Dandenong railway line triplication

The Dandenong railway line triplication project is an initiative of the state government of Victoria, Australia, to add sections of a third railway line from Caulfield to Dandenong to expand the capacity of and relieve congestion on the Pakenham railway line, part of the Melbourne suburban rail network.

The project has undergone a reduction in its scope since being announced in 2006. The triplication was initially planned to extend for the entire Caulfield-Dandenong section of track, but in July 2008 it was announced that it was "unlikely" there would be a third rail track for the full length. According to VicRoads the more likely outcome would be that there would be three tracks for some sections and the existing two tracks in others.^[1][2] The Department of Transport has also reportedly amended its website to state it would undertake a program that included the addition of "sections of third track".^[3][4]

Scope and aims of the project

The project was announced in 2006 as part of a major public transport policy statement called Meeting Our Transport Challenges^[5] and is estimated to cost as much as $1 billion.^[6][7] The triplication project was a major part of a $2 billion investment in rail infrastructure announced in Meeting Our Transport Challenges, which the document described as "the biggest investment in the rail network since the construction of the City Loop, to deliver a substantial boost in the capacity of Melbourne’s rail network".

The network has been plagued with problems of overcrowding after a surge in passenger numbers, as well as increasing train delays and cancellations, with much of the cause being attributed to bottlenecks in the network, chiefly on the Pakenham line.^[8]

The 2007-08 State Budget allocated $37 million of its $362 million train package for the first stage of the project,^[9] which funded construction work at Cranbourne station of stabling, a station upgrade and additional parking.^[10]

The second stage, due to begin in 2009,^[11] will include additional train stabling at Westall station and a 2.7 km section of third track between Centre Rd and Springvale Rd. The 2008-09 State Budget allocated $153 million for the Westall project, claiming it would allow "short starter trains" to start and finish their journeys at Westall, running behind express trains from Cranbourne or Pakenham and helping to even out passenger numbers across services on the line.

Later stages will include the construction of a third track between Caulfield station and Springvale station (commencing by 2011),^[12] station upgrades and construction of a third track between Springvale and Dandenong (commencing between 2011 and 2016).^[13]

Bob Annells, chairman of Connex Melbourne, which had at the time a State Government franchise to operate all suburban passenger rail services in Melbourne, has warned that there will be "considerable disruption" to rail services during the infrastructure works. A report on the ABC current affairs television program Stateline claimed the capital works project intended to reduce overcrowding and improve reliability "will mean things get worse before they get better".^[14]

The allocation of funding in the May 2007 Budget for works only at Cranbourne, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from the nearest section of the proposed third track, prompted speculation that the line was in doubt. The Age newspaper quoted "a source close to the Government" saying the Government had "gone quiet" on the triplication project in the Budget and that Treasurer John Brumby had commissioned a review because he was not convinced it was value for money.^[15]

The triplication was mooted in the 2001 State Budget^[16] and the 2005-2006 Budget allocated an initial $25 million for “consultation, planning and development work on public transport options for the Dandenong growth corridor”.^[17] In a statement to the Victorian Parliament’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee in May 2007, Transport Minister Lynne Kosky described the triplication as “a huge project; 15 per cent of the travelling metropolitan population actually use that line, so it services an area of more than half a million people.”^[18]

Land acquisition and impact on road traffic

Ms Kosky said the project would involve land acquisition “and we do not know exactly what those requirements are at this stage.”^[18] She said: “We are also yet to assess the impact to level crossings on the corridors, because there is the capacity to actually reduce some of the number of level crossings, so grade separations are being considered as one mitigation measure, but it is yet to be determined whether they are included or not, and how many.”^[18] Her comments on grade separations were contradicted a month later by a government transport spokesman in a newspaper article on the traffic congestion at the level crossing on Murrumbeena Rd adjacent to Murrumbeena station. The spokesman, Bill Kyriakopoulos, said grade separation at Murrumbeena “was not being considered as a long-term solution”.^[19]

The last grade separation on the Melbourne suburban train network was at the Middleborough Rd level crossing in Box Hill. The project, carried out in January 2007, cost $54.3 million.^[20]

A report on the track and its impact on traffic delays and congestion in the City of Glen Eira was presented to the Glen Eira City Council on July 22, 2008 following a meeting between representatives of council and VicRoads on May 27, 2008. VicRoads advised the council that it was unlikely a third track would be installed for the "entire length" of the line. The more likely outcome would be that there would be three tracks for some sections and the existing two in others. It said modelling to deal with subsequent road traffic congestion was to be undertaken on three options: Grade separation on (1) none of Glen Eira's roads, (2) all of Glen Eira's roads and (3) some of Glen Eira's roads. The third option would have the effect of channeling further traffic volumes on to any roads that were grade separated from the railway lines. The council concluded that it was not in the interest of VicRoads or the council to have intolerable levels of traffic congestion, and that it expected there would be detailed impact statements prepared, public submissions sought and the range of options examined by an independent panel appointed by the Transport Minister.^[1]

Opposition

The triplication project has been opposed by Melbourne public transport lobby group, the Public Transport Users Association, which advocated the alteration of stopping patterns and an increase in trains running directly from Richmond station to Flinders Street Station as an alternative. In a report titled Getting Melbourne’s Rail System on Track, it described the triplication project as “ambitious” and said it would “not only be expensive but also unleash years of major disruption on the line”.^[21]

The project was also opposed in a report by Dr Paul Mees of the Urban Planning Program, University of Melbourne, who concluded it was “an expensive distraction from the real issues. The problems of overcrowding, late running and cancellations are actually a result of poor timetabling and management, not of infrastructure limitations. The problems could be solved quickly and inexpensively if the real problems were dealt with forcefully.”^[22][23] Mees advocated the use of spare platforms at Dandenong and Oakleigh stations and proposed a possible new timetable, which included city-bound trains passing through level crossings at stations such as Murrumbeena at the rate of 22 per hour between 7.30 and 8.30am.

The Victorian Liberal Party's 2006 election policy statement branded the triplication plan as "another example of (the Bracks Labor Government's) mismanagement and an inability to run major projects". The party proposed spending $3 million on investigating simpler, less expensive options to relieve congestion, including the construction of passing loops at various points such as Berwick and Springvale. It said problems on the line could also be overcome with improved timetabling.^[24]

See also

• List of proposed Melbourne rail extensions

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Minutes of Glen Eira City Council meeting, July 22, 2008.
2. ^ "Plan for new Dandenong train line off the rails" by Jason Dowling, The Age, August 5, 2008.
3. ^ "Anger at Caulfield end of line", by Paul Riordan, Caulfield Glen Eira Leader, August 5, 2008
4. ^ Dandenong Rail Corridor Project, Department of Transport website
5. ^ "Bracks Launches $10.5 Billion Transport Plan for Victoria" (Press release). Office of the Premier, Victoria. 2006-05-17. http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/8fc6e140ef55837cca256c8c00183cdc/f48441987c3ff727ca2571720006cddf!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
6. ^ Houlihan, Liam (2006-04-08). "Green light for $1b rail project". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,18745558-661,00.html. Retrieved 2008-03-10. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Silkstone, Dan (2005-10-24). "State trains running decades late". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/state-trains-running-decades-late/2005/10/23/1130006003305.html. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
8. ^ Moynhihan, Stephen (2007-05-16). "Train delays rise in city". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/train-delays-rise-in-city/2007/05/15/1178995158731.html. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
9. ^ "Transport System Improvements Brought Forward" (Press release). Minister for Public Transport, Australia. 2007-05-01. http://www.budget.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/Budgets/budget07.nsf/d6e571e551bef80eca2572bb002bcea7/e52b87581dffb8b0ca2572ce0007b06d!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
10. ^ "Dandenong Rail Corridor Project overview". Department of Infrastructure, Australia. 2008-02-12. http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/transport.nsf/AllDocs/7D244319338C6A0ACA2572FA0005B349?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
11. ^ Dandenong Rail Corridor Stage 2 fact sheet, Department of Transport, 2008
12. ^ "Meeting Our Transport Challenges, section 4" (PDF). p. 41. http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/$UNIDS+for+Web+Display/52B85B2429B2B5E9CA2572A5001140D7/$FILE/MOTC_Actions.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
13. ^ Mitchell, Geraldine (2008-02-20). "Derail our traffic woes". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23243432-2862,00.html. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
14. ^ Will faulty brakes mean the end of the line for Connex? transcript, ABC Stateline Victoria, February 9, 2007
15. ^ Cauchi, Stephen (2007-05-06). "Money doubt on third rail track to Dandenong". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/money-doubt-on-third-rail-track-to-dandenong/2007/05/05/1177788471407.html. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
16. ^ "Planning Underway for Extension of Melbourne’s Rail and Tram Network" (PDF) (Press release). Minister for Transport, Victoria, Australia. 2001-05-15. http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/80e317bf472115914a256a4d00180ea5/$FILE/TR13-ExistingProjects.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
17. ^ "$660m Boost to roads and transport infrastructure" (Press release). Minister for Transport, Victoria, Australia. 2005-05-03. http://www.budget.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/budgets/budget05.nsf/7b97d9472cf2520cca256e6900201d10/37a6c5d002190bd7ca256ff600080401!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
18. ^ ^{a b c} "Transcript, Victorian Parliament Public Accounts and Estimates Committee" (PDF). 2007-05-09. http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/paec/inquiries/budgetestimates_2007-08/Transcripts/9%20may%20transport.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
19. ^ "Rail grind rattles". Caulfield Glen Eira Leader. 2007-06-11. p. 3. 
20. ^ "Middleborough Road grade separation funding" (PDF) (Press release). Minister for Transport, Victoria, Australia. 2006-05-09. http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/2a5bcb97414a3f56ca25717000242e7f/$FILE/MediaReleaase-090506-Middleborough.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
21. ^ "Getting Melbourne’s Rail System on Track". Public Transport Users Association. April 2007, revised October 2007. http://www.ptua.org.au/publications/melb-rail-on-track. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
22. ^ Moynihan, Stephen (2007-04-07). "Labor's train plan 'on the wrong track'". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/labors-train-plan-on-the-wrong-track/2007/04/26/1177459878495.html. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
23. ^ Mees, Dr. Paul (May 2007). "How to double the capacity of the Dandenong line without new infrastructure" (PDF). Urban Planning Program, University of Melbourne. http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/aboutus/pdf/in-the-news-archive/archive-2007/double-capacity-of-dandenong-line.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-10. 
24. ^ A Liberal Government plan to improve public transport, Liberal party policy statement, 2006

External links

• Dandenong Rail Corridor Project, Department of Infrastructure website
• Meeting Our Transport Challenges documents
• Public Transport Users Association website