By Marcus Uhe
Labor’s victory in the state election casts doubt on the future of an extension to the Cranbourne train line, a fact that Travis Mitchell described as “insanity”.
Mr Mitchell as been the conductor of the Restore ’Rup Rail campaign, which saw a petition tabled to State Parliament thanks to sterling local advocacy on behalf of the expanding community.
At present, residents in Kooweerup need to drive or catch a bus to Pakenham to access metropolitan train services, after the Kooweerup railway station was closed in July 1993.
The Coalition made a $928 million election commitment in October to extend the Cranbourne line to Clyde, with stations to be built at Cranbourne East and Clyde, and the potential to extend to it Kooweerup in the future.
With six road-rail separations eliminating the need for precarious and traffic-inducing level crossings, the service would provide a vital link for the anticipated population of more than 100,000 in Clyde and Clyde North by 2031, according to projections from the City of Casey.
So significant was the proposal that then-opposition leader Matthew Guy made the trip to Cranbourne during the campaign trail for the announcement, in what was the second consecutive campaign in which the Coalition had committed to the project.
The State Government has made considerable improvements on the line in recent years, including a rebuilt station at Merinda Park and the duplication of eight kilometres of track between Cranbourne and Dandenong stations.
Labor did not make a commitment to matching the pledge and re-elected Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards could not confirm there were plans to extend the line.
“I’ll continue to have conversations about what the needs are within the community,” Ms Richards said.
“We have a lot going on. Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road is a really substantial project.”
Mr Mitchell said the election result was “very disappointing”.
“I think it means the corridor to Clyde is going to stay as it is for the next four years,” he said.
“For a place with 40,000 people living in it, it’s insanity when you think about the lack of infrastructure available.”
The petition has the support of Liberal candidate for Bass, Aaron Brown, who is hoping to unseat Labor’s Jordan Crugnale.
But Mr Mitchell won’t let the government of the day determine the future of the campaign.
“We’re going to still keep going full tilt because the campaign isn’t over until the first sleeper is laid down to get to Kooweerup.
“We still believe getting to Clyde and Kooweerup is possible. We’ll engage will all levels of government and get this happening as quick as possible. Whether it means launching another petition next election, we’re weighing up where to go from here but the campaign will keep running.”
The line extension was also a key pillar of the City of Casey’s advocacy campaign ahead of both the federal and state elections this year.
Chair of administrators Noelene Duff said the council looked forward to working with all local state MPs and the elected Victorian Government to deliver on their election commitments, including the upgrade of the intersection at Thompsons Road and Berwick-Cranbourne Road.
“As we head towards the 2023-24 state and federal budgets, we will continue to advocate for delivery of the projects that were not funded, including the entire Clyde Road Corridor upgrade, Thompsons Road upgrade and extension, Clyde Rail Link, continued improvements to digital and mobile connectivity and local jobs and skills,” Ms Duff said.
“We look forward to working with all our elected MPs from both sides of politics to continue to deliver the infrastructure and services our community needs and deserves.”
