History Of Rail Endeavour Manningham 1890 to 2014
Bel Harris has been doing her home work – follow on from Rail Ad wasted funds… Addressed to Joe Carbone CEO of Manningham.
Joe,
Our politicians will not say , but our faceless bureaucrats have already decided that buses will be the transport solution for Doncaster Hill which might help explain the timing of the recent announcements for dedicated bus lanes, shortened travelling times from Doncaster to the city and the way the Premier and the Mayor of Melbourne are now waffling about the disruption and possible closure of Swanston Street, hinting the MMP may be delayed.
The closest we came to getting a rail line to Doncaster was when the government approved the 1972 rail plan. It was officially cancelled after an independent panel recommended against it in 1991, but it was already dead and buried in 1984 when the land reserved for its construction, was sold off.
None of the Doncaster rail studies before or after have achieved anything other than to pacify commuters. There have been at least 10 comprehensive studies conducted over time; 1890, 1920, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2012, the latest costing $6.5 million.
Brief history taken from internet.
- Doncaster rail was first proposed by state parliament in 1890,
- Doncaster rail was included in the state plan for general development in 1929,
- Doncaster Rail was included in the Bolte government’s transportation plan in 1969,
- Doncaster Rail route from Victoria Park to East Doncaster, was finally decided upon in 1972.
- Rapid transport buses were proposed for Doncaster Hill by the Brumby government in 2008,
- The Napthine government starts a detailed rail study in 2011
- The first proposal in 1890, was to consider a line from Heidelberg Station which went nowhere.
- Detailed plans again re-emerged in1969 for a line which would branch off the Hurstbridge/Epping line at Victoria Park and run down the Eastern Freeway median strip to Bulleen Road, Bulleen where it would travel between houses and via a series of tunnels to East Doncaster, which was finally approved in 1972.
- Despite rising costs, the state governments of the period continued to make assurances that the line would be built. Property acquisition for part of the route was completed in 1975, and construction of a cutting at the city end commenced in 1974, only to be filled in two years later. By 1982 plans to build the line were shelved by the state government, and by 1984, the land reserved for the line once it left the freeway, was sold. In 1991 an independent report investigated constructing the line, recommended against it due to the high cost.
Manningham’s rail submission stated that there will be a grade separation for Bus routes through the Hill irrespective of whether there is rail to Doncaster hill. Does this mean there will be tunnelling? Are you able to provide a plan of what is proposed, a cost estimate and how it will be financed?
My apologies for quoting the normal rate for the Leader full page rail advertisement without taking into account you would have received a substantial discount.
Kind regards,
Bel