If you can’t perform, rejig the measure
The Age reports that the Government is prepared to reduce the performance requirements for the rail network operators, on the grounds that increased patronage makes it harder to achieve on-time requirements.
There’s some truth to that, but the real game is almost certainly rigging things so that the performance statistics look better prior to the next State election, at which point we can expect the ALP to be making a lot of noise about how things are “better”, when in reality they are probably worse.
Public transport in Melbourne is a mess and it’s only going to get worse. I don’t know — or particularly care — what the answer is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not another $8 billion on freeways. Not unless it’s a special bus-only freeway…
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In the UK the rail operators were allowed to reduce train frequencies in order to meet targets. I think this is actually good; it gives the traveller a better idea of when the train will actually be there rather than having a timetable which can’t be met.
The problem with doing that here is that there already aren’t enough services to meet demand. This is commuter rather than inter-city rail.