Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Southern Metropolitan Region

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (14:06): (918) My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. How will the opening of the Metro Tunnel benefit the daily lives of commuters in Southern Metropolitan Region? The Metro Tunnel is the biggest and most important rail project in Victoria since the construction of the city loop commenced in the 1970s, with twin tunnels crossing the Yarra and new underground stations, including at Anzac in Southern Metro. But it is not just the five new stations – Caulfield station is set to become one of the best suburban transport hubs in the network, with more frequent services through the Metro Tunnel and the city loop giving residents of Caulfield the option of going around the loop or directly to places like RMIT, Melbourne Uni, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The Metro Tunnel is going to revolutionise the public transport system, also benefiting commuters on the Frankston line, whose trains will get to go back around the city loop and become more frequent, and commuters on the Sandringham line with extra capacity and more frequent services. I look forward to seeing how the local community is going to benefit when the tunnel opens next year.