laidlaw said.
“It is hardly a great secret that Maryborough’s public transport network was described in the survey as fragmented — the community has been saying this for years.
“All I can say to the youth council is that they were spot on as far as their criticisms of the current situation.”
Mr Laidlaw, a Carisbrook resident, himself is dependent on public transport and in the absence of which, he must rely on other people.
“It’s just one of those frustrating things and if you don’t like it, you just have to move,” he said.
“I think it’s hardly fair. It’s not so bad for me but I look at these younger people and the situation is really bad for them.
“We need to have [council] set out a decent plan and for government to back that plan — [both parties] need to get on board to make a public transport system fit for the 21st century and not look like a poor relation of the age of steam.”
Released in June this year, the Central Goldfields Youth Council’s Community Public Transport survey was created to map “community experiences of local public transport use and services beyond anecdotes”.
With more than 80 responses, the survey’s findings revealed significant gaps in the system and paved the way for key recommendations, including:
More services running on existing lines, scheduled more frequently, at times better aligned for commuters, students, and for community members accessing services during business hours.
Expand network access to reach more of the smaller communities in the region, such as Bealiba, Majorca, Bowenvale, and Adelaide Lead.
More daytime services to Dunolly, connecting to both Maryborough and Bendigo.
More direct connections from the shire to metropolitan centres — particularly to Bendigo, Ballarat, and Melbourne.
Expand the Myki network to the Maryborough train line (covering Maryborough, Talbot, Clunes, and Creswick stations).
Cost of use should be kept as low as possible.
Services need to be more disability accessible, more consistently.
“The next step is for us to explore opportunities to take the feedback to the State Government to advocate for improved public transport options for our shire,” council said.
View the results of the survey at engage.cgoldshire.vic.gov.au/publictransportadvocacy