Public Transport

This policy aims to make public transport a real option for getting around the Croydon District, with trains and buses frequent enough that you don’t need to check a timetable.

It focuses on more frequent trains on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines, better bus services on three key routes, and a review of the Croydon bus network.

The key priorities:

Trains every 20 minutes

Shorter waits all day
Weekend evenings and Sundays too

With 30-minute gaps between weekday trains outside the peak times, the Lilydale line has some of the longest waits on the network. The timetable hasn’t been properly reviewed for years, despite the expectations raised by the level crossing removals and the Metro Tunnel. Peak-period stopping patterns are complex and uneven.

The Government has budgeted for some weeknight upgrades, but they don’t help between peak times on weekdays, on weekend evenings or on Sunday mornings, where 30-minute gaps continue.

I’ll push for the Belgrave and Lilydale lines to run every 20 minutes or better from first train to last. That would give stations like Croydon and Mooroolbark more trains between the peak times, at night and on Sunday mornings, and it would simplify peak-period trips. It can be done with the existing train fleet and infrastructure, so it’s relatively cost-effective.

Better bus routes

Frequent buses, seven days
Connecting to trains and jobs

Our buses need to be frequent enough to connect people to jobs and train stations. Three routes stand out:

Route 670 (Ringwood, Croydon, Chirnside Park, Lilydale): the main east–west bus in the area, and it serves places trains don’t, like Chirnside Park. It runs every 15 minutes on weekdays, but only every 40 minutes on Saturdays and hourly on Sundays. I’ll push for every 20 minutes on both days, which needs no new buses.
Route 737 (Croydon, Boronia, Knox City, Glen Waverley, Monash): one of the busiest routes in the outer east, but it typically runs every 30 to 40 minutes and finishes around 9:30pm. I’ll push for every 15 to 20 minutes, seven days, from 6am to midnight.
Route 664 (Chirnside Park, Croydon, Baywater, Knox City): gaps are 60 minutes on Sundays and at night. I’ll push for every 20 minutes, seven days, from 6am to midnight.

A bus network review

Simpler, more direct routes
Reaching services and jobs

The Croydon District's bus network hasn’t been reviewed for many years. Routes are infrequent and indirect, and some don’t run on weekends, particularly Sundays. Services often stop short of important destinations like Knox City and Maroondah Hospital.

I’ll push for a review of the Croydon District’s bus network to tidy up the loose ends. It could include:

Extending Route 688 from Croydon to Ringwood, to improve access to hospitals
Extending Route 690 to Knox City, to improve access to jobs
Upgrading Route 689 to run seven days
Consistent service on key routes such as 664 and 737
Better alignment of bus stops with community facilities and infrastructure