The Central Business District (CBD) in Melbourne, Australia has been shaped by the development of transport infrastructure throughout many decades. At this moment, the city is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, inhabited by almost 5 million people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2019). The CBD is the busiest and most densely populated place in the state of Victoria. Therefore, it comes with no surprise that such a vast area needs to facilitate the needs of its population and provide adequate transport infrastructure for all Victorians.
CBD got its renowned outline in 1837 thanks to surveyor Robert Hoddle, hence the name ‘Hoddle grid’. He incorporated the extensive 99-feet-wide streets in his design. The plan was discussed with Sir Richard Bourke, who insisted on making the streets narrower. Conclusively, the wide streets were laid out with narrow alleyways in between, as a compromise between the two designers (State Library Victoria, undated). Soon after, the population began to thrive in what is now one of the oldest planned conglomerations in the country.
Trains were the first mode of transport introduced to the city, with the completion of the first train station – Flinders Street Station in 1854. Not only was this the first public transport station in the country, but also the busiest in the world in the late 1920s and today in modern Australia (Mallis, 2019). The other train station in Melbourne – Spencer Street Station a.k.a. Southern Cross has been the second busiest station in the city ever since its opening in 1859 (Vicsig, 2019). Almost 30 years later the city was introduced to a new mode of transport – trams. With the first line opening in 1885, Melbourne started to offer its population a new way to commute and travel. Today, the network covers over 150 miles of double tracks, connecting most of the main suburbs with the CBD (Yarra Trams, 2019). In 1994 the tram line 35 begun to run, traveling around the CBD, with trams operating every 12 minutes. It proved to be very popular among tourists, as it is a very convenient way to see the main landmarks of the city, without paying for a ticket. This tram, along with others operate in the Free Tram Zone, which is a regulation allowing passengers to use trams for free, within the CBD and the adjacent district of Docklands (Public Transport Victoria, 2019).
Later, in the 1970s, the construction of the City Loop commenced, it was a project designed to suit CBD’s growing job market, as well as the increasing economic and residential activity. In the project, new subterranean train tracks were built, circling the CBD. Three new underground stations were built on the northern and eastern edges of the central district, which along with the two existing adds up to five stations altogether (Department of Transport, 2009). At that point, the transport infrastructure formed a suitable and convenient way for all Melburnians coming to the city to work or visit.
As Melbourne’s population increased, new challenges arose regarding appropriate transport infrastructure. Thus begun a crucial development for Melbourne – the recently commenced (2018) Metro Tunnel project. It brings to life an underground line of new train tracks connecting southern and northern Melbourne, through the CBD, in which two new stations are being built: State Library and Town Hall. Those new stations will be conveniently connected to the current stations of Melbourne Central and Flinders Street, respectively, allowing passengers to easily transfer between lines. This project is more than just about connecting people around the city, it will create new thriving public spaces, contributing to Melbourne’s liveable character (Metro Tunnel, 2017). The illustration below demonstrates the development, showing the Metro Tunnel together with the City Loop.
The road system in the CBD is also well developed. The aforementioned 30-metre streets leave plenty of designated space for cars, cycling lanes, trams, trees and pavements. CBD is also home to a very interesting transport phenomenon called the Hook turn. In order to turn right on an intersection, car drivers need to be placed on the left lane. This has to do with the omnipresent trams, which take up the middle part of the streets (South Australian Current Regulations, undated). As we can see, transportation in Melbourne and especially within the CBD is very well-developed and structured. It provides possibilities for people to commute to their jobs more easily, allowing them to leave their car at home and take a train or tram to work instead.
Transport infrastructure needs to face the challenge of an unceasingly growing population. Data from 2017 shows that 224 000 people now find employment in the CBD alone, which is indicative of the growing demand for public transport. Consequently, floor space has reached the level of over 12 million sqm in 2017, 25% of which is office space. Not only does Melbourne grow economically but also residentially, with the residential floor space seeing an astonishing growth rate of 137% throughout the last decade, which accounts for 1,6 million sqm of floor space in 2017. (City of Melbourne, 2017). This growth is predicted to persist, as Property Council of Australia (2018) claims “in less than two decades, by 2036, the CBD will need at least a 50% increase in […] floor space of 9.1 million sqm”. This poses a challenge that the city of Melbourne needs to address. Increased job activity means that more people will be commuting to the CBD. The city needs new connections to the suburbs so that the growing population can travel in a safe and sustainable way. Thus it is crucial that Melbourne addresses and further enhances the much-needed transport infrastructure, which has been shaping the CBD throughout many years and will certainly continue to do so.
References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2019. Data by Region. [Online] [Accessed 13 November 2019]. Available from: https://itt.abs.gov.au/itt/r.jsp?databyregion
South Australian Current Regulations. Undated. AUSTRALIAN ROAD RULES – REG 35. [Online] [Accessed 17 November 2019]. Available from:http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_reg/arr210/s35.html
City of Melbourne. 2017. The Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE). [Online]. [Accessed 7 November 2019]. Available from: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-melbourne/research-and-statistics/city-economy/census-land-use-employment/Pages/clue-interactive-visualisation.aspx
DataVic. 2019. Public Transport Victoria. [Online]. [Accessed 26 October 2019]. Available from: https://discover.data.vic.gov.au/organization/public-transport-victoria
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Property Council of Australia. 2018. NEW REPORT A STARK WARNING FOR JOBS IN MELBOURNE CBD’S FUTURE. [Online] [Accessed 11 November 2019]. Available from:
Public Transport Victoria (PTV). 2019. Zones. [Online] [Accessed 7 November 2019]. Available from: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/fares/zones/
State Library Victoria, undated, Melbourne city grid. [Online] [Accessed 2 November 2019]. Available from: http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/explore-history/colonial-melbourne/everyday-life/melbourne-city-grid
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