Article: $8.5b rail tunnel to rescue us from gridlock

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$8.5b rail tunnel to rescue us from gridlock

$8.5b rail tunnel to rescue us from gridlock
Article from: Herald Sun

Geraldine Mitchell

November 21, 2008 12:00am

THE Brumby Government wants an $8.5 billion rail tunnel between Melbourne's west and southeast to get the city moving again.

The Herald Sun can reveal the 17km metro-style tunnel from Footscray to Caulfield will be the big ticket item in the Government's Innovative Transport Plan to be revealed early next month.

In its much-anticipated transport blueprint, the Government will also back construction of the Tarneit Link, a new rail line between West Werribee and Sunshine, costing $1.5 billion.

But the allocation of at least $5 billion in federal funding will determine when the rail tunnel can be built.

The Herald Sun believes the Brumby Government wants to start construction in about six years, in line with recommendations in international transport expert Sir Rod Eddington's East-West Needs Assessment report.

But concerns over whether Victoria will get its promised funding from the Rudd Government could delay the project for at least 10 years, causing chaos on our rail system.

Metlink chief executive Bernie Carolan said there would be no excuse for the Brumby Government to not go ahead with the rail tunnel.

"We simply have to find a way to fund it," he said.

"Ideally it's funded cooperatively between state and federal (governments) but it is going to be needed because the train system is running just too close to capacity. It has to remain top of the priority and somehow or another a solution to the funding issue needs to be found."

Premier John Brumby is believed to be nervous about Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's promise at the Council of Australian Government meeting last month.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan this month said the Federal Government would have to make "tough decisions" on state funding after the global financial crisis blew a $40 billion hole in the Budget.

Mr Rudd later said in Melbourne he could not guarantee Victoria would get its fair share of the $20 billion Building Australia fund.

Sources told the Herald Sun the State Government does not want to release its blueprint without first securing funding for the projects.

Sir Rod said more tolls on roads, registration levies, property taxes and fare rises were among ways his recommended $18 billion projects could be delivered. Public transport projects could be funded by a levy on fares.