A new V/Line railway station for Caroline Springs, set to open in 2016, is just a “Band-Aid fix”, according to the Cambridge Coburn Watts Residents Association.
Construction of the $55 million station in Ravenhall, between Deer Park and Rockbank stations on the Ballarat line and about a kilometre south of the Caroline Springs housing estate, will begin later this year, Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder said.
A Public Transport Victoria spokesperson said it would be “near” recently opened Christies Road, while bus routes could be extended between Watergardens station and Caroline Springs town centre to service the new station.
But residents’ association president Nathan Miles said the plan didn’t go far enough.
“The line needs to be duplicated and electrified,” he said.
“When it does happen, you’d have to build another platform, so surely it makes more sense doing it all in one hit.”
A single island platform with shelter and seats, security cameras, a taxi rank and bus bays, secure bicycle cage and facilities for protective services officers is planned.
Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said it was good news but a cost breakdown of the plan, and more detail on bus services needed to be released.
“We need to understand why it’s costing $55 million to build a station in what is essentially a greenfield site with supporting roadworks already undertaken,” he said.
