Rail upgrade welcome

South East Melbourne has welcome the pre-budget announcement of $572m to upgrade power and signals on the Cranbourne line, however it falls short of extending the rail line to Australia’s fastest growing suburb. Read more on the City of Casey's website.

Residential growth in South East Melbourne is outpacing even the most bullish expectations, with a growth rate among the fastest in the entire country. While in the past, residential growth has moved outwards along rail lines, development is now occurring so quickly that suburbs are springing up well beyond the end of the network, cutting new residents off from public transport. Car dependency in these suburbs has since become unsustainably high. In Clyde, more than 80% of households maintain two or more vehicles, with 1 in 5 households requiring 4 or more vehicles.

Extending the Cranbourne line to new outer suburbs will give residents a congestion-busting alternative to clogged local roads, ensure disadvantaged residents have affordable options and get locals back home to their families sooner.