Dear Mr Battin,

My name is Samuel, and while I’m currently a student at Melbourne High School and not yet eligible to vote, I care deeply about the future of Victoria, especially our public transport system.

I’ve grown up in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and have seen firsthand how limited east-west public transport options are. That’s why I’m genuinely excited about the Suburban Rail Loop. It’s a bold, future-focused project that finally connects major suburbs, jobs, and education hubs like Monash, Box Hill, and Burwood without forcing everyone through the CBD.

Building the Suburban Rail Loop unlocks so many possibilities for people like me. In just a few years, I’ll be able to reach places like Deakin or Monash University by simply hopping on a fast, turn-up-and-go train from my local station — no long detours, no unreliable buses. The SRL also means we’ll be able to travel from Cheltenham to Melbourne Airport in under 55 minutes. That’s game-changing. Yes, we’re building Airport Rail, but that still requires going all the way into the CBD and changing trains, which can take well over two hours. And yes, there are buses and trams to universities, but they’re often delayed, overcrowded, or slow. The SRL fixes that. The travel time estimations have recently been released: people going to Cheltenham from Springvale can save 26 minutes! Going to Monash Medical Centre will take 16 minutes less! (Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLov51KPcDi/ On top of all this, the project has already created thousands of jobs, giving real people real opportunities.

As someone who generally supports conservative values, I’ve been surprised and disappointed to hear that the Liberal Party plans to cancel the SRL if elected in 2026. While I understand concerns about cost, cancelling the SRL at this stage would be an absolute waste of public funds. Contracts have been signed, tunnelling works will be underway as soon as next year, and jobs are being created. Scrapping it now would mean not only losing those jobs, but also spending even more money to unwind progress already made — including dismantling sites, cancelling TBM orders, and paying out contract penalties. We can't just suddenly stop tunnelling, leave thousands of people jobless and fill up the massive excavations that have already been done for the stations!

Infrastructure like this is a long-term investment. Cities around the world are building orbital lines to keep up with growth and improve quality of life. Melbourne Airport is one of the only airports in the developed world that doesn’t have an Airport Rail. I believe Victoria deserves the same kind of forward-thinking development.

I respectfully ask that you and the Liberal Party reconsider this stance. We need smart, efficient public transport more than ever — not just for us today, but for generations to come.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you’ll consider the views of young Victorians who are passionate about our state’s future.

Sincerely,

Samuel Lin

Year 9 student, Glen Waverley area