Knox residents too conservative for their own good when it comes to Rowville rail extension

ANGER is growing amid concerns that Knox residents living in safe Liberal seats are being sidelined over the Rowville rail.

n41wh202 The new Metro timetable will see more morning peak hour express trains bypass Laburnum Railway Station.

THE State Government has been accused of putting votes before priorities as it refuses to make a ­commitment to rail projects in the east.

The Coalition last week made a $700 million commitment to build a rail extension in an ultra-marginal seat in Melbourne’s north.

This is despite a Victoria Public Transport report in 2012 stating the Mernda rail extension was less of a ­priority than the proposed Rowville and Doncaster rail lines.

HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW: Is the state sidelining Knox because it is considered a safe Liberal seat?

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The 2012 Network ­Development Plan listed Mernda as a “stage 4” ­project, which was as much as 20 years away.

The same document listed the proposed Rowville and Doncaster lines as “stage 3” projects and 15 years away.

The seat of Yan Yean — which takes in the Mernda extension — has a 0.1 per cent margin, while the new seat of Rowville is safely held by Liberal MP Kim Wells on a 13.1 per cent margin.

Premier Denis Napthine has denied last week’s ­promise to build the ­Mernda extension had anything to do with the seat’s narrow margin.

With both sides of politics refusing to make a commitment to the Rowville line, Knox councillor Karin Orpen said Knox electorates were being neglected because they were safely held by Liberal members.

“Obviously the Government is quite confident they will retain the seat of ­Rowville and therefore we don’t get any funding,” Cr Orpen said.

“The people of Knox aren't second class citizens.

“The community is right to question how decisions are being made. Are they being made in the best interests of the community or a political party?”

Eastern Transport Coalition chairman Peter Lockwood said the Mernda extension was a worthy project but voters in the eastern suburbs deserved the same timely commitments.

“Both the Doncaster and Rowville rail projects have had feasibility studies undertaken, but what is missing is a commitment from both the Labor and Liberal parties,” Cr Lockwood said.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder and Mr Wells have repeatedly said the Rowville line cannot be built without upgrades to the metro system, which won’t be completed until 2026.

A spokeswoman for Mr Mulder said the Mernda ­project could be built because it was extending an ­existing line.

“Building a new line, such as Rowville or Doncaster requires significant upgrades to cope with the additional trains per hour coming into the city,” he said.

Greens candidate for Mulgrave Nina Springle said the Rowville line could be built now without the capacity improvements in the city.

“The challenge with upgrading the Pakenham-Cranbourne line could be overcome through investment in new high-capacity signalling systems, such as those operating in cities around Europe,” she said.