Schools, roads, rail and buses

By Callan Date
EDUCATION and public transport are the big winners in Casey after the State Budget was announced on Tuesday.
A new primary and secondary school will be built in the Berwick South area and Hallam train station will undergo major improvements.
Motorists will also be delighted with a $22 million commitment to duplicate Thompsons Road between Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road and South Gippsland Highway.
A $500,000 Labor election commitment to help fund a community sports stadium in the Timbarra Estate has also been made available in the budget.
However, the promised Timbarra Secondary College will have to wait at least another year with no money allocated for the new school.
Both Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan and Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley said they were delighted with what the budget will offer Casey residents.
“I am very pleased that $3 million has been committed in the budget for the construction of 200 extra car park spaces at Hallam Railway Station,” Ms Graley said.
“This was my election commitment to the community and it will make life much easier for many of Casey’s commuters and train users,” she said.
Mr Donnellan was equally impressed with the Hallam train station funding.
“It’s marvellous. It will certainly improve the capacity for people to park there and get a train,” Mr Donnellan said.
“Tenders will be put out and works will start in the last quarter of this year,” he said.
Families will also welcome the $7.9 million announcement to build the new Berwick South Primary School, near the Eden Rise Shopping Centre.
“Schools in growth areas such as Narre Warren South are a top priority for the government,” Ms Graley said.
Ms Graley said she was also convinced Casey Central Secondary College was now a reality.
“With this budget announcement I am confident that development of Casey Central Secondary College is now well on its way,” she said.
She said some the $35 million allocated for the purchase of land to build new schools across Victoria would be used on the Casey Central school.
Low-income families with preschoolers will also benefit from a $29 million allocation to increase the fee subsidy from $320 to $730.
This will result in preschool being free for families with health care cards, Ms Graley said.
Endeavour Hills residents will share in a slice of $4.9 million to upgrade several bus services in the area and the congested Pakenham train line is set for some reprieve.
Just under $40 million has been committed for stage one of the Dandenong Rail Corridor Triplication Project.
“Stage one of the project will provide housing for six trains at Cranbourne, which will create significant improvements on the busy Pakenham and Cranbourne lines by reducing the bottleneck at Cranbourne,” Ms Graley said.
“It’s a very good budget. There is some substantial funding for the City of Casey in general,” Mr Donnellan said.