Ballarat will receive 18 new train services and Ararat 10 under a state government plan to add 140 regional services in August.
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Premier Daniel Andrews and Transport Minister Jacinta Allan made the announcement at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne on Tuesday morning.
The new services will start on August 27
Other lines to benefit include Geelong, with 69 services and Bendigo and Gippsland with 18.
Ararat’s 10 services will be added from Monday to Friday.
A new regional timetable will be available in July from ptv.vic.gov.au.
The government has promised 87 new carriages for the regional rail network since it took government, with 18 of those already added to the network and 15 added to the Ballarat Line.
It is still to be decided if the 18 new services to Ballarat, and 10 services to Ararat, will be three or six carriage services.
About one, three-carriage train is being added to the rail network each month, as they roll off the production line.
Added services will also be introduced when infrastructure upgrades such as passing loops are completed.
Mr Andrews said the state government would not move ahead with this and other rail projects if the federal government did not hand over $1.45 billion to Victoria in its budget tonight.
“There will be no excuses tonight that there is no business case – these projects stack up,” he said.
“These projects will not go ahead, it is as simple as that, if the Commonwealth government is not prepared to support these projects.
“They can explain to their local communities why they will not go ahead.”
Mr Andrews said federal government MPs Dan Tehan, Sarah Henderson and Darren Chester could explain to their electorates in western Victoria, Geelong and Gippsland why the extra services were not funded.
The $1.45 billion is a 15 per cent bonus from the federal government for Victoria’s $9 billion Port of Melbourne lease.
There has been no indication if the money will be given to the state government for infrastructure spending in tonight’s federal budget.
Ms Allan said the new services would reduce crowding and wait time between trains across the regional rail network.
“This is part of the over 570 extra services the Andrews Labor government has put on the tracks in regional Victoria in just over four years,” she said.
“It is a big boost to weekend services.
“This is in recognition people are using V/Line services at the weekend and during the week and are demanding more services.”
When the 18 new services to Ballarat and 10 services for Ararat are timetabled is still to be announced by the government.
