By Casey Neill
Calls for a new Dandenong South train station have reached the Transport Minister.
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams said she received a letter regarding the proposal for a station at the South Gippsland Highway and Princes Highway junction and passed it onto Jacinta Allan for consideration.
The Journal received an anonymous email touting the idea as an alternative to reopening the former GM Holden station due to lack of access to the residential areas.
The writer said the station would service Doveton, Eumemmerring, Endeavour Hills and the Dandenong South factory district and make residents less car-dependent.
“Attempting to persuade anyone to give up their car would be extremely in unpopular,” the email said.
“However, persuading them to use it a little less often is not such an impossible task.
“If more people have access to a station, it is almost certain that there would be at least some occasions when catching the train would be more convenient for them than taking a car.
“People who become familiar with the railway system through recreational and social use may gradually become aware of other reasons to catch the train instead of driving.”
The writer said this would reduce traffic congestion and road maintenance costs, cut pollution and get people more physically active.
“The benefits far outweigh the cost of building a station,” they said.
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