Thursday, 15 August 2024

Northern Metropolitan Region

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:55): (1041) My constituency question is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport, and it is to support the Northern Councils Alliance’s long overdue campaign to extend and duplicate the Upfield line. The Northern Councils Alliance represents over 1 million Victorians – a large number of them are in my electorate. This week they have launched another campaign to duplicate the Upfield line to connect it to Roxburgh Park and electrify the Craigieburn line all the way to Wallan. This has appeared in Public Transport Victoria development plans for years and years and years, where you get all the experts together and map out the growth needs of Victoria, but because the state government is putting all of its eggs in one basket with the $216 billion Suburban Rail Loop the north misses out. The level crossings on the Upfield line – scrapped. Level crossings – scrapped. Priorities are not where the growth is required. The government is setting 300 per cent housing targets for these areas but is failing to invest in the infrastructure.