Connect Melbourne's North: It's time to transform our transport
Published on 09 August 2024
Connect Melbourne’s North launch at Upfield train station. L – R Darebin Mayor Cr Susanne Newton, Hume Mayor Cr Naim Kurt, Banyule Mayor Cr Tom Melican, Merri-bek Mayor Cr Adam Pulford and Nillumbik Mayor Cr Ben Ramcharan.
An alliance of councils in Melbourne’s north has joined forces to push for critical improvements to the region’s transport networks.
Poor transport infrastructure and lack of connections between services had caused severe congestion and was limiting economic growth in the region, said Banyule Mayor Cr Tom Melican.
“Our transport system is not supporting the current population and there is no plan for the future population,” he said.
Cr Melican is chair of the Northern Council’s Alliance (NCA), comprising the municipalities of Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Merri-bek, Mitchell Shire, Nillumbik and Whittlesea.
1 in 6 Victorians lives in the northern Melbourne region. It is home to one million people or 20% of the population of Greater Melbourne and is one of the fastest growing regions in Victoria, with a population of 1.5 million forecast by 2036.
Cr Melican said this growth had not been matched with the necessary investment in transport, causing massive road congestion and delays in connecting between transport options.
Residents faced long trips to the nearest hospital, poor access to health services and difficulty getting to job and education opportunities. Increasing social isolation, particularly among young people and older adults who do not drive was impacting thousands of residents and many households were forced to have multiple cars, adding to cost of living pressures.
Kicking off the Connect Melbourne’s North campaign is a call for federal and state governments to duplicate and extend the Upfield rail line.
Other priorities are revised bus networks, better active transport infrastructure, support for the transition to electric vehicles and other rail upgrades.
“We’ve conducted comprehensive research and we know what’s required,” said Cr Melican.
"With our region’s growth, planning and investment in transport options is critical. Our 7 Councils are responding to this issue by working together to campaign for support from state and federal governments.”