Thursday, 9 June 2022

Ministers statements: level crossing removals

Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (14:40): The Victorian community recently celebrated the removal of the 64th level crossing at Bell Street, Preston. This level crossing has held up more cars than any other level crossing in Melbourne, and with both level crossings on Bell Street gone, it has been transformed. You can travel all the way from Bulleen to Essendon with a much smoother travel time, thanks to the removal of those level crossings. With 64 gone, we are on the march to remove 85 by 2025. These removals are transforming our city.

The integrated approach to our Big Build projects means that they will combine to slash travel times. When you bring together level crossing removals, the Metro Tunnel and the Melbourne Airport rail, in the future it will mean you will be able to go from Melbourne Airport all the way to East Pakenham without changing trains and without bothering a boom gate. It means the members for St Albans, Footscray, Melbourne, Albert Park, Prahran, Malvern, Caulfield, Oakleigh, Clarinda, Mulgrave, Keysborough, Dandenong, Narre Warren North, Narre Warren South, Gembrook, Bass and Cranbourne will all be able to get from the airport to their electorates without bothering a boom gate. On the Lilydale and Belgrave lines the members for Evelyn, Croydon, Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Ringwood and Box Hill will all be able to catch a train right here to Parliament without bothering a boom gate.

Sixty-four sets of boom gates are gone for good, and we are not stopping. There are another 21 projects underway across Melbourne, and they are at places like, but not limited to, Parkdale, Surrey Hills, Glen Huntly, Deer Park, Sunbury, Ringwood, Cranbourne and Pakenham. Six thousand Victorians are working on these level crossing removals right now, and there are thousands more in the supply chain in small business. Eighty-five projects, 85 level crossing removals, that are under budget and ahead of time—all opposed by those opposite, all backed in by the Andrews Labor government.