During the Federal election we had political promises from Labor, Liberal and Greens about upgrading the Upfield Line. But none of them asked about the 2016 Somerton Link Report which likely has all the technical details and costings for the work involved. And the State Government is sitting on this report, refusing to make it public.
So here we have the 3 promises:
- $2 million by Federal Liberals for a scoping Report
- $7 million by Federal Labor for upgrade planning of Upfield and Craigieburn lines
- $600 million by the Greens to build the Upfield line upgrade and extension
Don’t forget that Jacinta Allan promised in 2018 a 70% increase in capacity when Metro Tunnel Opens. Anthony Cianflone also promised in 2022 a 71% increase in capacity when Metro Tunnel opens.
In September 2024 the Public Transport Users Association called for the duplication of the Upfield line between Gowrie and Upfield to end this bottleneck, so that when Metro Tunnel opens, a more frequent service on the line can be delivered.
In August 2023 we put a list of questions on Upfield Upgrade to Broadmeadows MP Kathleen Matthews Ward. Few answers have been forthcoming.
Labor promises $7.05 million for upgrade of Upfield and Craigieburn lines
Looking through the Federal Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King’s media releases we eventually found the item about upgrading the northern lines in a press release from 26 February titled Albanese Labor Government building Victoria’s future . It’s a single line item towards the end:
- “$7.05 million towards planning for Melbourne Northern Suburbs rail upgrades;”
On April 9 Peter Khalil announced on a Facebook video reel an election promise of $7 million Federal Funding for “the plan, design and scheduling for upgrades, electrification and duplication of the line”
Its not very clear what “plan design and scheduling” exactly covers. Does it cover extension to Craigieburn? Extension to Wallan? Why is there no mention of the $5 million Somerton Link Report produced in 2016 by the State Government? It also seems this money covers upgrading the Craigieburn line.
The description of this video says:
“CYMI: Last month, Federal and State Labor announced a $7m investment into upgrading train services along the Upfield and Craigieburn lines.
As someone who has utilised both lines over many years, I know that reliable, frequent services can make or break your whole day.
That’s why Labor is investing in our community’s transport future, exploring the best ways to upgrade the lines for generations to come – whether that’s duplication, further level crossing removal, electrification and more.”
In another video reel post on April 23 the description said “Federal and State Labor has announced a $7 million investment into upgrading train services along the Upfield and Craigieburn lines! Labor’s investment into our community’s transport future is the first step towards possibly duplicating, removing level crossings, electrification or more across both lines”
So it appears this $7 million also applies to both the Upfield and Craigieburn line, and it uses the weasel word POSSIBLY. So no guarantee exactly what will be delivered.
It seems this $7 million is for planning and design for duplication and extension, but no more details have been supplied including the timeline for the works. (Let us hope its not like the Upfield Bike Path extension funded in the State budget in 2018 and still waiting for work to commence)
If you remember the State Budget in 2016 listed $5 million for the completed Somerton Link Report that probably outlines all the work that needs to be done for duplication and extension to Craigieburn. (See Sustainable Fawkner report) This report has not been made public even when the Minister was requested to release it in 2018. Have the State MPs requested to see this report? Why won’t they release it publicly?
Just to be clear: Jacinta Allan, when she was Infrastructure Minister, promised in 2018 a 70% increase in capacity for the Upfield Line when Metro tunnel opens in 2025, and Anthony Cianflone reiterated this promise at the 2022 State election.
Federal Liberal Party promises scoping study
This announcement follows an offer on March 20 of Federal Government funding of $2 million for a scoping study by the Liberal Party for :
- Extending and electrifying the Upfield Line to Wallan
- Examining new stations at Beveridge and Cloverton, to support the regions rapid residential, commercial and industrial development.
- Duplicating and upgrading the Upfield rail line between Gowrie and Upfield Stations; and
- Removing constraints and improving capacity, frequency and reliability for the Upfield and Craigieburn lines.
Greens Commit to Upfield extension
On April 16 the Greens announced they would push for Federal funding of $600 million to duplicate and extend the Upfield Line. Nice Promise, although they dont control the Treasury strings.
What we need
- We need the State Government to release the 2016 Somerton Link Report
- We need the Premier and State Labor MPs to keep their commitment for a 70% increase in capacity on the Upfield line when Metro Tunnel Opens.
- We need an end to the bullshit and a real commitment to duplicate the Upfield line between Gowrie and Upfield, and extend it to Craigieburn, which will relieve capacity on trains using the Broadmeadows line.
- We need a prioritisation of electrification and extension of the suburban rail network to Wallan
- We need a 10 minute service on the Upfield line, with ours being one of the worst lines for service frequency in the Melbourne suburban rail network.
Please see our September 23, 2023 article: Demands for Upfield Line track duplication and line extension to Wallan grow, which explains the Rail Network Development Plan and the changing demographics, and the Northern Transport corridor capacity issues raised by Infrastructure Australia.
References
February 26, Federal Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King’s media release Albanese Labor Government building Victoria’s future. https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/albanese-labor-government-building-victorias-future
March 20, Facebook, Evan Mulholland announcement https://www.facebook.com/EvanMulhollandMP/posts/pfbid0gq2LYXSytBWZhw3Hsp2ZRv7ugzToasUTk1KYearQXmB3TG3kDXxBAzuHcGwJb389l
April 9, Facebook, Peter Khalil announcement https://www.facebook.com/reel/1007259130945665
April 23, Facebook, Peter Khalil announcement https://www.facebook.com/reel/976156957920981
April 16, Facebook, Samantha Ratnam announcement https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaRatnamGreens/posts/pfbid02nf2cHo6Pbb5tHxgvi39TaJMvPKYdCxkTNKcz8DvsPiYjVFEaL2M6My1AnejiU9fnl
Upgrade Upfield Line 