Federal and State Labor Governments would provide $15 million to expand car parking at Tarneit train station in Melbourne’s west, to respond to a forecasted doubling of the local population over the next 13 years.
Shadow transport and infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese met with Federal Labor’s candidate for Lilley Anika Wells at Tarneit on Monday, to announce the commitment.
The announcement comes a month out from Victoria’s state election, where Labor will look to maintain power, and ahead of a federal election which must take place before May 2019, where Labor will look to overthrow the Coalition Government.
Albanese said Federal Labor would make a $7.5 million contribution to the car parking upgrade from its $300 million National Park and Ride Fund, which is to provide new or expanded car parks at public transport hubs.
“Public transport isn’t just about the train line or bus route itself. It’s also about the surrounding infrastructure that makes it work for local residents,” Albanese said.
Albanese said extremely strong population growth, triggered in part by the completion of Regional Rail, means the station’s existing 1000-space carpark is now full by 7.30am each weekday.
This results in commuters causing more congestion and inconvenience to local residents when they are forced to park in surrounding streets and walk to the station.
The Federal Labor funding, matched by Victorian Labor, would be enough to deliver up to 400 more spaces.
“We’ll not only invest in new public transport services, but also deliver practical measures to help commuters get to work with minimum fuss, including through our new Park and Ride Fund,” Albanese said.
Federal member for Lalor Joanne Ryan said the Federal Coalition Government was ‘consumed by chaos’, while Labor was focused on positive plans.
“I know how important the issue of car parking is to locals in my community,” Ryan said.
“People want to catch the train to work. Governments need to work together to make that easier.
“When last in government, Labor built the Regional Rail Link, demonstrating that people want to use public transport in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs. If elected, Labor will again look after the residents of Melbourne’s outer western suburbs by making sure that they have access to public transport.”