East Werribee $30bn ‘super city’ options include driverless trains, rail loop
A NEW $1.3 billion rail loop and driverless trains are among transport options being considered to connect a proposed $30 billion ‘super city’ at East Werribee.
Future Victoria
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A NEW $1.3 billion rail loop and driverless trains are among transport options being considered to connect a proposed $30 billion ‘super city’ at East Werribee.
Preliminary works to assess the feasibility of a major new heavy rail connection to Australian Education City, creating a link between existing Werribee and Hoppers Crossing stations, have been done as part of the ongoing proposal.
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The project would see land at East Werribee become home to 30,000 dwellings in medium to high-storey towers, with universities, schools and a research and development hub.
Project proponents are understood to be willing to pay for the link as part of a deal on the 400-hectare site, if it could recover some money from users who get off at a new station.
The public-private partnership would work in a similar way to a toll road, but would require existing ticketing systems to be upgraded.
Another option being considered is a link between the existing Hoppers Crossing train station and the AEC, which could operate with driverless trains.
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The “autonomous vehicle” concept would be synched to the existing Werribee line services to allow passengers to hop off suburban heavy rail trains and get on to the driverless vehicles running on a new line.
If used for this project, the autonomous technology could be considered for new links to Point Cook and other suburbs expected to connect with the new jobs hub west of Melbourne.
One of the benefits of creating a new heavy rail loop that have been spruiked by proponents is that passengers would not have to change modes of transport.
However, it would require changes to existing timetables and signalling upgrades along the packed western suburbs line.
Arguments have been mounted for a new heavy rail loop and station because it would act as a “counter flow” to most traffic that is heading into the Melbourne CBD.
This is because the number of jobs created in the new precinct would see some motorists and train passengers who have traditionally ventured into the city, now getting off in the outer west instead.
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