Greater Frankston and Mornington Peninsula residents will be stuck with a second-rate suburban rail service after Labor axed the much-needed Frankston to Baxter rail electrification project.
The decision to pull long-standing funding for the project follows years of inaction by the Victorian Labor Government.
The project would have replaced the infrequent diesel trains, improving service to thousands of residents in the growing suburb of Langwarrin and those down along the Mornington Peninsula.
It would have also relieved commuter pressures on Frankston Station, as well as providing greater access to the Frankston Hospital and Monash University’s Peninsula Campus.
Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Matthew Guy, said: “Labor is fixated on building a $50 billion tunnel from Cheltenham to Box Hill, neglecting important upgrades across our least serviced communities.
“This Victorian Labor government has dragged its feet on this project and the federal government has called it quits and pulled the funding.
“Today the Premier Jacinta Allan told Parliament that her government was “building the road and rail connections that our city and state need”.
“But what’s clear is that Jacinta Allan is not listening to the residents of greater Frankston and she simply can’t manage major projects.”
Source: https://vic.liberal.org.au/news/2023-11-16-slow-train-to-baxter-goes-slower-than-ever
