Commute chaos for Melbourne’s growing outer north

Affordable home and land packages sold in Melbourne’s outer Northern Suburbs have seen a population boom in the midst of a housing crisis, but limited transport infrastructure has made the city commute a headache.

(Credit: Pixabay)

The area directly north of Melbourne’s CBD, along the Hume Freeway, are all part of the Northern Growth Corridor. This includes suburbs like Donnybrook, Kalkallo, Mickleham, Beveridge and Southern Wallan.

According to Infrastructure Australia, the Northern Growth Corridor is forecast to house around 137,000 residents by 2031.

Crystal Legacy, an Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Melbourne University, says it’s important to keep transport infrastructure in mind when building these new suburbs.

“We want to make sure that when we’re expanding the city out and we’re building new areas for high growth, that we adequately provide provision for transport,” she said.

From Seymour to Donnybrook, the main train service available is the V-Line.

V/Line train at Southern Cross Station, (Credit: V/Line Media Centre)

The train runs roughly every half an hour during peak times, however, cancellations, overcrowding and bus replacements have left passengers with little choice but to find alternative transportation.

Research from RMIT University shows communities on Melbourne’s urban fringe have to wait an average of three to four years for bus services to be implemented after a suburb is developed. This means that travelling by bus is not always an option for residents.

The lack of infrastructure means people have to buy cars or seek other ways to travel. Most of the travelling done by people living on the fringe is private, including going to work or study. But it leaves residents stuck in a concept known as forced car ownership. 

Forced car ownership disproportionately impacts lower-socioeconomic people, as they are challenged with living further away from work and school, but then have to deal with the costs associated with car maintenance and fuel.

Credit: Louis Harrison

A person living in a well-connected suburb who uses public transport every day can expect to spend between $35-$55 on their Myki over five days. A household with two cars can spend upwards of $115 per week on fuel and tolls, according to data from the Australian Automobile Association.

Shelby Reeves, a Broadford resident, who used to use the V/Line services to get to work, said she started driving due to overcrowding and cancellations.

“A lot of the time I just ended up choosing to drive to work which is actually way more expensive than catching the train, but at the end of the day at least it’s reliable. I know what I’m in for for the traffic so at least that’s more consistent than V/Line trains,” she said.

For those opting to give the train a miss and drive in, road works and maintenance upgrades on the Hume Freeway have caused delays as well.

Crystal Legacy says public transport and transport infrastructure are political and that all three levels of government have a part to play.

“What we have to make sure of is, when people move into these areas, they hold local government MPs, state MPs and federal MPs to account because effectively these are political decisions,” she said.

Lauren Kathage, who is the Labor MP for Yan Yean, a state electorate that covers parts of the City of Whittlesea and the Shire of Nillumbik, has been advocating for more frequent services and more train carriages in peak times alongside community consultations.

In a social media video filmed at Donnybrook Station during a peak travel time, Kathage spoke about train overcrowding and the feedback she’s received from the community.

“The early bird always gets the worm, but they don’t always get a seat on the train,” she said.

The Allan-Labor government has projects planned to help ease the strain for people living in these regions, such as the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL).

The SRL is a multi-billion-dollar project set to connect suburbs and provide another transport option for those needing to travel to the airport.

Victoria’s Big Build has noted that the Northern arm of the SRL will connect Box Hill with Melbourne Airport and cross through train lines on the Northern Growth Corridor, with Broadmeadows Station becoming a ‘Super Hub’.

Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan, said in a press release that this project is an improvement on current transport infrastructure.

“The Suburban Rail Loop delivers better public transport and less congestion on the road,” she said.

Until new urban planning projects like the SRL break ground and current projects are finished, residents will still face lengthy commutes with delays and disruptions.

Night works will continue on stretches of the freeway between Wallan and Epping through May.