The Case of the Missing Train Line: Rowville, Scoresby and Monash Uni are linked only by sprawl

posted by Chris Quirk on Sunday, August 2nd 2009

The case of the missing train line that has been baffling residents in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs for decades wont be solved in the life of the current government.

The Rowville train line has been on the drawing board for 40 years with original plans dating back to 1969. The plan is an extension of the Huntingdale line.  Land has been reserved along North and Wellington Roads, and little extra would be needed. The extension would only cover 12.3km according to the Coalition for People’s Transport.

The line would be a critical link for the people of the outer east as population continues to grow and Melbourne sprawls outward. According to the Coalition for People’s Transport, the line would provide high speed transport to Rowville and adjoining areas, the Scoresby industrial precinct and Monash University – one of the largest in Australia. They calculate the line would efficiently serve over 100,000 residents.

Over and over again successive state governments – both Liberal and Labour – have made and broken promises to outer east voters on transport upgrades. Many in the City of Knox will never forget the devastating back flip when the Scoresby Freeway became the East Link toll road. The refusal to even consider a feasibility report on the Rowville Rail project is just another slap in the face to Melbourne’s outer eastern residents from the Brumby labor government.

Local governments however are more in tune with the needs of their residents as shown by the pre-feasibility report commissioned by Knox in 2004. The report found that the project would indeed be viable and deserves further consideration. Five years later and the state government still refuses to consider this important missing piece of the Melbourne public transport system.

What harm could come from a feasibility study?

Either it will work or it won’t, but at least the people of the outer east would know their concerns are being respected rather than being passed over for other projects which may swing more votes or look better on the front page of the Herald Sun.

Some would say the SmartBus service operating in and around Rowville is a “good enough” solution. But the SmartBus program, while a step in the right direction, still takes at least 50 minutes to travel from Rowville to the CBD whereas the railway line would only take approximately 30 minutes. Faster travel would encourage drivers out of their cars – and off the Monash freeway – and onto public transport.

With carbon emissions and the environment firmly on the agenda, we must look again at public transport solutions instead of upgrading roads as the Brumby ALP government seems determined to do in the outer eastern suburbs.

Inadequate public transport solutions for the outer eastern suburbs are intolerable and the government must step up and explain why the concerns of its outer east residents are continually ignored.

Meanwhile, amateur sleuths and worried voters continue look for more clues behind The Case of The Missing Rail Line.  We have established this is a matter of criminal neglect.