Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Anthony CIANFLONE (Pascoe Vale) (11:05): I rise to make a further contribution on the Legislative Assembly’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee report on the inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users. That is why I continue to draw the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, the Minister for Public and Active Transport and the Parliament’s attention to the 61 findings and 56 recommendations set out in the report to help make our local roads and streets safer and to encourage more public transport take-up. In this respect I draw the house’s attention to recommendation 23, that the Department of Transport and Planning prioritise the delivery of accessible tram stops, and also draw the house’s attention to an email I received from an elderly lady June in Coburg recently. She said:

I do not need to tell you that our population is ageing rapidly.

I am 84 years-old & have a fractured spine caused by osteoporosis.

For the last 3 years, this condition, plus a severe scoliosis, has meant decreasing mobility for me & forced me to use a walking frame inside & outside my home.

Until the fracture, I led a very active life, going to tai chi, an exercise class & …activities each week. I am now unable to attend those physical classes owing to poor balance & the loss of mobility.

I strive to get out every day & as I do not drive, I use public transport whenever I can.

People are very kind & help me. I use trains & buses more easily than trams, as the No 19 tram service –

the one on Sydney Road –

seems to have 50 % of its fleet on non wheelchair-accessible carriages.

It is impossible to get in or out of carriages that have interior steps. The answer, perhaps, would be to have raised platforms in the street at every stop.

I acknowledge her advocacy. That is why I continue to call on the government to prioritise the rollout of accessible tram stops, particularly along Sydney Road’s route 19. I acknowledge all those advocates of our community on this issue over the last few years, particularly Christian Astourian and the Sydney Road Accessible Tram Stops campaign; Glenyys Romanes, a former member of this place too, from the Victorian Transport Action Group; and many others who continue to raise the issue, who I listened to and support in this endeavour. I urge the government to pursue that finding as a priority.

Finding 12 is about increasing uptake of public transport through better connectivity, accessibility and service frequency to cut the number of vehicles on the road and provide safer environments for vulnerable road users. Recommendation 3 goes to the Victorian government needing to continue to invest in public transport to make it a more attractive option and ensure public transport stops, interchanges and connections are incorporated into planning. In this respect I welcome the Victorian Labor government’s announcement of free public transport for all of April in response to the rising fuel prices and fuel demand as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. We are making public transport free for everyone on all trains, trams and buses – no need for people to tap on or off. Whilst this will not solve everything in the context of the war in the Middle East, it is one of the immediate steps we are taking to help Victorians with the cost of living and rising demand on petrol and petrol prices. This of course builds on our historic free public transport initiatives for youths under 18, saving young people around $750 each, and free public transport for seniors, an initiative we have expanded that will now save seniors around $320 each as well. I particularly want to acknowledge the hardworking members of the RTBU, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, for all the work they do to keep our public transport system going, and of course the Transport Workers’ Union members too.

The other initiative that we have made since that recommendation, which goes to the heart of that recommendation as well, is the tap-and-go on public transport trial that we are now undertaking as a first on the Upfield and the Craigieburn lines – which will be suspended for the duration of the free public transport for April, I should add, but will recommence that in due course. From 16 March we began rolling out the tap-and-go technology trial on public transport. which will be available for passengers travelling on full fare where passengers simply can tap on and off with a Mastercard, Visa card, debit card, smartphone or smartwatch. Specific readers and gates used for the trial have been decorated so passengers know exactly which readers to tap on and go to. Once the trials are successfully completed, tap-and-go payments will be switched on across the rest of the rail network before being rolled out on trams and buses as well.

In terms of trains, we are making significant progress there too. Last week I was delighted to join the Minister for Public and Active Transport at the Metro Trains training centre in the CBD to test the full-sized X’Trapolis 2.0 train simulator. Channel Nine covered the story, so you might have caught it, I do not know, but it will be on my YouTube channel if you want to have a look. Around a thousand train drivers have started training on the full-sized X’Trapolis 2.0 train simulator. I had a go of it as well. It has got the actual simulated different routes. I tried it on the Craigieburn line, but I think I will stick to my day job. Of course the Upfield and the Craigieburn lines are the first lines to be receiving, along with the Frankston line, the new X’Trapolis 2.0 train, once testing is completed.

This will mean 10 per cent more train passenger capacity and smoother and more comfortable trips on the most modern of trains on our network. This of course builds on the ongoing investments we have been making to improve local trains on the Upfield and Craigieburn lines via the new Metro rail tunnel, with the new 20-minute weekend services, down from every 40 minutes, and the new 20-minute weeknight and evening services, down from every 40 minutes, which will be rolled out soon. A new timetable from the middle of the year will be rolled out, but we continue to take action on public transport and road safety.