Buses will play a key role in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the government has confirmed, which is concerning city leaders about Ballarat's already dysfunctional intra-city bus network and fears a dedicated sports-precinct rail platform will miss out.
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Public transport minister Ben Carroll, speaking before the public accounts and estimates committee on Tuesday, said "the bus network is going to be very important for the Commonwealth Games".
He said there "might not be significant funds" in the 2023/24 budget, but they "very much have eyes to the future" in relation to how flexi-services would work.
He said "above and beyond the V/Line network", buses would play a part in moving people between regional areas - as well as from Melbourne - into the rest of the state for the sports spectacular.
It is understood the plan for the Games will involve different modes of transport, and buses moving people between venues, villages and accommodation will play a role. With an expectation of between 20,000 and 30,000 people attending popular athletics sessions, the logistics of the buses - including where to park them or who is to drive them - are not yet clear.
A Victoria 2026 spokesperson said they were working with operators, councils and transport authorities to "develop our integrated transport plan".
"This is one of the many opportunities for regional cities to show they can host large events on the world stage."
The spokesperson was unable to reveal the completion timeline for the transport plan or if it would be revealed to the public.
City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson has been advocating for a review on the local bus network, especially after hearing citizens' responses on how difficult it can be to navigate and use effectively.
General advocacy for the bus review outside of council has been ongoing for five years.
While there was no funding in the budget for a Ballarat network review, Cr Hudson said they would continue with their advocacy for this project.
What about the events platform?
Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton said he was "concerned that those comments [by Mr Carroll] suggest a third platform in Ballarat seems to be getting further and further away".
He said a Games platform "makes absolute sense" because of the number of people anticipated to arrive at the stadium, both for the Games but also other events into the future as the upgrades to the stadium were a part of a bigger events precinct in conjunction with the Ballarat Sport and Events Centre.
A third platform in Ballarat will also play a role in transport options as the city grows.
Cr Hudson confirmed to the media the council would continue to advocate for a Games platform.
This is a project they have been speaking about since 2022, first appearing in a document where they outlined the different ways the Games can deliver legacy infrastructure in Ballarat.
"I think it has a strategic purpose, not just for Commonwealth Games but I think also for Western Bulldogs or other events," Cr Hudson said.
"If there are a significant number of people coming who are going to use trains to get to and from Ballarat, that would need a significant number of buses that will have to weave their way through as opposed to an extra platform a few hundred metres down the track."
Cr Hudson said this would also fit in with plans for the city's northern growth zone.
"We would see it being a long-term investment about some of our transport concerns as to how we deal with our growth going forward," he said.
"We'll continue to push for that and we know that other members of the community are also keen to provide that voice as well."
Other transport must be considered
Mr Poulton said there was no silver bullet for our transport needs both for the 2026 Games and beyond.
"A combination of active transport, foot cycling, shared transport services, public transport, train and buses will be required to get the number of people around our city," he said.
"Given the state government's desire for a zero-emissions Games, any development in the bus infrastructure must be zero-emissions buses."
This could bring electric and hydrogen buses into regional areas and investigations are needed to determine our infrastructure needs to support this.
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Mr Poulton said if we were to look into electric buses, we would also need infrastructure like charging stations to supplement this.
"There are many examples around the world of cities larger than Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong that have been able to solve this problem," he said.
"We should be looking to those as examples."
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