2016-02-24
Adjournment in Parliament calling for action on the Melton Rail Line upgrade - Colleen Hartland: My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Public Transport. An Infrastructure Australia report released last week listed Melton railway line improvements as a ‘priority’ project. As the minister will know, the population of Melton is growing at an enormous rate.
Currently the area is serviced by a V/Line train from Ballarat, despite it being within the suburban greater Melbourne area. This means the services are less regular than Melbourne Metro trains. The trains during peak hour heading for the city are also often already crowded by the time they reach Melton. This will only get worse as the population booms over the coming decade. Duplicating and electrifying the Melton line would enable it to join the Melbourne Metro rail network. This would benefit people commuting from both Melton and Ballarat and would help with overcrowding issues.
Since the regional rail link opened, people on the Ballarat line have experienced poorer services, not better, despite the promises to the contrary. The people living in these areas need to know that the service will improve in the coming years, not in 15 to 20 years time. With proper investment in more train carriages and the Melton rail upgrade, things would improve dramatically for people of the west. In light of lnfrastructure Australia’s recommendations, the action I seek from the government is that it makes its position on the Melton line clear, that it commits to proceeding with the duplication and electrification of the line, and that it sets a timeline for action so the community has some certainty.