Fishermans Bend tramway - don't hold your breath

Last Friday in Melbourne was a public holiday - the perfect time to
release a report that you hope won't be noticed.

The latest update on the Fisherman's Bend development and tramways can
be found at:

https://www.vic.gov.au/fishermans-bend-integrated-transport-plan

The tramways - existing and proposed  - are shown as dotted green lines.

I have attached a map from the document - enhanced to be more readable
than the one in the report.

The Westgate freeway bounds the development site to the south and the
Yarra River to the north.  That's why there was a proposal to take trams
across the Yarra from Docklands to serve the area. That idea has gone
and the proposal is now to have a branch off the Port Melbourne tramway
at Inglis St which would then divide into two tramways serving areas
north and south of the freeway.

However, that would require a widened bridge over the freeway and there
is no date for that - except a vague promise that the tramways and an
underground Metro line will be in p[ace by the 2050s.

What is happening is a couple of new bus routes and changes to route 109
which is to be through routed with route 96 and run with E class trams.

Melbourne University has already pulled out of a planned Engineering
faculty development due to the lack of delivery of adequate public
transport services to the area.

Mal Rowe - who does not expect to live to see trams to the area.