Moonee Valley welcomes train station support

Moonee Valley City Council has applauded the news that a long-awaited train station for Airport West has taken a giant leap forward.

Mayor Samantha Byrne said the commitment by Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll and Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten that they were supportive of the project was a strong sign of hope for local residents. Minister Carroll told Parliament last week there would never be a better opportunity to connect Melbourne’s northwest to Victoria’s rail network than through the Melbourne Airport rail line.

“This means we now have all three tiers of Government fully ‘on board’ the proposal for a station – the next step is to make it happen as soon as possible,” Mayor Byrne said.

Moonee Valley has been advocating for a Western Gateway Station as a priority project for years.  The Moonee Valley community and Council have been working hard to demonstrate the case to include in their airport rail project.  We have met with Members of Parliament in the State and Federal Government across all parties to seek support for our train station and residents have told us loud and clear a train station would have an enormous impact on their opportunities and well-being.

Mayor Byrne said a Western Gateway station would also benefit the environment.

“Residents in the area can take more than an hour to reach Melbourne’s CBD via the tram and bus services yet it is only located 13 km away.  This means it could be quicker for Geelong residents to reach Melbourne than people in Airport West – and many local residents tell us they simply have to drive in order to make better use of their time.

“Suburbs around Airport West and Keilor East also provide a large part of the workforce that services Melbourne airport and its surrounding industries.  A station would give these workers the opportunity to help reduce emissions by catching the train to work instead of having to drive.”

Mayor Byrne thanked Minister Carroll and Minister Shorten for their announcement and for work they would be doing  behind the scenes to ensure the Western Gateway Station moved from a goal to reality.

She urged any candidate considering running in the upcoming State election to be fully committed to supporting the much needed train station.

“Moonee Valley residents have been patient as we have seen newer suburbs develop and secure a train station for their residents.  We expect all candidates to add their absolute commitment to delivery of a train station so we can enjoy an essential service that has been flagged for our community for almost 40 years,” Mayor Byrne said.