On 9 April 2018, the State Government proposed a new tram line extension, as reported by The Age:

As the map indicates, the proposed line is split into two stages:

1. Connecting Monash University, following Princes Highway
2. Connecting Rowville, following Wellington Road

Stage 1

Adding a tram line extension to Chadstone ignores the rough parallel route of the Pakenham/Cranbourne railway line, which currently carries the existing passenger traffic to interchange stations like Huntingdale. The State government has already acknowledged that Monash University generates a considerable amount of traffic whereby the bus stop infrastructure at Huntingdale has recently been upgraded to cope with the large numbers of student commuters seeking to travel between the two university campuses.

When we consider the fact that the State Government extended the Camberwell-Toorak / tram route #75 to Vermont, that move had the effect, intentional or unintentional, of helping to connect Deakin University Melbourne to the public transport network. That university campus caters for some 26,000 students and 1,500 staff. In comparison, Monash Clayton has close to 40,000 students and staff. The car-centric design of Clayton Campus has been a key characteristic of the university, with use of the defunct drive-in movie theatre as car park. Most students would drive to uni, and some would even relocate to accommodation in walking distance to ensure an optimum studying experience. Their recent infrastructure development included a total revamp of the bus loop/hub, which has long served most if not all of the bus routes that traverse the South East suburbs of Melbourne.

Stage 1 offers the bulk of the revenue and paying passengers given it will provide the best direct connection for students needing to move between the two Monash University campuses. Currently, bus services operating between the campuses are typically full and the transfer to connecting train services makes Huntingdale a popular station. In the afternoon, peak traffic at Huntingdale is in both directions, with city workers leaving the CBD heading home on the outbound line, whilst Caulfield/city-bound student traffic fills up the station platform.

Adding Chadstone Shopping Centre into the public transport loop will help support the activity hub’s ability to grow whilst reducing the high reliance on vehicular traffic. I have documented my own ideas on how to connect Chadstone Shopping Centre into the public transport system, using the heavy rail/train network, but this idea is different and a compromise.

Stage 2

Ah Rowville, forever a destination pipe dream for Melbournians in terms of public transport connectivity. For some two decades, like the Doncaster train line idea, Rowville has been neglected by the State Government. With this latest idea, a tram line extension down the middle median strip of Wellington Road would finally provide direct connection to the Melbourne tram and train network.

Irrespective of tram or train, the stops would incorporate Waverley Park. By selecting a light-rail option of trams, more stops can be added into the proposed transportation route, and as long as there is ample room in the roadway median along the entire track, trams and trains will have complete freedom and autonomy from vehicular traffic. Ideally, for both trams and trains, grade separation at major intersections would help to reduce stopping times, but when you examine the way Tram Route #75 operates on Burwood Highway, in the Burwood/Vermont area, you can see that sharing the same road grade is an acceptable outcome, particularly if trams/light rail is to be the public transport mode of operation.

Previous studies of railway extensions align with the route of Stage 2 and assume no Stage 1. The difference in delivering previous train routes to Rowville compared to this latest proposal would have been to extend the railway from Huntingdale Station/North Road and thus, ensure a higher volume transportation capacity.

Review

Stage 1 is a good idea. Personally, I think this addition to Caulfield Tram Route #3 makes sense, given closer to the city, past Caulfield, the dedicated tram line provides a high quality service for Tram Route #5 to Glenferrie/Malvern. The tram line that connects to Waverley Road on the north-side of Dandenong Rd already provides a short 100m section of track down the median strip of Dandenong Road, and it is this track which is likely to provide the starting point for the extension.

I suspect quite a lot of work will be required to realign and shift the lane of traffic along most of Dandenong Road, especially around the Carnegie area and also closer to Chadstone where the four traffic light intersections generally consume the median strip. One different approach to positioning a tram stop at Chadstone would be to locate it on the lawn/landscaped area in front of David Jones & Myer… This out-of-the-box thought of course will require that strip of land to be rezoned and carved off from the title deed of the Chadstone shopping centre property… It also doesn’t exactly solve the access to the west, where a lack of land creates challenges to the overall design.

Whilst considering all the alternatives for ensuring accessible public transport (tram) for Chadstone, the fantastical and idealistic over-head approach is one extreme and expensive idea. I suspect the economics make this a highly illogical option for consideration. The only positives for the option is that grade-separation ensures trams can operate and potentially even be constructed without major disruptions or realignment of Dandenong Rd out the front of Chadstone…

The route from Chadstone to Monash University, Clayton has varying sections of median strip available today, but the wholesale alignment will no doubt result in Dandenong Road as a whole being realigned to accommodate the dual tram tracks. Fortunately, both sides of the road have ample land available for narrowing and using to make space for the future tram lines. The exact location of the Monash University terminating tram stop will be an interesting design point given the intersection of Dandenong Road with Wellington/North Rd is not exactly tram-friendly. One thought is to position the Stage 1 terminating tram stop on Dandenong Rd before the traffic intersection, which would minimise roadwork interrup

Stage 2 as a tram line is a bit of a head-scratching idea to me. The claim is made that the economics of a heavy-rail train line does not justify that kind of investment, but I would love to see the maths and assumptions used to derive that conclusion. To me, investing to build a tram line is typical of the short-sightedness that plagues Melbourne public transportation. By the time we have the tram-line, population growth will end up being constrained and once again limited. The campaign and demand for a Rowville train connection has been a constant since the 1970s when the outer suburban area was developed. When you consider the history of Tram route 75, which serves Vermont South, it took 3 extensions between 1978 (Middleborough Rd) through 1993 (Blackburn Rd) to 2005 (Vermont South). 27 years to get Melbourne’s current sole tram investment for suburban Melbourne… and another 13 years+ to get to today where we are merely talking about a Chadstone tram connection…

Stage 2 addresses two main demand points of Monash University with Waverley Park & Rowville as those regions. Monash itself creates an internal demand for inter-campus commuting. Should this latest proposal proceed in its current design format, the tram ride between campuses is likely to be 30-minutes, after factoring in the wait time at stops. The more ideal heavy-rail train option is absent, and in isolation this may be a somewhat confusing strategy. However, when you take into account the long term public transport plans that were leaked to the media in September, then