Mildura passenger rail not part of $15m northern Victoria study
Despite a push to return trains to the Mildura line, a $15m business case for “improving passenger rail services from northern Victoria” won’t include the northwest.
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Funding announced this week for better rail services in Victoria’s north won’t be directed towards the Mildura or Swan Hill lines.
In a pre-Budget announcement, the Federal Government committed $7.5 million of a total cost of $15 million to “improving passenger rail services from northern Victoria to Melbourne”.
It has since been clarified which parts of northern Victoria the project refers to.
A Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications spokesperson said funds would be used to develop a business case for options to improve the line and services between Shepparton, Seymour and the Melbourne CBD.
It was confirmed the Mildura line was not in the scope of the business case, which will start in mid-2021 and was expected to be finished by mid-2023.
The Federal Government hoped the Victorian Government would fund the other $7.5 million.
Funding for the stalled Murray Basin Rail Project, which was intended to upgrade lines in the northwest for freight, was also absent from the Budget.
Member for Mallee Anne Webster said it was up to the Victorian Government to release its revised business case for the project to stakeholders before funds could be committed.
Victoria’s Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said she had expected the funds to be in the Budget, leaving farmers waiting for a resolution.
Passenger trains have not run on the Mildura line since 1993.
Mildura residents face a bus trip to Swan Hill if they wish to connect with train services to get to Melbourne, or an overnight bus service which has a travel time of more than nine hours.
Mildura Rural City Council has adopted the return of the train as one of its four Mildura Future Ready projects, an effort to secure funding from the other tiers of government.
NorthWest Rail Alliance president Christian Mitchell said the coronavirus made the case for returning trains to the line stronger.
He pointed to the closure of state borders, which have cut off some residents from health services in Adelaide, and Virgin Australia choosing to end flights between Mildura and Melbourne.
These were increasing Mildura’s isolation, Mr Mitchell said.
He said the train was about more than just Mildura.
“It’s also about making sure all the communities on the Mallee Track, all the way down to Maryborough, St Arnaud, are connected as well,” he said.
“I know it affects the way people think about moving.
“I’ve heard stories of people wanting to move to Donald to retire, but don’t because the lack of connectivity, the fact the only public transport provision is in the middle of the night.”
Lobbying efforts are currently focused on a train running perhaps only once a week, to at least bring about a return of passengers to the line and lay out the case for more services.
Mr Mitchell said the Mildura line was in reasonable shape and didn’t require a completion of the Murray Basin Rail Project for trains to be returned.
While funding for a business case would be “better than nothing”, he was cautious about too much research without action.
“We’ve already had study after study after study,” he said.
“I think it’s been well demonstrated the need for passenger rail.”
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