Bendigo and Geelong consider light rail revival

A proposal to revive light rail in Bendigo has been put forward by the city's heritage body, with the goal of improving connectivity for residents and visitors. The plan involves a short city-centre tram route of roughly 1 kilometre, linking the Bendigo Station with the retail core and continuing to the Bendigo Art Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Oval precinct.

Reviving a lost transport option

Almost 20 years ago, transport expert Professor Peter Newman recommended that the City of Greater Bendigo turn its heritage trams into a public transport option. After three trials, the city's bosses decided not to adopt it, citing a preference for cars. However, with light rail making a global resurgence, Bendigo Heritage is now proposing the city use light rail to connect key destinations.

Professor Newman says it is time Bendigo returned to the idea of trams as public transport. "The communities need to want it, as well as the developers," he said. "That process should begin straightaway because the opportunities are going to be there. The politics is going to be right. These are the areas that people are saying, 'we want to be like the city centres'."

A modest but mighty project

Bendigo Heritage chief executive James Reade said the resurgence of trams would improve connectivity for Bendigo residents and visitors. "Their absence is still keenly felt in the character of the city," Mr Reade said. "We propose a short city centre tram route of roughly 1 kilometre linking the Bendigo Station with the retail core and continuing to the Bendigo Art Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Oval precinct. With significant anchors at either terminus, it is a modest line with a mighty job to do."

Meeting passenger needs

Public Transport Users Association spokesperson for regional Victoria, Paul Westcott, said light rail would have to run far more frequently than the current hourly heritage tram service along Pall Mall. "Frequency is always the key to good public transport, not necessarily the mode by which the service is delivered," he said. "It's pretty clear that if a bus and tram deliver the same frequency on the same route, people would probably prefer a tram. But it's not much good putting a tram in unless you are going to provide the level of service and route coverage that is going to be attractive and useful to public transport users."

Regional transport plans

The G21 conference in Geelong launched its campaign for $12.5 million for the planning and design of a rapid transport corridor between Geelong and the Surf Coast. City of Greater Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said trackless trams, or a dedicated rapid bus lane, had already been touted as options. "I particularly love the sound of trackless trams," he said. "As they do between Adelaide and Glenelg, that's sort of my vision of how that could potentially work."