Labor promises $100m to plan regional fast trains and untangle tracks out of Melbourne
TRAIN trips to Melbourne would take as little as 35 minutes from Geelong, under a Labor push for fast regional rail and separated suburban tracks. Here’s how it will work.
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TRAIN trips to Melbourne would take as little as 35 minutes from Geelong and an hour from Ballarat under a government push for fast regional rail and separated suburban tracks.
Labor will on Tuesday unveil its plan to rival Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s $19 billion fast-rail pledge, made less than a fortnight ago.
The Andrews Government’s decade-long plan would separate metro and country rail lines west of Melbourne to pave the way for 200-250kmh regional services.
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If re-elected in November, it would spend $100 million on detailed planning that would allow construction to start as early as 2022.
The aim of the ambitious project would be to slice travel times between Geelong and Melbourne to 35–45 minutes, and from Ballarat to the CBD to less than an hour.
Under the Labor plan, new electrified track would be built to join Wyndham Vale and Melton, now served by V/Line trains, to the metropolitan rail network, freeing up the Geelong and Ballarat lines.
Melton and Wyndham Vale would also get new stations.
Premier Daniel Andrews said his government would integrate these new lines into major projects now under way, such as the $11 billion Melbourne Metro Rail tunnel and the airport rail link.
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“This plan will deliver the transformation that our state needs: electrification of rail lines out to the west, and fast rail to Geelong and Ballarat, returning country rail to country communities,” Mr Andrews said.
The Premier said the $100 million for a business case was on top of $50 million provided for in the Budget for other fast regional rail planning.
Regional rail is turning into an election battleground, with both parties making promises to tackle congestion.
Earlier this month, the state Opposition said that if elected, it would “rebuild” regional and country rail lines to get trains running at 200kmh.
Opposition Leader Mr Guy said his ambitious $19 billion scheme would slash travel times between Geelong and Melbourne from 58 minutes to 32 minutes, and that part of his plan could be achieved by 2022.
The government said this was not possible, but said its own project was a “realistic, evidence-based plan”.
It is likely that under Labor’s plan, construction would begin towards the end of the next term of parliament, about the same time as an airport rail line is built.
Mr Andrews said: “Only Labor can be trusted to build the regional public transport we need for the future — taking cars off the road, reducing travel times and getting you home safer and sooner.”
And Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan told the Herald Sun that the Coalition “simply can’t be trusted on regional rail”.
She said the decade-long plan Labor was presenting to voters would mean fewer stops, faster trips and less crowded trains.
MORE HERALD SUN TRANSPORT STORIES:
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FAST RAIL COULD BE KEY TO REVIVING REGIONAL VICTORIA
INSIDE MELBOURNE’S NEW METRO TRAIN STATIONS
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