The Napthine government’s pledge to scrap the higher train fare between zones 1 and 2 (which has been matched by the Labor Opposition) is great news for outer-suburban commuters and not just because of the lower cost to get to work.
It should also ease traffic congestion because many people will now feel compelled to leave their car at home and use their local zone 2 station rather than drive down the line to pay zone 1 fares.
It should also free up car parking spaces at dual-zone stations such as Albion, Laverton and Glenroy, making it easier for commuters coming from surrounding areas not serviced by the Public Transport Victoria train network.
Of course, this will encourage more people to use the trains so it needs to be backed up by measures to ensure the system can keep up with any increase in demand.
