THE state government continues to neglect commuters in the western suburbs, according to residents and Greens MP Colleen Hartland.
Ms Hartland wants the government to fast-track the completion of Caroline Springs train station, expand metropolitan services to Deer Park and Ardeer, and deal with overcrowding and ‘station skipping’.
The Western Metropolitan MP is on a whirlwind tour of every station in her electorate, arguing public transport is the number one priority for many people in the west.
She is visiting 43 stations in 60 days with a cardboard cutout of Premier Denis Napthine — a move slammed by Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury as a cheap political stunt.
Ms Hartland said she was taking the cutout because the Premier had declined her invitation to see first-hand why public transport spending should be his top priority.
“As someone who regularly uses public transport in the west, I can tell you that both Coalition election promises, to fix public transport and not neglect the west, are fast turning into lies.”
She said the Werribee line was the most overcrowded on the rail network, while construction of the Caroline Springs station had been abandoned despite the road to the station being in place. “Suburban areas, such as Deer Park and Ardeer, are still serviced by infrequent country services, and other suburban areas are eight kilometres from their nearest station.
“Delays, cancellations, trains skipping stations and overcrowding are commonplace.”
Mr Elsbury conceded there was more work to be done on the west’s public transport but denied the government was dragging its heels.
“The government continues to work on a number of initiatives to try and improve the rail network. There have been additional trains allocated to the Werribee and Upfield lines and we have also purchased some new trains for the network.”
He said work on Caroline Springs station stalled when the government needed to plug a cost blowout in the Regional Rail Link project.
