I have not been a fan of what I refer to as vanity rail projects.
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One of those was the delusional idea of a station in Warrenheip on the very eastern border of the city, with no business analysis, when almost all-new urban development is in the west and in coming years the north of Ballarat.
Now an old rail vanity project has reared its head again. That is to put a station at Mars Stadium, with all the normal mob trying to build up 'a huge need'.
Do not get me wrong - Mars Stadium and the broader sporting complex, including the basketball redevelopment, is fabulous but that a station is needed is simply delusion.
Firstly, hardly anyone would 'jump on the train' in Ballarat to go to a local footy game or concert.
Secondly, I doubt any data-driven research would support that idea and you wonder what ulterior motive is in play. For example, in a 1 kilometre radius of a proposed Selkirk station there is little residential areas, and even those few are not natural feeders to a Mars station.
Thirdly, we are told it's all about big sporting events.
Let us check the numbers on 'big' sporting events (AFL, soccer, rugby): 2018, three games; 2019, five games; 2020, two games; 2021, six games; 2022, eight games; and 2023 there will be five games.
The biggest crowd has been about 10,000 people (AFL), while many events attract between 1500 and 2500 people. With stadium and event expansion doubling to say 20,000 people, with 10 'big' events a year, this in no ways justifies a minimum spend of $80 million-plus on a new station.
Fourthly, is the fallacy that the Commonwealth games in 2026 will attract many tens of thousands to watch events at Eureka Stadium.
The Commonwealth Games website states Eureka Stadium will host athletics and para-athletics. This is fantastic and the athletics will on some days bring in a full stadium of between 10,000 to 20,000.
But to build a station for only two weeks of events, together with the earlier three points, makes this a vanity project.
Talking stations, Ballarat station will, by 2026, have the state government "investing $50 million to upgrade Ballarat's historic train station in a historically sensitive way, with passenger lifts on both platforms and a connecting pedestrian overpass, so spectators of all abilities can enjoy all that Victoria 2026 has to offer".
Now that will be money well spent and used daily. Credit must go to the "Save Our Station" community group, both past and present, for their advocacy for the disabled.
Nick Beale is a rail advocate.
