Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:18): I rise to update the house on how the Big Build is connecting Victorians to the things that matter to them. We are getting on with building the Metro Tunnel project, linking the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines through five new underground stations.

This morning I was delighted to join the Premier at the brand new Parkville station, located 32 metres below Grattan Street at the doorstep of our world-class health, research and education precinct. Major construction at Parkville station is now complete, thanks to the hundreds of workers who have built the station over the past six years. Parkville station will absolutely transform travel for the thousands of healthcare workers, patients and students who commute to the precinct every single day, giving them a seamless connection to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Women’s Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Melbourne and much, much more. That is two stations down; we have got three to go. Whether you are a nurse or a patient accessing our leading hospitals, a student at university or a worker travelling to one of our many important precincts, the Metro Tunnel will provide you with better, easier and more convenient connections.

I am reminded of those on the other side who were in government when their leader said that the Metro Tunnel would be disastrous for Melbourne. Others called it a hoax. We know that to make the Metro Tunnel a success we must make critical investments to modernise all our lines, and that is why we are making the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines level crossing free by 2025, slashing congestion in the outer suburbs and seamlessly connecting people to the Metro Tunnel. Last month I was delighted to join the terrific member for Pakenham when we visited the removal of the 76th level crossing, at Brunt Road. Seventy-six boom gates are gone for good, and we are on track to remove 110 by 2030. Victoria’s Big Build is connecting Victorians to the places where they want to go. While those opposite make up excuses for why we should not build infrastructure, we are getting on and delivering it for the community.