Thursday, 20 June 2024

Northcote electorate train lines

Kat THEOPHANOUS (Northcote) (17:26): (730) My adjournment is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport. I ask the minister to arrange a briefing between me and the Department of Transport and Planning regarding timetabling and train frequency on the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines, which run through my electorate of Northcote. The inner north is thankful to be serviced by these two train lines, which connect residents to work, education and recreation. They are very important to our daily lives, particularly as our inner-urban population increases. Over recent years we have also been pleased to see an unprecedented transformation of the network under the leadership of the Victorian Labor government. Locally this includes an outbound extension of the Mernda line and a track duplication of the Hurstbridge line, both substantially increasing capacity. We have also seen the removal of the Grange Road level crossing in Alphington and four level crossings in Preston, with brand new stations built at Bell and Preston. Together these removals have made a tremendous difference in traffic flow and safety, and we are looking forward to the completion of the Metro Tunnel as a crucial enabler for the truly modern network we need.

As we continue to invest in and drive large-scale infrastructure improvements, I am conscious that the system still suffers from current capacity and timetabling issues which impact residents. Commuters have spoken to me about their frustrations and aspirations in respect of both lines. On the Hurstbridge line there are concerns around wait times between trains during peak hour and a real desire to see the Hurstbridge express trains stop at Fairfield station, given its location at a major retail precinct and in a suburb set to densify. On the Mernda line commuters have told me about the impact of long scheduling gaps, particularly on Sunday mornings, that can reach up to 40 minutes. You do not want to miss your train on those mornings.

My community understands that the train network has pressure points and that simply shoving more trains onto the tracks is problematic without actually building in capacity that we need to alleviate those pressure points. That is why our level crossing removals and line duplications are so important. Boom gates shut busy roads for up to 40 seconds in every minute during peak times. Getting rid of them means more trains can run as congestion points are alleviated. Similarly, by having two tracks, trains can pass each other to reduce congestion and increase reliability. It is also worth mentioning that we have a big pinch point at the Clifton Hill junction, where Hurstbridge and Mernda converge, so that will ultimately need to be addressed to improve capacity. I mention these things because as a community on the doorstep of the CBD, Northcote will increasingly rely on public transport as its population increases. I look forward to discussing the current train timetabling and the long-term plan for building capacity and enabling more frequency on our lines.