By NOEL MURPHY
GEELONG’S 160-year-old rail link with Werribee will disappear under the Regional Rail Link, with schools and college enrolment likely to be hit as some 2000 weekly trips are jeopardised.
The $5 billion project, adding two stations and 12km to the Geelong link with Melbourne, will bypass Werribee, stopping instead at new stations at Wyndham Vale and Tarneit.
The new stations are several kilometres from the town, requiring additional trips of at least 20 minutes from the central station to connect with the Geelong line.
The Public Transport Users Association has attacked the changes as poorly considered and likely to hit on enrolments at Geelong’s Gordon TAFE and Deakin University, both of which have targeted Werribee for students and new campuses.
PTUA Geelong convenor Paul Westcott said the RRL’s avoiding of Werribee and North Melbourne stops were serious setbacks to the rail network between Geelong and Melbourne.
“When they grabbed the money for this in 2008, they didn’t have a mature plan to apply that money to and that’s why you have these problems,” he told the Independent.
“It’s a shame. This is biggest public transport infrastructure project in Australia. It’s a shame all that money is being spent while there are obvious, fundamental problems with it.
“Whatever other advantages it might bring, it’s breaking up the network and it’s focussed on end to end and hasn’t accommodated people wanting to use its intermediate stops.”
Mr Westcott said Gordon and Deakin were both worried about their enrolments being savaged by cutting Werribee from the line.
“Deakin and Gordon have quite a few students who use the Werribee link,” he said.
“When they heard of the break they were not happy. If students don’t have the ability to use a car, rather than a bus, to get to Wyndham Vale, they could decide to take more convenient course and take the electric train from Werribee to Melbourne.
“At this stage we are not in a position to comment on how the planned Regional Rail Link changes will affect students currently travelling from Werribee station to Geelong,” a Gordon spokesperson said.
“Whilst plans for the future Wyndham Vale station include car parking, a bus interchange and taxi rank, frequency of trains and connecting buses have not yet been released.
“The project will not be completed for several years and more details and possible work around solutions will become available during this time.
“The RRL is being built amongst a massive growth area and this will provide greater access to Geelong for these residents. This includes students travelling to Gordon and Deakin.’’
Gordon plans to partner with Deakin University to establish a facility in the Wyndham region remained on track, the spokesperson said.
