NEWS DESK
Opposition will derail train loop CONCEPT plans for an underground suburban rail loop station. Picture: Suburban Rail Loop
Chain of parks site must be replaced soon - report THE state government will investigate new opportunities for open space to replace the planned chain of parks site in Heatherton, which is now going to be used for train stabling. An independent advisory committee has produced a report on the environmental effects of the eastern section of the planned suburban rail loop. The state government has assessed the findings of the report and chosen to continue with the project. Suburban Rail Loop East is the planned 26 kilometer stretch of rail between a new Cheltenham Station and Box Hill. The completed suburban rail loop is expected to connect every major rail line to the airport. To complete SRL East, the state government will use public land at Sir William Fry Reserve in Cheltenham and proposed open space at the Delta landfill site in Heatherton. The Heatherton site was proposed to form part of the chain of parks project, but will now be home to train stabling. The Cheltenham land will be used for a new train station. The advisory committee’s report
read that the state government should only proceed with building train stabling at the Heatherton site “if a suitable replacement site for public open space can be found”. “From purely a local social impact assessment, this site is not appropriate for the stabling facility. The deepseated views of the community and Kingston is that this land has been long promised for public open space and recreational facilities as part of the chain of parks,” the IAC report read. An assessment of the report prepared by environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio read that a plan will be formed to compensate for the use of the Heatherton site for train stabling. “I support the stabling facility in [Heatherton]. However, the loss of the potential for it to be transformed into a future open space is significant. In addition to the independent advisory committee’s recommendations, I also have recommended that the public open space management plan prepared in relation to the Heatherton stabling facility is submitted for the minister for planning’s approval,” the minis-
ter’s assessment read. “In terms of timing, the intention should be to deliver the open space prior to the operation of the stabling facility.” The minister’s assessment also outlined that the loss of open space at Sir William Fry Reserve “is a significant impact that can be mitigated by the provision of replacement open space and the relocation of facilities including a skate park and basketball facility.” Acting Kingston mayor Jenna Davey-Burns said that the Heatherton site was a “key part of the Kingston Green Wedge Plan and that finding a new solution should be a “matter of highest priority”. After the public exhibition of SRL East’s environmental effects statement late last year, an independent advisory committee was formed to consider the impacts of the project. The IAC’s report, along with the environment minister’s assessment of the findings, have now been published. The state government has elected to proceed with the project. Brodie Cowburn
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Frankston Times
23 August 2022
THE state opposition will scrap the suburban rail loop if it wins the November election. When complete, the suburban rail loop will link every major rail line with Melbourne Airport. The first stop on the railway will be at a new Cheltenham Station on the Frankston line. Last week the Victorian Liberals announced that they would put a stop to the project to divert the funding into the state’s struggling health system. Shadow treasurer David Davis said “instead of tying up hundreds of billions for decades to come, we will shelve this project and put every cent into fixing the health crisis.” “When Victorians in need can’t get an ambulance, an answer to a triplezero call or access critical treatments, it’s clear this is the wrong project at the wrong time,” he said. The eastern section of the rail project, from Cheltenham to Box Hill, was priced at up to $34.5 billion in an investment case released last year. A recent report on the project undertaken by the Parliamentary Budget Office predicts that SRL East could end up costing up to $36.5 billion. The PBO report estimates that it will cost more than $125 billion to complete the railway between Cheltenham and the airport. So far the state government has budgeted $11.8 billion for SRL works.
It committed $2.2 billion for early works in late 2020. Suburban rail loop minister Jacinta Allan slammed the opposition’s announcement. She said that scrapping the project would cost 24,000 jobs. “Victorians voted for this project that will create thousands of jobs, and today Matthew Guy has finally come clean. The Liberals will cut the suburban rail loop,” she said. “Whether it’s building the suburban rail loop, the Metro tunnel, the north-east link, upgrading suburban roads, or removing level crossings, only Labor will deliver the projects Victorians need.” Initial works on the rail loop began in Clayton in June this year. The opposition says it won’t tear up the contracts signed for early works if elected. SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill is expected to be complete in 2035. SRL North linking Box Hill to Melbourne Airport is not expected to be complete until 2053. A Suburban Rail Loop spokesperson said that Cheltenham “will be the southern gateway to SRL, providing convenient connections to Monash, Deakin and La Trobe universities, and easy access to jobs and health centres along the SRL network. It’ll slash travel times and traffic congestion, taking just 22 minutes to Box Hill.” Brodie Cowburn