People laid wreaths near Williamstown North railway station on Saturday to mark the 21st anniversary of the deaths of two children who were killed by a train while crossing the tracks.
Ray Bennett was among those who placed flowers and messages beneath a tree to commemorate the deaths of Amanda, 12, and John ‘‘Tom’’, 10, Barnett.
Mr Bennett said he feared more deaths unless the state government reopened an underpass which was abruptly closed last month, outraging local residents.
As reported by Star Weekly, the government said the underpass was closed to allow for a road-level crossing to protect pedestrians. There was “no way to do this without removing the old underpass”.
Mr Bennett, who often saw the children around Williamstown, said the underpass had been flooded and was inaccessible on the day the children died.
“They were just such fantastic, vibrant little children,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s always upset me because I’m sure that had that underpass been open at the time, they would have used it.
“The coroner’s report said the children did contribute to their death by running across [the tracks], but the coroner’s report didn’t report that the underpass was inaccessible. That really made me angry.”
Mr Bennett said he believed the government could reinstate the underpass within a week if it wanted to. ‘‘They’ve tried to close underpasses in selective areas. I mean, they won’t touch the one in Brighton or in Carnegie, even though they’re falling to pieces.
“People – mainly kids, people with head- phones on – they’re just dashing across the line. I see it all the time.’’
Jess Maguire, spokeswoman for Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder, said VicTrack investigated several designs and the only option for a safe, at-grade crossing required the closure of the existing underpass.
She said Hobsons Bay council had agreed to “this design solution”.
Hobsons Bay chief executive Chris Eddy said the council had received no notification of the underpass closure.
