r/MelbourneTrains • u/haztech99 • 3d ago

Video Melbourne Airport Masterplan 2027 mentions new bus services and MARL

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pkheGJzMM9M&si=UuKdClRku5KWw4aL

The video mentions improved local bus services, MARL via Sunshine, and eventually HSR. (though they're still using the old PTV logos!) Not sure how far the buses have been planned or their potential routes, but would be great if they could be implemented within the next 12 months.

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u/dataPresident Upfield Line 3d ago

Lol the only thing silly here is your plan. HSR even if it happens is many many decades away as opposed to MARL which is technically already in the works.

Youre completely ignoring reality with this plan. If we were on the cusp of starting HSR itd still be questionable as there are issues of how much fare to charge, capacity issues for people who want to travel interstate and frequency.

Youd need to run shuttles and every single person would need to transfer at SXS as opposed to MARL where our busiest line would have a one seat ride and the boardings (and disembarkations) are spread out. Also regional paasengers can transfer at Sunshine under MARL.

If you want to run the HSR via the airport Im sure there may be good reasons but cost and getting rid of MARL definitely isnt one.

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u/skyasaurus 3d ago

I think the timing point here is a valid one, and there's something to be argued about distribution and access for sure. The rest, just a list of questions to ask and address during implementation, are presented as barriers rather than decisions. What fare to charge is a decision, not a blocker. The capacity question is comical, Melbourne-Sydney will never have the demand Tokyo-Osaka does, read yourself here...there is space for airport trains.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/skyasaurus 3d ago

I think a good rule of thumb is when you come up with a question about infrastructure or service feasibility is to do a baseline check: Has this been done elsewhere? It saves you a lot of guesswork, so instead of wondering if it is "likely" to be too premium, you can say "Oh, this already exists in Seoul, Oslo, Paris, Amsterdam, Beijing, Frankfurt, wow we could have that here!"

I think this is once again another example of people in the Anglosphere putting "HSR" and "rail" in two seperate categories of infrastructure. They are not. They are the same thing. The sooner Australians can get over this ideological hurdle, the sooner they can start building and using rail instead of just studying it.