Fears North East Link could rule out plans for long awaited Doncaster rail line

North East Link protesters are hoping to garner support from peak hour commuters on the Eastern Freeway for a Doncaster rail plan, with banner drops conducted in Bulleen and Balwyn North.

North East Link protesters fear a Doncaster rail link could be impossible if the controversial $16 billion road project goes ahead.

But the State Government has refuted the claim and said the rail line could still be built.

Sustainable Cities spokeswoman Rachel Lynskey said the road, which will connect the M80 Ring Road with the Eastern Freeway, could have far-reaching consequences for Melbourne’s transport network. The project, which involves widening the Eastern Freeway in sections from 10 to 16 lanes by building into the median strip, would mean the loss of land previously reserved for the Doncaster rail line.

Land in the freeway’s median strip was long ago reserved for the railway, and Ms Lynskey said the rail line was the city’s “biggest missing (public transport) link”.

Her group had started conducting banner drops during peak hour over the Eastern Freeway, including in Bulleen late last month and in Balwyn North, and she said they hoped to garner support from the wider community for a rail over road plan. “I think this project has huge implications, not only for the immediate local area … but also for the whole city and the design of our transport network,” she said.

Banners have been dropped over bridges on the Eastern Freeway.

Progress Leader readers commented on Facebook they’d also like to see the Doncaster rail line built, with Jowy Guess commenting the freeway “is a terrible idea”, while Susan Rattray said “public transport should be our priority”.

Boroondara Mayor Jane Addis said the council also supported a Doncaster rail and it had advocated against the proposed North East Link in its present form.

The planned roadway would negatively impact residents and result in the loss of open space and community facilities due to compulsory land acquisitions, she said.

An alternative design developed by the council that included a southern interchange at Bulleen Rd would resolve this issue, she said, and information on this option was presented to the project’s advisory committee. State Government spokeswoman Hayley Bester said a Doncaster public transport link was still possible if North East Link went ahead.

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“The busway along the Eastern Freeway has been designed in a way that it does not prevent a future rail line being built to Doncaster,” she said.

Infrastructure Victoria also recommended upgrading Doncaster bus services rather than building the railway, according to information provided by her office.

Public hearings on the project’s Environmental Effects Statement are underway, with the Government due to make a decision on the road project’s future once they’re completed.