Article: $4b rail, road fix

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

$4b rail, road fix

$4b rail, road fix
Article from: Herald Sun

Stephen McMahon

May 03, 2009 12:00am

A WHOPPING $4 billion will be spent speeding up key parts of the State Government's transport shake-up.

The Herald Sun can reveal that, despite world recession, tomorrow's State Budget will include record spending on transport as Premier John Brumby tackles overcrowding and delays on the rail network and tries to ease road congestion.

There had been fears the Government would delay some of the projects in its $38 billion transport plan announced last year as its finances took a massive hit in the face of falling revenue.

But the Premier and Treasurer John Lenders will unveil a list of almost 20 priority projects, with some to start within months.

They include:

THE $650 million purchase of 20 new X-trapolis trains, on top of the 18 previously promised.

$200 million for the electrification of the Sydenham to Sunbury line. Construction starts early-2010.

AN additional 14 weekly trains on the Maryborough-to-Ballarat line from next year.

ABOUT $400 million for the first phase of the massive $1.9 billion Metro ring-road project to link Melbourne's road networks, with work on the Sydney Rd-to-Tullamarine Freeway to begin this year.

$475 million to improve roads in some of the city's major suburban hubs, such as Broadmeadows and Ringwood.

The $4 billion funding will be split evenly between public transport and roads.

The Government's biggest road-building project is the already announced promise to build the $750 million Frankston bypass.

The Federal Government is expected to provide a further $1 billion-plus for Victoria's problem transport system at next weeks federal Budget.

But the Brumby Government is pushing ahead with its own transport building plan to win votes from frustrated commuters before next year's state election.

But with the global financial crisis causing a $2 billion drop in tax revenues from last year, Premier John Brumby's Government is going to have to borrow heavily to finance its transport plans.

This political gamble will increase the state's debt from $6 billion to $16 billion by 2012 an increase of $10 million a day over the next three years.

But Mr Brumby believes big spending on transport will help stave off the worst of the global recession.

The Government has also earmarked $560 million in this week's budget for the building of the Epping-to-South Morang rail line.

There will also be $150 million to build new railway stations along the busy train lines in the west and south-east of Melbourne.

And rural rail services will get almost $40 million to upgrade stations.

About $220 million will be spent on bus services, including the extension of the Yellow orbital bus from Frankston to Melbourne Airport. And the Dingley bypass in Dandenong is getting $74 million.

Low-emission vehicles, car pooling and cycling will also be encouraged with $27 million being allocated for green transport initiatives.

[dwb]

Disappointing that governments seem to think close to 50/50 splits in funding announcements for road/pt mean anything. After a history of underfunding PT and overfunding roads, this does nothing to actually improve anything, or change the status quo (more crap PT and more expensive roads). Boo!