DUNKLEY MP Peta Murphy has called on the federal government to release the business case into the expansion of the Frankston line to Baxter.
Ms Murphy spoke in parliament after Infrastructure Australia included Frankston public transport as a priority initiative in its updated priority list (Public transport expansion a ‘priority’, The Times, 2/3/20).
“The Infrastructure Australia report handed down listed, for the first time, Frankston public transport connectivity as a priority initiative,” she said.
“Here’s hoping it encourages the federal government to release the business case for the extension of the train line from Frankston to Baxter that it has been in possession of since October last year. I wrote three weeks ago to the minister to say you’ve had this for a long time. I gave him time and said on behalf of my community, release it.
“What we do know is that this government has been saying for years now that it has budgeted a mere $225 million for that project, which any reasonable estimate would say is over a billion dollars. It would be spent over four years, and the project could be completed. It tried to get more money from the state government before the business case was concluded.
“Now that it’s been concluded it appears the federal government have lost it behind the couch. Stop the spin and the politicising, release the business case and deliver what you promised to my community.”
The Times sent questions to federal minister for urban infrastructure Alan Tudge asking when the business case would be released and for updated costings for the project.
A spokesperson for Mr Tudge said “the Victorian government has completed the federally funded preliminary business case. The federal government is currently considering the outcomes of the PBC.”
“Currently, there is no state commitment towards funding, or towards the completion of a detailed business case, which would be the requisite next step prior to the project moving into the construction phase. We have $225 million committed towards its construction.”
The state government announced in April 2018 that they had started the business case and planning work for a future extension of the Frankston line to Baxter. They said it was due to be completed by early 2019, but it was not complete until October (“Rail extension business case complete”, The Times, 4/11/19).
First published in the Frankston Times – 17 March 2020
