Train trips from Ballarat to Melbourne could take less than and hour and only 45 minutes from Geelong, under a regional rail plan pitched by the Andrews government five weeks ahead of the state election.
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Long commutes to the regional centres, as well as suburbs in Melbourne's west, would be slashed under Labor’s Western Rail Plan, which would see V/Line trains travel up to 250km/h - up from 160km/h.
Construction of the fast rail would start by 2022 and take about a decade to complete.
Premier Daniel Andrews said $150 million would be spent on separating V/Line and Metro tracks, by building brand new electric rail tracks from the city to Wyndham Vale and Melton, following calls from transport planners and public transport advocates.
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This means that instead of V/Line trains sharing track with city trains and being slowed down as a result, the services would run express from the city to Wyndham Vale and Melton, along the separate stretch of track.
This would significantly boost capacity on the routes, which suffer chronic overcrowding.
Two new stations would also be built at Melton and Wyndham Vale, while new electric regional trains could replace V/Line's diesel trains along these routes.
The government is also considering electrifying the entire stretch of existing V/Line track from the city to Geelong and Ballarat, enabling faster trains to run.
Work on the full business case would start next year.
Mr Andrews said the growth of Melbourne’s western suburbs meant the network needed an overhaul.
“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," he 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.”
On Monday, the Premier and transport minister Jacinta Allan unveiled new VLocity ytains at the the Bombardier manufacturing site in Dandenong.
Regional commuters will get more seating on the new and revamped V/Line trains, but the extra seats will replace a toilet, and space to park your bicycle and stow luggage. The first new regional train will be on the network by November 1 under the $313 million program that will see 13 trains progressively rolled out on the busiest lines.
It adds to other major rail announcements under Labor, which include a $50 billion suburban rail loop and the $8-$13 billion airport rail link.
It follows a $19 billion regional rail plan announced by the Coalition that would see nearly all of V/Line's track rebuilt to enable 200km/h services, including express runs to Geelong.
- The Age
