More money needed for transport: Government

By Shaun Inguanzo
THE State Government has conceded it did not invest enough money into Dandenong’s highdemand rail system to match a population increase.
Demand for the system has exploded, with extra peak hour services introduced in July to help cope with Dandenong’s growing population.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Peter Batchelor last week said demand had not been matched by funding.
“There has been significant population growth along the Dandenong train line that was not matched by Government investment in public transport,” she said.
“We are currently addressing this extra demand for public transport services by prioritising public transport investment in the area.”
While Dandenong will become the State Government’s transport focus, the Public Transport Users’ Association (PTUA) has slammed the Government’s claim that its longterm solution – a Dandenong line triplication allowing for increased train services – won’t be complete until 2011.
PTUA spokesperson Alex Makin said Dandenong could not wait six years for relief.
“Dandenong and surrounding suburbs definitely cannot wait until 2010 or 2011 before providing improvements,” he said.
“The third rail line is a solution that will be underutilised, overtly costly and not entirely necessary.”
Mr Makin said rail ‘passing loops’ could be constructed at stations much cheaper and earlier, allowing express trains and country trains to pass by without delay.
But Mr Batchelor’s spokesperson said the only shortterm improvements on the Government’s card included extra bus services and more peak trains where possible.
“Additional peak hour train services were introduced on the corridor in July 2005,” she said.
“Further train services may be introduced once capacity and timetabling issues are resolved in the future.”
Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos said the rail line triplication would not be fully confirmed until the State Government had completed a feasibility study.
He said results would be released following next year’s Commonwealth Games in March.
“Obviously a study is being done about the triplication and whether it will work, how it will work, but there is no doubt the way to increase public transport usage is to increase capacity on the system,” he said.
“We are not sure whether the reservation between Caulfield and Springvale will fit the extra track. There is a lot of work we need to do.”
Mr Pandazopoulos said cost and level of disruption would be criteria for the triplication’s assessment.