Thursday, 28 November 2024

Metro Tunnel

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:05): (1335) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. It concerns one of the most transformational projects that we currently have underway in Victoria, and that is the Metro Tunnel. Indeed we saw some interesting commentary last week from the Liberal shadow spokesperson, who made some bizarre comments that, outrageously, only the high-capacity Metro trains will actually be designed to work in the Metro Tunnel with the new platform doors. These will be the first stations –

David Davis: Can the V/Line trains go in?

Michael GALEA: No, they cannot, and I will get to that, Mr Davis. Indeed only the trains that are customised for the Metro Tunnel will be able to run with those platform doors – outrageous, it seems, to the opposition. Never mind that there is only going to be one set of trains running through the Metro Tunnel, and that is those high-capacity Metro trains. Apparently it is an outrage that the X’trapolis 2.0 trains, which are being built and will service the Craigieburn and Upfield lines, which will never go into the Metro Tunnel, are not being customised for it – outrageous.

It is outrageous that Mr Guy is so inept on transport policy that he thinks we should be wasting money customising trains that will never use this tunnel so that they can use the tunnel. Mr Davis says, ‘Will V/Line trains be compatible?’ No, they will not. Maybe you would like to run a service from Swan Hill to Bairnsdale through the Metro Tunnel, which you could easily do any other way anyway. I am not sure why – it is not a very smart idea, Mr Davis. I know that Mr Guy fashions himself as a bit of a gunzel, so I am sure it is a source of great embarrassment to him that the online gunzel railway communities have savaged this nonsensical proposal by the opposition. Indeed on Twitter we saw Declan Martin say that N-class locomotives will not run, those ones on those V/Line services that are being withdrawn – outrageous.

David Davis: He’s a Labor mate. You know he’s a Labor mate. He’s one of your mates. He’s a branch member.

Michael GALEA: He is. In fact he was the one who almost won the seat of – what seat did he almost win, Mr Davis? I think he almost won the seat of Brighton. Yes, that is right.

Gayle Tierney: On a point of order, President, the chamber has become unruly. The member has not been in his place and is yelling out, and I cannot hear Mr Galea.

David Davis: On the point of order, President, I know I need to be in my place, but Declan Martin is a Labor branch member, and everyone knows it.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, you should have kept going and then come back in February. Merry Christmas.

Michael GALEA: As Mr Davis rightly says, he is a Labor member in the Brighton area, who almost won the seat of Brighton in fact. TomOyn said, ‘Why aren’t we making the vastly out-of-date derm railcars compatible?’ Timothy Weber said that maybe we should make the G-class trams compatible with the Metro Tunnel. My favourite of all, XtrapolisLegs on Twitter asked why the Spirit of Tasmania is not compatible with the Metro Tunnel. It is an outrage that I am sure Mr Guy will be all too keen to get to the bottom of. On Reddit HotlineKing said:

… in other news, A380s cannot land at Moorabbin Airport.

We know from those opposite that they have no plans, no vision, no idea what they are talking about, while this government continues to deliver.

President, if I may, it has been another excellent year in this place, and you gave a very good speech this morning. I would like to take a brief moment to thank you for your leadership of us all, for your friendship and above all for your allyship this year.