No funds for Metro rail tunnel

Artist's impression of Metro rail station platform. Source: Herald Sun

VICTORIA'S key public transport project, the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel, has been put on ice, with no new money allocated in this year's Budget.

BThe State Government will spend $10.2 million in 2013-14 on planning and development on the five station, 9km tunnel from South Yarra to South Kensington, billed as the key to increasing capacity on the network.

But the government is simply starting to splash money already allocated in the 2012-13 state Budget.
It has not spent the $11.4 million expected to be spent by June 30.

The government has previously said new lines to Melbourne Airport, Rowville and Doncaster were conditional upon Melbourne Metro.

Treasurer Michael O'Brien said Melbourne Metro was the government's No. 1 rail project and East-West the No. 1 road project.

``We do want to progress both of them and we are progressing both of them it we have to do it in a way that is A affordable and B technically ready and Melbourne metro, technically, is not ready,'' Mr O'Brien said today.

Train patronage is predicted to more than double to 1.7 million commuters a day by 2031.

The State Opposition, Greens and Public Transport Users' Association called on the Government to boost funding for trains, trams and buses.

The Budget also included:

$4.5 million over two years to trial high capacity signalling on the Sandringham line;

ALMOST $67 million over two years for toilets and offices for Protective Services Officers at train stations;

ANOTHER $102 million in 2013-14 for myki ticketing machines and devices and another $27.4 million for operations and customer serviced of the troubled smartcard.

Opposition public transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said the Government's had waved the white flag and left commuters high and dry.

``Once again, the Liberal government have punished commuters by failing to allocate anywhere near the amount of funds needed to address the expected growth in patronage, let alone address the current challenges facing the network,'' Ms Richardson said.

She said the Auditor-General called for $3 billion in new public transport initiatives every year to keep up with demand, but the government fell more than $2.2 billion short.

PTUA president Tony Morton said the high capacity signalling trial needed to be fast-tracked so it could be rolled out across the network.

``Now that we've started the process to build high-capacity signalling, this is the opportunity for the government to put its money where its mouth is and commit to one new rail extension in 2014.

``Whether it's to Melbourne Airport or Doncaster or Rowville or Mernda, we need to see some action before the next election.''

Government spokeswoman Larrisa Garvin said work would continue on the planning approvals process for Melbourne Metro.

``(It) is supported by a range of technical investigations that are currently underway - these works will assess the project's environmental, urban design, traffic and transport, economic, and social impacts. The project is also continuing the next stage of geotechnical investigations, which began this week,'' Ms Garvin said.

The State Government axed the Labor-initiated Truck Action plan to divert trucks of western suburbs streets, saying it would be superseded by the East-West Link, and an upgrade of Broadmeadows Station and the surrendering area.

Tram and bus patronage are also predicted to decrease, but Greens MP Greg Barber said the government was ``dreaming''.

"They’re claiming a decrease in bus passenger numbers and project that decline to continue. Have they been on a bus lately? Many parts of Melbourne are desperate for a bus services that runs more frequently, later in the evening, or extended to newly built suburbs. Why is there bugger all new bus services in this budget?"

amelia.harris@news.com.au

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