Tunnel link mulled for Geelong fast trains

Fast trains from Geelong would speed into the city via a new rail link connected to the proposed Melbourne Metro 2 underground railway, under a game-changing proposal being considered by the Andrews government.

Sources across industry and government say Spring Street is looking at the proposal. Melbourne Metro 2 would connect Newport, Fishermans Bend, the CBD and Clifton Hill.

Trains from Geelong would run along an upgraded section of track linking the Geelong and Werribee lines that is currently used for freight. New tracks would then be built from Werribee to Newport and link up with Melbourne Metro 2.

The proposal is understood to have been pitched to the Morrison government in a bid to win support for an above-ground airport rail link, which would mean ditching plans for a tunnel between the city and Sunshine.

The Morrison government has previously said that a tunnel to Sunshine was crucial for delivering fast rail to Geelong, which it has pledged $2 billion to build.

A state government spokeswoman did not deny that the alternative rail proposal was being considered.

The project - which would cost tens of billions of dollars - could be built in stages, with the Geelong line upgrades to Werribee built first.

The ambitious Metro 2 city tunnel would be built many years from now, most likely in the 2030s.

Transport Minister Jacinta Allan (left) and Premier Daniel Andrews tour the West Gate Tunnel site in December.Credit: AAP

The state government is yet to commit to the project, sources said.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said there was merit in providing fast trains to Geelong and separating them from Wyndham Vale services.

Taking trains out of the Sunshine corridor would free up capacity for more Wyndham Vale, Melton, Ballarat and Bendigo services to the city.

"It separates Geelong trains from Wyndham Vale trains, helps get the [Melbourne Metro 2] over the line, frees up capacity on existing V/Line tracks from Sunshine to the city, which then allows airport rail to share those tracks without too many impediments," Mr Bowen said.

But the Melbourne Metro 2 was needed sooner to achieve the full benefits of the proposed Geelong line upgrade, he said.

There is currently no more room to run extra services on Werribee's city-bound tracks via Footscray.

"There's no use providing a fast link to Geelong which then gets clogged at the city end, behind stopping-all-stations metro services," he said.

Rail Futures Institute secretary David Hardy estimated that the 17-kilometre Metro 2 would cost more than $20 billion and would therefore not likely be built "anytime soon".

He said the $15 billion express airport rail link between the city and Sunshine, proposed by the private AirRail consortium, could be built within eight years and allow fast Geelong services.

The Metro 2 would see trains service Fishermans Bend, a new inner city suburban development set to accommodate 80,000 residents.

Under the new proposal, express Geelong trains would bypass Sunshine.

However, other V/Line Geelong trains would still stop at Sunshine to allow commuters to travel to the airport.

A state government spokeswoman said the government would "continue to work closely with the federal government on the best design for airport rail".

"All options being assessed for the airport rail will stop at Sunshine for connections to Victoria’s major regional rail lines – Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo."

A spokesman for federal Cities Minister Alan Tudge said faster rail to Geelong was a "complex project and the final design is still being worked through.”

"Since the Morrison government committed $2 billion for faster rail from Melbourne to Geelong, we have been working constructively with the Victorian government to get this project under way."

Both Premier Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have promised to build fast rail to Geelong, with train speeds to reach 200km/h and trips to take less than an hour.

The federal government's $2 billion promise was conditional on the state stumping up the same amount.

Transport Department secretary Paul Younis told a public event a few weeks ago that the government's Western Rail Plan would include a link to the Metro 2.

The Metro 2 tunnel would start at Newport and continue to underground stations at Fishermans Bend, Southern Cross, Flagstaff, Parkville, Fitzroy and Clifton Hill, before linking up with the existing Mernda line.