Council refuses to accept NEITS Study.
On the 15th of April, Whittlesea Council discussed the
Department of Infrastructure's North East Integrated
Transport Study. With South Morang still proposed to be
built in 2021 and Mernda in 2027, every Councillor rose to
passionately refuse acceptance of the report and made the
resolution to take up the matter with the Minister for
Transport and Local MP's Danielle Green (Yan Yean) and Lily
D'Ambrosio (Mill Park). It was a fantastic event for local
residents to have their Council stand up and demand better
services from the Government. We wait in earnest to see what
results from their resolution.
Petrol rises to over $1.50 per litre
With petrol prices breaking the $1.50 barrier on the 16th
of April for the first time, the SMRA is calling on the
Government to extend the railway from Epping to South Morang
and Mernda immediately. According to the article “Petrol
Prices set to stabilise” in The Age (7/1/2003),
Melbourne’s average price of petrol was only 93 cents per
litre. This means that a tank of petrol for the average
family that drives a Holden Commodore (73 litre fuel tank)
has risen from $67.89 in 2003 to $109.50 in 2008. With no
railway in South Morang, Mernda, Whittlesea or Mill Park,
our local residents are feeling the pain in their back
pocket. Premier Brumby and the State Government must provide
a railway now as an alternative to driving for the local
residents to assist in relieving the financial burdens they
face.
FOI shows true cost to South Morang is only $18 million.
Thanks to Freedom of Information laws, the SMRA and The
Greens obtained a feasibility study in January written by
Parsons Brinckerhoff in regard to the extension of the
Epping Line to South Morang. In 2003, the study proves that
it would have only cost the State Government $18 million to
build the extension! This is despite the Government claiming
in 2006 that it would cost $348 million to build (Whittlesea
Leader 1/11/06). With the truth being exposed thanks to
Freedom of Information laws, the State Government has no
excuse but to build the extension now.
The official logo of the Alliance
This is the Official Logo of the South Morang Rail Alliance.
Epping station doesn't have to be the last stop on the
line
These are the sleepers at the end of the track at Epping
Station. The government has a massive surplus and could
easily remove them and extend the line to South Morang as
promised. Dont let this be the end of the line, help us get
the Train to South Morang! Follow the links on this home
page and email a politician with your opinion. Better yet,
why not show your support and join the Rail Alliance?
The official bumper sticker for the Alliance campaign
This bumper sticker was launched at the Public Meeting of
the Alliance on the 18 October 2005 and is designed to place
maximum presure on our local MPs Peter Batchelor, Lily
D'Ambrosio and Danielle Green to honour their 1999 promise
to extend the Epping line to South Morang. We are sick of
excuses and want the extension funded in the next state
budget.