Bayside train graffiti warriors call to scrap blight ‘once and for all’

The pain of Metro Tunnel works could have an unexpected silver lining for commuters, but the state government has to act quickly as locals call on them to “stop passing the buck”.

Sandringham Liberal MP Brad Rowswell with Bayside graffiti-busters Terry Reynolds, Chris Grigsby and Edward Smith. Picture: Stuart Milligan

The state government is being urged to clean up atrocious graffiti along Bayside’s rail corridor “once and for all” while the line is closed for three weeks.

The Sandringham line closure between May 21 and June 9 for major Metro Tunnel works is the perfect time to take action against the “graffiti blight” plaguing the line, authorities and residents say.

Sandringham Liberal MP Brad Rowswell said he had been inundated with complaints from dozens of people about the “prolific” vandalism, up to five years old.

Mr Roswell has now written to Premier Daniel Andrews seeking immediate attention.

“(The line closure) is an unprecedented opportunity to allow workers to safely access assets and fences adjacent to the Sandringham line,” he said.

Graffiti along the Sandringham rail line.

Graffiti hot spots include intersections at Abbott and Beaumont streets, Queens Square and Kings St, Queens Square and Bath St, Bridge and Moor streets and the Bridge St overpass.

Beaumaris graffiti warrior Chris Grigsby — who spends much of his time painting over graffiti that pops up across his suburb — said a major clean-up would be good but wouldn’t last.

Sandringham, Brighton and Hampton are all littered with graffiti along the rail corridor.

Mr Grigsby said a multifaceted approach was vital for a long-term solution.

“I’m appalled at the lack of action (by the council and government) … because I have proved that if you constantly take it off, kids give up and you don’t see it again,” Mr Grigsby said.

“We need the state government to run a multi-departmental initiative and stop passing the buck.”

Hampton resident Terry Reynolds, who has cleaned up and transformed a section of land near the line into parkland, agreed the graffiti problem could be defeated with the right approach.

“Railway corridors should not be a continuous dump,” he said.

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Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne said Metro Trains was working closely with contractors to ensure cleaning crews removed as much graffiti as possible during upcoming works and beyond.

“Graffiti has no place on our rail network, and thanks to a new corridor blitz program, we’re removing more than ever before,” she said.

Metro spends more than $10 million on graffiti removal every year, across its 1000km of track, more than 219 stations and 222 trains.

It aims to remove graffiti within 24 hours of it being reported.