I am reproducing the following content with permission from pt4me2, which has mapped the public transport promises made during the 2010 election campaign by the Baillieu team. Promises not mapped include:
  • Feasibility studies for rail extension to Rowville from Hungtingdale ($2 million), Doncaster Line, Melbourne Airport Rail Link and Avalon Airport Rail Link.
  • High speed rail access advocacy unit ($4m).
  • Independent Public Transport Development Authority ($10m).
  • 940 fully trained Victoria Police Protective Services Officers.


Click on each placemark/icon on the map to view the detail of each promise


View DRAFT: pt4me2 map of Ballieu public transport promises in a larger map

The majority of the above mapped promises are improvements (such as grade separations) to level crossings. I do not know why this map did not include the New Street level crossing in Brighton that was recently reported in the media (Ref 1), as this was apparently made as an election promise.

Other promises include the building of two new train stations, one at Southland Shopping Centre on the Frankston Line and the other on the Hurstbridge Line between Eltham and Diamond Creek Stations on Allendale Road, and the upgradings of Frankston, Ringwood and Syndal train stations.

With information from the Australian Level Crossings Assessment Model Report produced by the Department of Transport in 2008, I have modified the pt4me2 map a bit by including the assessed priority ranking that was recommended for each level crossing. Read my post on the rankings here. The New Street level crossing in Brighton/Hampton mentioned earlier was ranked 223 in priority (Ref 2).

As you can see from the map above, the spread of the promises is eastern-centric. Only one promise was made for the western/northern suburbs – the grade separation of Main Road at St Albans. This is despite 11 out of the top 20 level crossings requiring upgradings being located in the western and northern suburbs (refer to Table 1 in this post).

It is not surprising that in an interview with ABC 730 on 18th Mar 2011, demographer Bernalt Salt and Melton Council Mayor, Councillor Justin Mammarella expressed their concerns over the insufficient attention placed on rail developments in the western suburbs. The Transport Minister Terry Mulder had also given his response in this interview.