Caulfield-Rowville Trackless Rapid Transit

Caulfield-Rowville Trackless Rapid Transit

Caulfield-Rowville Trackless Rapid Transit (TRT) is a joint proposal by Monash University and Vicinity Centres to create an innovative transport solution for Melbourne’s South-Eastern Economic Corridor.

Using dedicated lanes along a 19km route from Caulfield to Rowville (via Chadstone and Monash University Clayton), TRT will offer the ride and experience of a tram without expensive infrastructure such as tracks and overhead wires.

Caulfield-Rowville TRT offers a genuine alternative to traditional trains and trams – cheaper, faster to deliver and just as effective.

The proposal

Caulfield-Rowville TRT will improve access to jobs and services in Melbourne’s South-Eastern Economic Corridor.

Running along Dandenong Road, Ferntree Gully Road and Blackburn Road between Caulfield and Monash Clayton (via Chadstone), and then via Wellington Road to Rowville, TRT could move up to 1,800 passengers an hour in each direction.

It would deliver travel times of 20 minutes between Caulfield and Monash Clayton, and 11 minutes between Monash Clayton and Rowville.

The project would cost approximately $1.4 billion and could be operational as early as 2025.

Monash University and Vicinity Centres have submitted the TRT concept to the Victorian and Federal Governments and recommended that the two governments jointly fund and deliver the project.

Learn more (PDF)

Project benefits

  • Cost

    Caulfield-Rowville TRT will cost approximately $1.4 billion. A tram would cost $2.9 billion.

  • Timing

    The proposed TRT system could be operational by 2025. A conventional Melbourne tram would take at least two years longer.

  • Travel times

    20 minutes between Caulfield and Monash Clayton, and 11 minutes between Monash Clayton and Rowville.

  • Speed

    Caulfield-Rowville TRT will have an average operating speed of 33-59km/h. The average speed of a Melbourne tram is 16 km/h.

  • Reduced congestion

    TRT will reduce traffic congestion by encouraging public transport use. The proposal has been designed to maintain road network capacity.

  • Jobs

    Caulfield-Rowville TRT will create 2,244 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $427.4 million to the Victorian economy each year during construction.

Learn more (PDF)

Precincts

Map of the Rowville to Caulfield TRT proposal
Caulfield-Rowville Trackless Rapid Transit map.

Learn more (PDF)

Why is it needed?

Melbourne’s South-Eastern Economic Corridor is home to the largest area of employment opportunities outside Melbourne’s CBD, including Monash University, Chadstone – The Fashion Capital, the Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC) and the Clayton industrial precinct.

Congestion on the Monash Freeway/Princes Highway corridor is getting worse, with Infrastructure Australia predicting total delay hours on the corridor will increase by 87 per cent by 2031.

Public transport options are limited, and with improvements from projects like the Suburban Rail Loop more than 10 years away, Caulfield-Rowville TRT is vital to providing investment and jobs growth in the corridor.

TRT won’t just make it easier to get to Chadstone, Monash University and other destinations in Melbourne’s south-east, it will be better for the environment too.

Learn more (PDF)

What is Trackless Rapid Transit?

Trackless Rapid Transit (TRT) is used in more than 200 cities worldwide.

Next-generation vehicles run on dedicated road space, offering the ride and experience of a traditional tram without the need for tracks and overhead wires.

The latest in TRT technology is the trackless tram – a hybrid technology that uses rubber wheels and is powered by rechargeable batteries.

What is TRT (PDF)

Further information

For further information, please get in touch with our project team.

Email: ben.vivekanandan@monash.edu