funding cannot be justified by patronage projections; further other transport initiatives of higher priority will precede the implementation of Doncaster Heavy Rail. DRS proposed that Heavy Rail starts at the Park and Ride, not Shopping Town. DRS states that this due to the design standards established by the DOT for Heavy Rail set a maximum gradient of 2% precluding that service from climbing the average 4% gradient to Shopping Town. To terminate at Shopping Town, like LRT, therefore requires construction of a tunnel and 50 metres deep station; estimated at $1 billion by DRS. Congestion of Metro Rail services at Clifton Hill impedes the frequency of services from Doncaster. The Clifton Hill to City section is already heavily used with 16 peak hour Hurstbridge/South Morang line services planned to increase to 22 by 2021. Expected increase in patronage from existing routes precludes pathways for even between 2 and 4 services per hour from Doncaster. To reduce congestion investment in the order of another $5-6 billion is needed including either the decoupling the South Morang/Mernda Line by constructing a separate tunnel between Clifton Hill and the CBD, and/or installation of “moving block” high capacity signalling. Alternative heavy rail proposals that connect Doncaster to the proposed Metro Station at Parkville and by pass congestion on the line at Clifton Hill are valid, but the cost of tunnelling from around the end of the Eastern Freeway, plus the cost of intermediate stations makes it prohibitive, for the expected patronage. DRS modelling indicated patronage of 56,000 passengers per typical week day, around 7,000 per hour. This would require 12 trains per hour each carrying 600 passengers. LRT vehicles can accommodate up to 9000 passengers per hour as shown above. VTAG supports the premise that potential patronage is substantially higher than that expected by DRS, and that it would increase with fast reliable services however, increased patronage cannot be accommodated by Heavy Rail.
funding cannot be justified by patronage projections; further other transport initiatives of higher priority will precede the implementation of Doncaster Heavy Rail. DRS proposed that Heavy Rail starts at the Park and Ride, not Shopping Town. DRS states that this due to the design standards established by the DOT for Heavy Rail set a maximum gradient of 2% precluding that service from climbing the average 4% gradient to Shopping Town. To terminate at Shopping Town, like LRT, therefore requires construction of a tunnel and 50 metres deep station; estimated at $1 billion by DRS. Congestion of Metro Rail services at Clifton Hill impedes the frequency of services from Doncaster. The Clifton Hill to City section is already heavily used with 16 peak hour Hurstbridge/South Morang line services planned to increase to 22 by 2021. Expected increase in patronage from existing routes precludes pathways for even between 2 and 4 services per hour from Doncaster. To reduce congestion investment in the order of another $5-6 billion is needed including either the decoupling the South Morang/Mernda Line by constructing a separate tunnel between Clifton Hill and the CBD, and/or installation of “moving block” high capacity signalling. Alternative heavy rail proposals that connect Doncaster to the proposed Metro Station at Parkville and by pass congestion on the line at Clifton Hill are valid, but the cost of tunnelling from around the end of the Eastern Freeway, plus the cost of intermediate stations makes it prohibitive, for the expected patronage. DRS modelling indicated patronage of 56,000 passengers per typical week day, around 7,000 per hour. This would require 12 trains per hour each carrying 600 passengers. LRT vehicles can accommodate up to 9000 passengers per hour as shown above. VTAG supports the premise that potential patronage is substantially higher than that expected by DRS, and that it would increase with fast reliable services however, increased patronage cannot be accommodated by Heavy Rail.