By Stephen Linnell
WYNDHAM commuters were among the few winners from the western suburbs in last week’s State Budget.
The government announced a $92.6 million upgrade of the Laverton railway station, including the creation of a new platform, third track and additional car parking spaces.
The third track would allow for three additional morning peak services on the Werribee line, cutting journey times by eight minutes and improving V/Line services.
The upgraded station at Laverton will also include an additional 317 parking spaces.
But commuters will have to endure current delays and services for some time yet.
According to the budget papers, funding for the Laverton upgrade will begin with $23.1 million in the 2008-09 financial year, with the balance spread over the following two years.
A new station at Williams Landing failed to materialise.
While commuters will benefit, road users will continue their daily grind through the clogged streets of Wyndham and on the West Gate Freeway.
No funding was made available for the Werribee/Cottrell St intersection.
Hoppers Crossing commuters will also benefit from the decision to increase car parking at the station by 271 spaces.
The Hoppers Crossing station has been labelled dangerous by residents and commuters, particularly during peak times.
The Public Transport Minister and Member for Altona, Lynne Kosky, said local residents would benefit from the upgrades.
“The population explosion in the Wyndham area has made it one of the fastest-growing areas in Melbourne. The Brumby Government has prioritised works at Laverton to enable more services on the Werribee line, in response to the fast-growing demand,” Ms Kosky said.
“This critical project will address a bottleneck at the rail junction at Laverton and at the sections of single track in the Altona Loop. This will help both Werribee line trains and Geelong V/Line trains run more reliably.”
Patronage on the Werribee line increased by 11.5 per cent in 2007 and is expected to continue to grow strongly for the next decade.
The State Government’s Nightrider service will be boosted, offering services every 30 minutes, instead of hourly, reducing overcrowding and waiting times.
Ms Kosky said the government had planned for significant investment in the state’s public transport system under $10.5 billion Meeting Our Transport Challenges plan.
“This budget allocation delivers on the MOTC projects planned for this year – but it goes further, with more than $429 million in projects above and beyond our 10-year plan,” Ms Kosky said.
She said about 6800 people used Werribee line services to the CBD during the morning.
Wyndham commuters last month attacked Connex and the State Government over plans to scrap direct peak hour services to the city loop.
From November, peak hour services will travel direct to Flinders Street via Southern Cross Station.
While this will allow two additional services, commuters wanting to travel through the loop will have to change trains at either North Melbourne or Southern Cross.
At the time, Ms Kosky said patronage of the Werribee, Sydenham, Pakenham and Cranbourne lines had increased by up to 31.9 per cent in the past two financial years.
“More reliable services will also be delivered for Werribee and Sydenham line customers by running Werribee peak hour trains direct to Flinders Street,” she said.
About 105,000 people use the Werribee line each week. About 16 per cent of residents work in Melbourne and almost 10 per cent commute by train.
According to Connex, about 3700 Werribee line customers travel to the city during the morning peak and get off at city loop stations.
