616:, both of which would now be considered high rates of cost recovery. Increasing subsidy levels are a trend that has continued in more recent years, albeit one apparently acceptable to government as a means of encouraging people to shift to public transport. The Lonie Report seems to have been predicated upon a view that high levels of subsidy would be unacceptable to government and voters alike, which has not proven to be the case.
24:
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as premier. Indeed, the report could be seen as providing the basis for the "Linking
Melbourne" project carried out during Kennett's seven years as Premier, and also for the elimination of the large number of regulatory mechanisms that governed transport in Victoria before the 1980s, which culminated
581:
The fact that the Lonie Report was written by people with a vested interest in increasing road transport has also led transport academics to question its assumptions and conclusions. The 1991 Russell Report, written by
Professor Bill Russell, claimed that the benefits of freeway building, which had
163:
institute a study into all freight and passenger transport within
Victoria, and to and from Victoria, in order to produce a co-ordinated transport system capable of meeting the needs of all residents of Victoria, having particular regard to the effect of transport on the balanced development of the
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led immediately to severe criticism, particularly from the large number of people who used the rail services that the report recommended eliminating. As a result of public protests in the last three months of 1980, the Hamer
Government was forced to reject a number of the report's recommendations.
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Another recommendation of the report was the staggering of school and work hours to spread out the demand on public transport services, which it said would reduce the overcrowding on those services during peak periods, and the number of under-used services at other times. The report argued that be
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The Lonie Report has been firmly criticised ever since it was released. Professional transport planners have generally believed that it only considered direct financial cost in making its recommendations. It has also been criticised for not fully considering how building additional road capacity
540:
The Hamer
Government's plans to close several suburban rail lines were halted because of strong protests. However, the St. Kilda and Port Melbourne lines were converted to light rail a few years later. Late-night services on the Upfield Line were eliminated (they were restored in 1997) and a
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The Lonie Report argued that, despite the immense change in demand for various modes of transport since the beginning of the twentieth century, the system was still run by the same methods as prevailed in the nineteenth century. It argued for large-scale
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Perhaps more potent than criticisms based upon supposed involvement of vested interests, the Lonie Report had, as an underlying assumption, falling levels of public transport patronage. It failed to foresee
Melbourne's rapid population growth, due to
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argued that the report did not consider that further public transport service reductions would cause a vicious circle of greater declines in patronage, poorer cost recovery and even larger deficits.
400:, and for the building of a ring road around the city, claiming that those increases in road capacity were needed to meet the predicted demand for road transport. It also advocated a road bypass of
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multimodal fare system was introduced that, unpredicted by the Report, boosted patronage to such an extent that historians believe it has been responsible for the survival of the system.
608:
The Lonie Report noted the rapidly increasing levels of government subsidy to public transport. According to the report, at the time, cost recovery through fares was 53% for the
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ownership. The report argued that it would be much too expensive to upgrade the rail system to be competitive with the car, or even with buses, and therefore:
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should be duplicated. It also argued for the reservation of land to allow the construction of road bypasses around major towns on those highways. Within
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of public transport in the 1990s. Some of the report's recommendations were carried out before
Kennett became Premier, such as the linking of the
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The writing of the report was done between
December 1979 and its final publication in September 1980. It was presented to Transport Minister
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Some of those lines remained open for freight. Passenger services to Cobram, Stony Point and
Leongatha were reinstated by the incoming
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215:, and was released as a total of twenty-five volumes and a final report, containing recommendations on every topic covered.
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Despite those changes, the Lonie Report proved very influential in transport planning, especially after the election of
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433:, a plan for the reorganisation and revitalisation of country passenger rail services, was unveiled in February 1981.
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of transport markets, especially by the removal of the current restrictions on the carriage by road of such goods as
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for even more major road construction, thereby negating any benefit from building the road in the first place. The
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Between June and
December 1979, 41 individuals, 21 government agencies, and 28 of the (then) 211 Victorian
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Scott Martin & Chris Banger (October 2006). "'New Deal' for County Passengers - 25 years on".
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Indeed, the Lonie Report could be seen as evidence for the relatively recent claims by academic
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184:. There were special sections for the transport of certain important commodities, including
176:, but was extended to cover a much greater number of topics, including, but not limited to,
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done through employers being encouraged by government to develop more flexible hours.
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groups have long written government policy on energy and transport in Australia (see
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a system of multi-hire taxis be instituted to provide public transport in new suburbs
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been propagated by governments before and since the Lonie Report, were overstated.
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lines should be replaced by buses, as should the Hurstbridge line beyond Eltham.
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128:, was an extensive study of freight and passenger transport within the state of
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already-closed rural freight lines should remain closed and be dismantled to
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Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960".
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affects people's decisions about whether to use cars or public transport,
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List of Victoria Government Infrastructure Plans, Proposals and Studies
533:. The Cobram and Leongatha passenger services were closed again by the
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The report stated that because of increasing demand, Victoria's major
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representing various positions on the question of transport planning.
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all night-time and weekend rail services be replaced by buses or
684:
Victorian Transport Study: Report on Metropolitan Rail Transport
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537:. Jeff Kennett himself publicly endorsed the Lonie Report.
204:, wrote submissions to the study, as did a large number of
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The report was particularly concerned about the operating
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The following country passenger rail lines were closed:
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should be increased more frequently to eliminate public
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All tram services were retained, and the $ 115 million
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a multi-modal public transport fare system be developed
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In the words of the authors the Lonie Report aimed to:
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To some extent, the Lonie Report followed on from the
690:, Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer, p. 81
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The release of the Lonie Report by the government of
136:, and the report was published on 26 September 1980.
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Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Engineers;
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small-volume freight should be shifted from rail to
172:, a 1972 inquiry into land transport in Victoria by
412:on main suburban streets to speed up road traffic.
48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
250:all country passenger rail services, except from
132:. The study was set up on 13 June 1979 by the
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782:; published 1980 by the Victorian Division.
610:Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board
529:. The Baxter to Mornington line became a
108:Learn how and when to remove this message
670:
605:, and increasing population density.
408:, and argued for the introduction of
139:Murray Lonie, a retired executive of
7:
46:adding citations to reliable sources
748:Victoria Division. pp. 77–82.
707:. Vol. 34, no. 10. Vic:
636:1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan
576:Public Transport Users Association
384:, it argued for extensions to the
304:South Melbourne and St Kilda Beach
14:
744:. Vol. 25, no. 3. Vic:
316:Kew/Cotham Road to St Kilda Beach
711:Victoria Division. p. 319.
324:North Richmond to St Kilda Beach
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431:New Deal for Country Passengers
33:needs additional citations for
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811:Public inquiries in Australia
806:Transport in Victoria (state)
801:History of Victoria (state)
330:should be replaced by buses
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646:Regional Fast Rail project
780:The Lonie Report in Brief
626:Ashworth Improvement Plan
392:, for the linking of the
328:Footscray to Moonee Ponds
320:North Richmond to Prahran
196:Study and recommendations
122:Victorian Transport Study
651:Victorian Transport Plan
258:, should be replaced by
264:trains on the suburban
681:Lonie, Murray (1980),
589:that car, mineral and
390:South Eastern Freeways
202:local government areas
166:
134:Government of Victoria
124:, better known as the
555:South Eastern Freeway
300:South Melbourne Beach
161:
42:improve this article
521:: 12 September 1981
346:as soon as possible
151:, Robin Underwood.
149:Country Roads Board
130:Victoria, Australia
535:Kennett Government
322:(and, by default,
796:1980 in Australia
631:Operation Phoenix
591:fossil fuel lobby
406:Maroondah Highway
394:West Gate Freeway
298:from the city to
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595:Greenhouse Mafia
559:Mulgrave Freeway
531:heritage railway
527:Labor government
335:multi-hire taxis
312:West Maribyrnong
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773:Further reading
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572:inducing demand
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477:: 27 April 1981
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227:, sawn timber,
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174:Sir Henry Bland
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467:: 2 March 1981
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447:: 1 March 1981
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155:Scope and aims
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141:General Motors
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57:"Lonie Report"
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551:privatisation
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511:: 6 June 1981
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487:: 20 May 1981
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182:air transport
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53:Find sources:
47:
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37:
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31:This article
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20:
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612:and 49% for
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546:Jeff Kennett
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457:: March 1981
435:
426:Rupert Hamer
423:
414:
375:
278:Williamstown
233:
221:deregulation
217:
210:
206:lobby groups
199:
170:Bland Report
167:
162:
158:
138:
126:Lonie Report
125:
121:
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104:
95:
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52:
40:Please help
35:verification
32:
15:
603:immigration
497:: June 1981
495:Stony Point
445:Healesville
290:Sandringham
231:and grain.
229:fertilisers
790:Categories
665:References
587:Guy Pearse
485:Mornington
308:Camberwell
68:newspapers
754:0310-7477
717:0310-7477
565:Criticism
505:Leongatha
501:Dandenong
491:Frankston
420:Influence
410:clearways
382:Melbourne
344:subsidies
252:Melbourne
762:19676396
741:Newsrail
725:19676396
704:Newsrail
641:New Deal
620:See also
515:Portland
471:Numurkah
461:Toolamba
455:Ballarat
441:Lilydale
402:Lilydale
378:highways
355:sleepers
270:St Kilda
238:made by
98:May 2008
614:VicRail
557:to the
549:in the
404:on the
386:Eastern
351:recycle
286:Upfield
282:Alamein
256:Geelong
240:VicRail
164:State.
82:scholar
760:
752:
723:
715:
519:Ararat
509:Yarram
481:Baxter
475:Cobram
465:Echuca
451:Donald
326:) and
274:Altona
236:losses
225:cement
186:cement
84:
77:
70:
63:
55:
688:(PDF)
359:steel
340:fares
296:trams
260:buses
190:grain
178:ports
89:JSTOR
75:books
758:OCLC
750:ISSN
746:ARHS
721:OCLC
713:ISSN
709:ARHS
388:and
365:road
357:and
353:the
310:and
288:and
188:and
180:and
143:and
120:The
61:news
597:).
517:to
463:to
453:to
396:to
254:to
244:car
145:BHP
44:by
792::
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673:^
561:.
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105:(
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96:(
86:·
79:·
72:·
65:·
38:.
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