World?s biggest cities all have metros, except here

<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> A study into the developed world’s biggest cities has concluded that all but a handful have metro systems – but that handful without metros includes Melbourne and Sydney. </span> <p>The study by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) showed that of biggest 30 cities in the developed world by population, all but six have metros: Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Phoenix, Melbourne and Sydney.<br />“The definitions of ‘metro’ vary, but the common ground is that they provide high-capacity trains, with high-frequency services to most stations at least every ten minutes, all day,” PTUA President Daniel Bowen said, adding that metros can run both above and below ground.<br />“Metros are important for ensuring cities function well, moving large numbers of people quickly. People who live in cities with metros know they can travel efficiently, without being caught in traffic, without checking a timetable, and without long waiting times at stations.”<br />Bowen noted that studies had shown cities investing in high quality public transport (including metros) were able to make much bigger savings in reduced spending on roads, and the difference between Melbourne and Sydney’s rail systems and the metros seen overseas was the service frequency, particularly outside peak hours.<br />“Both Melbourne and Sydney have sizeable suburban rail systems, but long waits between trains of 20-30 minutes or even more mean these are not as efficient as the metros seen in most of the other big cities around the world”, Bowen said.<br />The PTUA’s ‘Every 10 Minutes to Everywhere’ campaign has called for services every ten minutes to all areas of suburban Melbourne, seven days-a-week. Bowen said that on the trains this was largely possible immediately by making better use of the fleet and infrastructure already available.<br />“Running trains every ten minutes is possible right now on most of the system – we already do it in peak hour on most lines,” he said.<br />“What’s needed is for the government to invest in more services right across the day, seven-days-a-week, to cut waiting times, to get people out of their cars, and to get Melbourne moving.<br />“Melbourne’s train service might be called ‘Metro’ – now’s the time for the government to actually run it like a Metro.&quot<br />&nbsp</p>