Under-funded’ Labor plan to remove level crossings

    ANNIKA SMETHURST
    News Limited
    April 12, 2014
    Herald Sun.

LABOR’S election promise to remove 50 of Melbourne’s worst level crossings for $6 billion is in disarray after one of Daniel Andrews’ factional allies admitted it will cost more than $8 billion.      :-?

In his submission to the Linking Melbourne Authority’s public hearing on the comprehensive impact statement prepared for construction of the East West Link project, Opposition spokesman for planning, major projects and infrastructure Brian Tee argues $8 billion can be spent to remove 48 level crossings.

He bases his submission on an average upgrade cost of $140 million to $165 million per crossing upgrade.

But Labor had previously pledged to remove 50 level crossings within eight years for between $5 billion and $6 billion, or about $120 million each.

The Opposition says it will pay for the crossing upgrades by selling the Port of Melbourne.

The Government has previously criticised the plan saying it didn’t believe it was possible to remove 50 crossings in eight years, and that it would cost more than $8.5 billion to complete the project.

Minister for Roads Terry Mulder said Mr Tee’s submission undermined Labor’s signature transport policy.

“Daniel Andrews has been running around saying his policy will cost five to six billion, when his own shadow minister now says it will cost more than eight billion,” Mr Mulder said.

“Thanks to Brian Tee, Daniel Andrews must now admit there is a colossal black hole in his transport policy.”

Mr Mulder said one of the most significant costs involved in grade separations is the construction of retaining walls and bridges, which can cost more than $20 million alone.

But Opposition spokesman Chris Owner said the Government was attempting to avoid scrutiny of its $8 billion tunnel project.      :(

“Mr Napthine doesn’t like Labor’s plan to remove 50 of the most dangerous grade separations because it will improve our train lines and free up our roads and it should be the number one priority for Victoria - not his $8 billion tunnel,” Mr Owner said.      ;)

What a good idea it is.  Get rid of 50 primitive level crossings.      [smiley=thumbsup.gif]    

Many of Melbourne's level crossings date from the 19th century. You can imagine what it was like then - a train steaming into the outer suburban terminus of Essendon, with a man sitting in a booth at the level crossing waiting for the signal so he could run out and close it, with a few horses waiting on the dirt roads for the train to pass.

120 years later, and level crossings are everywhere, causing congestion throughout Melbourne at peak hour - and in some places all day. They are also dangerous. Every couple of months a level crossing somewhere in Melbourne claims a life, either the driver of a vehicle or an incautious pedestrian.

They also slow the movement of trains, with some train lines at capacity.

Getting rid of level crossings is a sound policy. Who cares really if the exact cost hasn't been worked out yet? It could cost several million dollars just to prepare an engineers' report on all the sites so a cost estimate can be made. Such reports cannot be prepared easily by a party in Opposition.

The Baillieu/Napthine government have also embarked on the removal of three level crossings, allocating funds for the removal of nine in total. Eight of these are in Liberal seats.

Major delays after train kills woman in Melbourne's south-east

Date
    March 11, 2014


There will be major delays to peak-hour train services on the Cranbourne train line after a woman in her 70s was killed as she crossed train tracks in Melbourne's south-east.      :(

Trains were replaced by buses between Westall and Dandenong on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line after the woman was killed by an express train at a level crossing in Springvale shortly after 3pm on Tuesday.

Metro said that while trains had resumed running around 5.45pm there would continue to be major delays.

"We are still anticipating major delays of 30 minutes as we get drivers back in position to run services," Metro said.



Police believe the woman was crossing the tracks at Springvale Road when she was struck by a city-bound express train.      

Emergency services were called but the woman died at the scene.      :(

Vicroads said Lightwood Road, Springvale had reopened around 5.45pm after being closed due to the incident.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/major-delays-after-train-kills-woman-in-melbournes-southeast-20140311-34jqp.html#ixzz2yifvL4Kl

big deal...

im pretty sure that there's more important things to spend our money on...  ::)

try our health system for instance...

and they are going to pay for it how??

by selling off OUR assets?

they don't have my permission to sell off MY assets..

once again Labor will put us further into debt like they did the last time that they were in...

maybe they'll build some more white elephants like the Desalinisation plant or the North South dust pipe...  ::)

wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 9:59am:

Major delays after train kills woman in Melbourne's south-east Date     March 11, 2014 There will be major delays to peak-hour train services on the Cranbourne train line after a woman in her 70s was killed as she crossed train tracks in Melbourne's south-east.      :( Trains were replaced by buses between Westall and Dandenong on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line after the woman was killed by an express train at a level crossing in Springvale shortly after 3pm on Tuesday.

I live in this area.

As it happened, we were driving towards that level crossing at around 3.20 pm; the traffic had banked back more than usual and it struck me that something was wrong. I told the driver to turn left at the next road and we found our way around the incident. It turned out to be a very smart move. On the way back about two hours later, the traffic in the area was atrocious, and only after we put the radio on did we find out about the accident.

This level crossing has claimed several lives. Another time I was approaching the crossing on a train when the train was halted a couple of stations before the crossing due to an incident that had just happened. Our train was the first service disrupted by the incident. It took 45 minutes for replacement buses to arrive. When we got to the crossing, the body of the pedestrian that had been killed by a train was still in the middle of the crossing.

This level crossing is currently being removed and the works are nearing completion. It is the only level crossing in a Labor-held seat that is being considered for removal by the Liberals. The Labor government that will be elected in November will (hopefully) not use the removal of level crossings for pork barrelling as the Liberals have done, but use more objective criteria for assessing the priority.

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 10:00am:

big deal...

Why is the value of a human life worth less at level crossings than it is when installing home insulation? Wake up!

Bam wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 10:15am:

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:00am: big deal... Why is the value of a human life worth less at level crossings than it is when installing home insulation? Wake up!

if you are taking money out of Health you will kill innocent people....

people who drive in front of trains are doing so by their own stupidity....

call it natural selection...

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 10:24am:

Bam wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:15am: True Blue... wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:00am: big deal... Why is the value of a human life worth less at level crossings than it is when installing home insulation? Wake up! if you are taking money out of Health you will kill innocent people.... people who drive in front of trains are doing so by their own stupidity.... call it natural selection...

Typical vapid argument from the right, who can't understand the value of a human life. You haven't answered my question. Typical.

Maybe if you could think, you would understand why removing level crossings is a good policy.

If it's bad policy, why has just about every government in Victoria in the past 40 years removed level crossings in various places all over Melbourne?

As for why we should remove level crossings, consider how much money is wasted every week in lost productivity with people sitting at level crossings. Waiting 20 minutes for a dozen trains to pass is not unusual in peak hour. It costs the Victorian economy hundreds of millions of dollars a year in lost productivity.

I think its something you can chip away at slowly...

but putting us into massive debt on top of debt the last Labor government left us with is not the way to do it...

Labor has never been able to Balance the Budget and ALWAYS leave government in debt when voted out....

next time will be no different..

and I tell you what... if we have to increase tax or make cuts to pay back labors debt you'll be the first one to piss and moan about it

wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 9:17am:

What a good idea it is.  Get rid of 50 primitive level crossings.      [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

did u ever READ the OP you posted????

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 10:00am:

once again Labor will put us further into debt like they did the last time that they were in...

Daniel Andrews has rejected the claim Labor left the state's finances in ruin.

He says Mr Baillieu himself said Victoria was in a good position, shortly after taking Government.

"After he received his initial briefings from the Department of Treasury and Finance he came out and spoke to the media, this is back in December, and said that the state's finances were sound," he said.

"[Mr Baillieu said] that the budget was in strong surplus and the finances were sound.

"It now suits his political purposes to come and and invent and scaremonger about black holes.

"There are no black holes."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-09/baillieu-defends-record-after-100-days-in-office/2665488

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 10:36am:

I think its something you can chip away at slowly... but putting us into massive debt on top of debt the last Labor government left us with is not the way to do it... Labor has never been able to Balance the Budget and ALWAYS leave government in debt when voted out.... next time will be no different.. and I tell you what... if we have to increase tax or make cuts to pay back labors debt you'll be the first one to piss and moan about it

This whole post is complete rubbish, which you would know if you had any idea of the policy details.

This project is to be funded by the sale of the Port of Melbourne.

Bam wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 9:26pm:

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:36am: I think its something you can chip away at slowly... but putting us into massive debt on top of debt the last Labor government left us with is not the way to do it... Labor has never been able to Balance the Budget and ALWAYS leave government in debt when voted out.... next time will be no different.. and I tell you what... if we have to increase tax or make cuts to pay back labors debt you'll be the first one to piss and moan about it This whole post is complete rubbish, which you would know if you had any idea of the policy details. This project is to be funded by the sale of the Port of Melbourne.

like I said... they have no authority to see our Port.. so the only way it can be done is to put us further in debt like they did with other useless projects the last time that they were in...

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 9:30pm:

Bam wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 9:26pm: True Blue... wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:36am: I think its something you can chip away at slowly... but putting us into massive debt on top of debt the last Labor government left us with is not the way to do it... Labor has never been able to Balance the Budget and ALWAYS leave government in debt when voted out.... next time will be no different.. and I tell you what... if we have to increase tax or make cuts to pay back labors debt you'll be the first one to piss and moan about it This whole post is complete rubbish, which you would know if you had any idea of the policy details. This project is to be funded by the sale of the Port of Melbourne. like I said... they have no authority to see our Port.. so the only way it can be done is to put us further in debt like they did with other useless projects the last time that they were in...

You are still posting rubbish. Don't bother. Next time, check your facts before posting.

The Labor party left a budget surplus for the Liberals - which the Liberals promptly wrecked by delivering deficits. Despite your lies to the contrary, Labor left the budget in very good shape and consistently ran surplus budgets during the 11 years they were in office. The Liberals delivered three deficits out of four budgets, and if they didn't cook the books last year they would have had four deficits in four years.

Bam wrote on Apr 13^th, 2014 at 9:26pm:

True Blue... wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:36am: I think its something you can chip away at slowly... but putting us into massive debt on top of debt the last Labor government left us with is not the way to do it... Labor has never been able to Balance the Budget and ALWAYS leave government in debt when voted out.... next time will be no different.. and I tell you what... if we have to increase tax or make cuts to pay back labors debt you'll be the first one to piss and moan about it This whole post is complete rubbish, which you would know if you had any idea of the policy details. This project is to be funded by the sale of the Port of Melbourne.

LOL... you mean the PRIVATISATION OF STATE ASSETS that you oppose so vehemently when done by liberals?

longweekend58 wrote on Apr 14^th, 2014 at 8:52am:

Bam wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 9:26pm: True Blue... wrote on Apr 13th, 2014 at 10:36am: I think its something you can chip away at slowly... but putting us into massive debt on top of debt the last Labor government left us with is not the way to do it... Labor has never been able to Balance the Budget and ALWAYS leave government in debt when voted out.... next time will be no different.. and I tell you what... if we have to increase tax or make cuts to pay back labors debt you'll be the first one to piss and moan about it This whole post is complete rubbish, which you would know if you had any idea of the policy details. This project is to be funded by the sale of the Port of Melbourne. LOL... you mean the PRIVATISATION OF STATE ASSETS that you oppose so vehemently when done by liberals?

Show me where I said that - or are you making up crap again just to derail the topic?