Thursday, 22 February 2024

Craigieburn train line

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (18:22): (735) My adjournment is directed towards the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and I seek the action of the minister to improve poor service times on the Craigieburn line. Thirty years ago both the Frankston and the Craigieburn lines had similar service times. Today the maximum wait time on the Craigieburn line is about double that of the Frankston line. Public Transport Victoria (PTV) actually proved it can run more frequent services on the Craigieburn line after the Taylor Swift concerts, with trains every 10 minutes, but check a timetable on a weekend and it is a big blank space every 40 minutes. The Frankston line has received more frequent services throughout the years while the Craigieburn line has not. Throughout 2023 the Craigieburn line saw 7.6 million boardings while the Frankston line saw 7 million. Despite higher usage, passengers taking the Craigieburn line have a typical maximum wait time of 40 minutes between trains compared to 20 minutes on the Frankston line. What is the difference, you ask? Well, marginal seats. It is a familiar story in the north – not a love story – where we face neglect, but familiarity breeds contempt. It is a similar story on other lines like Mernda and Hurstbridge, both facing 40-minute wait times.

There is a clear trend of neglect towards the condition of train services in the north. I say to the government: you play stupid games and you win stupid prizes, and the stupid prizes are going to be a continuation of the monster swings in the outer northern suburbs. The good people of the north have seen this film before, and Labor will not like the ending. My constituents rely on these services to travel on time to work and to get home to their families before dinner every day, and the government is saying ‘Don’t blame me.’ With inadequate servicing, they are often forced to waste more time travelling – not to mention that job opportunities across the northern suburbs are becoming less and less accessible to residents of the north as commuting time increases. My residents in the north are saying ‘I could wait patiently, but I really wish you would,’ and I really wish you would, Minister, improve frequency on the Craigieburn line.

The Northern Metropolitan Region is forecast to experience the highest rate of population growth across Melbourne, but poor planning and underinvestment leaves it struggling to keep up with demand. There is currently no plan to electrify the track between Craigieburn and Wallan or connect the Upfield and Craigieburn lines, as proposed in the PTV development plan under the Liberal–Nationals in 2012. Because of Labor’s financial mismanagement, communities along the Craigieburn line are waiting twice as long for half as many services. They are in a new hell every time. So I seek the action of the minister to bring more frequent service times to the train lines in the north. The minister should just be honest in her response and admit, ‘It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.’