Transport in Melbourne - Timeline

Timeline

During Melbourne's history, the transport system and infrastructure has been subject to strategic planning at several levels of government.

1837

• Hoddle grid is laid out, forming Melbourne's first street system which is used almost solely for horse and cart transport and pedestrians.

1844

• First bridge over the Yarra River opened: Princes Bridge on St Kilda Road as a toll bridge.

1849

• Melbourne's principal streets are paved.

1850

• Princes Bridge reopened as a free bridge.

1854

• Flinders Street railway station opened
• First railway opened to Sandridge (Port Melbourne)

1858

• Spencer Street Station built connecting Melbourne to regional Victoria.

1885

• First cable tram to Hawthorn.

1889

First electric tram between Doncaster and Box Hill.

1890

• Doncaster railway line first proposed.

1912

• Electrification of the suburban railway network.

1919

• Current Flinders Street Station opened as the main suburban railway terminus.

1934

• Flinders Street station declared the busiest in the world.

1940

• Ashworth Improvement Plan details proposed improvements to the number of improvements to suburban railways in the inner city.

1966

• St Kilda Junction remodelled and Queens Way underpass created, much cutting and demolition to create way for new highways at Dandenong Road and Punt Road.

1969

• Melbourne Transportation Plan commissioned, includes recommendation for Western Ring Road.

1970

• West Gate Bridge collapses.
• Melbourne Underground Rail Loop Authority established.

1971

• Melbourne Underground Rail Loop project begins

1977

• First section of Eastern Freeway opened with land reserved for a Doncaster railway line
• $202 million West Gate Bridge opened, with tolls
• Hoddle Highway created from widening of Hoddle Street by 4 lanes and demolishing buildings on eastern side of Hoddle Street.

1980

• Lonie Report recommends closing half of tram system and replacing it with buses. This is rejected.

1981

• First stage of Melbourne Underground Rail Loop opened.

1982

• Transport Bill introduced into the Victorian Parliament.

1983

• Transport Act receives the royal assent on 23 June and commences on 1 July. The new Act creates the State Transport Authority, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Road Construction Authority and the Road Traffic Authority. Various organisations abolished including the Victorian Railways, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board and the Country Roads Board.

1985

• Tolls on the West Gate Bridge abolished.

1989

• Construction of $631 million Western Ring Road begins.
• Public Transport Corporation and VicRoads established from 1 July in place of the State Transport Authority and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (the PTC) and the Road Construction Authority and the Road Traffic Authority (VicRoads)

1992

• New Government elected in October 1992 under Premier Jeff Kennett. Alan Brown appointed as Minister for Public Transport and Bill Baxter as Minister for Roads and Ports.
• Ministry of Transport abolished and replaced by the Department of Transport.
• various transport administration functions transferred from the Public Transport Corporation to the Secretary of the Department of Transport.

1994

• Free City Circle Tram opened.

1995

• Dandenong to Cranbourne rail extension opened.
• Public Transport Competition Act passed by Parliament.

1996

• Construction of $2 billion CityLink tollway begins.
• Rail Corporations Act passed by Parliament.

1997

• Design of the franchising of the public transport network commences.

1998

• Legislation passed to establish a new statutory office to manage public transport services – the Director of Public Transport – and a new statutory authority, VicTrack, to hold ownership of public transport land and assets

1999

• Opening of Western Ring Road
• Opening of the Bolte Bridge forming the second major roadway over the Yarra River.
• State government commissions the Linking Victoria study and allocates $510 of budget toward the initiatives.
• Franchising of services commences as do new governance arrangements, i.e. start up of the Director of Public Transport and VicTrack

2002

• Transport Minister Peter Batchelor announced that Airport rail link to Tullamarine not viable for another 10 years. Commits to upgrading Skybus Super Shuttle services to the airport.
• State government commissions Melbourne 2030 planning report aimed at addressing population growth of up to a million new residents also contained recommendations for transport including the expansion major activity centres such as Dandenong and Camberwell with access to public transport and the triplication of the Dandenong line. The document contained a controversial aim of 20% of trips in Melbourne made by public transport by 2020.

2003

• $23 million Box Hill tram/light rail extension opened.

2004

• Linking Melbourne: Metropolitan Transport Plan released. The report summarised findings from the Inner West Integrated Transport Study, North East Integrated Transport Study, Outer Western Suburbs Transport Strategy, Whittlesea Strategic Transport Infrastructure Study and Northern Central City Corridor Strategy and recommended investment to the tune of $1.5 billion. Much subsequent infrastructure investment. The Southern Cross Station redevelopment (which ran late and over budget), Docklands light rail extension and the Regional Fast Train system were aimed for the Commonwealth Games. The Eastlink freeway was also not in this report.
• $30.5 million Vermont South tram extension begins.

2005

• $2.5 billion EastLink Freeway project begins.

2006

• State government released a $10 billion plan to improve both public transport and roads, Meeting our Transport Challenges. It included the "Think Tram" project aimed at speeding up tram travel times and contained recommendations for a new SmartBus system for the outer eastern suburbs. The Smartbus system had several delays.
• Rail Safety Act – Victoria's first dedicated rail safety statute passed by State Parliament – commences on 1 August.
• new ticketing laws, Transport (Ticketing) Regulations 2006, made and commenced.
• State's first independent rail and bus safety regulator established, Director, Public Transport Safety (Public Transport Safety, Victoria) as of 1 August (office later renamed Director, Transport Safety, in 2010).
• State's first independent rail, bus and marine safety investigator established, Chief Investigator, Public Transport and Marine Safety Investigations, as of 1 August (office later renamed, Chief Investigator, Transport Safety, in 2010).

2007

• A new public transport ticketing system – Myki was to be launched. The project experienced several technical complications and was significantly delayed and over budget.
• State government commissions East-West transport plan.
• Public transport ticketing Zone 3 abolished.
• Taxi industry accreditation scheme commences on 1 July.
• New commercial passenger vehicle driver accreditation scheme commences on 1 July.
• First "Copenhagen style" cycleways in Australia implemented in Swanston Street, Carlton.
• Tim Pallas rejects Melbourne City Council plan for Copenhagen style cycleway on St Kilda Road.
• Accident Towing Services Act passed by Parliament.

2008

• The Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project, a dredging project to deepen Melbourne's shipping channels, begins.
• Release of the $18 billion Eddington Transport Report, commissioned by the government in 2007 due to revised population growth estimates and increasing congestion problems. The report was aimed at reducing traffic congestion, particularly focused on East-West routes and included a controversial 18 kilometre road tunnel and 17 kilometre rail tunnel and a new rail line from Werribee to Deer Park, Victoria but did not address greenhouse emissions.
• Eastlink freeway tunnel opened.
• Monash-CityLink-West Gate freeway upgrade begins.
• Department of Transport established in place of the Department of Infrastructure
• Australian Greens Victoria party transport plan, The People Plan, released.
• Public Transport minister Lynne Kosky pushes back Airport link by another 20 years.
• Victorian Transport Plan unveiled – the State Government's fourth "long-term" transport statement since 2002.
• New Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle proposes returning vehicle traffic to Swanston Street.

2009

• the Accident Towing Services Act commences on 1 January.
• Transport Integration Bill (later the Transport Integration Act) introduced into the Victorian Parliament on 10 December.
• Myki officially in late December to meet a State Government election promise, however it was launched to operate on suburban trains only.
• the Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act 2009 is passed by Parliament and commences on 1 September.

2010

• Fair Fines package commences on 1 February 2010 through the Transport (Infringements) Regulations 2010 – infringement penalties for minors reduced by two thirds and graduated penalties scheme scrapped.
• the Transport Integration Act, the most significant transport statute in a generation, is passed by the Victorian Parliament in February.
• A public bike-hire service is planned to be introduced by mid year.
• the Transport Integration Act commences on 1 July.
• the Transport Act 1983 is renamed the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983 on 1 July
• Independent public transport and marine safety regulators merged to create new office of the Director, Transport Safety (Transport Safety, Victoria) – new office commences on 1 July - after merger of Director, Public Transport Safety (Public Transport Safety Victoria) and Director, Marine Safety (Marine Safety Victoria).
• the Port corporations (the Port of Melbourne Corporation and the Victorian Regional Channels Authority) brought under the Transport Integration Act and the Port of Hastings Corporation is merged with the Port of Melbourne Corporation on 1 September.
• New State Government (when in Opposition) promises to create a new Public Transport Development Authority to plan and manage public transport services in Victoria and Melbourne.
• Tourist and Heritage Railways Act 2010 passed by the Victorian Parliament.
• Marine Safety Act 2010 passed by the Victorian Parliament.
• New State Government elected on 27 November under Premier Ted Baillieu. Terry Mulder sworn in as Minister for Public Transport and Minister for Roads, Dr Denis Napthine sworn in as Minister for Ports, Edward O'Donoghue as Parliamentary Secretary for Transport.
• Bus Safety Act commences on 31 December 2010.

2011

• Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder announces the Government's intention in March to hold a major inquiry into the taxi industry – the Taxi Industry Inquiry – and the inquiry commences its work in late May headed by Allan Fels.
• the Transport Legislation Amendment (Taxi Services Reform and Other Matters) Act 2011 passed by the Victorian Parliament on 29 June thereby empowering the Taxi Industry Inquiry and creating the Taxi Services Commission.
• the Taxi Services Commission commences operations in inquiry mode on 19 July.
• the Transport Legislation Amendment (Port of Hastings Development Authority) Act 2011 passed by the Victorian Parliament on 16 August thereby creating the Port of Hastings Development Authority.
• the Tourist and Heritage Railways Act commences on 1 October along with the Tourist and Heritage Railways Regulations 2011.
• the Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011 passed by Victorian Parliament on 27 October thereby empowering the Public Transport Development Authority.
• the Port Management Amendment (Port of Melbourne Licence Fee) Bill 2011 introduced into the Victorian Parliament in early December. The proposal involves the levying of a $75 million annual fee to be paid by the Port of Melbourne Corporation to the Victorian Government.
• Public Transport Development Authority commences operations on 15 December 2011.

2012

• the Port of Hastings Development Authority commences operations on 1 January 2012 thereby reversing the merger of the former Port of Hastings Corporation and the Port of Melbourne Corporation.
• the Public Transport Development Authority – now known as Public Transport Victoria – takes over the management of train, tram and bus services in Victoria on 2 April 2012 following full commencement of the Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011.
• the Port of Melbourne Corporation becomes liable to pay a $75 million indexed licence fee to Government following the commencement of the Port Management Amendment (Port of Melbourne Licence Fee) Act 2012.
• strict drug controls (for anyone in charge of a vessel) and zero blood alcohol controls introduced for commercial vessel operators introduced by the Transport Legislation Amendment (Drug and Alcohol Controls and Other Matters) Act 2012.