VLC was engaged by the Federal Government to undertake transport network analyses for Australia’s major cities at a 2036 forecast year. To do this, the urban areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, South East Queensland and Hobart were modelled using the Zenith strategic transport model. 

 

Client requirements

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (the Department) commissioned the development of strategic transport models covering Australia’s major urban areas in 2036. These 2036 models were used to assist the Department in developing policy and in assessing, informing and prioritising investment. In May 2020, the Department commissioned VLC to undertake further scenario testing relative to the 2036 base case. This involved rapid assessments of a variety of infrastructure projects in Australia’s major urban areas.  

 

Delivered outcome

In the first stage of the project VLC provided the Department with a series of reports documenting the key challenges and opportunities identified in the base case modelling of the Melbourne, Sydney, South East Queensland, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart urban areas. In the base case modelling, the transport networks reflected committed projects and policy decisions up to and including the Australian Government commitments in the 2019 Federal Election. VLC drew on a range of network performance metrics, such as job accessibility and level of service, to assess the challenges and opportunities faced by each major urban region.  

In the second stage of work VLC undertook a rapid assessment of infrastructure projects for each of the major cities. VLC worked with the client to identify project assumptions and develop assessment metrics. Metrics included value to businesses, job accessibility and travel time savings. This analysis was spatially disaggregated, providing insight into how each project might affect different parts of the urban area.