Matthew Guy’s fast rail pledge about encouraging people to live in regional areas
MATTHEW Guy’s fast rail pledge is as much about easing city congestion by encouraging more people to live in regional areas as it is another pricey infrastructure project, writes Matt Johnston.
Opinion
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OUR state MPs seem to be embracing big-picture politics at the moment.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s regional rail rebuild is a decade-long plan, aimed at easing the growing squeeze in Melbourne and spreading more of the state’s population around.
At a cost of up to $19 billion it’s an expensive picture, but if the money is there and it’s done right, it could increase in value down the track.
MATTHEW GUY’S $19B FAST RAIL PROMISE
AIRPORT RAIL LINK LOCKED IN WITH $5B PLEDGE FROM STATE GOVERNMENT
$50B UNDERGROUND TRAIN NETWORK FOR MELBOURNE’S SUBURBS ANNOUNCED BY PREMIER
If you consider that Premier Daniel Andrews wants to build a $50 billion orbital suburban train network over three decades for Melbourne, the price tag and time frame of Guy’s plan seem less remarkable.
The State Opposition has been banging on about decentralisation for a couple of years now, but is finally putting some meat on the rhetorical bones.
It knows that although the push to get more people to settle in regional areas sounds great, it doesn’t mean much to those clinging to jobs in Melbourne.
The Opposition is hoping that the prospect of getting into the CBD from several major regional hubs within an hour might cause some people to rethink their lifestyle.
Of course, voters may remember politicians’ previous lofty promises of quicker trains that have never quite materialised.
Frustrated commuters also want their trains to run on time and to not be cancelled, just as much as they want a faster journey.
So while the big picture is great to imagine, whoever wins government also needs to focus on the basics.
Victorians are starting to get a clearer choice of what is on offer in the infrastructure arms race, when they cast ballots on November 24.
The Andrews Government’s plans include the $50 billion suburban train loop, a $16 billion North East Link, an $11 billion Metro rail tunnel, a $15 billion Tullamarine train line, a $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel, and 20 more level crossing removals.
The Coalition is backing most of that, with its main point of difference being the $10 billion East West Link, the regional rail cash splash, and removing 55 traffic light intersections.
Across the board, there is $100 billion worth of promises in the air.
But this latest pledge is as much about trying to express a vision for Victoria — easing congestion by encouraging more people to live in regional areas — as it is another pricey infrastructure project.
Guy has just 52 days (40 for early voters) left to convince Victorians they should buy his big picture instead of keeping the one being painted by Daniel Andrews.
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When Matthew Guy and Daniel Andrews shook hands they joked about having waited for that friendly moment all day. You could immediately sense it was going to be on for young and old. And it was, writes Matt Johnston.