The MetroBus Network
The MetroBus Network
The MetroBus Network
A design for a three-tiered integrated rapid bus network for Canberra that could be implemented
quickly and cheaply, and can be progressively grown in stages. The network aims to improve public
transport users travel by giving similar freedom of movement as that given by the private car. The
network aims to be socially equitable by providing equally good service to all parts of the city,
without needing major changes to the current urban form. In the long term, the core trunk lines of
the network may be upgraded to heavy rail.
January 2016
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1
1.2
2.2
2.3
Technologies ........................................................................................................................... 5
2.4
2.5
Upgrading to Rail............................................................................................................................. 8
3.1
Alignment ................................................................................................................................ 8
3.2
Staging..................................................................................................................................... 8
3.3
3.4
Stations ................................................................................................................................. 10
3.5
3.6
N.b:. Links to references and articles of interest are provided in in-text citations of the PDF version of this
document, where available.
Figure 1.
January 2016
January 2016
Introduction
This report investigates possibilities for an improved bus network for Canberra based on Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) and transfer coordination. The aim of this concept is to show a possible network that
would serve all of Canberra with good public transport, providing social equity by avoiding major and
abrupt changes to the urban form that might disrupt communities. This report aims to promote
discussion of the ideas presented in this concept and is not an authoritative work.
1.1
Figure 1 shows a concept map of a Bus Rapid Transit network for Canberra. The network is
composed of three service tiers: local, DartBus, and MetroBus, forming an integrated bus-based
network that aims to ensure good public transport access across the city.
The benefits of this network include low capital and time cost for construction, low operational cost,
and social equity due to its non-reliance on the formation of dense transport corridors around
select rapid routes. All suburbs would be served equally by local feeder buses, coordinating with
trunk services at interchanges.
The focus on transfers rather than direct routing enables not only greater efficiency and
simplification of routes, but allows commuters a similar anywhere-to-anywhere freedom of
movement to that offered by the private car (Dodson et al, 2011; PTUA, 2009).
1.2
The network relies on the principle of Coordinated Transfers to enable ease of use for passengers. In
this system, feeder buses arrive at an interchange at the same time, enabling quick, direct transfers
with each other and with trunk services (Walker J, 2010). This system type was in fact pioneered in
Canberra in the 1970s (as described by Mees, 2012).
The network structure includes a hierarchy of three service tiers: MetroBus, DartBus, and local
buses. These tiers depend on high transfer rates to form an integrated network, giving more choice
to customers depending on whether they are traveling short, medium, or long distances. The
network infrastructure would also include good quality transfer stops and timetabling, ensuring a
minimum of inconvenience when transferring.
The core of the network consists of the three express MetroBus lines, running in dedicated rights-ofway as much as possible either via on-street bus lanes or separate busways. These express lines
stop only at major centres to enable transfers with other services, much like the predecessor to
todays Rapid service, the 333 Intertown.
Sitting below the Express tier is the DartBus network, consisting of the D2 (the current Red Rapid
line), D3 (a slightly modified Blue Rapid route), D11 (Tuggeranong to Lanyon via Erindale and
Calwell), and the D6, running the length of Hindmarsh Drive. The D6 would form an east-west link
1
January 2016
allowing commuters from Woden and Weston to travel easily to South Canberra, Fyshwick and
Queanbeyan without the need to travel via the City.
The lowest tier consists of the local bus network (not shown on the map), simplified and
restructured to allow easy connections with other routes at street intersections and interchanges.
Under this concept, not all local bus routes would go to an interchange: rather, a transfer would be
made, usually with a DartBus route. To minimise the hassle of transferring, local routes would be
timetabled to coordinate with a DartBus route at strategic transfer stops (as described by Mees,
2009, p.93). The DartBus network has the potential to expand, in the mid to long term, along
arterials in response to ridership demand and urban development (see figure 6, p.7).
Table 1a shows the roles and relationships between the three service tiers. Table 1b clarifies the
different classes of right-of-way mentioned in Figure 2a using real-world examples (from J. Walker ,
2011).
Tier
Service Type
Right-of-way
classification
Average
Speed
Usual Stop
Spacing
low
Local bus
20 30
km/h
400 500m
middle
DartBus
B; C when
necessary or
permissible
35 40
km/h
600 800m
MetroBus
A/B; C when
necessary or
permissible
40 km/h or
more
5000m or
more
58
minutes
or better
Rail (Future
upgrade)
60 km/h or
more
5000m or
more
58
minutes
or better
high
Table 1a.
Peak
Frequency
12 18
minutes
8 12
minutes
or better
Notes
Runs in kerbside or
median bus lanes on
arterial roads.
Runs in kerbside or
median bus lanes and
exclusive busways,
with no stops between
town centres.
Class A
Class B
Class C
Rail
Most North
American
streetcars. Many
European and
Australian trams.
Bus
Buses in mixed
traffic.
Table 1b.
January 2016
This section describes the infrastructure required for the BRT network and timed transfer system,
such as bus stops, bus lanes and interchanges, as well as possible bus technology that could be
investigated, including very high-capacity vehicles, and self-driving vehicles.
2.1
Ideally, busways would be built in the median of roads to avoid conflict with turning traffic and other
obstructions. However, in the interests of economy, it may be more practical to simply convert the
outer lane of traffic into a bus lane. On six-lane roads such as Northbourne Avenue and Hindmarsh
Drive, there would still be sufficient remaining lanes for traffic, without needing expensive
roadworks to widen the carriageway.
On busways where a limited stop service shares its route with a more frequently stopping service,
bus bays should be provided to allow the higher-tier service to overtake a stopped bus. Certain
parts of the network would also use dedicated off-street busways, as shown in figure 2.
Figure 2.
Map of all proposed new busways.
Ginninderra busway: an extension of
the currently defunct Belconnen
Busway, which would be extended
under the Westfield car park
towards the Community Bus Station,
and westward around the perimeter
of Umbagong District Park towards
Kippax.
Yamba busway: a short busway
running alongside Yarralumla Creek
between Woden Bus Station and the
Yarra Glen on-street busway,
designed to streamline the route and
avoid traffic.
Drakeford busway: an optional route
for the MetroBus 3 line, running
alongside the Tuggeranong Parkway
between Hindmarsh Drive and
Sulwood Drive, and connecting to an
on-road busway on Hindmarsh. It
would allow the MetroBus line to
bypass several intermediate stops
between Woden and Tuggeranong.
Not all on-street busways need to be
continuous: some routes may run in
Class
C
right-of-way
where
permissible.
2.2
January 2016
As with the current bus stop infrastructure, bus stops for local routes would be spaced
approximately 400m apart, or about 5 minutes walking time between each. Stops would be spaced
closer together on steeper streets, and strategically placed near pedestrian underpasses and
crossings. Where routes cross, stops should be moved closer to the intersection itself to allow easier
transfers.
The existing bus interchanges at Belconnen, City, Woden and Tuggeranong are well suited for
coordinated timed transfers, having been originally designed for this purpose. Specialised structures
such as these are not necessarily required for a timed transfer interchange, and in many town and
group centres it may be acceptable to build an on-street facility instead. Table 2 shows a list of
MetroBus station locations where coordinated transfers would occur.
Table 2.
Station Name
Location
Type
Catchment
Connections
Gungahlin
Hibberson Street
On street
Gungahlin
DartBus,
Local buses
On street
Molonglo
Llocal buses
Molonglo
Weston
Molonglo Town
Centre
Near Weston group
centre
Woden
Current location
Tuggeranong
Current location
Lanyon
City
Current location
Kingston
Outside Kingston
Railway Station
Fyshwick
Queanbeyan
Kippax
Purposebuilt facility
Purposebuilt facility
Purposebuilt facility
On street OR
Purposebuilt facility
Purposebuilt facility
Purposebuilt facility
On street
Current location,
upgraded
Location of current
bus terminus
Purposebuilt facility
Purposebuilt facility
Weston Creek
Woden Valley
Tuggeranong
Gordon, Conder,
Banks, Theodore,
Calwell
North Canberra
South Canberra
Notes
DartBus,
local buses
DartBus,
local buses
DartBus,
local buses
Local buses
Optional
station.
DartBus, local
buses
DartBus, local
buses
See notes
DartBus, local
buses
Queanbeyan
Local buses
West Belconnen
DartBus,
local buses
Belconnen
Community Bus
Station
Purposebuilt facility
DartBus,
local buses
(Manuka)
Canberra Avenue
On street
No coordinated
transfers
Facilitates
connection
with D6, D2
routes.
Bypasses
Westfield bus
station via
basement car
park.
Noninterchange
stop on
alternative
Metro 2 route.
2.3
January 2016
Technologies
One advantage of a bus-based rapid transit network for Canberra is the low monetary and time cost
of construction. In the short term, the existing bus fleet and vehicle types are sufficient to serve the
proposed network. Growing patronage of the trunk MetroBus routes in the medium term may strain
the capacities of even the Scania articulated and steer tag buses. Fortunately, very-high capacity
buses are available, including the AutoTram Extra Grand and the Van Hool AGG300, shown below.
Similar very-high capacity buses from other manufacturers are available, with various powertrains
including diesel, hybrid, overhead line supply, and battery all-electric.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
2.4
January 2016
Vehicle Automation
The ongoing development of driverless vehicle technology could be an opportunity for Canberra to
improve its service. Several cities around the world already use driverless train technology to run allday high frequency trunk services throughout the week, and it is now becoming possible for on-road
self-steering public transportation to be implemented (A. Walker, 2015; Baldwin, 2016).
Driverless buses would reduce the operating cost of public transport and would afford high
frequency feeder and trunk services spanning the entire city, with a wide scope including off-peak,
weekends, public holidays and even overnight.
Some countries including Switzerland, The Netherlands are already testing, or have tested, driverless
buses on a small scale (Boulton, 2015; Williams, 2015). Canberra should strive in the long term to
become a pioneer in developing and implementing a wide-scale driverless bus network, just as it
pioneered the trunk-and-feeder bus model in the 1970s.
Automated public taxicabs could also form a part of the network, providing a low-capacity, high
frequency feeder service that could work alongside the standard bus fleet, or replace it in low
demand periods. Further study should be conducted on this possibility to compare the costs,
feasibility, and other issues of standard feeder buses versus a driverless metrocar fleet, and how
the technologies could work together.
Figure 5.
2.5
Driverless minibus
Transport Corridors
While transport corridors could still form along arterial roads, high residential densities would not be
necessary to support transit. Instead, the main streets could become lined with low-rise shops, parks
and community facilities. Such corridors might form naturally as a result of voluntary behaviour
change away from the car and towards walking, complemented and enhanced by public transport.
The network aims to support the existing urban structure by providing good service to all parts of
the city.
6
January 2016
7
Figure 6.
January 2016
Upgrading to Rail
This section discusses a possible future upgrade and supersession of the MetroBus network by a
heavy rail network in the long term, should it be necessary.
With growing passenger demand, the service quality and passenger capacity provided by on-street
vehicles may not be sufficient in the long term to support a reliable and useable network. Should this
situation occur, an upgrade of the trunk MetroBus lines may be required.
A rail network supplanting the MetroBus network, running in a Class A right-of-way, would give
significantly greater reliability, punctuality, and capacity than any at-grade (i.e., Class B and C)
transport system could offer.
3.1
Alignment
A north-south trunk corridor running parallel to the Tuggeranong Parkway has been identified as
having the potential to carry a Class A rail line. Part of this corridor makes use of the Tuggeranong
Parkway cutting west of the road carriageway, and would also take over part of the Drakeford
Busway alignment (shown in Figure 2, p.3), should that option be taken for the MetroBus route.
A second corridor would consist of the City to Kippax section of the MetroBus 3 route (Figure 1, p.ii;
Figure 2, p.3), either retaining the MetroBus vehicles or being converted to light rail. The section of
this line east of Belconnen would operate in Class B right-of-way, while the section running on the
Ginninderra Transitway west of Belconnen would operate as Class A. This route could potentially be
extended east to the Airport.
A third corridor would connect the urban rail network to the NSW regional network via the City. This
stage would involve tunnelling beneath the lake and City from City Hill to Kingston Railway Station,
and a junction at Glenloch Interchange. Due to the likely high cost of this project, this corridor would
be built as the final stage of construction.
3.2
Staging
The rail network could be built in stages, gradually superseding the MetroBus network. Figure 7 (p.9)
shows how construction might be staged.
The north-south corridor would be the first stage constructed, connecting with the Belconnen-City
route at Belconnen Way. Major component requirements of this route would include the
construction of a viaduct over the Molonglo River valley, and negotiation of alignment through
Glenloch Interchange, possibly involving reconfiguration of the road junction. The MetroBus routes
may either be retained and modified during initial construction stages, or progressively deleted.
The next major stage would be the construction of a junction at Glenloch Interchange and an
underground station at City Hill, with a relocation of the bus interchange to Vernon Circle. This
8
January 2016
station would require major excavation and tunnelling, and would present major changes to road
traffic. City Hill Park would be reconstructed over the station after its completion.
Finally, the urban rail network would be connected to the NSW regional rail network via a tunnel
linking Kingston Railway Station to the City station. Kingston Station would be rebuilt in a cutting to
allow direct access to the rail tunnel. The section between Kingston and Queanbeyan would be
duplicated for two-way rail traffic, and Queanbeyan Station would acquire additional platforms. A
new station at Fyshwick would allow transfers with the east-west DartBus route. If this stage of
construction were to be undertaken alongside Stage 2, some construction costs e.g. for City Station
might be shared with the NSW government.
Figure 7.
Staging of the rail network. A) Central corridor and Kippax-City line. B) Canberra Central Station and
Glenloch Junction, Kippax line extended to Airport. C) Lake tunnel connecting to NSW rail network.
3.3
Environmental Concerns
The rail alignment mostly avoids built-up areas. However, some residential areas such as Fetherston
Ridge, Weston, lie very close to the alignment and would require steps to minimise disturbance
during construction and operation.
Umbagong Park in Belconnen is a woodland and riparian reserve with significant Indigenous heritage
value (Ginninderra Landcare, n.d.). The Ginninderra Transitway is proposed to pass through this area
en route to Kippax. The route would stay close to the parks boundary as much as possible to
minimise incursion and avoid damage to heritage sites.
Mulanggari Grasslands Nature Reserve protects remnant native grassland habitat in Gungahlin. This
reserve contains habitats of endangered local fauna including the golden sun moth and legless lizard
(Riordan, 2014; Richter et al, 2009). The line must pass through this area to reach Gungahlin town
centre, and unless bored underground, disturbance is unavoidable. In this case a cut-and-cover
tunnel rather than a surface line would be preferable. Ecological damage can be minimised by
keeping the construction site as narrow as possible, relocating animals and plants if necessary, and
replanting and monitoring the site following completion of work.
9
3.4
January 2016
Stations
Table 3 shows a list of all railway station locations in the network, as seen in Figure 6 (p.7). Most
stations would be accessible primarily by bus connections.
Station
Name
Location
Type*
Catchment
Connections
Gungahlin
Gungahlin Place
Subsurface
Gungahlin
DartBus,
Local buses
Fern Hill
Elevated
Bruce
Elevated
Molonglo
Hindmarsh
At intersection of
Tuggeranong pkwy and
proposed east-west
road
Hindmarsh Dr, west of
motorway overpass
Surface
Elevated
Kambah
Subsurface
Tuggeranong
Near intersection of
Athllon and Soward
Surface or
subsurface
Lanyon
Carpark at group
centre
Subsurface
East Belconnen,
North Canberra
Southeast
Belconnen,
North Canberra
Molonglo
Woden Valley,
Weston Creek
North
Tuggeranong
Greenway,
Eastern and
central
Tuggeranong
Gordon, Conder,
Banks, Theodore,
Calwell
DartBus
DartBus,
local buses
DartBus,
local buses
DartBus,
local buses
DartBus,
local buses
DartBus,
local buses,
regional trains
and buses,
(High Speed Rail)
DartBus,
local buses,
regional trains
andbuses
Underground
City, Central
Canberra
Kingston
Current location
Surface
South Canberra
Fyshwick
Adjacent to Newcastle
St bridge
Surface
See notes
Queanbeyan
Current location
Surface
Queanbeyan,
Googong
Surface
West Belconnen
elevated
Northwest and
West Belconnen
DartBus
Ginninderra
Optional
DartBus,
local buses
Optional
DartBus,
Ginninderra Line
Canberra
Central
Kippax
Notes
DartBus,
local bus
Local buses,
regional trains
and buses
DartBus,
local buses
Belconnen
surface
Central
Belconnen
DartBus,
local buses
Airport
surface
Airport
Local bus,
airlines
Optional
Station rebuilt
in a cutting for
tunnel access.
Facilitates
connection
with D6.
New platforms
built.
Bypasses
Westfield bus
station.
10
January 2016
Bus interchanges located away from railway stations, e.g. Woden, would still be served by local
buses and DartBuses, with direct connections to nearby railway stations. Stations would be designed
to simplify passenger transfers between trains and buses, in a similar fashion to those on Perths
Mandurah Line. A similar arrangement could be made at a smaller scale where a DartBus route
passes under or over a local bus route, for example at Carruthers Street and Yarra Glen.
Most stations on the network would have direct DartBus access, with some also being served by
local buses. Queanbeyan Station would be linked to the DartBus service on Canberra Avenue via
local buses on Crawford Street.
3.5
Figure 8.
11
January 2016
The Kippax-Airport line travels much of its route on-street, in Class B right-of-way. As such, a heavy
rail vehicle would be inappropriate due to its size and weight. The line could be served either by a
very-high capacity bus (see Section 2.3, p.5) or by a light rail vehicle. A high-floor, level boarding
(stairless) vehicle similar to Calgarys Siemens S200 would be preferred. High-floor trams have
several advantages over low-floor models including higher seating capacity, stability, greater top
speed, and greater turning speed with less noise. As trams on this line would only travel express,
between specialised platforms, the inability to board from street level would not be an issue.
Figure 9.
3.6
The following topic is beyond the scope of the ACT Government, but has been included here to
encourage further discussion.
An urban rail network integrated with the NSW regional network has the potential to transform
Canberra into a major focal centre of an intercity and regional transit network. Improvements to
NSWs rail network and services, in cooperation with city councils and private bus operators to form
a Verkehrsverbund (transit alliance), could create a state-wide integrated transit system enabling
journeys between any town and city without need of a car.
The proposed high-speed rail line connecting Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney could serve as the
main trunk of a multi-nodal hub-and-spoke network, with Canberra as the main hub of the Southern
Tablelands region. A similar system is successfully used in Switzerland to connect tiny remote villages
to larger towns and cities using a combination of trains and buses, with timed transfers and a regular
clock face schedule (Mees, 2009, p.136; Stone, 2013).
12
January 2016
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