PLANS for a new bus route linking Mornington to Hastings are progressing. The state government has begun consultation on the new bus route – it is proposed to span between Tanti Avenue in Mornington and Hendersons Road in Hastings (pictured above). Changes to the 784 and 785 bus routes are also under consideration, with the new proposed route servicing Mornington Racecourse and St Macartan’s Primary School.
Hastings MP Paul Mercurio has thrown his support behind plans to expand bus services on the peninsula. He said “the cross peninsula bus service will enable people in Hastings and surrounds to get across to Mornington directly so they can access all that Mornington has to offer.”
While changes to bus services are moving forward, plans to electrify and duplicate the Frankston train line towards Hastings remain stagnant. Last year the federal government scrapped a proposal to extend the line to Baxter, and withdrew $225 million from the project (“Frankston line extension derailed”, The News, 20/11/2023). The extension was projected to cost up to $1.5 billion in a business case completed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consultation on the bus changes closes on 22 September. To make a submission visit engage.vic.gov.au/Hastings-and-Mornington-bus
First published in the Mornington News – 27 August 2024
