By NICOLE WILLIAMS
Budget boost benefits travellers and keeps…
PAKENHAM has come out a winner in the State Government Budget with two major projects set to benefit residents.
A $9.4 million Cardinia Road upgrade and a $25 million upgrade to the Dandenong train line will improve transport services in Pakenham.
The Cardinia Road upgrade will include the duplication of the thoroughfare between the Princes Highway and Shearwater Drive, Pakenham.
Gembrook MP Brad Battin said the Cardinia Road project would ease congestion and provide safe cycling and pedestrian access to Cardinia Road Railway Station.
“This duplication is a vital piece of infrastructure for the rapidly growing communities of Officer and Pakenham,” he said.
“Not only will it significantly improve traffic flow, it will also ensure pedestrians and cyclists have a safe place to cross the road to access Cardinia Road Railway Station, Lakeside Primary School and the new shopping centre in Devonia Park.”
Eastern Victorian Region MP Edward O’Donohue said the duplication would help with future traffic increases.
“With further development planned for Officer and the Cardinia Road Employment Precinct, it is important this infrastructure is delivered before traffic increases and thousands more people are reliant on the road,” Mr O’Donohue said.
“This will significantly improve traffic flow and the safety of commuters and residents in the area.”
Pakenham public transport users are also set to see significant upgrades to their services, after $25 million was committed over the next four years for upgrades to the Dandenong line.
Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the funding dedicated in the State Budget to the Dandenong rail corridor would significantly improve public transport services for residents who live along the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
The upgrades will include additional morning and afternoon peak services.
“For residents living beyond Dandenong on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines, off peak frequencies will be improved to every 20 minutes – a huge improvement from the current 30 minutes off peak frequency,” Mr Mulder said.
Mr Mulder added that the Dandenong corridor is one of the busiest on the network with more than 65,000 passenger trips on a typical weekday.
“These additional peak services and increased frequency in the off peak will reduce waiting times for passengers and provide greater flexibility for those travelling on the line,” he said.
In addition to these improvements planned for 2014 timetable upgrades, PTV’s rail plan also sets out to increase capacity on the Dandenong rail corridor with new, high capacity trains that can carry more than 1100 passengers and eventually up to 1600 passengers.
