A group of six local governments along the Ballarat rail corridor have joined forces to pressure the state government and opposition to commit to Melton electrification.
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On Thursday the Ballarat Rail Action Committee, made up of the Ballarat, Moorabool, Brimbank, Melton, Ararat and Pyrenees councils, launched its campaign to secure a $50 million investment to meet rapidly growing demand.
The money would be used to create a corridor development plan, studying the feasibility of extending the Metro service to Melton.
City of Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh said “it’s exceptionally important that a commitment (to electrification) is made as soon as possible”.
Patronage along the corridor has experienced a substantial boom over the past decade, in particular since the completion of the Regional Rail Link project in 2015.
Across the 2016/17 financial year 4.33 million trips were made along the line, a 31.9 per cent jump on 2012/13 figures.
The group of councils are also lobbying for an airport link from Sunshine as well as full duplication to Ballarat.
Infrastructure Victoria has identified electrification as a medium-term development which should be completed within the next 10-15 years.
It is understood the Metro Tunnel project needs to be completed before additional services can be injected into the City Loop.
The state is in the process of rolling out a $530 million upgrade to the Ballarat rail corridor, which will provide a series of new passing loops and platforms.
City of Melton mayor Bob Turner said extending electrification from Sunshine to Melton would more than triple the rail capacity to some of Melbourne’s fastest growing areas while providing relief for regional customers.
“We’re hoping coming up to the election this year we’ll see some state funding for electrification,” Cr Turner said. “In the west we’re the heart of Melbourne now in terms of growth and our infrastructure can’t keep up.”
Speaking before the release of the 2018/19 budget, Premier Daniel Andrews outlined his plan to first deliver fast rail to Geelong before moving onto the Ballarat line.
In a statement a government spokesperson said the Ballarat Line Upgrade “will increase reliability and pave the way for not only extra services, but also for the future electrification of the Melton line”.
