RAIL users are at odds with the state government about the impact a new train station at Williams Landing will have on Point Cook’s peak-hour congestion.
Construction of the new $110 million train station and accompanying access road is taking shape, with the government expecting it to be operational in time for new timetables from April 2013.
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But Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen says drastically improved bus connections will be crucial if the station is to ease traffic in surrounding suburbs.
“History shows that it’s almost inevitable that even large car parks such as Williams Landing will quickly fill up.
“Currently most bus services in the area only run every 40 minutes – this is simply not good enough to provide a usable link to the station and get people out of their cars.
“Until frequent public transport is provided, areas like Point Cook will continue to be gridlocked at peak hours,” Mr Bowen said.
Bus routes 413 and 416, running from Hoppers Crossing to Laverton stations at 40-minute intervals, are the only buses servicing the Point Cook area.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said improvements to bus connections would be on the cards once new train timetables were known.
“Williams Landing is going to be a transport hub, not just a train station,” he said.
Point Cook commuter Peter Knight feared the new station would do little to ease traffic snarls and improve the train system. He said commuters would continue to clog the roads by driving to Laverton station to avoid more expensive zone 2 fares, or to Werribee station so they could get a seat on the train.
“I was at Werribee at 7am this morning and the car park was already overfull,” he said.
Builders have completed most of the platform and access infrastructure at Williams Landing and have started to fit out the elevated station building.
