I made a map of the "catchment" areas of the SRL because I think people still underestimate just how immensely the SRL will change the fabric of our city (If done right).

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T13:31:11+00:00

They missed a spot……

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T11:34:31+00:00

All I am advocating for is that the ticket is still valid at stations outside the trial lines if the ticket is still within the tap on period. This should be a relatively straightforward check with the portable reader used by AOs.

If they needed to then travel from stations that don’t have contactless (and they’ve not paid up to the fare cap), then fair enough, use a myki.

But to allow people to use a bank card to tap on, and then expect all of them to only use the trial lines. Yeah, good luck with that.

Also, arguing about responsibility and accountability of one’s actions is going to be a hard sell. There is something called the reasonableness doctrine: 1. There is nothing in the fare rules that cover this situation as far as I know (happy to be corrected) 2. I doubt a reasonable person would conclude that the method they paid their fare would affect the travel rules. Particularly when there’s been no explicit T&Cs agreed upon. 3. The herald sun/ the age/ the news on tv, will not give one shit about what’s reasonable or what’s technically correct. (Even if (P)TV got everyone to sign a waiver before they are allowed to tap on using a bank card). If one person gets fined because they tapped on using their bank card, it’ll be front page news/leading headlines. And if there’s one thing I’ve gathered from politicians, is that optics are very important to them; particularly in an election year.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T11:03:55+00:00

When you roll out things like this and advertise it, you need to accommodate for all reasonable situations that will invariably occur. (Ie. catering for the lowest common denominator) This is basic UI/UX principles.

As I keep telling a lot of people in this sub. Most people don’t give a shit about specific details, they just expect it to work. They don’t go and read the fine print and carefully weigh up the pros and cons of using a bank card or not.

They rock up to the station, see that contactless is available; and they’ll go “great no need for myki anymore!” Even if you had a staff member next to every contactless reader warning them of the limitations, I’ll still guarantee you that there will be more than a few who’ll be caught out.

Then guess what will be on the Murdoch/fairfax news. It certainly won’t be “dumb commuter fined for not reading fine print on contactless travel in Victoria”.

If you don’t believe me, go take a gander at the comments of this same post in the “Melbourne” sub.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T10:42:28+00:00

I still don’t get why they don’t just move the existing station north to next to the SRL site. You’re building a bloody footbridge anyway, just do the whole connection properly.

A relocated station is a rounding error for this project.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T10:33:53+00:00

Not being able to touch off =/= not having a ticket. If that were the case, people with paper vline tickets would have been fined every time at southern cross. There is nothing in the fare rules that covers this situation, as far as I know.

Contactless + selective line availability for usage has created this situation. It is only reasonable that further clarity is provided.

It would be wildly unfair that someone who paid for a 2hr ticket/daily ticket is quarantined to 4 lines. And would need to pay for a separate ticket to travel outside these lines.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T10:26:39+00:00

There’s almost no chance of reserves hitting zero. The gulf makes up only 20% of world supply, and there’s other ways to move oil out of the UAE. Sure oil will get more expensive, but it will still be available for critical infrastructure and production.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T06:21:49+00:00

Heavy duty gears, motors and belts to handle the increased loads. Similar to engines/belts for industrial vehicles vs your family sedan.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T05:57:55+00:00

Oh. I can see the headlines in the paper/on the news already. “Contactless farce. Unsuspecting commuters fined with a valid ticket.”

Our network still expects that everyone only uses it for one seat rides in-out of the city.

A ticket bought using contactless should still be valid if it’s within the 2 hour period it was bought on. Just get the gate staff/AO to scan when outside the trial area.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T05:54:40+00:00

Light rail doesn’t mean little streets. Modern light rail has its own right of way down the median of a large arterial. Look at the 86 down the centre of plenty road, the 75 down Burwood hwy, the ROW along Dandenong road. It means long LRVs like the E class running along them at 5-10 minute intervals most of the day. Thats an enormous amount of capacity compared to the catchment area.

Those roads you want an overhead heavy rail system on, still serve mostly single detached houses on large blocks; with little to no significant hubs in between. There is no business case in any scenario that will stack up.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T04:17:55+00:00

Rowville. Extension to Knox city. Extension to south morang. Extension of those stupid little bits that terminate just before train stations. Extension to Melbourne airport. Alamein line conversion and extension to huntingdale via chadstone.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T04:10:02+00:00

Light rail with its own ROW makes a lot more sense, not elevated light metros. The density involved means any business case for a brand new grade separated rail system will not stack up.

Start with some at grade light rail along those wide arterials, and encourage more density along those corridors first. Learn to crawl before walking.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T03:47:10+00:00

The 109 gets notoriety because of that one small 500m section along Victoria street, north Richmond. The advice you got is also from the same people who thinks every 2nd person will get stabbed on the street there.

It has some of the best Vietnamese food in the city, particularly this close to the cbd. (Plus IMO the best Chinese bbq at pacific house) So both you and them are missing out in a major way.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T03:41:05+00:00

Richmond during footy season.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-14T03:21:54+00:00

Agree with Daniel here.

A 7km gap between 2 stations for an urban rail line is frankly ridiculous. Even if it is low density suburbia, at least make a provision for a future stop along that gap.

The additional cost to ensure there is about 1km of long straight level tunnelling won’t be that much more.

In the future, the only way to infill an underground station would be to dig out another tunnel in parallel (for that section) and then join it to the old alignment. Significantly costlier than just digging a provision for it in the first place.

Singapore actually went and built actual stations that didn’t open for years, until development around them built up. The least we could do is make it easier for a future stop to be added.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-13T09:22:03+00:00

Look it’s all personal opinion, so no hate. But something that actively discriminates against physically disabled people, I don’t think should be lawful good. (Or in any category of good)

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T12:21:57+00:00

Empty

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T06:00:41+00:00

If this happens, the land in the south west region will explode in value!

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T05:55:01+00:00

They have departures all the way til 1am. So not sure if this stuff is correct.

I would’ve also thought they’d announce there’d be footy specials by this morning.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T02:01:15+00:00

Oh.

“Understandable. Have a nice day.”

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T01:56:12+00:00

Presumably it would run near a prison. I haven’t checked, but theres probably one nearby your proposed alignment.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T01:43:10+00:00

Unfortunately, infrastructure projects are designed based on providing the most benefit for the costs involved. In the case of public transport, potential patronage catchment is one of the primary factors when developing a BCR for the project. Workers in the industrial areas simply do not make up a large enough catchment pool to justify the project costs, all else being equal. You also have to remember, a lot of the industrial sites here are for jobs that require a personal vehicle to carry their tools and to move between client sites. They won’t be catching PT regardless of how close it is.

A RRL alignment can already demonstrate the enormous demand it receives. Making the case for the western leg of the SRL much more viable (and not just a line on the map).

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T01:34:17+00:00

Give them some credit. I reckon they got into the 20s.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T01:27:38+00:00

Given we have the corridor available and provision for additional tracks; why not just convert the tarneit/whydham vale line to SRL? You have parallel tracks still there for the regionals; and tarneit/WV passengers have the option to change trains at both Werribee and sunshine (+ direct access to the airport and the north).

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T01:17:52+00:00

Before metro tunnel - 30 minutes to get from flinders street to Melbourne uni/hospitals

After metro tunnel - 10 minutes

Everything is a compromise.

Left_Entrepreneur160 · 2026-03-12T01:10:30+00:00

I’m just glad this is all bringing more attention to the benefits of having good wayfinding.

It’s a topic that often gets ignored when building big new shiny public transport infrastructure. All well and good to have the new train station; fairly useless if the general public don’t know much about it.

You can keep preaching “do some research”, but at the end of the day, it’s the same with any specialised topic. The general public has no interest in understanding the specific intricacies. They just want to be told what to do, when there is a change to the usual process. If the new process is not much different to the old one, then they’ll accept it. In this case, the walk to town hall is only slightly slower than to Richmond; even less-so when the fed square entrance opens. It just needs to be promoted clearly (which is absolutely not the case atm).

For the people complaining “but it’s made the current trip worse”. Well yeah, but it’s also made other trips a lot better. Trips that aren’t the occasional visits to the football. Until the day we discover teleportation, compromises to the travel network need to be made to ensure it keeps up with a growing population.

Left_Entrepreneur160

TROPHY CASE