By NATALIE GALLENTI-BREKALO
HOBSONS Bay residents, councillors and politicians banded together last week to once again call on the State Government to provide vital funding to improve transport in the area.
At the Altona Loop Community Forum held last Thursday evening Greens MP Colleen Hartland urged the Government to include $36,000 in the upcoming budget to undertake a Feasibility Study on the Altona Loop.
The Feasibility Study would explore options including an evaluation of the existing timetable for spare capacity that could be utilised by Altona Loop services, duplication of sections within the Altona Loop and installation of passing loops and infrastructure review to determine key issues and constraints.
The meeting comes on the back of an announcement earlier this month by Premier Napthine that $2-2.5 billion is earmarked for public transport in the eastern suburbs.
“The western suburbs community has not forgotten the Liberal’s two key election commitments to ‘not neglect the West’ and to ‘fix public transport’,” Ms Hartland said.
“Altona Loop is home to the most dissatisfied commuters on the whole metropolitan network, as has been shown in every customer satisfaction survey since the train services were cut in 2012.
“Commuters have abandoned their trains as demonstrated in patronage data. Commuters have been forced into their cars and onto congested roads.”
Patronage data released last year by Public Transport Victoria showed passenger numbers at the Altona Loop’s three bay side stations fell by 30 per cent between 2008 and 2012.
Ms Harland said her call for $36,000 is a “drop in the ocean as far as budgets go”.
“We know that the partial duplication of the project will cost a modest $10-12 million and will benefit the community enormously – a reliable train every 10 minutes direct to the city is a train service that people will use. The Altona Loop communities deserve it.”
