Public transport and roads

The Coalition Government is committed to ensuring that Victorians can rely on public transport to get to work on time and get back home to their families and friends at the end of the day. We will ensure proper planning to get value for money and we will fix the problems so that we have a 21st century public transport system that meets expectations.

After 11 years of Labor it is time to go back to basics.

We will improve the public transport system in these areas:

Safety – We will recruit 940 fully trained Victoria Police Protective Services Officers to provide protection at every railway station in the metropolitan area and in major regional centres.

Reliability – We will set up an independent Public Transport Development Authority to plan, co-ordinate and manage our public transport system and rescue our public transport system from the shambolic state it has become over the last 11 years.

Expansion – The independent Public Transport Development Authority will investigate and plan cost-effective ways to increase the area covered by our public transport system, including any development of rail to Doncaster, Rowville and Melbourne Airport.

Achievements and policies implemented in the first year of Coalition Government

Provided $609.5 million in asset funding in the 2011–12 Victorian Budget
Established the Public Transport Development Authority and commenced reviews into new rail lines to Melbourne Airport, Doncaster and Rowville and a feasibility study for the return of passenger trains between Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo
Signed the contract for the order of seven new trains and commenced the procurement process for the purchase of an additional 33 Next Generation trains in the next term of government
Gave 40 small regional councils a lifeline with $160 million to provide up to $1 million a year to help pay for long-neglected maintenance and restoration of local roads and bridges that serve as important local infrastructure links
Reinstated the bicycle ferry across the Yarra river during weekdays to transport cyclists riding to work
Restored clearway times in inner Melbourne so that local strip traders were no longer disadvantaged
Established a Taxi Industry Inquiry, led by Professor Allan Fels AO, to recommend and implement sweeping reforms to Victoria's troubled taxi industry
Began work to remove 12 level crossings in Melbourne and provided more than $47 million to install boom barriers and flashing lights at up to 75 country level crossings as well as commencing work on the Warragul railway precinct
Introduced new anti-hoon legislation with increased penalties and confiscation times along with crushing of repeated hoon cars and a new hoon offence for driving an overloaded car
Worked with Metro Trains Melbourne to improve on-time performance across the metropolitan train network as well as introduce 635 additional train trips a week in Melbourne
Extended 85 extra trains a week between Ballarat and Wendouree
Provided support for rail freight by announcing that in partnership with GrainCorp, the Coalition Government would reopen the Dimboola to Rainbow rail line for grain from January 2012 and in March and April 2011, temporarily reopened the Toolamba to Kyabram and Echuca rail freight branch line
Began planning to extend alternate Bendigo line V/Line trains to Eaglehawk or Epsom
Launch of the P Driver project – a world-first trial of a safety program for newly licensed drivers
Undertook speed limit review to ensure consistency of speed limits on the Victorian road network
Instigated an inquiry into motorcycle safety