Ballarat needs a direct rail route to Melbourne, advocates have reiterated, following reports the state government is prioritising the Suburban Rail Loop over other projects.
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Rail infrastructure experts said in The Age the proposed Metro 2 tunnel, which would connect north-eastern suburbs to Newport via Fishermans Bend, should be a priority over the loop.
However, the loop project is an election commitment, and a new authority has begun community consultation and geotechnical work last month. Ballarat advocates are worried the focus on the loop could affect plans to develop the western entrance to Melbourne for regional commuters - metropolitan and V/Line trains will eventually need to be completely separated, which will mean quadruplicating the line in some places.
The Western Rail Plan, which the state government committed $100 million to over four years to eventually electrify the line to Melton and bring fast rail to Geelong and Ballarat, may include links with the airport rail proposal, and the loop project.
The business case for the Airport Rail Link is due next year.
Independent rail advocate Nick Beale said the Metro 2 proposal had merit as it could lead to extra regional links in the future, but was concerned about the order the projects will be completed.
"My fear is that if all the money goes to the Rail Loop, regional Victoria will be left for decades to come without having fast duplicated lines," he said.
"Having said that, I commend the Premier and Minister Allan, they must be applauded for all the work they've done to date and wish to do in the future, for all the work they've done about rail, however we do need to, as a regional group, need to be saying loudly and clearly that they need to listen to us about our needs."
Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton said the number one priority, from a regional perspective, was for the state government to make a decision on building a separate tunnel from Sunshine to Southern Cross station.
"It's a critical piece of infrastructure to the Sunshine hub, it's part of the Airport Rail Link, and should accommodate the regional rail corridor," he said.
"Committee for Ballarat and the community we represent are absolutely committed to the state government backing in their decision for the tunnel, which has been funded in part by federal government, because only the tunnel reduces the congestion through the metro corridor, this is the key issue.
"The dollars and cents argument is crucial, obviously, but there's no way to achieve faster rail times - you can have 300km/h trains and four lines - but unless you solve congestion between Sunshine and Southern Cross, you don't get faster rail for regional Victoria, full stop."
The state government is already working on the separate Regional Rail Revival project, rebuilding several train stations and adding several passing loops along the Ballarat line.
State opposition demands more reliable regional rail services
The state opposition has labelled the government's management of V/Line "unacceptable" after trains on the Ballarat line failed to meet punctuality targets yet again.
Ripon MP Louise Staley and opposition transport spokesperson David Davis said the state government was avoiding questions on improving services.
"There's no reason why the performance could not be as good today as it was in November 2014, absolutely no reason other than the government's own failure to ensure that the performance is up to scratch," Mr Davis said.
"Country passengers should not be forced to beg and wait for decades until that project is completed, they should be able to have faster and more reliable services much earlier than that."
He added the government was "stalling" on the final stages of the Murray Basin Rail Plan, a major project to connect more freight services across northwestern Victoria, and the freight industry needed clarity on timeframes. The state government is in discussions with the Commonwealth about future stages.
Ms Staley slammed the state government for failing to act on extending services past Maryborough, and neglecting regional commuters.
"The government is just now talking about its outer-suburban Melbourne project, and what we're seeing is that all of the talk from the government is now going to that project," she said.
"All these other projects that matter to western Victoria, that matter to Ballarat and beyond, or Geelong or Bendigo, are not being talked about at all." Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne said in a statement the state government was taking action across the network.
"While the Liberals continue to talk down regional rail, we're investing half a billion dollars in the Ballarat Line to deliver more frequent and reliable services," she said.
"We are also adding more VLocity carriages to the Ballarat line, providing more seats on the busiest services."
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