User talk:Triptothecottage/Rail Futures Insitute
The following text is copied verbatim from the first page of the MRP summary; the final paper is still in development.[1] Since this is your page I don't know if you want others (i.e. me) adding to it or not?
THE MELBOURNE RAIL PLAN is a blueprint for the next 30 years of rail development in Melbourne. The challenges of population growth require fundamental shifts in strategic transport policy and serious integration of transport and land use planning. Public transport services have increased in recent years but population growth has been faster. Improved rail services as part of an integrated transport policy can play a very significant role in terms of the growth and development of Melbourne, consistent with the objectives of the State Government’s Plan Melbourne and the Transport Integration Act. The Melbourne Rail Plan presents a strategy for rail based transport modes within the context of a fully integrated multi-modal transport system for the future. It shows how such development, through phased investment, can significantly reduce Melbourne’s massive car dependency and benefit the city’s liveability, economic performance, social fabric and environmental sustainability. These outcomes also require other complementary policies and programs. In particular, Government needs to take a strong strategic lead in planning policy; and new mechanisms found for funding public transport. The Melbourne Rail Plan seeks to strike the right balance between ambitious and conservative approaches.