Transport spending: what Victoria’s doing

Victoria in Australia is often hassled as being a bit of a “roads loving” part of that country, and certainly Melbourne public transport academic Paul Mees seems to spend half his life hassling the state of Melbourne’s public transport system (usually with some justification). But if we have a look at the most recent transport budget there, it makes for interesting reading:

TRANSPORT PLAN PROJECTS TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE
From the Minister for Roads & Ports
Tuesday, 04 May 2010

The 2010 State Budget delivers a record $6.4 billion for better roads and public transport including new trams, more stations and road projects to reduce congestion, increase capacity secure Victorian jobs and build the State’s economy for the future.

The Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas, and the Minister for Public Transport, Martin Pakula, said the 2010 State Budget brought to book two key transformational projects worth more than $5 billion – Peninsula Link and Regional Rail Link.

Mr Pallas said that in its 2010 State Budget the Brumby Labor Government was delivering an unprecedented level of investment to transform our transport network.

“The Brumby Labor Government is building a better transport system, so Victorians can spend more time with family and less time in traffic,” Mr Pallas said.

“We understand Victorians are concerned about congestion, that’s why the Brumby Labor Government is delivering key projects from our $38 billion Victorian Transport Plan to secure our network now and build for the future.”

Highlights of the transport projects funded in the 2010 State Budget include:
$807.6 million of funding for 50 new trams and the establishment of a new tram maintenance and storage depot at Preston announced earlier this year;
$129.2 million to upgrade regional roads, including $76.9 million to continue the Geelong Ring Road project (Section 4C Surf Coast Highway Connection);
$37.7 million towards the total project cost of $188.5 million for four new train stations in growth areas, with construction to start on all stations before the end of this year;
$66.5 million to upgrade key routes in Melbourne’s outer suburbs;
$83.7 million for 20 metropolitan train stations to be upgraded to Premium status. This includes funding for 100 staff to be at Premium Stations from first to last train seven days a week, making the system safer and easier for approximately 250,000 passengers per week;
$19.3 million for noise walls along the Monash Freeway;
$759 million construction cost of Peninsula Link;
$230.6 million in Commonwealth and Brumby Labor Government funding for the duplication of Clyde Road, adding an extra lane in each direction between High Street and Kangan Drive, and the upgrade of 22 kilometres of Princes Highway East between Traralgon and Sale. The State share is $60.6 million; and
$4.3 billion brought to book for Regional Rail Link, the biggest addition to the rail network since the City Loop, which will deliver a brand new rail line through Melbourne’s growing west, two new stations at Wyndham Vale and Tarneit and stand-alone tracks for trains from Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo to improve capacity and reliability.

Mr Pakula said the rollout of the 38 new X’Trapolis trains was progressing with three trains in service and another three being commissioned for service.

“These new trains will help deliver a timetable change in June, which will deliver more services to some of the busiest lines to meet demand in peak periods,” he said.

Mr Pakula said funding for 50 new trams for Melbourne’s tram fleet would help address significant growth in tram patronage.

“The Brumby Labor Government is building for the future and work is already underway to roll out 50 new trams, capable of carrying around 10,000 people at any one time,” Mr Pakula said.

“Funding from this Budget allows us to complete an order for the tram fleet before the end of the year, with the first of the 50 trams to enter service in 2012-13.”

Mr Pakula said $6 billion worth of projects were underway to secure the public transport network now and build for the future, including the $4.3 billion Regional Rail Link, the $650 million extension of the Epping rail line to South Morang and the delivery of 38 new suburban trains.

Mr Pallas said more than $5 billion worth of major road projects were currently underway, including the $759 million Peninsula Link project, the M80 Ring Road Upgrade and the $1.39 billion M1 (Monash-CityLink-West Gate) Upgrade.

“This year also saw the completion of the $140 million Springvale Road Rail Separation project, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government, ahead of schedule and on budget,” he said.

“Major works on Peninsula Link – a project that will help create 4000 direct jobs, slash travel times, boost tourism and improve road safety – also got underway in February this year.”

Mr Pallas said the 2010 State Budget also delivered $19.3 million as the next tranche of the $100 million package announced in the Victorian Transport Plan to reduce the impact of traffic noise from existing freeways.

“Local communities along the Monash Freeway will benefit from works to mitigate the impact of traffic noise, including trialling new technologies at selected locations,” Mr Pallas said.

That’s $5229 million for PT and rail, $1205 million for roads. Over 80 per cent of the total budget is being spent on rail and PT!

In contrast, here’s the breakdown of NZTA’s spending in Auckland over the next three years, from the 2009-2012 NLTP: On an international scale, New Zealand’s transport policy is extremely roads-centric. I do note that the above graph doesn’t include rail improvements, but effectively once Project DART and electrification are completed under the current funding system there is literally no funding source for investing in rail in Auckland, so this is the kind of long-term funding split that we can expect.

Not very balanced is it?

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