Thursday, 10 December 2020

Ministers statements: level crossing removals

Ms ALLAN (Bendigo East—Leader of the House, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (14:33): On Monday trains went over the new Avon River bridge for the very first time in East Gippsland and at the other end of Gippsland cars crossed the new Cardinia Road rail bridge at Pakenham, which signalled the removal of the 44th level crossing as part of the Andrews Labor government’s level crossing removal program. Of course the Cardinia Road level crossing makes not one, not two, not three but four level crossings that we are removing in Pakenham. Last week we also announced those remaining three will be fast-tracked. But like with many other aspects of our level crossing removal program, we are not just removing level crossings at Pakenham and we are not just going to deliver on the election commitment to build a new train station at Pakenham, we are going to go even further and extend the metropolitan train line 2 kilometres further out and build a new train station at Pakenham East as well.

We also announced last week that we would bring forward the removal of level crossings at Surrey Hills and Mont Albert. Of course we all remember a few years ago that tragic accident that occurred at Union Road, Surrey Hills. It was a really timely reminder that each and every level crossing is dangerous, and that is why it has only been the Andrews Labor government that has had the determination to remove level crossings as quickly as we can and made that commitment to get 75 level crossings removed.

Last week we announced we are going to be awarding $1.5 billion worth of contracts for removing level crossings at Preston, Glenroy, Deer Park, Williamstown and Hallam—3200 jobs are going to be created as a result of this. We planned these projects during the period of pandemic, and now we are getting on and delivering and removing those level crossings. Since January 2016 one level crossing has been removed, on average, every six weeks. In 2021 we are going to go even faster, removing one on average every four weeks—a record that has not been seen ever in the history of the state. We are determined to get on and remove these level crossings as quickly as possible.