Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:37): (1508) My question is to the Minister for Public and Active Transport. When you spend $13 billion on a major project like the Metro Tunnel, you expect it to be better than what we currently have. Unfortunately, the ‘big switch’, as the government calls it, is a big switch for many of my constituents that need to change trains to get through the city loop, causing more time to be taken than what they took before and a worse customer experience. Since the government’s changes to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, commuters are bearing the brunt of poor and inadequate planning and transition. Caulfield station is packed to the rafters. The platforms are at a point where they are just jam-packed with people trying to get through at peak times; the Myki readers are certainly working overtime. Can the minister for transport inform my constituents what service changes, if any, have been made since the network’s big switch to address the interchange bottlenecks at Caulfield station?