THE Victorian Liberals have promised to extend the Frankston Line to Baxter if successful at next month’s state election.
The state opposition says it will electrify and duplicate the train line to Baxter. Two new stations would be built at Langwarrin and Frankston East.
Six level crossings would be removed and both Frankston and Baxter Stations would be upgraded for the project.
The state opposition says the project would be delivered in the next four years at a cost of $971 million. A business case assessing the project released in 2020 revealed that it could cost $1.5 billion to extend the train line to Baxter (“Business case casts doubt on rail extension” The Times 16/11/20).
Liberal candidate for Frankston Michael O’Reilly said the extension of the train line is “so long overdue”.
“This doesn’t just extend the train line, but it actually gets people out of cars. One of the biggest issues we have in Frankston is congestion in the CBD and a lack of parking at Frankston Train Station which is right at the end of the line,” he said. “This extension will not only service the hospital and the university, but it will also help kids get to major sporting infrastructures that will be underway soon.”
Last weekend the state government committed to making the Frankston line level crossing free by 2029.
Level crossings will be removed from Wickham Road and Highett Road in Highett, McDonald Street and Bear Street in Mordialloc, Station Street and Groves Street in Aspendale, Armstrongs Road at Station Street in Seaford, and on Latrobe Street in Mentone.
The state government is planning to build rail over road at Armstrongs Road and Station Street in Seaford. New stations at Highett, Mordialloc, Aspendale, and Seaford will be built as part of the project.
A report released by the McKell Institute ranked Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula as the areas with the lowest percentage of public transport use compared to private vehicle use. Committee for Greater Frankston president Rod Evenden said “coming second-last and last on the public transport ladder is appalling but not surprising. For instance, everyone knows the present train service from Stony Point to Frankston, which is supposed to service Langwarrin and Karingal, is infrequent and notoriously unreliable”.