- Published:
- Saturday 25 August 2018
Locals in Melbourne’s south-east will have more trains, more often with a re-elected Andrews Labor Government to deliver a $750 million upgrade of the Cranbourne line and planning for a new rail link to Clyde.
Only Labor will build the rail projects our growing suburbs need.
The Labor Government promised to extend the South Morang line to give locals in the northern suburbs the public transport services they need, and today trains returned to Mernda for the first time in almost 60 years – on budget and six months early. Only Labor can be trusted to do the same for locals in Melbourne’s south-east.
Premier Daniel Andrews today announced a $750 million upgrade of the Cranbourne line to duplicate eight kilometres of single track from Dandenong to Cranbourne.
This will remove the bottlenecks that cause delays and allow the number of train services to be doubled during peak times, delivering trains every ten minutes along the whole Cranbourne line.
Tracks will also be upgraded around Caulfield station, where the Frankston line splits off from the Cranbourne-Pakenham line, and around Dandenong station where the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines separate. This will help move trains more quickly through these stations, cutting delays and getting people home sooner.
Duplicating the Cranbourne line also paves the way for it to be extended to Clyde with a re-elected Labor Government committing $7 million to complete planning for the new rail link as part of the duplication project.
The Cranbourne line must be duplicated before a new rail link can be built. This is a growing area and locals need a rail link and a Government with a genuine, properly costed plan to deliver it.
The Liberals’ under-funded promise to build a Clyde rail link without duplicating the Cranbourne line simply means more congestion, delays and cancellations for passengers on the Cranbourne line because the bottlenecks will still be there and no extra services can be added.
Completing the vital planning work for a new Clyde rail link will make sure locals get a real project with real costings – something only Labor will deliver. The Cranbourne Line Duplication Project will create more than 1,000 jobs. Detailed planning and procurement will start next year, with construction to start in 2021 and finish by 2023.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“We said we’d extend the South Morang line to Mernda and remove 11 dangerous and congested level crossings on the Cranbourne line – and we have.”
“Our track record speaks for itself – only Labor will give people in Melbourne’s south-east trains every ten minutes on the Cranbourne line with this massive upgrade.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan
“The Liberals promised new train lines but didn’t deliver a single kilometre of track – we’re building the public transport system Victorians need.”
Quote attributable to Member for Cranbourne Jude Perera
"It's just common sense – you can't add even more trains to an already crowded track. Only duplicating the Cranbourne line will pave the way for a new rail link to Clyde.”