{"id":81605,"date":"2024-07-07T13:10:08","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T03:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=81605"},"modified":"2024-07-07T13:10:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T03:10:15","slug":"six-years-after-andrews-surprised-everyone-with-his-srl-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=81605","title":{"rendered":"Six years after Andrews surprised everyone with his SRL plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Long before contracts were inked to kickstart a new $35bn rail line in Melbourne\u2019s southeast, Jacinta Allan was briefed about how many people would actually be hopping aboard its trains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The briefing showed forecast passenger demand between Cheltenham and Box Hill \u2014 where the first stage of the 90km Suburban Rail Loop <\/a>was planned \u2014 was fairly limited to the year 2051, but that demand in the western suburbs and growth areas <\/a>was off the charts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the subtle warning about its transport priorities, Labor committed to the SRL<\/a>, which it wants to use to drive population growth in Melbourne\u2019s middle suburbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it remains full steam ahead, despite deteriorating state finances and growing questions about how the tunnel between Cheltenham and Box Hill will be funded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Former Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Valeriu Campan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is almost six years since former premier Daniel Andrews surprised everyone with the SRL plan; not even Victoria\u2019s top transport bureaucrat knew about it when he announced it in August, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months after that announcement, and just before the 2018 state election, he also promised to develop a new Western Rail Plan with a \u201cfull separation of regional and metro services on the Geelong and Ballarat lines\u201d and electrified metro lines to Melton and Wyndham Vale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This plan was not a secret, and had been advocated for years to avoid crippling congestion across the city\u2019s booming west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six years after these two announcements, only one is being pursued with any vigour, and it ain\u2019t the one in the fastest growing parts of Melbourne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mr Andrews referenced a taco meme about \u201chaving both\u201d, but it won\u2019t work this time around. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, when there was a brief debate about whether funding for the SRL should be paused and money invested in hospitals instead, Mr Andrews responded with a glib meme based on a taco advertisement that says \u201cwhy don\u2019t we have both?\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labor effectively used that line for voters in the western suburbs, too, by continuing to promise to provide more, and faster, services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

State MPs in those growth areas know a \u201cwhy don\u2019t we have both\u201d meme won\u2019t work a second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: The Herald Sun<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long before contracts were inked to kickstart a new $35bn rail line in Melbourne\u2019s southeast, Jacinta Allan was briefed about how many people would actually be hopping aboard its trains.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":81606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,47,8160],"tags":[10189,4598,993],"class_list":["post-81605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-rail-news","category-suburban-rail-loop","tag-daniel-andrews","tag-geelong","tag-melbourne"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t