❓ Update on transport projects in Swan Hills electorate, including bus services, road upgrades, Perth-Darwin highway planning, and a deferred Ellenbrook railway line due to insufficient demand.
AnsweredQoN 260Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TRANSPORT
PLANNING — SWAN HILLS
260. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the Minister for Transport:
The minister has visited my electorate countless times to
help solve many issues faced by my constituents, most of which were caused by
the neglect of the former Labor government. Can the minister please provide the
house with an update on the projects and plans for my electorate of Swan Hills
and the surrounding suburbs?
PLANNING — SWAN HILLS
260. Mr F.A. ALBAN to the Minister for Transport:
The minister has visited my electorate countless times to
help solve many issues faced by my constituents, most of which were caused by
the neglect of the former Labor government. Can the minister please provide the
house with an update on the projects and plans for my electorate of Swan Hills
and the surrounding suburbs?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Swan Hills
for his continued invites to his electorate. I enjoy our trips immensely. I
liked the last one in the minivan in particular, especially halfway through the
day once the driver learned how to use the air conditioner.
I noticed some very, very unkind and
misleading comments made in the house last night by the member for West Swan.
Like the member for Swan Hills I do not make unkind comments about the member
for West Swan. I am always grateful for the major role she played in delivering
government to us in 2008!
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : So is Gerry Hanssen!
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL : I am sure he is. The good thing is that the member for West
Swan is back in the brains trust.
There are three areas we can touch on to provide some
substance to the member for Swan Hills' question, one of which is
buses. As a result of the member's great representations for the people
of Ellenbrook, we have put on the 955 and the 956, which are the at-peak
10-minute services from Ellenbrook through to Bassendean and every alternate on
to Morley. That is becoming increasingly popular. It effectively provides a
direct link from Ellenbrook through to the railway line and Morley. That is
serviced by the 336 and the 334, which fan out into Ellenbrook. I noticed the
member for Midland chimed in last night about Aveley. The member for Swan Hills
insisted that we put on the 337 service to Aveley. I will quickly read to the
house from an article by Julian Wright in the Bullsbrook–Ellenbrook Advocate —
Route 337, a Monday to Saturday
service that will operate between the Ellenbrook transfer station and the town
centre via Aveley, was the result of months of talks between disgruntled
residents and Swan Hills MLA Frank Alban.
They clearly understand the important role that the member
for Swan Hills plays.
I turn to road infrastructure. It is raining road upgrades
out in the member for Swan Hill's area. As I understand it, work is
starting on the very nasty intersection of Drumpellier Drive and Gnangara Road.
We are also dualling that strip of road between Drumpellier Drive and Pinaster
Parade, if my memory serves me correctly, at a cost of $2.5 million for the
dualling and $1.5 million for the lights. If we turn right at Pinaster Parade
and head down to Lord Street, we learn that $8 million has now been allocated
to upgrade that road. The funds have been topped up as a result of the Minister
for Police's efforts to get red-light and speed-camera money into road
safety. An amount of $8 million has been allocated to upgrade that very
dangerous intersection of Lord Street and Reid Highway. Recently we were at the
intersection of Gnangara Road and West Swan Road; it is a pain in the
proverbial for a lot of local residents. Thanks to the efforts of the member
for Swan Hills, the government will make a $1.5 million contribution to the
City of Swan to put in a roundabout. The list goes on but I will not bore the
house. We will do work at Toodyay Road, Swan Christian College et cetera. We
are also advancing very quickly with the planning of the Perth–Darwin
highway. Every time I travel out there and have a coffee at the Dome, people
are particularly interested —
Ms R. Saffioti : Where's the Perth–Darwin
highway going to be built?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
That is why we are doing planning. That is the sort of thing the member for
West Swan should have done when she was in the brains trust with Alan
Carpenter, pulling the chain on the early election—brilliant!
The Perth–Darwin highway is moving forward.
Finally, I refer to the Labor Party's favourite issue—the
railway line to Ellenbrook. The analysis we have had done states that in 2031
as many people would use that entire railway line as currently get on the train
at Murdoch train station. In other words, we are not building it at the moment
because demand does not sustain the investment.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Why
did you promise to build it?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
We promised to build it because we thought the former Labor government would
have done the work.
The people in Swan Hills can take great comfort from the work
of the member for West Swan. The article in the Ellenbrook Advocate states that she —
... confirmed to The Advocate she
would review all issues in the suburb—including transport.
''I am working with the
Shadow Transport spokesman Ken Travers to develop our public transport plan for
Ellenbrook,'' Ms Saffioti said.
... part of the 50 to 100-year
vision included a new rail line to Ellenbrook.
The member for Swan Hills can go out there next week and say,
''I have got good news for you. Between 2062 and 2112, you will get a railway line in Ellenbrook!''
for his continued invites to his electorate. I enjoy our trips immensely. I
liked the last one in the minivan in particular, especially halfway through the
day once the driver learned how to use the air conditioner.
I noticed some very, very unkind and
misleading comments made in the house last night by the member for West Swan.
Like the member for Swan Hills I do not make unkind comments about the member
for West Swan. I am always grateful for the major role she played in delivering
government to us in 2008!
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : So is Gerry Hanssen!
Mr
T.R. BUSWELL : I am sure he is. The good thing is that the member for West
Swan is back in the brains trust.
There are three areas we can touch on to provide some
substance to the member for Swan Hills' question, one of which is
buses. As a result of the member's great representations for the people
of Ellenbrook, we have put on the 955 and the 956, which are the at-peak
10-minute services from Ellenbrook through to Bassendean and every alternate on
to Morley. That is becoming increasingly popular. It effectively provides a
direct link from Ellenbrook through to the railway line and Morley. That is
serviced by the 336 and the 334, which fan out into Ellenbrook. I noticed the
member for Midland chimed in last night about Aveley. The member for Swan Hills
insisted that we put on the 337 service to Aveley. I will quickly read to the
house from an article by Julian Wright in the Bullsbrook–Ellenbrook Advocate —
Route 337, a Monday to Saturday
service that will operate between the Ellenbrook transfer station and the town
centre via Aveley, was the result of months of talks between disgruntled
residents and Swan Hills MLA Frank Alban.
They clearly understand the important role that the member
for Swan Hills plays.
I turn to road infrastructure. It is raining road upgrades
out in the member for Swan Hill's area. As I understand it, work is
starting on the very nasty intersection of Drumpellier Drive and Gnangara Road.
We are also dualling that strip of road between Drumpellier Drive and Pinaster
Parade, if my memory serves me correctly, at a cost of $2.5 million for the
dualling and $1.5 million for the lights. If we turn right at Pinaster Parade
and head down to Lord Street, we learn that $8 million has now been allocated
to upgrade that road. The funds have been topped up as a result of the Minister
for Police's efforts to get red-light and speed-camera money into road
safety. An amount of $8 million has been allocated to upgrade that very
dangerous intersection of Lord Street and Reid Highway. Recently we were at the
intersection of Gnangara Road and West Swan Road; it is a pain in the
proverbial for a lot of local residents. Thanks to the efforts of the member
for Swan Hills, the government will make a $1.5 million contribution to the
City of Swan to put in a roundabout. The list goes on but I will not bore the
house. We will do work at Toodyay Road, Swan Christian College et cetera. We
are also advancing very quickly with the planning of the Perth–Darwin
highway. Every time I travel out there and have a coffee at the Dome, people
are particularly interested —
Ms R. Saffioti : Where's the Perth–Darwin
highway going to be built?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
That is why we are doing planning. That is the sort of thing the member for
West Swan should have done when she was in the brains trust with Alan
Carpenter, pulling the chain on the early election—brilliant!
The Perth–Darwin highway is moving forward.
Finally, I refer to the Labor Party's favourite issue—the
railway line to Ellenbrook. The analysis we have had done states that in 2031
as many people would use that entire railway line as currently get on the train
at Murdoch train station. In other words, we are not building it at the moment
because demand does not sustain the investment.
Mr B.S. Wyatt : Why
did you promise to build it?
Mr T.R. BUSWELL :
We promised to build it because we thought the former Labor government would
have done the work.
The people in Swan Hills can take great comfort from the work
of the member for West Swan. The article in the Ellenbrook Advocate states that she —
... confirmed to The Advocate she
would review all issues in the suburb—including transport.
''I am working with the
Shadow Transport spokesman Ken Travers to develop our public transport plan for
Ellenbrook,'' Ms Saffioti said.
... part of the 50 to 100-year
vision included a new rail line to Ellenbrook.
The member for Swan Hills can go out there next week and say,
''I have got good news for you. Between 2062 and 2112, you will get a railway line in Ellenbrook!''
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