METRONET — ARMADALE RAIL LINE
82. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Planning:
I
refer to the Minister for Planning's media release on 20 February
announcing another $2 billion spend on Metronet.
(1) When were the people of
Armadale consulted on the closure of their rail line for 18 months?
(2) Did the
minister receive advice from her department about the cost and benefits of keeping
the Armadale line open for a longer period; and —
(a) if yes, is a cost–benefit
analysis available to the public; and
(b) if not, why not?
(3) Has a cost–benefit
analysis been undertaken by the government on the impact of the closure on the efficiency
of urban transport more broadly; and —
(a) if yes, is that cost–benefit
analysis available to the public; and
(b) if not, why not?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) As announced in the media statement dated 20
February 2022, a number of different shutdown options were considered.
However, it was determined that other options, such as shorter, more frequent
shutdowns over a longer period would be more disruptive to the community over
the longer term. The announcement of the
closure was made one year before it was planned to occur, in order to allow for
extensive consultation with the community.