Local developer Harridan is seeking to turn its Woolloongabba apartment project into the first stage of a broader transformation of Burke Street, using a new 16-storey mixed-use building to establish a greener pedestrian connection toward the rapidly evolving Boggo Road transport and knowledge precinct.

The South East Queensland developer has filed plans for 154 apartments on the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-burke-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">southern side of Burke Street</a>, where its proposal has been designed alongside a wider vision by LatStudios for the street.

That vision positions the southern side of Burke Street for buildings of 15 storeys and above, while envisaging lower-rise development of up to five storeys on the northern side to transition into Woolloongabba's existing character housing. It also proposes wider pedestrian verges, deep planting, new street trees and upgrades to the pedestrian approach to Boggo Road Station.

The Harridan development itself has been designed by Brisbane-based Arqus Design and will comprise 154 apartments across 16 storeys. The mix is weighted heavily toward two-bedroom apartments, with 121 proposed alongside 10 one-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom residences. There will typically be around 14 units per floor.

A lower-ground car park and three podium levels will accommodate 156 resident parking spaces, along with visitor and commercial parking. There will also be 154 resident bicycle spaces and 40 visitor bicycle parks.

&nbsp;

Harridan is a family-owned developer and part of the Holmwood Highgate Group, with more than three decades of development activity across South East Queensland. Its portfolio spans residential, commercial and industrial property, with current residential projects including Riverbank on Byron in Bulimba, Esperance Residences in Carina and The Precinct at Kinross Road in Thornlands.

Wooloongabba has been popular for apartment developers, particularly since the announcement of the 2032 Summer Olympics games in Brisbane.

While there have been a lot of development applications, it has failed to materialize into real supply.&nbsp;

Sarazin has been the major player in the area. They are under construction at Murcia Residences, on the fringe of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba. They have just launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-stanley-residences-woolloongabba-8-trafalgar-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">The Stanley Residences</a>, in Woolloongabba on Trafalagar Street. They also have Nuage coming soon on the nearby <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nuage-woolloongabba-14-wellington-road-woolloongabba-qld-4102">Wellington Road</a>.

Joel Robinson

First look: Harridan plans Burke Street transformation beside Boggo Road transport hub

IN BRIEF

<ul>
	<li>
	Just three double-storey Sky Homes sit at the top of The Waterline, each with its own private marina berth and rooftop terrace.
	</li>
	<li>
	Construction on The Waterline is complete, with the first residents expected to move in from mid-October.
	</li>
	<li>
	Sky Homes range from 282 sqm to 367 sqm and are priced from $3.65 million.
	</li>
</ul>

<hr />
Lewis Land has opened the first completed sky home for inspection at Harbour Shores, giving buyers their first opportunity to step inside one of just three double-storey residences crowning The Waterline.

Each sky home comes with its own private marina berth, rooftop terrace and Broadwater views, combining the scale of a larger home with direct access to the boating lifestyle that underpins the wider <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> masterplan.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=366708]

Lewis Land Head of Development Michael Long said the inclusion of a berth with every Sky Home had become increasingly valuable as marina access across the Gold Coast tightened.

“Marina berths are becoming increasingly difficult to secure across the Gold Coast, so including one with every Sky Home makes this a genuinely rare offering,” Long said.

“The private 70-berth marina will accommodate boats up to 12 metres in length and is positioned just 2.5 kilometres from the Broadwater, placing the open ocean only 15 minutes away.

“Being able to step out of your home onto your boat is a rare luxury, and it’s something residents here can look forward to when it opens later this year.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=366709]

The display opening comes as construction completes on The Waterline, with the first residents expected to move in from mid-October.

The three Sky Homes range from 282 sqm to 367 sqm and each feature three bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, expansive kitchens with butler's pantries and large balconies taking in the Broadwater outlook.

Each residence also has three secure basement car spaces and additional storage.

“This is the first opportunity the Gold Coast has had to step into Harbour Shores and see, touch and feel what we’re bringing to life here,” Long said.

“There are only three Sky Homes within The Waterline, ranging in size from 282sqm to 367sqm, with each residence featuring three large bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, expansive custom-built kitchens with butler’s pantry, and large balconies capturing Broadwater views.”

<img alt="Harbour Shores" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bab65e10-4fab-45e1-92d8-fc56e2ab98ff" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-25%20at%202.00.16%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=XT8q76LsPkw3cYTsvN3JfFDaPLud90PN" />

Residents of The Waterline will have access to a private pool, along with Harbour Shores' wider collection of amenity including a lagoon pool, social clubhouse, tennis court, gym, yoga facilities and sauna.

Lewis Land partnered with Studio Collective to furnish the completed display, with the interiors designed to demonstrate how the residences could function as permanent homes rather than simply as show apartments.

Studio Collective Director Melissa Park said the surrounding waterways informed the interiors, but in a more restrained way than a traditional coastal scheme.

“We drew inspiration from the canals and coastal surrounds, but our approach was to interpret that subtly through layered materials and a grounded palette of earthy tones, rather than literal coastal references,” Park said.

“We introduced hero moments of green and teal to reference the surrounding waterways, while mirrored elements help reflect natural light.

“The result is a residence that feels elevated yet comfortable, somewhere buyers can genuinely imagine themselves living, entertaining and unwinding.”

Sky Homes are priced from $3.65 million.

Lewis Land is also offering private marina berths with The Residences, its limited collection of three and four-bedroom villas positioned directly along the Harbour Shores waterfront boardwalk.

Three-bedroom villas are priced from $2.99 million, while four-bedroom residences start from $3.19 million.

Harbour Shores is being marketed by Colliers International.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Lewis Land opens sky home display as The Waterline completes at Harbour Shores

St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia has filed plans for a major mixed-use housing precinct on the southern edge of the North Sydney CBD, adding another significant proposal to a pocket around North Sydn​ey Station that is quickly becoming one of the LGA's busiest development zones.

The State Significant Development Application covers a 5,990 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/1-19-mackenzie-street-lavender-bay-nsw-2060">1-19 MacKenzie Street and 211 Blues Point Road in Lavender Bay</a>, immediately south of Nor​th Sydney Station and between the commercial core and the lower-rise Lavender Bay Heritage Conservation Area.

Designed by Wardle, the proposal would deliver a new residential tower comprising 88 build-to-sell apartments and 19 affordable apartments, alongside a separate co-living building with 57 rooms and a building manager's studio.

It would also see the significant restoration and upgrade of St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, the adaptive reuse of the former school building, new parish facilities, retail, a new public square and around 1,000 sqm of publicly accessible open space.

<img alt="Vinnies North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d5dd7f87-a617-463e-b577-17541e01f0e9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.10.13%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4R8TsFN3P_LrrXO2HswTOIrx2blil8lh" />

The project is seeking a concurrent rezoning of the site to R4 High Density Residential and an increase in the maximum building height to allow a tower reaching RL120, or up to 20 storeys. The proposal was progressed through the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The build-to-sell component will be weighted toward larger apartments, with just six one-bedroom apartments compared with 31 two-beds, 43 three-beds and eight four-bedroom residences.

The 19 affordable apartments will comprise two studios, 15 one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments, taking the total apartment component to 107 residences before the 58 co-living rooms are included.

<img alt="Vnnies" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7d568ca5-cb90-4e18-96c6-d9795dba0c56" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.10.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=GY2R5M9VtQh0EKy1vajaea19PSLOPuRD" />

Wardle's design for the Vinnies site has sought to negotiate that emerging high-rise context while retaining the lower-scale character of MacKenzie Street and the adjoining heritage conservation area.

The main building adopts a three-storey podium and tower arrangement, with the podium aligned to the ridgeline and front setback of St Francis Xavier Church.&nbsp;Wardle has designed the podium with colonnades, seating, recessed entries and active ground-floor frontages, with sandstone-toned precast concrete and face brick referencing the materiality of the existing church.

The tower then steps back eight metres to the south and six metres to the north before rising in a sculpted form comprising four interlocking quadrants. Wardle has also introduced rounded forms and chamfered corners to reduce the tower's perceived bulk and improve view sharing with neighbouring development sites.

Resident facilities and outdoor areas are planned at the separation between the podium and tower at Level 3, oriented toward Sydney Harbour and the CBD skyline.

The tower itself will feature a glass reinforced concrete facade, with recessed balconies and deep reveals used both to provide shading and privacy and frame views toward the harbour and city. The lower levels take a different architectural approach, using brick and sandstone-toned finishes intended to establish a stronger relationship with St Francis Xavier Church. The Church itself will be conserved and upgraded for its continued use, while the former school building will be adaptively reused as part of the co-living component.

<img alt="Lavendar Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2d4418ad-90aa-4d49-af93-c80b140aea80" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.09.47%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Kv4gzbsACaGvZSRuaqcfGC54jEJRXIDJ" />

&nbsp;

The proposal adds to an increasingly concentrated pipeline of residential development around Blue Street, MacKenzie Street and Lavender Bay.

Just west of the site, Central Element lodged plans earlier this year for one of the most significant residential developments proposed in Lavender Bay in recent years.

Central Element's SJB-designed scheme at 64-66 Lavender Street and 3-7 Middlemiss Street would deliver 163 apartments across two towers rising 23 and 32 storeys, replacing five existing apartment buildings containing 32 homes. The project also forms part of the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-central-element-reveals-lavender-bay-apartment-plans?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">First look: Central Element reveals Lavender Bay apartment plans</a>

Immediately around North Sy​dney Station, another two significant proposals have emerged at 5 and 15 Blue Street.

Zurich Australian Insurance Properties is seeking to adaptively reuse its longstanding commercial building at 5 Blue Street, directly above North Sydney Station, rather than demolishing the structure.

Its SSDA proposes converting the building into a 14-storey mixed-use development with 62 apartments and 86 co-living rooms, together with ground-floor retail and a major refurbishment of Blue Street Plaza. The application is currently at the Response to Submissions stage.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-zurich-targets-north-sydney-office-conversion-with-148-unit-proposal-above-metro-station">First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station</a>

&nbsp;

First look: Vinnies files for 20-storey Lavender Bay apartment tower as North Sydney housing pocket heats up

When the opportunity arose for South Australian developer Palumbo to return to Kent Town, where it had previously delivered East Park Apartments and the East 
Rundle Apartments, it wasn't one the longstanding developer-builder was going to pass up.

The decision was quickly vindicated, with more than 30 apartments sold within the first month of launching <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/royal-apartments-kent-town-2-8-north-terrace-kent-town-sa-5067">Royal Apartments</a> to the market.

The 206-apartment development, which will bring significant new supply to Adelaide's tightly held eastern city fringe, also gives <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/palumbo">Palumbo</a> the opportunity to bring new life to one of Kent Town's most recognisable watering holes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376073]

Royal Apartments incorporates the historic Royal Hotel, a venue Palumbo Managing Director Daniel Palumbo said has a longstanding connection with the local community.

"Everyone in the area has history with the Royal Hotel," Palumbo told Apartments.com.au.

"It was quite an active pub and social gathering place for locals. We want to bring it back to its former glory."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376072]

The wider development will comprise two residential towers alongside the restored hotel, sitting on North Terrace opposite the Adelaide Park Lands.

For Palumbo, the project also marks a return to familiar territory.

The developer completed East Park Apartments next door more than a decade ago and jumped at the opportunity to develop in Kent Town again when the Royal Hotel site became available.

"The opportunity emerged, and we moved to secure the site," Palumbo said.

"We were approached by the previous landowner, who said they had extensive commitments in Sydney and weren't in a position to deliver the project.

"We took over the site and within six months recut the design scheme to be more in keeping with the type of development we want to bring to Adelaide.

"Now we're on the market and those changes have really resonated with local buyers."

That has translated into a strong start to sales, with 33 apartments transacting in the project's first 35 days.

Palumbo said the early purchaser profile had been consistent with the group's traditional focus on owner-occupiers rather than investor-led apartment stock.

"Local owner-occupiers have always been our market," he said.

"There are always some investors, but we've never developed what would be called traditional development stock. Owner-occupiers are very much our market."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376068]

The buyer mix has been diverse so far, with downsizers and younger professionals both accounting for a significant portion of early sales.

South Australia's current stamp duty settings, which allow&nbsp;eligible homeowners in South Australia aged 60 savings of up to $103,830 on stamp duty when they downsize to a new property valued at up to $2 million,&nbsp;have helped encourage downsizer activity, while younger buyers in their late 20s and early 30s have been attracted to the opportunity to live immediately outside the CBD while still being able to walk into the city.



Location has been a major part of the proposition for both buyer cohorts.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376075]

Royal Apartments sits on North Terrace directly opposite the Adelaide Park Lands, with residents able to walk through the parklands toward the East End, Rundle Street and Rundle Mall.

Apartments have been positioned to capture views across the parklands, Adelaide skyline, Botanic Gardens and Adelaide Hills.

Palumbo believes the scarcity of developable land along this section of the Park Lands makes the site particularly difficult to replicate.

"There's very few allotments on that side that can be developed," he said.

"If this location was in New York and you were sitting on Central Park, you'd be talking about a $60 million apartments."

Royal Apartments will offer a broad mix of residences, ranging from one-bedroom apartments through to four-bedroom sub-penthouses and penthouses.

Current listings include one-bedroom apartments from $680,000, while larger three and four-bedroom residences are priced around $2.5 million.

Residents will have access to a swimming pool, gym, barbecue and recreation areas, residents' lounge and dining space, and a communal deck.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376067]

The apartments will feature generous balconies, while secure parking, bicycle storage and storage cages will also be provided.

A porte-cochère-style arrival and drop-off area has also resonated with buyers, particularly those attracted to being able to walk into the CBD during the day while retaining secure vehicle access at home.

Palumbo is acting as developer, architect and builder on Royal Apartments, continuing the vertically integrated model it has used across its South Australian portfolio.

The group was also behind the $150 million Sofitel Adelaide, the 251-room five-star hotel and residential tower which opened in 2021.

Palumbo said Royal's launch had come at an interesting time for the broader Adelaide apartment market.

Buyer confidence had initially been impacted by uncertainty surrounding the Federal Budget and broader economic conditions, but Palumbo believes sentiment is beginning to improve against a backdrop of significant investment flowing into South Australia.

He pointed to increased activity across defence and resources, including Olympic Dam, as potential long-term drivers of the state's economy and housing market.

"Money is starting to flow into Adeliade, significant amounts as Adelaide bucks the trend of the rest of the country.," Palumbo said.

"There's a lot of activity in the economy over the next decade. I think more investment will come into this market."

Early works on Royal Apartments are expected to commence this year, with major construction activity and cranes anticipated on site from early next year.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=6109]

Palumbo's return to Kent Town strikes early chord with buyers

Go-to builder-developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/graya">GRAYA</a> is continuing to bulk out its already impressive and diverse apartment portfolio across South East Queensland. Their latest milestone is securing development approval for Silk, its boutique riverfront apartment development in St Lucia.

The approval clears&nbsp;the way for the team to begin construction planning for the 22-residence project.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/silk-st-lucia-16-18-sandford-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">Silk</a> will rise 15 levels from an 810 sqm site at 16-18 Sandford Street, occupying a prominent bend of the Brisbane River with a prized northern aspect across Orleigh Park toward the Brisbane CBD.

The approved scheme will comprise 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences, continuing GRAYA's move into larger-format apartment developments targeting Brisbane's prestige owner-occupier market.

The project has been designed around the site's broad river frontage and dual-direction views, with GRAYA prioritising larger residences, privacy and outlook over apartment yield.

<img alt="Silk St Lucia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa5c2349-f96c-4914-a812-1f2cd6827af8" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%208.25.44%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=WY0vEU_7vYjeRJKQHiCwFdMxu8PvFh52" />

GRAYA Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Rob Gray said the project had been shaped around local homeowners wanting to remain in St Lucia without maintaining a traditional family home.

"St Lucia is one of those suburbs people do not want to leave," Gray said.

"They know the river, the trees, UQ, the golf course, Toowong and Indooroopilly, and that familiarity is hard to replace.

"True riverfront opportunities here are exceptionally scarce. What we have designed at Silk is a way to stay in the suburb people love, with the scale and privacy of a private home and far less to maintain.

"This is not typical apartment product. It is a proper home on the river, and that is exactly what this market has been missing."

The approval comes as new apartment development continues to increase across the St Lucia and neighbouring Toowong corridor, although direct riverfront sites remain considerably more tightly held.

GRAYA Co-founder and Managing Director Andrew Gray said securing the approval had removed a significant element of development risk from Silk.

"Genuine riverfront sites of this quality in St Lucia are not something that comes up regularly," Gray said.

"The approval removes a substantial layer of execution risk, and the location underwrites demand in a way very few inner-city sites can.

"The fundamentals here are as strong as anything we have assessed in Brisbane."

<img alt="Silk St Lucia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d0f3d734-65e1-48e8-8ed3-2e0715ffcdd9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%208.25.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sOLSs_jdHkXLWbBKzRyayf5BfTb2vPsD" />

Silk will see GRAYA return to a stretch of the Brisbane River where it already has recent construction experience. The vertically integrated group recently completed ARC in neighbouring Toowong as builder for developer Spyre, delivering the riverfront project on a constrained site.

GRAYA will take a different role at Silk, controlling the project from design and development through construction and aftercare under its vertically integrated model.

The development will include a gym and resident leisure areas at ground level, integrated with the river's edge.

Silk joins a growing pipeline for GRAYA across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which includes Enclave, The Gallery, Coral and Ripple.

The developer-builder has also recently lodged plans for its largest project to date, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-silo-19-chester-street-newstead-qld-4006">The Silo</a>, a proposed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/graya-buys-frasers-newstead-site-plans-the-silo-between-james-street-and-gasworks-precincts">$700 million mixed-use development</a> in Brisbane's James Street precinct.

Silk is expected to predominantly target local owner-occupiers and prestige buyers seeking a permanent riverfront home in Brisbane's inner west.

Registrations of interest are now open, with further details on the project and construction program to be released as it progresses.

<hr />
<h2>SILK PROJECT FACTS</h2>

Developer-builder: GRAYA

Project: Silk

Location: 16-18 Sandford Street, St Lucia

Apartments: 22

Built form: 15 levels

Site: 810 sqm riverfront holding

Mix: 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences

Status: Development approved

Next step: Construction planning underway

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152168]

GRAYA greenlit for riverfront St Lucia apartment development, Silk

Transport

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
If you’ve been in central Brisbane recently, you will know there is a new visitor in town. <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/hundreds-of-electric-scooters-appear-on-brisbane-streets-20181116-p50ghq" target="_blank">Lime e-scooters have popped up all over the CBD</a> and neighbouring suburbs. It’s early days for this new mobility provider, so we can’t say if this is a permanent fixture with certainty, but here’s a transport research team’s view on the Brisbane trial and its implications.
Transport disruption makes life difficult for policymakers and transport agencies. Queensland at first <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-21/taxi-drivers-vs-uber-ride-sharing-drivers-face-heftier-penalties/7344300" target="_blank">attempted to deter illegal ride-sharing</a> but then <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-11/uber-to-be-legalised-in-queensland/7719078" target="_blank">legalised Uber and Ola</a> in response to public demand. E-scooter sharing systems might be just as transformative for people’s travel.
You can download an app, sign up quickly and for only a dollar unlock a scooter, hit the accelerator and zip down the street at up to 25km/h. Scooters can be picked up and dropped off on footpaths throughout the central city. They offer low-cost travel and produce low carbon emissions.
Previously, North American cities, such as San Francisco and Washington DC, were inundated with e-scooters. In response, some cities banned e-scooters outright, others used regulations to control the new players.
The trial in Brisbane is helping the city and state see if it works and <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-23/the-rules-around-scooter-sharing-in-australia/10639170" target="_blank">determine an appropriate regulatory approach</a>. Lime was initially given a “<a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/scooters-given-a-temporary-weekend-pass-in-brisbane/news-story/f81f9d19fd99327923077337d009a6b4" target="_blank">temporary pass in Brisbane</a>”, allowing up to 500 e-scooters. As long as riders wore helmets (either provided by Lime and attached to each scooter, or bring-your-own) and rode them responsibly, there would be no problem.
Kudos to the Queensland transport minister and his department for being the first in Australia to allow a trial and, more recently, for improving the regulation of these operations. Well done also to Brisbane City Council for allowing the trial in the central business district and working with Lime on the roll-out. It was especially helpful that the council’s contract with its bikeshare operator did not prevent e-scooters from competing for riders.
When you take off on one of these e-scooters, it is liberating. If you’ve used a kick scooter before, even as a child, these new versions are relatively intuitive to ride. The electric motor means Brisbane’s hills are suddenly no problem. A trip from our South Bank campus across the river and through the botanic gardens to connect to a downtown meeting took six minutes and cost just over $3.
No other mode of transport would compete in terms of either time or cost for such trips, unless you bring your own bike or e-scooter with you into town. <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/lime-wants-to-roll-out-more-scooters-on-brisbane-streets-20181204-p50k1c" target="_blank">Thousands of residents and tourists are using the e-scooters</a> in Brisbane each day. Our sources tell us over 100,000 users have made over 300,000 trips since the mid-November launch.
There are <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/fractures-and-head-injuries-scooter-crashes-becoming-a-regular-occurrence-20190120-p50shv" target="_blank">reports of injuries from falling off the scooters</a>. This highlights a need to take it easy your first few trips, to look for problems on any scooter you hire and to wear your helmet.
So what are the problems?
Our observations this last couple of months suggest user behaviour has changed. Some unruly behaviours we saw in the first few days seem have given way to new social norms.
Parking behaviour is also improving. Riders cannot lock the scooter (and stop paying for it) in locations where it might cause a nuisance, such as on the main green bridges. They are both encouraged to park out of harm’s way and forced to submit a photograph of their parking attempt. Park poorly a few times and Lime will suspend your account.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zOMYOBBRtM8?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" width="440" height="260"></iframe>
Lime itself emphasises the need to ride safely and follow the rules.
There are some issues though. The guidance provided to riders about where you can legally ride, whether on the departmental website, news media, the system app or its website, is at times missing, contradictory or just confusing. Fixing that should be easy enough.
Brisbane has not built much bicycle infrastructure in the last five decades, a few notable bridges and riverside paths aside. Nor have we reduced local street speeds to 30km/h, as is now standard European practice. There aren’t obvious safe routes to use when scootering through parts of the central city.
Fixing these issues will be more challenging, but quiet non-polluting e-scooters are clearly preferable to a city centre clogged with cars.
What are the best regulatory options?
Lime has proven these systems work well in Australian cities. But key regulatory questions remain. North American cities are introducing various regulatory systems. These include:
<ul>
<li>permits (often awarded via tender)</li>
<li>maximum fleet sizes</li>
<li>vehicle regulations – especially maximum speeds</li>
<li>go/no-go zones</li>
<li>parking controls</li>
<li>high fees to pick up and impound scooters that operators fail to collect.</li>
</ul>
Our city managers have to decide what options they prefer.
We have five suggestions.
1. There is no need for scooters in Australian cities that have more power or go faster than the current Lime scooters. The decision to choose 25km/h seems appropriate at present. Restricting speeds to 10km/h, as previous laws did in Queensland, would be nonsensical.
2. E-scooter systems are likely a natural monopoly, or perhaps duopoly. This is because one needs many scooters from the same operator available across a wide area to ensure efficiency in operations, keep costs low and provide wide coverage for users.
Brisbane City Council is talking of a probable monopoly, awarded via tender. This is the approach used since the city’s first tram operations in the 1880s. If Australian cities do award monopoly rights we hope they adopt Santa Monica’s use of a levy on the operator that is hypothecated towards improving the city’s bike lanes and bike paths, to create more safe riding space.
3. We recommend scooter parking locations be designated in key locations, such as close to Brisbane’s Queen Street mall, difficult as this will be given the competition for space on the city’s narrow streets and footpaths.
4. Cities should enter into meaningful partnerships with scooter companies that include data sharing for research and analysis of overall city transportation. <a href="http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/bike-share-43914" target="_blank">Gold Coast’s MoBike scheme</a> is, without much fanfare, the best-used bicycle-sharing scheme in Australia and an exemplar partnership model.
5. These scooters need to be part of the coming move towards subscription mobility services. Soon we are likely to be offered “<a href="https://theconversation.com/for-mobility-as-a-service-maas-to-solve-our-transport-woes-some-things-need-to-change-105119" target="_blank">mobility as a service</a>” and pay one monthly fee to get public transport plus rideshare, bikeshare and scooter-share trips, some car-sharing and maybe some taxi kilometres. Based on the demand seen in Brisbane, e-scooters should be included in these packages.
This regulatory mix would cover most of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-e-scooters-solve-the-last-mile-problem-theyll-need-to-avoid-the-fate-of-dockless-bikes-102633" target="_blank">issues raised by others</a>. Get all this right and e-scooters can help create a safer, more sustainable and liveable city with a better set of mobility options.
Benjamin Kaufman, PhD Scholar in Transport, Griffith University and Matthew Burke, Associate Professor, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/limes-not-lemons-lessons-from-australias-first-e-scooter-sharing-trial-108924" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Lessons from Australia’s first e-scooter sharing trial

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Looking past the hype about 'trackless trams'
CRRC’s version of theptically guided bus, now operating in Zhuzhou, is more like light rail than its predecessors. 
The optically guided bus is the latest in a long line of initiatives to repackage the bus as premium rail-derived technology. The name “trackless trams”, the vehicle design, and the modest deployment costs all have broad appeal. The concept has gained traction in Australia, with prominent advocates including <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-trackless-trams-are-ready-to-replace-light-rail-103690" target="_blank">Professor Peter Newman</a>.
Recognition of the role of upgraded buses and bus rapid transit is welcome. However, a certain level of dogma, fuelled by inflated claims about the technology and its potential, has taken hold.
This article aims to debunk some misconceptions.
Myth 1: It’s revolutionary technology
Optical guidance systems date back to the late 1980s and have had limited commercial success since the early 2000s. We count just three applications: in the French city <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Est-Ouest_Rouennais" target="_blank">Rouen</a>, <a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAM_de_Castell%C3%B3n" target="_blank">Castellón</a> in Spain, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Area_Express_(Las_Vegas)" target="_blank">Las Vegas</a> in the United States.
The mechanically guided bus remains the most popular — including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-Bahn_Busway" target="_blank">Adelaide’s O-Bahn-style</a> kerb-guided bus — and, to a more limited extent, rail guidance systems. Magnetic and wire guidance technologies have also been trialled to deliver the same benefits — including precision docking, lane assist, reduced road footprint and better ride quality — but at lower cost than physically guided systems due to the absence of continuous guidance infrastructure.
The systems in Rouen, Castellón and Las Vegas all use the French-developed <a href="http://citytransport.info/Buses03.htm" target="_blank">Visée (later renamed Optiguide)</a> “self-steering” optical guidance system.
This technology uses a roof-mounted camera to detect a “virtual rail” — twin dashed lines painted on a darker road surface. An on-board computer combines the image with the speed, yaw and wheel angle of the bus to determine the path to be followed and steers the vehicle.
In partnership with Renault, the Civis guided bus concept was developed into a transport system using <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irisbus_Agora" target="_blank">Irisbus Agora</a> articulated buses fitted with the optical guidance system.
The present incarnation is admittedly a more advanced deployment of optical guidance technology. Chinese company <a href="http://www.crrcgc.cc/g5141.aspx" target="_blank">CRRC</a> has used high-speed rail technology to develop what it calls autonomous rail rapid transit, or ART.
The system is more like light rail than its predecessors. The vehicles are larger (2.65m wide by 3.4m high) and can be made longer or shorter by adding or removing sections.
The electric vehicles use supercapacitor batteries mounted on the roof and charged at stations via an electric “umbrella”. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capa_vehicle" target="_blank">Supercapacitor technology</a> is not new, having been used in Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Ningbo over the past decade.
A major advantage of the CRRC system is its multi-axle hydraulic steering technology and bogie-like wheel arrangement, which has less overhang and thus requires less swept path clearance in turns. Each section of the 32m vehicle is around 10.5m long and the minimum turning radius is 15m.
<a href="http://www.crrcgc.cc/tabid/5122/sourceId/23683/infoid/286135/Default.aspx" target="_blank">According to CRRC</a>, the cost of deployment is between US$7 million and US$15 million per kilometre. That’s much less than the US$20 million to US$30 million for light rail, and US$70 million to US$150 million for metro. Each vehicle has a capital cost of about <a href="https://www.engineersgarage.com/blogs/china-unwraps-world-first-driverless-rail-transit-system-autonomous-technology" target="_blank">US$2.2 million</a>.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247147/original/file-20181126-149323-xpztz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247147/original/file-20181126-149323-xpztz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
CRRC optically guided bus in Zhuzhou, China, a 3.2km system inaugurated in May 2018.
Myth 2: Optically guided buses have better ride quality
This is true up to a point. It has as much to do with traction technology, route alignment and driver behaviour as with optical guidance. Ride quality is a direct result of rubber versus steel traction. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge" target="_blank">track gauge</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axle_load" target="_blank">axle loads</a> also determine ride quality on a railway.
Another important factor is the alignment geometry. Light rail can handle only 4-6% gradients. Rubber-tyred traction can manage up to 9%. A higher-quality bus corridor with smoother gradients and curves will offer better ride quality.
Pavement quality is also important. We see an example of this in Melbourne’s Albert Park, where roads are built with high-specification concrete for the Australian Grand Prix.
The optically guided bus offers a much smoother ride, but this is mainly due to its advanced automation.
Existing buses can be “jerky”. This has a lot to do with buses getting more powerful (and lighter) over the years. An average bus engine generated 230 horsepower 20 years ago. Today this can be up to 330hp — that’s good for uphill climbs but also allows the driver to accelerate faster.
One suggestion is to apply an acceleration limiter. The need for harsh braking is also an issue, but this is related to the level of priority given to buses in traffic — such as at signals and in congested lanes — as well as driver training.
Myth 3: Optically guided buses are game-changing
The potential success of the technology is not related to whether the buses are optically guided or not, nor to any of the characteristics described above.
The sleek, rail-like appearance of these vehicles is certainly part of their appeal. Optically guided buses could challenge the idea that “buses are boring, and trains are sexy” and what we at ITLS describe as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885909800085" target="_blank">choice versus blind commitment</a> in the bus and rail debate. Rather than being emotionally fixated on technology, we should choose the mode best suited to a particular transport requirement.
Operating on the road, right of way remains the critical factor. What good is a “trackless tram” if it gets stuck in traffic? In car-dominated Australia, governments have struggled to reallocate road space away from inefficient private cars (which average just <a href="https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2017/HTS%20Report%20Sydney%202012-13.pdf" target="_blank">1.1 people per vehicle</a> for work commutes) to spatially efficient mass transit.
Bus priority typically arises from road widening, rather than any redesignation of road space. As long as this mentality holds, we will struggle to improve travel time by bus compared with car — which is the most important element for attracting users onto public transport.
If “trackless trams” can radically alter the political paradigm and garner community support for the sensible reallocation of road space and signal priority, that creates a huge opportunity for cost-effective deployment of high-quality mass transit.
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885914001024" target="_blank">ITLS research</a> has shown there is huge latent demand for public transport in the middle and outer suburbs of Australian capitals. The latest bus technology can be readily deployed along cross-town and orbital corridors now serviced by, for example, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrobus_(Sydney)" target="_blank">Metrobus</a> in Sydney and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SmartBus" target="_blank">SmartBus</a> in Melbourne.
Time will tell whether “trackless trams” can shift the conversation from the idea of permanent, fixed infrastructure synonymous with rail to the pressing issues of right-of-way quality and public transport priority.
The author thanks Graham Currie (ITS Monash), David Hensher (ITLS), Michael Apps (BIC), Lauran Huefner (BusSA), Stephen Rowe (Busways) and Darryl Mellish (BusNSW) for constructive feedback on an earlier version of this article.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107092/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yale-zhuxiao-wong-591775" target="_blank">Yale Zhuxiao Wong</a>, Doctoral Candidate and Research Analyst, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-past-the-hype-about-trackless-trams-107092" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Looking past the hype about trackless trams: USYD's Yale Zhuxiao Wong

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On Sunday, the Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten announced that if the ALP are elected at the next federal election, they will match the $300 million the state government has committed towards design and planning for its signature re-election promise, the Suburban Rail Loop.

Meanwhile, the public transport election stakes keep rising with the Andrews Government unveiling a plan to electrify Wyndham Vale and Melton lines, while at the same time increasing track capacity to allow more regional express trains to run to and from the city to Ballarat and <a href="/new-apartments/geelong-vic-3220">Geelong</a>.

The Suburban Rail Loop is a proposal to build an orbital rail line linking all existing railway lines (except Sandringham and Alamein) at key points around the middle ring of Melbourne.  Likewise, it aims to put Monash University's main campus in <a href="/new-apartments/clayton-vic-3168">Clayton</a>, Deakin's primary Melbourne campus in <a href="/developments/burwood-vic-3125">Burwood</a> and La Trobe University's main campus in Bundoora directly on the rail network.

When the Premier and Public Transport Minister, Jacinta Allan, showcased the Suburban Rail Loop for the first time, a handful of estimated journey times were released. More estimated trip times emerged from the media conference held in <a href="/new-apartments/box-hill-vic-3128">Box Hill</a> on Sunday.

Original estimated journey times.

<ul>
<li>25 minutes from Clayton to Bundoora.</li>
	<li>25 minutes from Box Hill to the Airport.</li>
	<li>35 minutes from <a href="/new-apartments/broadmeadows-vic-3047">Broadmeadows</a> to Monash.</li>
	<li>45 minutes from <a href="/new-apartments/cheltenham-vic-3192">Cheltenham</a> to the Airport.</li>
</ul>
New estimated journey times.

<ul>
<li>15 minutes from Box Hill to Monash. </li>
	<li>25 minutes from Broadmeadows to Deakin in Burwood.</li>
	<li>20 minutes from <a href="/new-apartments/heidelberg-vic-3084">Heidelberg</a> to the Airport.</li>
	<li>35 minutes from <a href="/new-apartments/glen-waverley-vic-3150">Glen Waverley</a> to the Airport.</li>
</ul>
<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/victorias-future-rail-network-map.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Map showing all of the ALP's election commitments on rail. Image: bigbuild.vic.gov.au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/victorias-future-rail-network-map.jpg?itok=VFR6K-lj" title="Map showing all of the ALP's election commitments on rail. Image: bigbuild.vic.gov.au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Map showing all of the ALP's election commitments on rail. Image: <a href="https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/western-rail-plan">bigbuild.vic.gov.au</a></figcaption></figure><h2>New metro services for The West</h2>

The Premier was in Geelong on Tuesday morning to announce another rail-focused election commitment that would include extending metro services to both Melton and <a href="/new-townhouses/wyndham-vale-vic-3024">Wyndham Vale</a> as well as provide extra track from the city to enable faster regional services to run from Geelong and Ballarat to the city.

The plans for the western section of the Suburban Rail Loop have become clearer with a video posted on the Premier's Facebook page showing the Werribee Line extended to Wyndham Vale, which in conjunction with the extended metro services, would form the western section of the loop.

Adding to all the other rail commitments, which have focused on planning, other media outlets are reporting $150 million will be spent on expanding railway corridors to Wyndham Vale and Melton that presumably will be quadruplicated allowing metro services - which are stopping-all-stations in nature - to be separated from V/Line express services.

According to information now available on bigbuild.vic.gov.au, it is anticipated 'the three major network changes would be undertaken in stages and take around a decade to complete.'  Much of the planning work will be completed as part of the Airport Rail Link business case which is now due to be completed 'in 2019/2020'.

<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDanielAndrewsMP%2Fvideos%2F1912954475451472%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="100%"></iframe>
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Alastair Taylor

Andrews unveils Western Rail Plan as Federal Labor commit to Suburban Rail Loop

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Following Apartments.com.au's chat with Greens Member for Prahran and transport spokesperson, Sam Hibbins, I sit down with Labor candidate for Prahran, Neil Pharaoh.

Neil and I discuss the Labor Party's key transport projects including the Suburban Rail Loop, level crossing removals and the current Melbourne Metro Project and the benefits these represent for the seat of Prahran.

Neil talks about having a continued construction pipeline of large scale infrastructure projects in Melbourne, citing the City of London as an example where one project finishes and then its straight onto the next one.

The Liberal candidate for Prahran, Dr. Katie Allen, has also recorded a podcast with us - look out for our chat next week.

<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/512110161&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=true&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Laurence Dragomir

Weekly Podcast: Episode 35 - Labor's Neil Pharaoh

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<h2>Comment</h2>

If the voting public are to take the Andrews Government's <a href="/news/victorian-government-unveils-suburban-rail-loop-election-proposal">Suburban Rail Loop</a> proposal on face value, over time, Melbourne will have a train line from Cheltenham to Werribee via the north-east and Melbourne Airport.

But will it be a 'single' train line - for example, the same service, no matter which part of the new rail line you are traveling on? 

Business case development currently underway for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link (MARL) and - should the Andrews Government be re-elected - the Suburban Rail Loop, will determine that outcome however, there may be some benefit to developing what in effect would be two separate rail lines to form the one greater loop line.

In recent days we saw a private proposal dubbed 'AirRail Melbourne' which is concerned with building a new railway from Southern Cross to the Airport via Sunshine and as I mentioned in my <a href="/news/ifms-airrail-melbourne-proposal-helps-other-projects-to-get-financed">commentary</a>, that specific railway is unlikely to cost $15 billion in total and the private investment - to the tune of $5 billion - would give governments the choice to reallocate funds to expanding other rail corridors and introducing new metro and regional services.

AirRail Melbourne, the proposal which will seek to use the market-led infrastructure process set up by the Victorian Treasury, positions itself to take a bet each way on how other projects might work with it. 

For instance, extrapolating the AirRail Melbourne proposal we might foresee a new dedicated line built Southern Cross - Sunshine - Airport and a new track pair from Sunshine - Deer Park - Wyndham Vale to the Geelong/Werribee line junction. Likewise, governments will have a choice to position the MARL/AirRail Melbourne line as a future path for Bendigo and Seymour-Shepparton services just like how the Rail Futures Institute has advocated for in the past.

Governments might even choose to extend the track eastward to form the wider Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) too.

<h2>But should they?</h2>

When the SRL was unveiled by the Premier, the eastern and northern sections on the map looked somewhat obvious - by simply looking at the map we can see its purpose is to move people around the middle suburbs between the existing radial network of metropolitan and regional services.

The western section looked undercooked, but one suspects that's because of the already announced business case development work occuring for the MARL and look at the situation now - the State Government called for expressions of interest to participate last week and already a well-rounded proposal has had its 15 minutes in the sun.

The passenger movement task to and around the west is different to the northern and eastern sections of the SRL - the west has far more complexity: High-speed rail to Geelong, city to airport services, should MARL be used in future for Bendigo and Seymour-Shepparton?

And so it follows, might - or should - the Suburban Rail Loop as Melbourne's orbital rail line, be two different systems given the two broad passenger movement tasks in different regions of the metropolitan area?

If we assume the western side of the city will proceed with the MARL or something like the AirRail Melbourne proposal which includes rail corridor expansion to the west, the SRL from the Airport to Cheltenham could be a separate rail system akin to what the Sydney Metro is to the wider rail network in Metroplitan Sydney (and regional NSW).

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/projects-stations-bukitbintang-02-1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Bukit Bintang station on Kuala Lumpur's newest MRT line SBK9 - image: my-mrt.my"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/projects-stations-bukitbintang-02-1.jpg?itok=zAOmBLiD" title="Bukit Bintang station on Kuala Lumpur's newest MRT line SBK9 - image: my-mrt.my" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Bukit Bintang station on Kuala Lumpur's newest MRT line SBK9 - image: <a href="http://mymrt-underground.com.my/projects/sungai-buloh-kajang-sbk-line/">my-mrt.my</a></figcaption></figure>I was recently in Kuala Lumpur, where last year they opened the second and final phase of that city's latest MRT line.  It's a turn-key system, with portions of underground and elevated track broadly connecting through the centre of KL and out to the east and west of the Klang Valley.

We know the Andrews Government has cornered themselves into an underground rail line from Cheltenham to Broadmeadows and some of the most expensive components of underground railway construction are the stations.  The bigger the station, the higher the cost as the rule of thumb goes.

On the Metro Tunnel project, the five stations are enormous - in platform length in particular - to cater for lengthened trains. Upwards of 220 metres.

On KL's Line SBK Line 9 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungai_Buloh%E2%80%93Kajang_MRT_line">Sungai Buloh-Kajang 9</a>), trains are just as wide and each four-car train has a similar capacity as our standard metro trains in Melbourne (3-3.1m &amp; 1,200 passengers per train) but with only four cars, the trains are shorter and therefore platform length requirements are shorter as well. The trains are 90 metres in length.

The enormous capacity of the comparatively short trains is achieved with longitudinal seating and wide, open gangways between carriages. The trains are also driverless, centrally controlled with platform screen doors at all stations.

The Andrews Government claims the SRL will enable trips from Cheltenham to the Airport in 45 minutes, and it's likely that the majority of trips on the line (should it be built) will be much shorter and minimal seating in longitudinal configuration - in order to create scalability over time - would likely be acceptable to most people given the line's purpose is to rapidly move people between lines and to the newly served employment, shopping and education precincts.

Food for thought.

Lead image credit: Bukit Bintang station, <a href="http://mymrt-underground.com.my/projects/sungai-buloh-kajang-sbk-line/">my-mrt.my</a>
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Might the Suburban Rail Loop be two separate rail systems?

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<h2>Comment</h2>

Elections are fun, the posturing in the lead up to them is not, especially when another level of government gets involved.

For those from outside Victoria, the Frankston railway line on Melbourne's metropolitan rail network runs through a series of marginal seats in the Victorian Parliament and at the end of the line, the Federal seat of Dunkley is one of the Commonwealth Government's most marginal seats.

In an era when federal government population policies are keeping the immigration taps open and Melbourne is attracting a big percentage of them, there are pressures right across the metropolitan area with vacancy rates in the vast swathes of new apartments that have been completed in the past 12-24 months are down and the large numbers of people moving to the fringe as well.

In short, the fringe areas which are seeing the growth are in Melbourne's south-east (beyond Dandenong), Melbourne's north (beyond Craigieburn and Epping) and Melbourne's west and south-west (between Werribee and Deer Park). The Frankston line, and for the most part all the marginal state parliament seats, are hemmed in by green wedges inland to the east and Port Phillip Bay to the west.

The only way suburbs dotted along the Frankston railway line will help shoulder the burden of Melbourne's increasing population is through brownfields development - utilising general and residential growth zones as well as any mixed-use commercial zones in existing areas to increase dwelling, and therefore population, density.

The thing is, the bayside corridor - in political terms often referred to as the 'Sandbelt' - hasn't got all that much in the development pipeline compared to the eastern corridor along the Belgrave and Lilydale lines (this rail corridor is in the same corridor as Frankston: no more greenfields) nor the west in general.

The last Victorian election saw the area swing to the ALP and help deliver the current state government and naturally it'll be a battlefield once again because the margins are still small.

Frankston is quite a long distance from the CBD and there are plans, at least from 2013, to extend the electrification of the Frankston line to Baxter, inland, and south-east of Frankston. But much like the slither of developed land between the bay and the south-east green wedge, there's not a lot of scope for Baxter to shoulder the same burden that other regions of Melbourne's metropolitan are destined to do.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/b_carrum_ground_activation_3508x2480_v02.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Station Street in Carrum will be grade separated - image: Level Crossing Removal Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/b_carrum_ground_activation_3508x2480_v02.jpg?itok=Jm8eEoel" title="Station Street in Carrum will be grade separated - image: Level Crossing Removal Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Station Street in Carrum will be grade separated - image: Level Crossing Removal Authority</figcaption></figure>It was with dismay that I read in The Age a few days ago that there appears to be some backroom argy-bargy going on in relation to extending the Frankston line's three tracks southwards from Moorabbin in order to extend express services further down the bay.

Aside from the fact this region of Melbourne is not poised to do as much heavy lifting in terms of housing and employment for Melbourne's increasing population (with the except of the Moorabbin-Bentleigh area), putting political weight behind extending a third track is bygone era thinking.

The Frankston line from Moorabbin to Caulfield and the Belgrave/Lilydale lines from Box Hill to Burnley have triplicate - three - track sections which allow for the peak flow of faster trains to overtake stopping all stations.

<blockquote>
Three tracks was fashionable in Melbourne up until the 1980s, with prominent examples on the Ringwood and Frankston lines. Expresses can overtake slower trains in one direction only.

The catch is that since the 1990s, the amount of inner-city stabling has been reduced markedly, so all those trains need somewhere to go between peak hour runs.

This is problematic with three tracks — in the morning the single outbound track gets congested; this can result in delays and clogged level crossings, and may be problematic when aiming to connect outer suburban centres like Dandenong and Ringwood with express trains (in both directions) from the inner city.
<cite>Daniel Bowen - <a href="https://www.danielbowen.com/2016/02/09/how-many-tracks/">How many tracks</a>?</cite>
</blockquote>

As Daniel Bowen points out, express services on three tracks need to have trains stored at the end of the run - and the inner-city does not have that capacity anymore. 

I can understand a state or federal MP hearing his or her community's concerns about commuting times but in the wider metropolitan context, express services to the city - and doing it in a substandard way - is a luxury, especially as the region we're talking about will not be under the same pressure to shoulder the burden of population growth.
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Two tiers of service on the Frankston is a nice to have, not a necessity

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GUEST OBSERVATION
More than half a century has passed since high-speed rail (HSR) effectively began operating, in Japan in 1964, and it has been mooted for Australia since 1984. I estimate that the cost of all HSR studies by the private and public sectors in Australia exceeds $125 million, in today’s dollars. But the federal government is now less interested in high-speed rail (now defined as electric trains operating on steel rails at maximum speeds of above 250km per hour), and instead favours “faster rail” or medium-speed rail.
The 2017 federal budget provided $20 billion over the next 10 years for rail, with more allocated in the 2018 budget. It is now time for Australia to commit to medium-speed rail (trains operating on new or existing tracks at speeds of between 160km and 250km/h).
Indeed, three states have made progress in developing trains at 160km/h, with Victoria leading the way. New South Wales has failed to keep up with these states.
What happened to high-speed rail in Australia?
The first high-speed rail system dates back to 1964 when the Tokaido Shinkansen started operating between Tokyo and Osaka. At first, it took four hours to travel 515 kilometres; now some trains take two-and-a-half hours. Japan’s system has an impeccable safety record and the network extends for over 3,000km.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218530/original/file-20180511-34006-1a32kgw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
An image prepared in 1984 by the late Phil Belbin of what the Very Fast Train south of Canberra could look like. Courtesy of Railway Digest (ARHS/NSW) June 2004, Author provided
France was next in 1981 with its TGV trains. In 1984, high-speed rail was first proposed for Australia. This was the CSIRO’s Very Fast Train proposal to link Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne using TGV trains.
At all levels, government was not supportive. The private sector, after a series of studies, found it was viable and could work with different taxation arrangements. This was not forthcoming and work stopped in 1991.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218529/original/file-20180511-34027-1ouout.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
An image from the 1990s of a SpeedRail train at Central Station. Courtesy of Railway Digest (ARHS/NSW), Author provided
A more modest proposal, called Speedrail, to connect Sydney and Canberra was proposed in the mid-1990s. With some federal government encouragement, it was studied, with detailed design. It was costed at about $4.5 billion, with finance arranged for some $3.5 billion. The Howard government would not fund the balance and commissioned yet another HSR study.
More studies have followed. One study in 2013 put a price tag of $23 billion on a Sydney-Canberra line involving much tunnelling in Sydney. This was part of a 1,750km high-speed rail corridor linking Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. The total estimated cost was A$114 billion.
Despite many studies recommending the need to identify and protect a corridor for a future high-speed rail network, government has failed to reserve any land corridors (with the exception of part of a future Melbourne outer metropolitan ring road).
What about the alternatives?
Many countries do not have high-speed rail, but have medium-speed rail (MSR) instead. These countries include Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Canada.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218535/original/file-20180511-34015-vv508a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218535/original/file-20180511-34015-vv508a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Queensland’s Tilt Train intercity service has been running for nearly 20 years. <a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City_of_Rockhampton_train_(Sunshine_railway_station,_Brisbane).jpg">QRtrains/Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a>
Three Australian states have trains operating at 160km/h. These are Queensland, starting in 1998 with its Electric Tilt Train service between Brisbane and Rockhampton, Victoria, with its Regional Fast Rail project using V/Locity diesel multiple units, and Western Australia, with the Prospector train.
Victoria’s service originated in 1999 when the then Labor opposition promised a new deal for regional Victoria, which included new trains and upgraded tracks on four lines to Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Gippsland. The ALP won government that year. By 2006 the track upgrades were delivered along with new trains made in Victoria.
People liked the faster trains. Patronage went up by more than 15% in each of the first three years of operation. More trains were ordered and further major track upgrades followed.
Victoria was assisted by $3 billion in federal funding for a Regional Rail Link program. This was to provide new intercity tracks in Melbourne so suburban trains did not slow down regional trains.
Due to good ongoing planning attracting more federal funding, further track upgrades are under way. The 2017 Victorian Infrastructure Plan outlines priorities and funding for projects over the next five years, with longer-term policy directions.
So what’s going on in NSW?
Questions are now being asked as to why Victoria and WA are doing do well with federal funding for passenger rail at the expense of NSW.
The rail situation in Australia’s most populated state is not good for its regions. By far the most NSW government attention and funding has gone into the Greater Sydney region.
Between the 2011 and the 2016 Censuses, Greater Sydney’s population (including Gosford) grew some 10% from 4.39 to 4.82 million. Rail patronage on the Sydney and intercity network had even stronger growth of some 15% from 2011 to 2016.
To try to cope with this increasing demand for rail a new Metro section is due to be completed in 2019. Light rail is also being introduced in Sydney, Newcastle and Parramatta.
Sydney continues to have serious road traffic problems, which are unlikely to be solved by WestConnex Stages 1 and 2 that are now under construction. The proposed Stage 3 received over 7,000 objections, including a sensible alternative proposal by the City of Sydney, but the NSW government has approved Stage 3 and even more motorways. This is despite overseas experience for cities the size of Sydney pointing to the best solution being a much-improved rail system with road congestion pricing.
Regional NSW is also growing in population, albeit not as quickly as Sydney. In spring 2017, Transport for NSW released a draft regional servicea and infrastructure plan not for the next five years, but out to 2056. However, these plans were very vague as to what may be delivered in the next five or even ten years.
The plans also omitted earlier Infrastructure NSW goals for Sydney-Gosford and Sydney-Wollongong trains to take one hours (instead of one-and-a-half) and Sydney-Newcastle trains to take two hours. In addition, there are calls for more and faster trains linking to each of Goulburn/Canberra and the Central West of NSW.
Clearly, NSW is facing major transport challenges to overcome rail infrastructure backlogs and meet the needs of a growing population.
The state government is getting new intercity electric trains and has committed to buying new regional trains. But it’s yet to commit to track upgrades to help the new trains go faster than the present slow ones.
The NSW ALP opposition is also yet to present detailed policies of how it would meet the transport challenges in Sydney and in regional NSW.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95854/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">The people of NSW must hope the state budget due June 19 and the opposition leader’s reply will address these issues.
Philip Laird, Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Wollongong
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lets-get-moving-with-the-affordable-medium-speed-alternatives-to-the-old-dream-of-high-speed-rail-95854" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Let's get moving with the affordable alternatives to the old dream of high-speed rail

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<h2>Comment</h2>

As covered by Urban.com.au last week, the third discussion paper which forms part of the City of Melbourne's Transport Refresh Strategy has been released. Covering the topic of Transport, the discussion paper highlights a number of key projects to ensure Melbourne doesn't become a victim of its own success.

The Transport Refresh Strategy's discussion paper on Melbourne's Public Transport Network has identified Melbourne Metro 2 as the highest priority transport project, supported by both Infrastructure Victoria and the Rail Network Development Plan.

Melbourne Metro 2 would see a new rail tunnel proposed to link Newport to Clifton Hill via Fishermans Bend with interchange to City Loop services at Southern Cross and Melbourne Metro 1 at Parkville Station.

<blockquote>
This should be the highest priority major transport project for Victoria. The project was identified as a priority by Infrastructure Victoria and the Rail Network Development Plan.

The Melbourne Metro Rail Authority is in place with the skills and knowledge to deliver this project.

If planning commenced in 2018, Melbourne Metro 2 construction could begin prior to finishing Metro 1.

The vision for Fishermans Bend will not be realised without Melbourne Metro 2 to enable the transition to a world class urban renewal area.
</blockquote>

Further to this, the City of Melbourne has identified a Melbourne Metro 3 which connect Melbourne Airport to Ringwood also traveling via Southern Cross Station. This is on the back of the Federal Government's $5b commitment to delivering a rail link to the airport.

And if as Daniel Andrews says that planning on an airport link would be well advanced by the time Metro 1 is completed it would make sense that the station would be future proofed to allow for both projects, with a new station box likely required to service these new lines. This would be similar to what's happening at Parkville and North Melbourne (formerly Arden) stations.

<blockquote>
The next major transport project for further investigation, Melbourne Metro 3 would supplement a regional airport rail connection and open up urban renewal opportunities in the north-west. It will further increase capacity of the rail network and provide for convenient car-free cross city journeys.
</blockquote>

Both these alignments are illustrated in the map below:

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/potential_concept_metro_train_map_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The future of Melbourne's rail network? Image : City of Melbourne"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="374" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/potential_concept_metro_train_map_0.jpg?itok=36wNZJ81" title="The future of Melbourne's rail network? Image : City of Melbourne" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The future of Melbourne's rail network? Image : City of Melbourne</figcaption></figure>What these two potential projects highlight and reinforce is Southern Cross' role within Melbourne's transport network is about to take on even greater importance, possibly becoming Melbourne's busiest station in the process.

The station is already the juncture of a number of key modes of transport in addition to servicing both the Melbourne CBD and the Docklands Precinct, and with the recent announcement of <a href="/news/etihad-stadiums-redevelopment-to-improve-links-to-cbd-and-victoria-harbour">Etihad Stadium's redevelopment</a>, there is an opportunity to master plan not just the station but the entire precinct into a large transport node with improved connections from the station to its surrounds and safer interchange between modes particularly during peak times.

This could be achieved by closing off Spencer Street between Collins and Lonsdale Streets as discussed in <a href="/expert-insights/buying/city-of-melbournes-transport-strategy-refresh-its-time-to-walk-the-walk">last week's article</a> on improving the walkability of the CBD.

What it also highlights (Alastair and I briefly discussed it on <a href="/guides/weekly-podcast-episode-10-rowville-light-rail-and-melbourne-airport-rail-link">Episode 10 of the weekly podcast </a>) is the urgency to deliver at the very least Melbourne Metro 2 and the framework for Metro 3 post completion of Metro 1, utilising the knowledge and skills developed during the project to deliver the next stage and beyond. 

The Napthine Government's Melbourne Rail Link alignment included new metro platforms at South Yarra, with stations at Domain, Montague within Fishermans Bend, a new station box at Southern Cross, and station at Melbourne Airport so some of the ground work has already been done. 

It's also worth remembering that Southern Cross's redevelopment earlier this century was always done with an eye to the future and the station was always envisioned as the departure point to the airport, with material produced during the redevelopment describing how a visitor or local would drop their baggage off at the station and catch a train to the airport.

Already a coach terminal, underneath the Spencer Outlet shopping complex accommodates both Skybus Super Shuttle services to Melbourne Airport and Sunbus Shuttle services to Avalon Airport and there is scope to improve these facilities in the short term but they alone will not be adequate.

If Melbourne is serious about becoming a liveable global city with a world-class transport network it needs to provide the infrastructure for it to happen, it can't rest on its laurels post Metro 1 and City of Melbourne's Transport Strategy Refresh is a good start.

The State Government committing to Melbourne Metro 2 would provide the development industry and existing community in Fishermans Bend with confidence in the urban renewal precinct, acting as a catalyst for development similar to North Melbourne Station and the Arden precinct. 

Docklands wouldn't have developed or attracted the commercial tenants it has, had it not been for Southern Cross Station sitting at its doorstep.

As per the title of this piece, all roads lead to Southern Cross...

Lead image: Grimshaw Architects
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All roads lead to Southern Cross Station

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It's budget season! 

Laurence and I discuss the tsunami of transport initiatives announced during the week including City of Melbourne's transport strategy, the new light rail line to Chadstone, Monash and Rowville as well as the Melbourne Airport Rail Link.

 

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Weekly Podcast: Episode 10 - Rowville light rail and Melbourne Airport Rail Link

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Other cities around the world are looking to building more advanced light rail systems as I discussed in <a href="/news/light-rail-might-already-be-popular-but-some-cities-are-taking-it-to-the-next-level">this article</a>.  In the absence, still, of any transport plan for people who don't need to travel to the CBD for work and in the context of the inevitable growth of Melbourne's already decentralised employment centres which at present have minimal non-road public transport access, I'm going to highlight some areas of the city where where cheaper grade-separated light rail might start addressing those needs.

As I outlined in the earlier piece, Dublin has announced early plans to build a new 26km metro line using light rail vehicles in its own right of way with two major underground sections.  Toronto's been building a similar system along it's Eglington Avenue corridor since the start of the decade which is expected to be open by 2021.

They both have the same maximum passenger capacity - 15,000 passengers per direction per hour - and in Toronto's case, the estimate is that by 2031 it will carry 5400 passengers per direction per hour and 60-70% of its operating costs will be covered by fares - (compared to Melbourne's overall system recovering only 20-30% of costs through fares according to a January 2017 report in the AFR).

So what might an underground light rail system, one of a similar length as Dublin or Toronto, look like in Melbourne? 

The world really is our oyster and should the focus of public transport planning ever shift to moving people around the city (literally) or connecting them to jobs in the suburbs, rather than just moving people to and from the centre of the city, corridors like these might just get a look in.

<h2>Inner City Orbital</h2>

The line shown in the map below measures about the same as the Dublin system and has about the same amount of stations.  Did you know that if you work in Richmond/Abbotsford and live somewhere such as Brunswick or Moonee Ponds, your journey on public transport could take almost the same amount of time as someone commuting to the Ringwood, Watergardens, Cheltenham or Dandenong to the city by train?

What's more, a journey around the inner city forces you onto the same services as those people commuting from longer distance for at least one leg of the journey.  Some might sneer or roll their eyes about inner-city dwellers complaining about commutes but is it right that people who live in or near the inner city and don't work in the CBD itself are forced to travel via the CBD? 

The inner city orbital route below would connect with every radial rail route and the majority of the tram network as well as connecting established or emerging inner-city non-CBD job centres like Fishermans Bend, South Melbourne, Cremorne, Abbotsford with the growing and more predominantly residential inner-north.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1SwNd1WK6x45JzU9tJx0xB_-Z6jmYy3ym" width="100%"></iframe>

<h2>The northern cross-town</h2>

The route on this map is about 5km shorter than the orbital route above but seeks to serve the employment centres in the west and north.  I've only come up with 16 potential sites for stations which includes the terminus and possible location of the maintenance and storage depot in Sunshine, Highpoint, Moonee Ponds, Brunswick, Eastern Thornbury/Preston and Heidelberg.

Much of this route would need to be underground.  There is one exception, depending on local tolerances - the Ballarat Road and Hampshire Road corridors are wide and [obviously cheaper] elevated structures might suffice in this area (remember the aim is to not build more in-street tram lines).

UM commenters have previously made mention this broad corridor (which has featured in articles like this in the past on Apartments.com.au) would solve a medium-long term problem of people trying to get across the Maribyrnong River, and hence I'm rehashing it somewhat and keeping it anchored firmly in the Sunshine-Highpoint-Moonee Ponds corridor.

Depending on the outcome of the planning working being undertaken right now for the La Trobe employment cluster - specifically the public transport plan - this route would also draw people who live to the west of La Trobe closer to it if a frequent bus service eventually runs between Heidelberg and the La Trobe precinct.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1D4E7qLzDed6Cie_3nppTF6O6x22cw8Qm" width="100%"></iframe>

<h2>The Eastern cross-town</h2>

Springvale Road has run point on moving people north-south through the eastern suburbs for years, Eastlink now does a lot of the heavy lifting and arterials like Stephensons Road and Blackburn Road also do a lot of heavy lifting - for private vehicles and for smart buses in some cases.

Monash, like La Trobe, is another university-centric cluster that will see a lot of employment growth over time - in fact Monash has the highest concentration of jobs outside of Melbourne's CBD (as one commenter has mentioned before - decentralisation of jobs in Melbourne is already here if you look closely enough).

The cat is out of the bag in Box Hill as we have reported on Apartments.com.au on many occasions and this cross-town route would bring not one, not two, but three stations to the station-less Manningham LGA (the only council area in metropolitan Melbourne without a rail station or service).

Westall hosts the southern terminus rather than Clayton or Springvale for two reasons:

<ol>
<li>a maintenance and storage facility would require property acquisition no matter where it would be placed on this line, Westall already has one maintenance facility for metro, this might be a good place to expand and/or adapt the facility for the cross-town line</li>
	<li>Westall will likely be the first 'short-stop' on the new Pakenham/Cranbourne metro line - it seems logical to put an interchange here as between Westall and the city is where the highest frequency of metro services will likely run plus from Westall, the cross-town line alignment traverses the greatest amount of land in the Monash cluster.</li>
</ol>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1ooHW3ZjMIN1nI_83Sr_drhC0MonHS8OP" width="100%"></iframe>
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