Victoria to get almost a third of Turnbull Government’s $24.5 billion infrastructure Budget bonanza
VICTORIANS are the big winners in tomorrow’s federal Budget, with $7.8 billion in new roads and rail lines set to slash travel times. Plus, new Monash Freeway lanes to open tonight.
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EXCLUSIVE: VICTORIANS are the big winners in tomorrow’s federal Budget, which is promising a $7.8 billion package of new roads and railway lines to slash travel times and improve safety.
The Herald Sun can reveal that nearly a third of the Turnbull Government’s $24.5 billion infrastructure bonanza is being directed to ease the congestion woes plaguing a growing Victoria.
The cash includes $1.75 billion to help build the North East Link, including tunnels and extra lanes on the Eastern Freeway that will save motorists travelling between Melbourne’s north and south up to half an hour in travel time.
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After decades of inaction, the city’s southeast is set to get two new rail lines: $475 million to link Monash University’s Caulfield and Clayton campuses, and $225 million on electrifying the Frankston line to Baxter.
Treasurer Scott Morrison said the spending boost “puts to rest any suggestion” Canberra was short-changing Victoria, which had received just 10 per cent of federal infrastructure funding.
Mr Morrison told the Herald Sun: “The biggest single increase in spending around the country is in Victoria.
“We’re serious about it because Victoria is facing some of the strongest — arguably the strongest — population growth pressures in the country.
“Congestion-busting infrastructure is very important, not just to the liveability of Melbourne as a city but also its performance as an economy.”
Mr Andrews spoke to the Prime Minister this morning to thank him for the infrastructure budget bonanza.
“Ultimately we have run a strong campaign for Victoria to get its fair share and today that has worked,” Mr Andrews said.
He welcomed the $1.75 billion funding for the North East Link project and flagged meetings to discuss the details with the Federal Government in the next few weeks.
Mr Andrews denied there would be problems negotiating what would be included in the new toll road plan, promising it would be a “partnership”.
His comments come after stoushes over Commonwealth funding last year for the Melbourne Metro Rail when the state government refused to build a new South Yarra station as part of the proposed rail overhaul.
The standoff is unlikely to be replicated in the latest funding round, according to the Premier.
The federal government’s announcement to support the North East Link also comes after state Opposition Leader Matthew Guy declined to support the North East Link project last week, showing a clear division between the state and federal parties.
The offer of $3 billion to build the East West Link also remains on the table but Mr Andrews said he could not build a project “that simply doesn’t stack up”.
The Budget infrastructure package of $75 billion over the next decade also includes:
A $140 MILLION fund to tackle suburban bottlenecks;
COMPLETION of duplication of the Princes Highway from Traralgon to Sale, and $132 million to ensure separation from Melbourne;
A $50 MILLION top-up to the $100 million committed to duplicating the Geelong line between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds; and
$5 BILLION for an Airport Rail Link, which the Herald Sun revealed last month.
The biggest road investment is in the North East Link, the $16.5 billion toll road to connect the M80 Ring Road and the Eastern Freeway. It is expected to create 10,000 jobs and slash travel times by half an hour.
The Herald Sun understands the Commonwealth will now seek more information about Premier Daniel Andrews’ plan, which would expand the Eastern Freeway to 18 lanes at some points and require the acquisition of dozens of properties.
Canberra still has $3 billion on offer for the East West Link, axed by Labor, and which the Coalition wants to build first.
There will also be talks about the Monash rail line; the state Labor government prefers a tram to a heavy rail link.
The rail extension to Baxter, mooted as far back as 1929, is expected to create 4000 jobs and help thousands who must travel to Frankston station.
NEW MONASH LANES OPEN TODAY
THE new lanes on the Monash Freeway will open from tonight easing the commute for thousands of Melbourne drivers.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced the additional capacity between the South Gippsland Freeway and Clyde Rd will open ahead of schedule today, making room for 2000 extra vehicles per hour.
He said the news means “motorists can get where they need to go faster” with 30km of extra road now accessible.
The project has also been delivered $111 million under budget with the left over money to be rolled into the second stage of the widening project.
“It’s great news for motorists,” Mr Andrews said.
“More lanes means a faster trip for hundreds of thousands of people that really on the Monash every day.”
Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said the news will be welcomed by the community.
“This is about getting the peak flow on the freeway,” he said.
“These new lanes will make a real difference for drivers.”
The second stage of the upgrade is now underway and will expand the Monash from eight to ten lanes between Warrigal Road and EastLink to the west, and from four to six lanes between Clyde and Cardinia roads to the east.
Early works have begun but the construction on the new lanes kicks off in 2019.
It is expected to slash nine minutes off a peak-hour trip between Pakenham and the city.
MONASH RAIL LINK FINALLY ON TRACK
A RAIL link between Monash University’s Caulfield and Clayton campuses and out to Rowville is set to become a reality, half a century after it was first suggested.
The federal government will give Victoria $475 million for planning and pre-construction work on the project, with some of the money to cover the cost of land acquisitions.
Premier Daniel Andrews put aside $3 million in last week’s state Budget for planning and design work on what he said was the “missing transport link for the southeastern suburbs”. But while the state government wants to build a tram line, the Herald Sun understands the federal government is open to considering a heavy rail line as well.
It hopes both governments can now work together on a business case considering all technical solutions and routes for the link.
Mr Andrews’s initial proposal would begin near Caulfield train station and follow Dandenong Rd and the Princes Highway with a stop at Chadstone, the nation’s biggest shopping centre.
The tram would then travel down Wellington Rd to Monash’s Clayton campus, which is visited by as many as 53,000 people every day.
Clayton is the state’s busiest employment hub outside the CBD, and also includes the Australian Synchrotron, the Monash Medical Centre and the future Victorian Heart Hospital.
The federal government believes the Caulfield to Clayton connection would likely be the first stage of the project, which could then be extended to Rowville.
Early state government planning forecasts 3000 people could use the link every hour in the morning peak, with trams running every four minutes.
The Herald Sun understands the federal government is willing to consider building a tram but also wants to look at a heavy rail line, with the final decision to ensure the route is “future-proofed” for growing demand.
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the link had merit but had also called for consideration of whether a heavy rail line would work better.
Infrastructure Victoria, in its 30-year strategy for the state, suggested light rail would be cheaper and better placed to meet the needs of commuters.
Monash University Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner last month welcomed the push for “fast, efficient and effective public transport links” to reduce road congestion in the area.
“We know that many commuters who drive to campus would elect to use public transport if more convenient options were available,” Prof Gardner said.
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