Media Release: Delivering faster travel and better connectivity to the Mornington Peninsula

The Turnbull Government will invest $225 million towards the electrification and duplication of the rail line from Frankston to Baxter to ensure commuters on the Mornington Peninsula can get home to their families sooner and have access to more opportunities.

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said the funding, announced in the Federal Budget last week, forms part of the Turnbull Government’s record $75 billion investment in key infrastructure including more than $20 billion for Victoria.

“This $225 million commitment builds on a previous commitment made by the Turnbull Government at the 2016 federal election to undertake a business case,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The $4 million business case is already underway and is expected to be completed in early 2019.

“It follows the strong advocacy of the Member for Dunkley Chris Crewther, who has fought for years for this upgrade to benefit his community.”

Mr Crewther said the city-shaping project would duplicate and electrify the rail line from Frankston to Baxter on the Mornington Peninsula.

“This project has been on the cards for about 100 years for our community and the Turnbull Government is making it a reality,” Mr Crewther said.

“This will enable high-capacity metropolitan electric trains to operate on the rail line, increasing capacity, slashing travel times and improving service reliability for our community and taking cars off our roads.

“This will better connect commuters on the Mornington Peninsula, bringing them closer to more employment opportunities as well as educational and health facilities.”

These investments can only be made because of the Turnbull Government’s strong Budget management.

By getting the budget under control, the Liberal and Nationals Government is able to invest in the critical infrastructure that will make a real difference to the lives of all Australians.