By XAVIER SMERDON
THE designs for two new train stations in Wyndham that will make up part of the Regional Rail Link have finally been released.
The Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albonese, and the Victorian Minister for Transport, Terry Mulder, unveiled the plans for the Wyndham Vale and Tarneit stations last week.
Mr Albanese said the stations would be part of the biggest public infrastructure project currently underway anywhere in the country, the Regional Rail Link (RRL).
“This multibillion dollar project will not only deliver frequent, reliable rail services to Melbourne’s rapidly growing western suburbs, it is also laying the first ever dedicated track for passenger trains servicing Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat,” Mr Albanese said.
“I am delighted to be working with the Victorian Government to build what will be Melbourne’s first new rail line in more than 80 years. This vital piece of infrastructure will add capacity to the City’s rail network and help alleviate the growing congestion on its roads.”
Mr Mulder said both stations would be co-located with bus interchanges, provide parking spaces for up to 400 vehicles, and be fitted out with a range of sustainability features including bicycle storage, solar panels, energy efficient lighting and rain water tanks.
“The new stations will benefit both the environment and the local community,” Mr Mulder said.
“Regional Rail Link will connect the growing communities of Wyndham Vale and Tarneit to the rail network for the first time.
“And because the stations will be in metropolitan Zone 2, passengers will only pay a Zone 1 and 2 fare, rather than a V/line fare.
“On top of building two new railway stations, the project will upgrade four stations and completely rebuild West Footscray station.”
But Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the Federal Opposition needed to promise to continue to fund the RRL if they are elected to government.
“The Regional Rail Link is a vitally needed improvement to the West’s public transport system,” Ms Gillard said.
“But Mr Abbott himself has said that he will not fund rail infrastructure, putting projects like the RRL in real danger.
“Mr Abbott fails to understand that for a growing community like our own, it should not be a choice between investment in rail or road – it needs to be both.”
