Allan government to spend an extra $727m on Metro Tunnel
The Allan government will splash an extra $727m to turn on and run train services through its $15bn Metro Tunnel in next week's state budget.
Flanked by 10 western suburbs MPs, Premier Jacinta Allan on Monday gave her first insight into what will be contained in the state budget – titled Focused On What Matters Most.
To be handed down on May 20, Treasurer Jaclyn Symes' first budget will include a $5bn public transport blitz.
But in a sign of the state's dire finances, only $825m of that $5bn package will be new money.
Of that, $727m will pave the way for turn up and go services for the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines – which run through the Metro Tunnel – to ensure that commuters can jump on a train every few minutes.
That cash injection is on top of the Metro Tunnel's already blown-out $15bn price tag.
But Premier Jacinta Allan said the extra funds don't equate to a new blow out because infrastructure funding is separate to service funding.
'If you think about … we've made capital investment that has seen thousands of workers work on this project over a number of years to get to the point where we can now in this year's budget fund the services … that will run through the Metro Tunnel,' she said.
Meanwhile, an extra $98.7m will go towards more services across the network including during peak times on the Werribee and Sandringham lines.
The remainder of the funds that were spruiked by Ms Allan on Monday was a $4bn commitment to redevelop Sunshine station and turn it into a transport 'super hub'.
That money, which had already been announced, includes a $2bn contribution from the federal Labor government towards the project.
The Sunshine super hub project has been hailed by Ms Allan as the key to delivering the long awaited Airport Rail project.
'Sunshine station is such an important gateway for the airport, for the western suburbs, for the city and for the regional trains as well, and this will transform Sunshine station into a transport super hub for suburban and country and airport rail trains,' Ms Allan said.
'It also paves the way, because it untangles the network, for future works to be able to deliver more services for the western suburbs.'
Once complete, the Sunshine super hub will be able to support more than 40 metropolitan and regional trains per hour, as well as trains from the Melton and Melbourne Airport lines.
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