COUNCIL FUNDING DOOMED RAILWAY CAMPAIGN

Joe Carbone, Jim Grivas left and right. Manningham council are wasting a further $20,000 of municipal funds in a futile rail  campaign, in addition to the $40,000 spent last year, to keep the dream of a railway to  Doncaster Hill alive, promote local and overseas investment and give a false hope to  Doncaster commuters.

Council had already been advised that a railway to Doncaster Park & Ride could not be  justified due to the high cost. Manningham executive said; “we were surprised by the  recommendation to terminate the rail line at the Doncaster Park & Ride and not extend it to Doncaster Hill”. “Also given previous estimates, we were shocked by the magnitude of the $11 billion price tag that has been attached to the project by the URS study, with the addition of the South Morang line deviation”.    

Doncaster Rail Study Phase One Draft

In addition a further $1 billion

………..would be required to extend the line up to Doncaster Hill. Even if it was viable, it would now be impractical because building the new rail lines would be contingent upon the completion of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel, which has now been “shelved”.

To add to the frustration, the $47 million upgrade pledged, announced in February, for the Doncaster Area Transit (DART) bus service, was reduced to $41.5 million of which according to budget figures $30.9 million has already been spent elsewhere. Which has resulted in only $10.6 million “pledged” this financial year.

 

 

 

5 Comments

  1. Geraldine says:

    The terms of reference of the phrase one study was always going to be limited to the investigation of a rail line to Doncaster Park & Ride, well short of where it is required on Doncaster Hill in the heart of Manningham.
    If they don’t announce the result of phrase two of the study before the State election you can bet your bottom dollar the railway proposal will be shelved.
    Councillor Stephen O’Brien, who questioned the rail report’s significance, gave a very clear warning to the bureaucrats; “I’m looking for something substantial not just waffle”
    The same might also apply to the promised dedicated Bus lanes in Hoddle Street, which would cut travel times for Doncaster Commuters, but the planning appears to have stalled due to opposition from traders losing kerb side parking and the potential for traffic gridlock.

  2. Highview says:

    Forget about a possible rail service to Doncaster it was nothing more than a political stunt. We should now pursue a more efficient bus service.
    Yarra City Council, who have jurisdiction over both sides of Hoddle Street, have suggested that State Government consider reallocating road space so that buses are able to provide people with faster travel times than private car travel with the aim of encouraging people to shift from cars to buses, and hence reduce traffic congestion and improve journey times for motorists and public transport users. This reallocation of road space would essentially entail retaining kerb side parking and converting an existing traffic lane into a bus lane thereby reducing the number of traffic lanes available for cars.
    Highview

  3. Refulgent says:

    We had to scratch around to obtain funding for the $8 billion East West Link. So how could another $12 billion for a railway to Doncaster Hill be justified? Anyway it’s no longer possible because the $9 billion Melbourne Metropolitan Project, which was to provide the capacity for the extra rail traffic, is not proceeding.
    There is already enough council waste without spending $60,000 on a lost cause.

  4. Argyle says:

    Manningham Council had been informed that a Doncaster Hill station was not proposed due to the high cost of a tunneling and the lack of land available.
    Mary Wooldridge had advised there was no capacity in the existing network to take any additional lines until the Melbourne Metropolitan project is completed which has now been shelved.
    “It’s my understanding that the study scope made no specific reference to Doncaster Hill and the that the brief to consultants URS was to investigate heavy rail options only as far as Doncaster Park & Ride”.(situated at Freeway adjacent to Greythorn)
    “Council are advocating for the rail line to be extended to Doncaster Hill but what is clear from the Phase One Draft Recommendations Report is that there is no capacity in the current network to take any additional lines which, includes Doncaster Park & Ride until the Melbourne Metro Project is completed”
    Argyle.

  5. Jacko says:

    Manningham is the only metropolitan municipality with no train or tram services,and the lack of public transport options continues to be a major concern of many members of the community. Manningham also has no tertiary institute and no public hospital within its boundaries and recent changes to bus routes have further reduced public transport options.
    This is all very true but what is the use of campaigning for a rail service that had been abandoned when the cutting for the line was filled in decades ago and the easement for an alternative route sold off by the Cain Government in the 80’s. The recent “study”, was just an election campaign stunt by the Liberal government. Even if it was affordable the recent abandonment of the M.M.P has dashed any remote chance of a rail line ever getting to Doncaster Hill.

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