Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:30): I rise to celebrate a massive public transport win for Melbourne’s outer east, a transformation that is directly delivering safer roads and modern infrastructure and getting families home sooner. The complete removal of the dangerous level crossings at Coolstore Road in Croydon and Dublin Road in Ringwood East marks a massive milestone for our community. For decades local drivers were trapped at boom gates down for up to 23 minutes every morning peak. Today those boom gates are gone for good. The Belgrave–Lilydale line is now entirely level crossing free all the way to Ferntree Gully, and instead communities now have brand new modern transport hubs at Croydon and Ringwood East, complete with upgraded station facilities, better bus interchanges, better accessibility and safer pedestrian connections. The benefits do not end at making local roads less congested. The opening of the Metro Tunnel has fundamentally shaped our entire rail network. By untangling the city loop and untethering the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, we have freed up loads of extra rail capacity. For passengers on the Belgrave–Lilydale line this means more frequent, reliable services. We have removed bottleneck delays and expanded capacity, ensuring commuters spend less time stuck on platforms or waiting in traffic and more time at home with their families. The Carroll Labor government promised to slash congestion, rebuild our transport infrastructure and get Victorians home safer and faster. For the people of Croydon and Ringwood East, I am pleased to say that that promise has been delivered.