Article: Get set for crush hour in the west

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Get set for crush hour in the west

Get set for crush hour in the west

    * Ashley Gardiner
    * From: Herald Sun
    * March 30, 2011 10:21PM

THE State Government has been issued with a blunt warning: Buy more trains or face a commuter crush.

This year's Budget will need $260 million for more trains to avoid overcrowding in the western suburbs, Ballarat and Geelong, transport officials say.

The Baillieu Government has described the oversight by the former Labor government as a black hole in the Regional Rail Link project.

Transport officials have told the Government 34 additional carriages will be needed to provide services on a new line through the west.

But the previous government had not allocated the millions that would be needed to run services on the $4.3 billion Regional Rail Link, from Werribee to the city via Deer Park.

Over the next five years, patronage is expected to double, but capacity will increase by only two-thirds.

The Government has been warned that if the trains aren't bought, Ballarat services will be 8 per cent overcrowded, while Geelong trains will be a crushing 33 per cent over-full.

But even if the Government goes ahead, bureaucrats expect commuters to be standing all the way from Wyndham Vale, near Werribee, into the city.

A second-best option to buy 20 carriages and save $85 million, would lead to overcrowding to Geelong in peak hour, and V/Line would be forced to keep ageing trains in service.

The extra money is also needed for train storage facilities and modifications to the existing fleet.

Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the shortfall of carriages was on top of a previously identified $880 million blowout in costs for the project.

"The latest $259.4 million black hole brings the cost of Labor's ineptitude with the RRL to a staggering $1139.4 million," he said.

"The Coalition has always been supportive of the benefits of the Regional Rail Link, but we had no idea of the massive budget black hole left behind by failing to provide funding for a single additional train carriage."

"What's the point of Labor promoting a new rail line when there are no new trains to use it?"

Opposition public transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said Labor committed to buying 20 trains before the election.

She said Mr Mulder was "inventing" reasons to avoid standing up for regional Victoria.