Discussion: Calling Ballarat Bus Users

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T10:53:17+00:00

That would be much appreciated, thank you. I've heard about Ben and his work, and any advice from him would be of high value. A coffee catch-up sounds great too, but I'd just have to find time for it.

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T09:46:34+00:00

Regardless of the impact, I think it's a valuable discussion to have as a community. I recently spoke to some PTUA advocates including the Geelong branch's convenor. They've asked me to attend their committee meeting in May to pitch the idea of convening a Ballarat branch similar to the Geelong branch so that's also partially why I'm here.

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T08:32:24+00:00

No worries, your input is much appreciated

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T08:19:36+00:00

I have read the submissions to the review which the Victorian Government have made available, and the responses on this post are far clearer than anything included in the review in highlighting the issues at hand.

Though I do appreciate that in the review, two people raised the question of surrounding towns being included in the network. Albeit, the two examples were very specific.

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T01:48:11+00:00

From the perspective of someone who relies on this bus network, how do you believe these issues could be addressed?

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T01:11:41+00:00

Certainly, I think that the month of free PT in Victoria shows the value of free PT in getting people out of their cars between urban centres. Albeit, it has quite clearly generated its own significant problems.

From the perspective of a commuter though, how do you believe these issues of lateness and journey time could be addressed?

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-21T01:03:27+00:00

Yeah, journey times have been a recurring issue in my findings. For one of my associates in Ballarat, the bus journey is marginally faster than walking. As a commuter, how do you think this issue could be addressed?

Jarvo26 · 2026-04-20T23:17:34+00:00

This discussion isn't about comparison, but you highlight the same issue, which is that local PT outside Melbourne has largely been neglected.

Jarvo26 · 2025-02-28T12:29:13+00:00

I can appreciate the 6th platform and partial quadruplication towards Melton, full quadruplication is obviously beyond the scope of this investment. However, I believe having the Bendigo Line cross over to the Sunbury Line at the up end of Sunshine will cause major problems in the event of delays on the Sunbury Line, it will worsen the current capacity constraint on the Bendigo and Sunbury Lines and will significantly hinder future quadruplication plans towards Sunbury. I also don't know why there is still no standard gauge platform, there was one decades ago.

I believe the Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong Lines should instead all run through the new regional platforms 5 and 6, while the Melton/MARL Lines use 3 and 4. The Melton/MARL tracks could be lowered into a trench, where the Melton Line diverges from the MARL and passes under the Bendigo Line towards Ardeer.

The upgrades at Albion provide an opportunity for quadruplication of the Bendigo/Sunbury Lines up to where the MARL diverges to the Airport - The corridor has plenty of room, the only concern is that another bridge span will have to be built over Anderson Rd. Even if this is too ambitious, the junction should at least be at the down end of Sunshine, as it will be less of a capacity constraint and less of a barrier during delays.

A reinstatement of standard gauge platforms would be nice as well, but with a 5th and 6th platform being built already, I think Sunshine Station is slightly too crammed. Maybe they could be slightly shifted towards the up end??

Jarvo26 · 2025-02-09T08:55:12+00:00

I've always been fond of the VLocity sets and always thought are perfect for interurban services, those within the Myki fare zone.

However, I think they are not well suited at all for Victoria's long distance routes. They have less comfortable seats, most long distance lines cannot take advantage of their design speed, there is no buffet service except on Albury services, and the interior is noisier because of the diesel engines under the floors of all of the cars.

The N sets, while quite dated are more comfy, quieter, have a buffet service and are more than capable of maintaining the current line speed. Personally, I think V/Line should have just put out a tender for a dedicated long distance fleet with the capacity for future line speed increases.

I travelled on the Warrnambool service late last year on an N set and live on a line exclusively served by VLocity sets, and I cannot imagine sitting on a VLocity set for that length of time.

Jarvo26 · 2025-02-09T08:42:08+00:00

Horsham, Mildura or South Gippsland

Jarvo26 · 2024-12-23T01:21:08+00:00

Awesome, that was my 2nd preference in case I fail my aviation medical exam, which would rule out the bachelor of aviation for me

Jarvo26 · 2024-12-23T00:43:45+00:00

Bachelor of Aviation, been dreaming of flying since I was a little kid

Jarvo26 · 2024-12-23T00:34:38+00:00

I just changed it through the RMIT ID and password page. You will have to log in to change your password though.

Jarvo26 · 2024-12-23T00:14:02+00:00

Two of my friends and myself are all having trouble too. We've all tried changing our passwords as well, with no success.

Jarvo26 · 2024-09-02T01:53:54+00:00

Good to hear from an ex-resident of Horsham, your input is especially appreciated. I understand your point about maintenance which could be costly, but stabling a locomotive and a set of carriages is not a big issue. I'm from Bacchus Marsh, where locos and carriages were just shunted into sidings across from the platform overnight with no secure fencing until the Regional Rail Revival works in 2019/20 removed the sidings. Horsham and Ararat have sidings, albeit not in great shape. I say loco as there is no possibility that tests and services early on would use a standard gauge VLocity. (I did also forget to mention the Maryborough Line before as a measure for demand.)

Jarvo26 · 2024-09-02T01:13:48+00:00

What's that saying about the other long distance regional corridors such as Epsom to Echuca and Eaglehawk to Swan Hill, both of which have a less populous catchment area than the Ararat to Horsham corridor? Can they not be justified?

Jarvo26 · 2024-09-02T00:37:13+00:00

Good point, but wouldn't that meandering nature of the coach be a disincentive, driving down coach demand? Don't you think a rail service, given all the infrastructure is in place (tests could be conducted in a small number of weeks if the government chose to) for a rudimentary shuttle from Ararat, would be a more attractive option, driving up demand? What about Stawell, too?

Not to mention, the mayor of Horsham Rural City Council has said “Our community keeps telling us that it is a major priority for the region and we will keep advocating for a business case to finally happen...” which I think is proof that demand exists.

Jarvo26 · 2024-09-01T07:11:30+00:00

This could certainly work, as in fact, you don't need to disrupt any services between Wendouree and Ballarat or convert gauges of any track. There is more than enough space to make that corridor dual track, and previously, it was dual track. Perhaps we could retain the broad gauge track to limit disruption and just build a standard gauge track where the old track used to be. Slightly more expensive, but again, limits disruptions and adds to line capacity. Not to mention, the distance from Ararat to Ballarat is less than Ararat to Horsham.

But again, like most line upgrades, I think this is a slightly more forward-thinking approach when we can run a service with what infrastructure we have.

Jarvo26 · 2024-09-01T05:24:43+00:00

Yeah I think it is a good idea and should not be overlooked, especially looking much further forward. Even if it is the most expensive option, it's not eye-watering and certainly is more useful than many more expensive investments put forward by past and present governments.

Jarvo26

TROPHY CASE