By Kyra Gillespie
Calls for a rail extension to Kooweerup continue to gain momentum, with renewed discussion around the development surfacing in State Parliament.
David Davis, Shadow Minister for Public Transport, bolstered demands for the extension in the Legislative Council on Wednesday 25 July.
“There is a great rail corridor through to Kooweerup and we, as part of the commitment we made the other day, will not only build new stations at Clyde and Cranbourne East, but we will also look at the process of opening up that corridor to Kooweerup,” Mr Davis said.
“There is the huge population growth in that corridor, and that corridor will play a very significant role into the future, but it needs proper public transport, otherwise people will default back onto roads.
“It is important for the growth areas out into Cardinia and beyond.”
Mr Davis also took the opportunity to criticize Labor’s past efforts towards the Kooweerup rail.
“[Labor] said they were going to restore rail to Kooweerup in 1999 — 18 years ago — and how many spikes have been driven into the rail to Kooweerup? How many spikes have been driven? The answer is none.
“The regional rail link was a very important contribution, but [Labor] never drove a single spike.”
Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) spokesperson Daniel Bowen said that as Melbourne continues to grow, it was critical that the rail network grows with it.
“All of these proposals are important, and it’s great to see both sides of politics recognising that Melbourne needs more rail,” he said.
“With traffic congestion now a daily issue across the city, more people are looking for ways to get around without driving.”
