By Victoria Stone-Meadows
INFRASTRUCTURE Victoria has released its draft 30 year plan which shows major upgrades to the Cranbourne train line are at least 15 years away.
The report comes after the launch of an online petition which called for the upgrades attracted more than 250 signatures with an accompanying Facebook group containing 580 members.
The report was released on Tuesday 4 September and shows there are plans to duplicate the train line between Dandenong and Cranbourne and extend the rail line to Clyde.
However, both of those projects are not scheduled to start for another 15 to 30 years and Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has not given any indication they will be fast tracked.
The petition calls for duplication of the rail line between Cranbourne and Dandenong, the extension of the Cranbourne line to Cranbourne East and Clyde North and better parking at Cranbourne and Merinda Park Stations among other demands.
Petition organiser Jimmy Varghese declined to comment at length because he is a candidate in the upcoming Casey Council elections.
However, he said: “Improving the train line is the council’s highest priority.
“We are the fastest growing region in the state, and will have another 140,000 residents in the next 10 years.”
But Ms Allan said the short-term upgrades to the rail line were sufficient.
“We’re delivering more than $14 billion in projects that will directly benefit Cranbourne passengers, including the Metro Tunnel, next-generation signalling, new high-capacity trains and the removal of every level crossing between Dandenong and the city,” she said.
“These projects will reduce crowding and provide more frequent, reliable trains for local passengers.”
Infrastructure Victoria is seeking public feedback on the draft plan before compiling the final report which is due in December.
The 30-year draft plan is open for public submissions until Monday 31 October at www.yoursay.infrastructurevictoria.com.au.
