Commuters have branded Tottenham train station the worst metropolitan train station. 68998 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By Charlene Gatt
TOTTENHAM train station has been labelled a dump in a survey on the state of Melbourne’s train stations.
The pt4me2 Better Stations survey asked commuters to rate their local train stations on a five-point scale, with Tottenham train station copping the most criticism of any metropolitan station.
Tottenham commuters called for more car parking, lighting, loudspeakers that work, better pedestrian safety and upgraded facilities. Many were also concerned by the Ashley St underpass and tunnel, branding it scary, dark and dingy.
“Access to the station is partly via a horrible, dirty, wet tunnel. This urgently needs to be improved,” responded one commuter.
Another said: “Current car parking is in a muddy paddock. Needs asphalting and lighting. Ramps and walkway under bridge are ‘scary’. I rarely use the station because of appalling conditions. This station would not be tolerated if it was in a more affluent area.”
One person even asked for a complete rebuild of the station.
In West Footscray, commuters wanted better lighting, police monitoring to deter drug trafficking and better pedestrian access.
More than 1800 surveys were completed, while 22 councils were also asked to submit their ideas for station improvements.
Ringwood, West Footscray, Hallam and Sunshine were rated the next worse, while Footscray also made the worst 10.
On the flip side, Fairfield, Mitcham, Nunawading, Elsternwick and Oakleigh were regarded as the best stations.
The findings will be collated as part of a campaign to get better facilities for metropolitan train stations.
