Does Sydney have better public transport than Melbourne? (ft. Philip Mallis)

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Hey! Be sure to check out Philip’s video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ranQipl8gNCCmKc So, do you think Sydney or Melbourne’s public transport is better? Let me know in the comments below.

[@electro_sykes]

Can you compare Brisbane to Perth next

[@KatoombaTourGuide]

Next time you do something Melbourne based, is it ok if you get Taitset to do it? Like I’ve never seen this man on my screen. I hope you take this constructive criticism and change for the better. Also, love your videos. Keep them up!

[@jamium]

I think Sydney has amazing public transport access in the city, but the suburbs are often left behind. I haven't lived in Melbourne for long though, so I'm not sure if they're the same.

[@ChengHe-zv6so]

who is dongchenyue? someone who write the caption

[@ytlurker220]

Great video. I think the stations north of Hornsby should also have been marked as >15 min frequencies in your map at 3:25.

[@naturallyherb]

You forgot to mention one very big thing: Sydney has a frequent train to the airport, Melbourne has no train to the airport at all!

[@Duckstalker1340]

I concur with this. Train from Sydney airport to city cost 18 bucks, Uber from Melbourne airport to city cost 50-60 bucks.

[@xObscureDarkness]

DiDi and ola are often cheaper and if your travelling with 2 people the $40 combined for the train makes Uber more attractive

[@Duckstalker1340]

@xObscureDarkness I usually travel alone between Sydney & Melbourne for work, always appreciate the easiness to get to the airport in Sydney than Melbourne, not having to use Taxi or Uber also means you don't need to rely on traffic to plan ahead of your trip too.

[@TheLostProbe]

​@@Duckstalker1340 you don't need to use a taxi or an Uber, you can just get a SkyBus. there's also a train that goes near the airport, then from the last station you can get a regular bus directly to the airport and it's like 8 dollars or something

[@mabamabam]

@@Duckstalker1340 The bus in Melbourne is $18. In either a taxi is almost always better for a couple. Perth however, $5

[@crelb5219]

It horrifies me to learn that there is somehow a city that has a worse bus system than Sydney.

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Tbf, trams here do most of that. They carry about 4x more passengers per year

[@mjcats2011]

@shaunmckenzie5509 4x times more passengers than what? 207 Million for Sydney Buses. 200 Million for Melbourne Trams. But the coverage of the Trams just isn't there. What about The western suburbs and the outer suburbs that are not served by rail or tram. The Bus Network is rubbish.

[@fly_8659]

Canberra here... after living in Sydney for near 10 years I want to walk in front of a bus... oh wait, there isn't any here.

[@thelocalmagictoaster4120]

@@mjcats2011be thankful it’s not American

[@dat581]

@@shaunmckenzie5509The funny thing is Melbourne's tram system has never gotten close to carrying the same amount of people as the old Sydney system. We are slowly putting the trams back too.

[@OneIdeaTooMany]

Coming from Japan, Sydney public transport sucks... And then I went to Melbourne and I took back every bad word I said about Sydney... I don't know how people in Melbourne do it.

[@lbell9695]

LOL but true

[@immanuelaj]

Japan is just special that way because it has a train culture. Most of the world aren't able to build their trains up to the same standards!

[@BinkBricks]

What about Canberra 💀

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

🤣 Yeah we have it pretty bad in Melbourne. Sydney is much better for public transport, but neither compare to Japan.

[@stuartdparnell]

Japan has excellent public transport. I was impressed when I arrived at a shinkansen terminal and seeing those hella fast trains whizzing by was just awesome!

[@the_yesnt1358]

Yesterday I went to a big concert at the Sidney Myer music bowl, about 10mins of foot from Flinders Street. In addition to this even there were multiple other events happening as part of the Melbourne jazz festival. We missed out train by about 30secs and had to wait 30 minutes for the next train in the cold. When the train showed up almost ever seat was taken and this was at 11pm. Come on Melbourne we can do so much better than this!

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Absolutely. Frequency is freedom, and Melbourne can do so much better.

[@anubizz3]

You just experience the pain of using Sydney bus.

[@kcobley]

$10 to the airport in Sydney is just loose change in the bottom of the pocket I just don't care I get the train.

[@the_yesnt1358]

@@anubizz3 I thought they were decent?

[@anubizz3]

@@the_yesnt1358 decent until 2 bus decide to have a date or one decide to call sick.

[@PatSmashYT]

Meanwhile Brisbane: I think the Bruce Highway needs another 12 lanes

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Let’s build another motorway right next to this other motorway we have! (Okay Sydney did that too tho 🥲)

[@dingobonza]

Tbf most of us from SEQ have grown up driving and that's the culture, right down to highschool where we were legitimately pushed to get our Learners at 16 and had school held driving related courses. Plus, the train from Brisbane to Gympie North takes double the time of driving. I can't really see a cost effective way to improve that train line to be a bit faster considering where the train line actually runs.... people want to go to the coast; not Nambour haha

[@mmmail1969]

@@BuildingBeautifully yeah Queensland, the largest electrified rail network in all Oz, makes BOTH Sidneee and Melbbeee look like toy sets...to run Oz's fastest and only world class higher-speed tilt train on...how's those 1960's era XPT's going... jugging along, like it's last century still?? ;)

[@thennicke]

@@mmmail1969 ...With narrow gauge rail that WILL need to be updated in the future to standard gauge, at great expense. It's just a question of time.

[@mmmail1969]

@@thennicke no it won't. Japan runs narrow gauge bullet trains even!

[@Griffin_63]

I was in Sydney a few weeks back and my car stayed parked at the hotel. Instead I got an (concession) Opal card and made like a local. It was awesome, great system, sadly I think it is ( for now ) way better than my native Melbourne’s. Most impressed with the rail (Tangaras ❤️) the new light rail that runs down George Street, Opal (bite the bullet and just adopt it immediately Melbourne) and the coloured roundels (ditto Melbs). As for any “rivalry” I’ve never bought into it and other than the press I never hear it discussed by anybody. Both cities are wonderful and different.

[@anubizz3]

Why don't you just tap you credit card?

[@Griffin_63]

@@anubizz3 didn’t know I could until after I got the Opal card.

[@anubizz3]

@@Griffin_63 well at least it's free..

[@OldAussieAds]

I'm the same mate. Sydney born and raised. But I love going to Melbourne for visits. I love both Cities!

[@jaredmadsen4162]

I got a train in Melbourne earlier in the year and was shocked at how bumpy the ride was compared to Sydney trains

[@kcobley]

Sydney had a major train accident in 1977 at Granville, with considerable loss of life which could have been far higher if a suburban set had been the train derailed or if a couple of trains had been involved. Priority for rail safety has been on the first rung of Government commitment since that time apart from a short relapse during the Greiner Government when there was another loss of life accident. Sydney now has all welded track and concrete sleepers, modernised points and signalling, there is always ongoing rail safety improvements under all governments in NSW. Melbourne has relied on poor quality labour intensive maintenance track with wooden sleepers, connecting plates with the resulting speed restrictions for this type of track. Far too much money is thrown at giga road programs that have little capacity, they shortcut on rail safety and ride quality. They may learn the lesson the hard way NSW did, I don't feel safe on a Melbourne train.

[@OldAussieAds]

@@kcobley What was the incident during the Greiner period?

[@kcobley]

@@OldAussieAds Cowan bank 1990, however there were a number of fatal accidents during the following Labor Governments. Railway safety has improved significantly in the last 10-15 years.

[@OldAussieAds]

@@kcobley Yeah, there was Glenbrook and Waterfall as well. I remember as a kid around 1987, I was at a friend's house in Springwood. We were playing in his backyard when we heard a large crash. We went for a walk, half expecting to see a truck accident on the highway. What we didn't expect to see was a V-set train off it's rails, across Macquarie Road and into someone's front yard. I'll never forget it.

[@kcobley]

@@OldAussieAds Train accidents can be very serious and the potential for loss of life is great, a Syd Train set with 1200 commuters derails at 80 k, the passengers continue to travel at 80 k whist the train stops. Obstructions like catenary poles can be deadly in train derailments. The rolling stock, track, signals have to be meticulously maintained and staffed regardless of cost, technical advances in safety must be quickly advanced into operation. There was a huge death toll at the tube accident at Moorgate because advances in safety to a known issue weren't deployed due to cost restraints. There are still a number of Granville style bridges in operation with spindly metal legs with heavy concrete roadways. Goulburn St parking station needs to be pulled down, should never have been built. Some reinforcements of the original legs and speed restrictions imposed. In the 60's and 70's it always concerned me. German and Chinese research have concluded trains with engineered permanent coupling are much safer in derailment, as they tend to stay upright in line and don't zig zag across lines and trackside obstructions. All new Chinese passenger trains are built permanently coupled or as trains in one unit

[@shanojebs]

Great comparisons! One thing Melbourne has over Sydney is services to get you home in the middle of the night, as getting home from anywhere in Sydney after 1am is almost impossible without Uber or the dreaded nightbuses... also getting across town without going through the CBD is difficult, for example the Dulwich Hill light rail to the Western line is so infrequent and slow and to get to Strathfield you have to get an all-stations from Lewisham, so PT takes 40 minutes to an hour from Dulwich Hill to Strathfield when an Uber would take 20 minutes, getting to Olympic Park can take over an hour when Uber takes half an hour, Google Maps often suggests going to Redfern and skipping the light rail completely!

[@tobyb6248]

If you think Sydney cross town services are bad, wait till you see Melbournes!

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Yes, Melbourne has trains and some of the busier tram lines running 24/7 on Friday and Saturday nights. Sydney has lockout laws, which Melbourne doesn't have. So maybe that's why 24/7 trains aren't needed up there.

[@mgp1203]

This is a huge reason why Sydney's nightlife is poor and why the government are finding it difficult to revive it. People need the public transport options. Every time my friends and I go out, we spend $90+ Uber to get home (we live out west). As if alcohol and going out in Sydney isn't already expensive enough.

[@TheLegitHardTruth]

😂 Are we talking about 29 years ago?

[@jessm1327]

i think it's much easier to do cross-town connections in sydney because of the lack of hub+spoke model that characterises melbourne's trains - but the walk from lewisham west light rail to lewisham station makes me irrationally angry every time i have to do it lmao

[@gamermuffinn1600]

Everyday I use the ferry in Sydney to get around and it's great. It's a very underrated part of the system

[@ollie2074]

yeah its definitely not just a tourist attraction. The Ferries are indeed used as a genuine form of transport. No tourist is seriously going to Birchgrove, Greenwich, Woolwich, Drummoyne, Huntleys Point, Chiswick, Abbotsford, Kissing Point, Cabarita, Meadowbank or Rydalmere Wharfs.

[@joshporter5422]

In terms of reach, sure. But the scheduling, frequency (operations in general), infrastructure and vessels leave much to be desired. In-line with a tourist water bus network that so happens to be integrated into the local PT system. Where on other modes you see investment to either increase frequency, decrease travel time or generally improve the service, Ferries are left to their centurial practices. Often associated with pretty significant taxpayer funding just to maintain it, or degrade it? Which is a shame as Ferries can genuinely be a frequent, reliable, alternate form of public transportation. (P.S. would love a Building Beautifully episode on Sydney’s Ferries as it’s a mode that’s grossly under appreciated in the PT space.)

[@gamermuffinn1600]

a video would be nice and i get what your saying

[@gamermuffinn1600]

@@ollie2074 yes

[@stuartdparnell]

Yes I used to take it every Friday from Cremorne Wharf to Circ Quay then to Watsons Bay. Awesome trip, pretty sights, and none of those long winded bus rides!

[@BigBlueMan118]

Point 7 cannot be stressed enough - it is key: speed and frequency of express-running medium-distance trains but also what it allows you to do. Sydney developed quad (4 tracks) all way out into middle and outer suburbs early on (up to St Marys on T1; up to Hurstville on T4; up to Revesby on T8; up to Rhodes plus another section from West Ryde to Epping on T9; and up to Belmore for separated freight on T3), meaning express running on all main lines for outer-suburban, interurban and intercity trains was simple and easy. Whereas Melbourne only developed triple (3 tracks) into the middle suburbs - and even then only on 3 main lines (Frankstone line to Moorabin along with quad track from South Yarra to Caulfield; Lilydale/Belgrave line to Box Hill; Werribee line from Newport to Werribee). Track speeds within Metro Melbourne are limited to 80kmh where Sydney has many lines with decent track sections of up to 100-115kmh. What this all means is Sydney has regular and (relatively) fast express trains allowing you to get from places 20-30km away from the city like Sutherland, Blacktown, Revesby or Hornsby into the city consistently quicker than equivalent areas in Melbourne, with more flexibility to handle disruptions - and many of these journeys will be shortened further when Sydney Metro opens. What this also allows Sydney to do is split inner and outer sections of lines to run different services: on top of the conversion of the whole T3 to Metro, the inner sections of the T2 T4 T8 and T9 may eventually see a similar conversion to rapid transit with high-capacity high-frequency operations at all inner stops, with suburban inter-urban and intercity services focused purely on the middle and outer suburbs. Melbourne cannot do this without building new lines. Melbourne's trams really aren't that special in performance terms; of the 7 busiest routes in Melbourne (3, 11, 59, 75, 86, 96 and 109) only Route 96, a former heavy rail line, comes close to the L2 & L3 in Sydney in terms of patronage/km or patronage/stop, and all Melbourne lines have slow average speeds (15-18kmh) even outside the city area with many shared traffic sections causing trams to get stuck in traffic, while not many stops have level boarding & disability access. Where Melbourne does have an advantage is coverage, there are no major areas of the city as poorly covered by heavy or light rail in Melbourne as in Sydney (Northern Beaches, SE suburbs, outer SW around Bonnyrigg and Wetherill Park) except perhaps Doncaster (which is planned to be linked with Suburban Rail Loop). Another advantage for Melbourne is being able to run its 3 main regional services (Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong lines) on the one Regional Rail Link direct and at quite high speeds, whereas all Sydney's regional trains split up quite close to the city and have comparatively slow speeds, hence why NSW was doing planning on an entirely new High Speed Rail network to Newcastle, Wollongong, Canberra/Southern Highlands and Bathurst/Orange - which again would be difficult to implement without expensive city access lines to meet at Parramatta or Olympic Park.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Very well summarised argument. Both cities have their weakness, and Melbourne’s 3 tracks on many corridors sure does leave a lot to be considered

[@74_pelicans]

I disagree on express services. Rather have rail services, than majority of your residential not being close to train stop.

[@mjcats2011]

@@74_pelicans There are huge swathes of Melbourne not being served by Rail. The arc between the Hurstbridge and Lilydale/Belgrave for one. Templestowe, Chernside Park, Doncaster, Warrandyte. What about Scoresby and Knox, or Dingley or Mulgrave or Fountain Gate. Admit it Sydney is far superior.

[@electro_sykes]

@@BuildingBeautifully only junkies use Brisbanes public transport

[@turnpiketed6383]

You ridden the L2? A snail is faster.

[@grahambaker6664]

Why do we need a different card for each public transport system in Australia yet a single E-Tag for every toll road?

[@danieljordan559]

Because of how the technology works. The etag is just a serial number that stores the real data on a server, whereas transport cards like opal and myki only have a limited amount of memory and even struggle to store an entire district amount of information if every stop needs to be coded, let alone every combination of fare policy. The only way around this is to switch to a server side solution (open loop ticketing), which is what credit-debit card systems do.

[@euge1975]

In Japan, they have a unified SUICA, Pasmo and many more IC card systems that just work across most of their JR and Metro systems across the country. Imagine if Australia had a unified ticketing system like OPAL? You wouldn’t need MYKI which absolutely sucks compared to OPAL.

[@staryoshi06]

@@danieljordan559 Opal does support credit and debit cards, I would have thought that the opal cards themselves would also be open loop?

[@ThebusofdoomFSX]

Coming off from watching both your video and Phillip's video, I do largely agree with both your opinions that Sydney generally has better public transport in Melbourne. I feel one of the most important factors to public transport uptake is frequency. As it's said; frequency is freedom, and Sydney has much superior frequencies with most stations having a train at least every 15 minutes for most hours of the day 7 days a week. Melbourne in contrast has most stations with a train every 20 minutes and this often lowers to every 30 minutes on most lines in the evening. Most Melbourne train lines still have trains every 40 minutes until 10am on a Sunday morning which is completely unacceptable for a city of over 4 million people with many people traveling into the city at that time of the morning. I also agree with TOD's around stations and the bus network; Sydney not only has more frequent bus services around the city but there's also a higher prevalence of bus priority infrastructure that makes the service faster, more reliable, and more attractive to commuters. Buses in Melbourne pale in comparison to Sydney's and while some small areas have seen recent improvements the majority of the bus network hasn't undergone significant network changes in decades. This leaves a highly inefficient network that is slow and infrequent and doesn't meet the needs of the traveling public. One area that I feel neither video touched on is that subjectively I believe generally Sydney has better train stations than Melbourne as they have more amenities and shelter compared to Melbourne train stations, are better maintained, and facilitate better transfers between different modes of transport. Granted Melbourne has rebuilt plenty of train stations in recent years which is great to see, but some of these new stations aren't the best designed including poor shelter and transfers between train & bus services (I'm signalling out Mentone for this where they rebuilt the station but didn't bother relocating the bus interchange to the new station). One area where I do think Melbourne does better than Sydney is accessibility on the rail network, with all but one station in Melbourne has step-free access. Granted this does not mean that all stations in Melbourne are DDA compliant as there are plenty of older stations that aren't with steep ramps and non-level platforms that can make accessibility tricky. However this is still superior to Sydney where a number of stations do not have step-free access at all. Granted the Transport Access Program has made strides in rectifying this by upgrading stations with lift access but there's still a ways to go, particularly in regional areas. Another area where I find Melbourne to be superior to Sydney is its regional rail network with V/Line generally offering a faster and more frequent service from Melbourne to its regional centers compared to NSW Trainlink with Sydney. V/Line offers speeds up to 160km/h to the regional centres with most interurban areas having a train at least once every hour, with Geelong and Ballarat enjoying 20 minute and 40 minute services respectively, plus several daily round-trips to intercity destinations such as Albury, Warrnambool and Swan Hill. In contrast NSW Trainlink trains towards Woolongong and Newcastle have only trains once every hour or so and have longer journey times compared to V/Line, although I'll acknowledge that the latter is largely due to Sydney's hilly geography which does slow down trains in contract to Melbourne's relatively flat geography where trains have the ability to run faster.

[@papa_gowon]

I grew up in Asquith which is just past Hornsby (fortunately now I have moved to the inner city with both kidneys intact). It looks like there are still long periods of 30 min train frequency outside peak times after all these years 😢. The density of the area has increased dramatically in the last decade. I don't understand why it's not on max 15 min frequency like other similar suburbs. Help support your local car dealership and ruin the environment by densifying your suburb with inadequate public transport, it's super effective!

[@jazepstein]

Very sad what's happened in Asquith! People have moved into the (many new train-adjacent) apartments there thinking, great, what a convenient location, only to soon realise that it's a con. The minute you're north of Hornsby, suddenly it's one line south instead of two, it's back-of-Bourke service frequency, and it's passenger trains sharing track with, and constantly waiting for, giant slow freight trains that get signalling priority. They should not have plonked all those new developments in Asquith!

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Hopefully frequencies go up in Asquith in the next few years. I’ve seen the density there and it could do with better services. That really sucks for them.

[@kcobley]

There is a fairly frequent bus service to Hornsby, but trains it's near hourly. Expensive track duplication will be needed to fix this there are 14 Central Coast Trains per hour that have to fit on this route. A lot of difficult politics in the Central Coast.

[@Crushery]

Still sad you didn't pick Taitset for the Melbourne youtuber.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Oh I’d be down to collab with Taitset one day 😎 but I’ve been a fan of Philip ever since I had only 300 subscribers so this was the perfect collab for me

[@Crushery]

@@BuildingBeautifully :)

[@bradm3441]

Thought you'd mention that Sydney has very few rail road crossings compared to Melbourne

[@m31tdown]

What about the level crossing removal project?

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

While true, Melbourne is working on that as we speak. We've had a ton of crossings removed in the last few years, and heaps of brand new stations built. Lots of new elevated rail.

[@YeahIDontKn0wEither]

Because Sydney took out the level crossings when Melbourne was working on freeways. That's why both cities were behind with the opposite.

[@marzzbar]

I grew up in Sydney and am now living in Melbourne and yeah, generally I find it more difficult to get around via PT in Melbourne than in Sydney. That said, I generally get around via bicycle in Melbourne, which I would likely never have done in Sydney. The bicycle infrastructure in Melbourne is just so much better.

[@tobyb6248]

I don't think the cycling infrastructure is much better, more that terrain and street layout is generally better for cycling in Melbourne.

[@mgp1203]

Much easier for Melbourne to achieve considering their grid layout is much more adaptable

[@nichobee]

Because Melbourne is as flat as a pancake and Sydney topography is 🍑

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

That was a very informative video. When I lived in Sydney in the 1980s/early 90s the times between trains were usually double what Sydney has now. There's been a real shift in priorities away from roads and towards public transport. I plan to be in Sydney next year, and I'm sure I won't recognise the place.

[@tangiers365]

loving the crossovers with other content creaters here, hopefully it helps built all pt related content in aus

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you! That’s the idea 😎

[@anubizz3]

​@@BuildingBeautifullykeep up the good work mate. Our YIMBY.

[@russellhammond4373]

Well researched vlog by two passionate reviewers.

[@owlenmchooty3263]

Great collab, two of my favourite Aussie youtubers for public transport. Growing up in Sydney and living in Melbourne for the last 5 years it's good to see the pros and cons on the east coast

[@tsetstransport]

Awesome video Sharath! I think in Sydney we need to improve our buses the most, but it brings a sense of joy knowing our bus system is better than Melbourne's. Overall, I agree that Sydney's PT is better than Melbourne's. I think maybe doing a video exactly like this with Taitset may have been a better idea since I find his videos to be more informing then this person you collaborated with here, although it's only my opinion, at the end of the day, it's your decision on who you collaborate with. Again, awesome video! 😄

[@BuildingBeautifully]

For the record, Philip reached out to me, which is why we did the collab. I’ve never been in contact with Taitset, although if he’s reading this, I’d be happy to be one day. Philip’s channel is great and I’ve been a fan of his channel for longer than Taitset (back when I had only 300 subs and Philip had 5,000!) so this was a better match for me anyways 😎 Anyways, glad you enjoyed it!

[@leesavings7426]

In terms of infrastructure Sydney is just miles ahead, their stations are constantly getting accessibility upgrades, the platform is at grade with the trains and they're much cleaner in general. Sure Melbourne has the Level Crossing Removal Project but stations that are not getting rebuilt are neglected and left in the dust, don't even talk about the condition of Melbourne's railway tracks, there are numerous mud holes and sleepers that are still made of wood, just hop on a X'Trampoline and you'll know just how bad the tracks are.

[@lavomavo2207]

Agreed. Wynyard station was renovated a few years back and it looks great with the Wynyard walk tunnel connecting it to Barangaroo and the escalator art installation. The updates and new areas at Central have made it really feel like a world class station. I’m sure the Metro stations when they open will look great too. Saw some sneak peaks of Gadigal station and it looked great with some nice artwork.

[@unitedasiansgaming5363]

You forgot another thingy, interchangeability from suburbs with most people being able to change outside of the CBD unlike Melbourne.

[@lesliebishop3516]

Well done both of you. entertaining and interesting. I did chuckle at the comment about the airport though..... It may happen one day for our southerners . Good story telling always works. Thanks for all the effort

[@BinkBricks]

Definitely agree Sydney is better in Melbourne in pretty much every aspect. Sydney just does so much right as you mentioned. TOD is a big one for me, the more people that can access public transport the better. If you could maybe sometime in the future I would love see a video on Canberra and how it can become less of a car dependent city. Loved it Sharath keep up the amazing content. Also what phone do you use for filming?

[@Ginmegsy]

Forgot to mention grade separation, far fewer level crossings in Sydney

[@davemail66]

Just a suggestion / thought........but can you two gents consider doing a Sydney vs Melbourne comparison, when it comes to major roads / tolls / freeways next? I reckon this topic would make for a very interesting VLOG as well.

[@anubizz3]

Toll, Sydney vs Melbourne? It will be blood bath..... You know how greedy our NSW government are? We have a place that have 3 speed cameras in the span of 500m.

[@phamnguyenductin]

@@anubizz3 tolls and fines aren't the same thing. By speeding you're risking not only your life but others.

[@anubizz3]

@@phamnguyenductin Did I ever say I endorse speeding? you not seeing 3 speed camera in 1 street not excessive? not to mention they reduce the speed limit once they install it. is it to save life or is it for money? mind you some area like Brighton-Le-Sands their resident begging the city to put speed camera because to many people speeding , but the traffic in that area not heavy enough to be profitable.

[@mjcats2011]

Who cares about road networks?

[@heyguyswhatshappening6210]

@@mjcats2011Are you asking a question ?

[@declanwinchester5146]

Yeah the M2 Express buses and the T-Way buses are awesome. Even the B-Line as much hate as it gets is pretty good. The most lacking services imo are the T9 line and Mt Colah/Mt Kuring Gai/Asquith on the T1. T9 line has a short 1 way peak or 15 mins between services. Up past Hornsby can increase to 30 minutes.

[@robinsandell427]

Now that the Manly Fast Ferry is fully Opal enabled, the Manly waterborne corridor is now pretty much a turn up and go service too. Between the MFF and F1 Emerald class service, off peak headways are 10 minutes and peak headways are even narrower.

[@andrewyoung3299]

Another thing to add, Sydney has an Airport Line. Melbourne on the other hand, that got cancelled by the State Government...

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

It hasn't been cancelled, at least not officially. Just "temporarily postponed".

[@mjcats2011]

@@shaunmckenzie5509it is as good as cancelled.

[@jessm1327]

i grew up in outer outer melbourne and now live in sydney and hard agree - i'm not near a train station in sydney but i am close to the light rail and a lot of buses and have no real issues getting around without a car (though it would be nice to be closer to a station). the belgrave line lack of frequency and express trains was the bane of my existence growing up; i spent a LOT of time hanging out at flinders street waiting for the train that only came once an hour after 9pm :'). i work in penrith once a week so my commute is around 50km; visiting my mum back home in melbourne who lives a similar distance away would probably take me around 2.5-3 hours on public transport (especially because the trains are only once every half hour at best) but getting to penrith takes me less than 2 hours and trains are every 15 minutes even off-peak. my only gripe with sydney's public transport is the fact that there aren't any trains north of parramatta road (like seriously surely the anzac bridge would be perfect for a train line that went out through rozelle/balmain!). i think sydney's public transport is wayyyy better than melbourne's once you get out of the inner city, but melbourne wins in the city centre (it's hard to beat the free tram zone).

[@rockinrobstar81]

Would love to see a bronze medal playoff between Brisbane and Perth. Then for 5th and 6th you could compare the train networks of Adelaide and Hob … oh wait..

[@msl758]

Ha! I went to Canberra and thought they had some cool little bus stops in the centre of the road... until I realised I never once saw a bus, nor another bus stop apart from that one road. I'm not sure if they have a rail network but I doubt it. (edit - upon further research those "bus stops" may have been light rail)

[@fatheranthony4pope]

Point missed here is that Victoria's regional network is far superior to NSW, and V-line still shares several suburban lines which impacts service frequencies. This is being worked on.

[@jack2453]

Point missed here is that NSW is not just outer suburbs for Sydney. There are lots of cities regions with their own identity.

[@davemail66]

Maybe it's my eyes going wonky or just my imagination but that fast moving Metro X'trapolis EMU, from about 12:43 in this clip, appears to be bouncing up and down a lot as it passes over that railway level crossing somewhere in Melboune? Goodness gracious me 😲😲😲

[@Low760]

Xtraps have coil suspension.

[@74_pelicans]

XTrampolines they are horrible trains.

[@mjcats2011]

@@Low760 And that is why the are rubbish trains.

[@TheLostProbe]

that is the result of the X'Trapolis trains being ordered with coil suspension rather than airbag suspension, to reduce costs. some people in these comments think the train is catching air, but I really doubt that. if it caught air at that speed, it'd most likely completely derail and would result in a very bad crash

[@maia_key]

I have lived in Meobourne all my life and whilst this video is mostly true (save for the fact that there are frequent train services every 10 minutes every day and a higher 3-5 minute peak service on lines that run through politically “swing” seats, but a huge increase to 10 minutes on all lines when the metro tunnel opens is coming quite soon), Melbourne’s cycling infrastructure is 30-40 years ahead of Sydney’s.

[@tobyb6248]

Is it? Or is the geography and street layout (ie very wide lanes) make cycling easier with less infrastructure?

[@rishisahgal4529]

It is better but Melbourne is a very geographically flat city with more open spaces to enable cycling routes. That being said, Sydney has ignored this until quite recently.

[@mjcats2011]

Our Public Transport is 20 Years behind Sydney's.

[@ZakRoams]

The thing I hated most about Melbournes trains, was that all the lines are named after their final stop. Which means you have to quickly remember the suburb or all the suburbs. T followed by number is wayyyy easier or even better, saying the direction… I dunno where pakenham is haha

[@mabamabam]

Nah, I always find names easier than numbers. Same as with roads, so much easier to remember road names than road numbers.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

I agree, plus the colours make things really clear too

[@Low760]

Number lines are confusing, Pakenham is easy to find on Google maps if you're not sure.

[@immanuelaj]

The lines have names as well in Sydney, like the T1 is the North Shore and Western Lines. I find the name and colour easier to remember than the T number.

[@iris4547]

@@immanuelaj yep, couldnt tell you which line all the numbers are and i used to work in PT. but say you want to western line or northern line or eastern suburbs etc and ill know straight away. granted, i know the system well enough that i dont even needs names or numbers.

[@artistjoh]

The silly thing is that Sydney will have a second metropolitan airport with a rail service to both before Melbourne gets rail to its airport.

[@brettyallop6018]

Great video! A lot to say, as a Sydneysider who loved the convenience of Melbourne's tram network in 2014, its a marginal call, there is always so much mote to do that neither system is perect, but I guess for an impartial point of view Sydney's system does appear to have featured in more RM Transit videos! Maybe Reece should decide? Commenting to feed the.._._._! And Sharaths bank account!

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

8:34 The one problem with Sydney's wayfinding (for Buses at least) is that it's not clear whether it's a *B* for Buses or B for Stand B which makes it confusing. I have often had to point out to visitors who are standing next to the *B* sign, that the *Stand B* they actually need can sometimes be 50-100m away from where they have been waiting for 30 minutes.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Yes, that's actually a very fair point

[@leightonm5827]

Melbourne may have a more extensive rail network. However it doesn’t go anywhere people need to get to, and no I’m not just talking about the airport. List shopping centres in Melbourne and you’ll find most aren’t accessible by trains except Plenty Valley and Southland. The rest aren’t accessible at all! Take Sydney for example and pretty much every shopping centre except for East Gardens and Warringah can be accessed by a train. Bondi Junction, Burwood, Parramatta, Chatswood, Bankstown, Macarthur, Penrith, and Castle Towers. Sydney was built around it’s trains, Melbourne was built around roads.

[@meikahidenori]

The issue with Melbourne's infrequent service is mostly because we have had years of neglect of the rail network thanks to Kennet and several governments after him. Only now are we getting anything done (thank you Dan) and because of the neglect it's bloody expensive to do. We're slso getting a V line upgrade which I'm looking forward to the most as we now have to rely on that service!

[@nperceived]

11:34 The line between Lithgow and Bathurst is still not electrified but is marked as electrified on your map.

[@daveg2104]

Yeah, he missed a little red box around the last 3 stations.

[@DanielDiaz-um1xd]

While i can't disagree with the frequency, the map from Daniel Bowen was cherry picked, if you want to name poor frequency, use the Hurstbridge line beyond eltham! I also can't see how the wayfinding is better as our colour scheme is perfectly clear & no incorrect examples was provided. Lastly, i think Melbourne at least wins on accessibility grounds as technically all but one surburban station is accessible by ramp/lift

[@blordo]

Surprised this wasn't mentioned. Sydney is rapidly upgrading the network for accessibility though.

[@daveg2104]

Just an FYI - As of 18 October 2023, more than 69.5% of suburban, intercity and regional stations are now independently accessible. So that's for all the passenger stations in NSW. There probably is a number somewhere for Sydney, but my quick search couldn't find it. BTW, even Sharath's favourite, Denistone, now has a lift.

[@mjcats2011]

I don't think that Melbourne's is anywhere near Sydney's. Melbourne's Rail and Bus system is absolute crap.

[@mark123655]

Depends on how you define accessibility. Many of Melbourne's ramps are good for someone with minor mobility issues, but dangerous for someone in a wheelchair. Sydney is far ahead on full accessibility with Redfern (other than to 11/12) the last of the major stations to be upgraded.

[@DanielDiaz-um1xd]

@@mark123655 oh yes that is true, at random Windsor is a good example, technically step free but steep as anything

[@Philipk65]

Great vid. Where I am in Melb I don't have to wait anymore than 10 mins for a train and most times they run pretty much spot on. Pity about the buses though.

[@tobyb6248]

That's a rarity in Melbourne.

[@masshiroxu8711]

I am a foreign student. I have been to Sydney and I live in Melbourne. When I went to Sydney, I didn’t have a chance to take the Metro,but for my experience of taking the Train in Sydney, the only impression to me is that it’s too slow and far slower than the Metro in Melbourne(which is the similar transport to Sydney Train I think).

[@tobyb6248]

Nahh, Melbourne trains are generally slower and less frequent (limited express tracks.)

[@masshiroxu8711]

@@tobyb6248 But I think Metro is fast enough (except for the range between Flinders Street and Southern Cross)

[@tobyb6248]

@@masshiroxu8711 Even looking at timetables for similar trips (both 8.2km along the line) they are about the same - Central to Arncliffe (Sydney) is 14 mins and Flinders St to Ripponlea (Melbourne) is 15 mins. So no, Melbourne's trains aren't really faster.

[@stussysinglet]

Iv lived in both cities... I personally find transport to be about equal in both cities... Good but not great... I do love the trams in Melbourne and the ferries in Sydney...

[@mjcats2011]

Well they are not. Melbourne Trains are average compared to Sydney and our Bus Network sucks.

[@Carlomunroxx]

Building beautifully never disappoints

[@prodigalretrod]

As an occasional visitor to Sydney from Melbourne, I appreciate all the express trains you guys have. The lines seem to be massively duplicated so some services skip a lot of stops, whereas in Melbourne it's mostly just dual track.

[@Andytheevien]

14:22 Westfield Hurstville also has a major train station.

[@XDinfoFootball]

Sharath, i totally agree, i went to melbourne and wanted to go to the big shopping centre in chadstone and it took an hour from the city! Im pretty sure that Chadstones a big suburb so it should have a station, but it didn't, had to take a 20 minute bus from a station that was 9km away.

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Chadstone isn't really a major suburb outside of the mall. It's about a 10 min walk from the closest station. Shouldn't take an hour.

[@Low760]

​@@shaunmckenzie5509exactly.most buses from Oakleigh go to Chadstone...

[@mjcats2011]

@@shaunmckenzie5509 You know that is complete BS. It is an 30 mins walk from Oakleigh, 25 mins from Murrumbeena, 25 from Holmesglen and 25 from East Malvern all are the closest stations to Chadstone.

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

@@mjcats2011 Hughesdale. I've walked it several times. It takes me 10mins.

[@XDinfoFootball]

@@shaunmckenzie5509 Sorry bout that! it seemed pretty built up so i just thought that.

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

11:58 Better Express trains?... except for Liverpool. :( I grew up in Liverpool in the 70s when we had the old red rattlers. The fast train to or from Central back then took 10-16 minutes less time than the fastest train today.

[@TheMinecraftPro0000]

You forgot "C" for coach!

[@andykenny4648]

Love the vid it’s amazing I’m honestly a big fan of your work Sharith 😊

[@carisi2k11]

There is no rivalry. It is just a perception of Melbourne's view of what they think we think about them.

[@Silk1970]

I really enjoyed this video and was a little surprised by some of Sydney's public transport strengths. I would have liked to have seen a section on accessibility, how do the two cities fare for disabled access?

[@Azzap2001]

The T5 line lets Sydney down. 30 minute frequency in peak with only 4 carriages (then every 15-20 minutes 8 carriages off peak…🙃) is abysmal… especially as it’s the only north south link, and connects the west with the west. Going from the south-west growth area to the north-west growth area or from either growth area to Parramatta is ridiculously difficult!!!

[@jack2453]

Absolutely. Sydney won't have grown-up publuc transport until it sorts out cross-town trips.

[@31tangovictor]

It aint great but I dont get the obsession (sometimes) with one-seat journeys if the timetables are good enough for connections. Its not to say that I dont take the direct option but if the direct option is 20 mins away and the next service that forces you to connect at say Granville is coming in 5 mins, id rather take the next service as chances are that the connection time at Granville will only blow out my total travel time by less than 10 mins. Thats not to say that weekday peak is subject to the same, but split trips should always be considered especially if the travel time difference is minimal.

[@Azzap2001]

@@31tangovictor I do agree, however I find in the peak, the wait time at Granville is 14 minutes (assuming the previous train isn’t running late). Only on weekends when the T5 doesn’t run is the transfer time a few minutes. Unfortunately this won’t be fixed until the New Cumberland line is built in a few decades providing a direct link to Parramatta from Merrylands

[@AustraliasBestForkliftOperator]

The only reason Melbourne has developed more of a “culture” than Sydney is because Melbournians are forced to spend more time in the cbd waiting to get out. Less frequent services, higher cancellations and overpacked carriages leave you stuck rather frequently. A few points also missed in the video to help Sydneys case. - Double Decker trains support more people per carriage. - Rearrangeable seats, allow for smaller and larger groups to sit together. - Less level crossings especially in high traffic areas. Most of Sydneys level crossings are located in the middle of nowhere. I remember living in Melbourne, incidents between cars/people and trains was rather frequent. - Airport line. Yes its expensive but its so convenient.

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

Makes sense. Since people can just go right home after work that's probably why there's very little sense of community overall. People in Melbourne go to the footy or shopping on a Friday night, people in Sydney go home.

[@jack2453]

The importance of the long standing deliberate policy to limit suburban shopping and business centres to rail nodes can't be overstated. It is a more important factor in the success of the rail network than the actual transport policy.

[@Isxiros100]

I live in Melbourne and train frequencies suck. Trams are mkre reliable and timely than our trains in the suburbs. I like the idea of different signage. I dont have the best eyesight, and the distinct signage would help

[@ChristianWiley-cf8gx]

I like the respectful cross promotion of other channels. One Sydney quirk worth mentioning is that the population centre is so far away from the CBD (about 20km west in the Rose Hill area and moving further west every year). The CBD centric transit system for Sydney is inconvenient and requires longer distance travelled for the vast majority. I strongly believe Sydney needs better mass transport networks to Parramatta and North-South along the Western Parkland city. Any future high speed rail should go via Parramatta and NOT the "CBD".

[@tobyb6248]

Yep, and the plans definitely have less focus on the CBD. It is still the least CBD centric rail network in Australia though.

[@muslim5071]

They mentioned diesel trains being slower at around 12 min however in Melbourne V/line is far faster than metro?

[@npmontgomery]

I would also add: 1. Sydney's PT mode share is much higher (which alone almost answers tbe question of whicb is better) and 2. The rail network allows you to go places other than between the city and suburbs. Both of these were sort of covered by the point about TOD! Great idea for a pair of videos!

[@shaunmckenzie5509]

Melbourne's is at least cheaper, and has a simpler fare structure Also you can travel anywhere in the state and back for no more than $10. Vic definitely has much cheaper regional transport.

[@daveg2104]

Victoria is a lot smaller. Not saying it isn't cheaper, but you would have to factor in the distances.

[@mark123655]

I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing. With both states having massive debts, having low fare recovery discourages any more investment, let alone high speed rail.

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

@@daveg2104That's very true. NSW is a massive state. E.g. they built a zoo in Dubbo that's basically a five hour drive from Sydney, if you drove 5 hours from Melbourne CBD you'd be past Albury-Wodonga.

[@yesbeautyfly]

This weekend is another Mess casued by Unions. They love industrial actions for whatever safety reasons.They love to refuse to drive trains. More public transport means more population expose to some standstills & more $ to throw into a sinkhole.

[@jack2453]

The point about multiple lines in the city circle is a red herring. That's the way S-bahns work in Europe... 3 minute headways in the city circle serving two lines could deliver 6 minute headways on each line - better than they have now.

[@julianlee4803]

Being from Sydney only thing I do like about Melbourne is their free tram network within the cbd

[@anubizz3]

Keep dreaming considering our government keep reducing opal benefits, they will be just used as book mark soon.

[@headbumb9022]

my take away from this video is that Sydneys public transport is good and Melbourne is trash, but I prefer how simple it is go from one station to another, because if I take my closest station to Flinders, I definitely know I should be on the train going to Flinders, even if it means it takes like one hour and stopping all stops, it will already be one hour by car so whats the point, if you look at the train stations being next to shopping centres, Melbourne Central SC has a built in direct access to the Melbourne Central Station, Box Hill is similar, if you look up north, Broadmeadows is the same, even Roxbourugh Park and Westfield Plenty Valley, and Epping Plaza is a simple and easy walk from Epping Station, and down south, Frankston Station is next to Bayside Centre, south east, Pakenham is near Pakenhams sc etc; which can be similar to Sydney, I am just adding extra train station stops thats close/next to or exactly at the station

[@mjcats2011]

And you would be correct. Sydney though its network has flaws is much better than Melbourne's.

[@willmack100]

Flagstaff station in Melbourne closes on Sundays? How dare they

[@remyfarson6559]

7:09 I’m afraid you’re mistaken as someone who uses the inner westie almost daily I can say that all trains actually pretty go clockwise and when ever I take the airport line they all seem to go anti clockwise

[@Antphoneigh]

Sydney has a bridge and a ferry and a tram, ahem, light rail. Which is sort of useful.

[@Toothily]

"Belgrave/Lilydale line, which has 13 different stopping patterns" *WOOOW* D: I knew those lines are confusing but I didn't think they were _that_ confusing. I used to live in Box Hill but never thought about it. Just cos us Melburnians are used to it doesn't make it fine.

[@UltraXD.]

Yet another amazing, fun video, great job keep it up Sharath! I’ll be looking for you at Waterloo metro station on Sunday👀

[@johnobell149]

I always knew Fountain Gate didn't havce a train service. Otherwise it would been menaced by Kath & Kim!

[@staryoshi06]

Honestly I think sydney ferries are actually quite useful. If you live near the parramatta river, taking them into circular quay can be much more useful than some other options. Also I must say I think the Opal system is better than Myki, simply for the fact that you can use contactless chip cards and digital wallets. BTW, you forget to highlight lithgow-to-bathurst when showing which lines aren't electrified.

[@countofst.germain6417]

I'm from Queensland, I just travelled the whole of Australia. Melbourne was my least favourite city, Hobart was the best but I decided to stay in Sydney because there's just so much opportunity for work and I get paid like double than I did in Queensland and you can still live for cheap but I'm definitely not planning on buying a house here or anything.

[@tacitdionysus3220]

Great clip guys. Might have to change the channel name though to something like... maybe.... "Presenting Provocatively"

[@conker690]

As a Melbournian this video is like coming across forbidden eldritch knowledge. My identity has been shookth.

[@jack2453]

The challenge: randomly stick two pins in the map in each city and check whether you can get from A to B conveniently and quickly by public transport.

[@heleninmelbourne5353]

The problem is with Sydney it one man calls sick, the whole network dose. Plus forgot a critical part being there are huge railway projects going on.

[@Snoop_Dugg]

I think every Melbournian would agree that Sydney has the better public transport network. It's because TfNSW is actually competent, unlike DoT. (Melbourne is still the better city though)

[@Nebs1]

Does anywhere in Australia do buses properly. Newcastle has some high frequency bus routes, but that means nothing because it’s privatised and KD receive no penalty for canceling buses. So in a way they’re making more money canceling trips.

[@atkinsondp]

12:45 what's the go with the bouncing metro train? Trying to take off?

[@Mackarony5]

That type of train (the X'Trapolis) is pretty bouncy due to them having spring suspension.

[@victorianrichard8097]

in melbourne we had timetable for trams buses metro trains

[@victorianrichard8097]

lilydyle for melbourene central boxhill ringwood moororbruk for belgrave flagstaff joliment norch richmond richmond union

[@user-wy4ci7yj6b]

That was so entertaining and informative. A bit intercity of rivalry can be healthy. I hope Melburnians watch and learn from this and then demand more from the government.

[@haynick8887]

Couldve also mentioned level crossings 😉

[@MitchellWinning]

Keep doing what you're doing brother xx

[@Textrosity]

Pretty sure if we just combined Melbourne and Sydney into one city smashing pros and cons together to cancel out each other it'd actually be one of the best cities to live in overall.

[@iamgeeoh]

Hey mate awesome collab! I rarely view the other collaborator but this video format has made me curious. Will defs chceck the video out!

[@lavomavo2207]

Sydney seems to be ahead of Melbourne technology wise too. For example a big one is being able to tap on with your card or phone in Sydney. There is a lot more real time information available such as live vehicle capacity for buses and most trains. You can even see how full commuter car parks are from some real time apps. The airport is connected to the city by rail, and Sydney’s second airport will have a rail link too. Sydney also has a really diverse public transport fleet, double decker buses and electric buses are becoming more common, double decker trains and many different ferries.

[@Griffin_63]

Melbourne boy here, agree 100%

[@JamesRicho]

Asquith / Mount Colah / Mt Kuring-gai often have 30 min intervals (Hornsby and Berowra get more often)

[@CaptainsChannel58]

The problem with the intro skit is Sydney people never even think about Melbourne, yet Melbourne's entire identity seems to be based on constantly comparing themselves to Sydney.

[@rmar127]

Whatever drawbacks each of your respective public transport networks have, Greater Brisbane’s will be worse.

[@anubizz3]

What do you expect Brisbane have youht crime to tackle first.

[@AdriGardini]

Compare them to vancouver if possible please!

[@Manuel-ie7pr]

The light rail in Sydnay is a Tram system

[@tobyb6248]

how so?

[@Manuel-ie7pr]

@@tobyb6248 What I meant Alstom Citadis, CAF Urbos and Stadlers Varios are all low-floor trams. Only Urbos, Ctadis vehicles are also intended as light rail vehicles. Sydnay has long sections in pedestrian zones and I think you also have streetrunning. Sidnay could build a very similar network if you go for light rail. The "tram" mode is not missing in Sydnay. That's what I was trying to say. Melburn just has the much larger network today.

[@foreverDharma]

Good comparison, very informative. Are there any plans to do one for Brisbane? :)

[@Mergen-v9j]

Brisbane exists?

[@foreverDharma]

@user-ed4dz8uh1f 😀 Yes, it does

[@rickyrickstan563]

Great video would recommend doing for other cities and regional services included

[@kanojune5754]

What's this? Another Osaka vs Tokyo or Shanghai vs Beijing quarrel? 😮

[@NSWTrainLinkVlogs]

There is a small error at 11:32, as the line from Bowenfels (Lithgow) to Bathurst and beyond is not electrified