Ms THEOPHANOUS (Northcote): My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and I ask: what are the next steps in the Preston level crossing removal project? Boots are well and truly on the ground in Preston, and we are seeing remarkable progress towards removing four dangerous level crossings on the Mernda line—at Murray Road, Cramer Street, Oakover Road and the notorious Bell Street. We are bidding farewell to the old train stations, seeing thousands of tonnes of infrastructure craned in to make U-troughs, L-beams, super Ts, steel platforms and concrete slabs—not quite the whole alphabet, but close to it—and when it is complete we will have three MCGs worth of open space, 60 000 square metres of public recreational area that was not there before. There is something for everyone from playgrounds to fitness zones, a barbecue area to a yarning circle and, my personal favourite, a beautiful grassy amphitheatre next to Bell station. We will have safer, more connected and open, modern precincts for everyone to enjoy, and of course more trains more often.
