Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Vicki WARD (Eltham – Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:23): The Carroll Labor government is continuing to build the transport system Victorians need. We are busy removing level crossings, building new stations, upgrading roads and investing in better public transport. Last week the new Melton station opened to passengers. It is beautiful. It is bigger, safer and more accessible, with four new platforms. It includes two longer platforms ready for nine-car VLocity trains from next year, increasing passenger capacity during the peaks on the Melton line by 50 per cent. We have also removed Melton’s final two boom gates, bringing the total number of level crossings removed across Melbourne to 94. I thank the member for Melton for his advocacy. Melton station has been built to support future electrification. The state and federal Labor governments are investing nearly $153 million to progress the next stage of electrification works because we are getting on with electrification. We are not off on some bizarre side quest with expensive foreign-made trains that cannot go through the Metro Tunnel or find a way to the city loop. And yesterday tunnelling started on the Suburban Rail Loop between Burwood and Glen Waverley. This orbital rail line will cut travel times, reduce congestion and connect Victorians to Monash and Deakin by rail for the first time. While Labor always backs Victorian workers and local manufacturing, there are those who want to send train-building jobs overseas, with no benefit to commuters. Labor builds roads, we build stations, we build train tracks, we build trams, we build trains, we remove level crossings, we add train capacity and we invest in the future of our network. Jess Wilson and the Liberal–One Nation coalition have already promised to cut train services to Melton in their $40 billion cuts.