Tuesday, 17 March 2026

 David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (12:59): (2224) My constituency question is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport. My constituent recently boarded a V/Line service at Deer Park, intentionally choosing a later train to avoid peak-hour congestion. Passengers were packed shoulder to shoulder, with some commuters forced inside toilet cubicles to simply find standing room. Apparently this is a regular occurrence. It beggars belief that the government has money in the coffers for the $1.7 billion operating licence for SRL East a decade in advance while commuters in the west are literally standing in toilet cubicles to get to work. My constituent asks: will the minister give clear timelines for the delivery of the Melton line electrification and Mount Atkinson and Thornhill Park train stations, and what will the government do in the interim to ease commuters’ suffering?