Victoria: Regional Fast Rail

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Melbourne Age --> Regions unite on fast train strategy

Trains reaching Geelong within 35 minutes and Ballarat within 45 minutes would be built under a landmark proposal seeking to cut through political wrangling and finally make fast country commutes a reality.

A wide-ranging proposal backed by five regional councils, top planning experts and Deakin, La Trobe and Federation universities, seeks to put an end to the war of words between Canberra and Spring Street over who has the best rail plan for Victoria's regions.

Approximate travel times in minutes from Melbourne



The proposal to overhaul the country rail network has been presented to Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan and federal Cities and Urban Infrastructure and Population Minister Alan Tudge.

It is being pitched as an achievable expert-backed project that would get some of its funding from the $15 billion on offer for the airport rail link and $2 billion the Morrison government pledged for Geelong fast rail.

There would be an option of raising further capital, such as increasing fare revenue.

The Morrison government has called on the state to match its $2 billion commitment to Geelong fast rail, but the Andrews government is investing $150 million to plan a separate western rail plan to deliver fast trains to Geelong and Ballarat.

At an estimated cost of $30 billion, the new proposal commissioned by Geelong Council would see 200km/h trains run on electric tracks to Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, the Latrobe region and the Tullamarine and Avalon airports by the 2030s.

The ''Stronger, Together'' project would lead to a series of towns on the Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Traralgon lines coming within a 35 to 45-minute train ride from Melbourne.

It would take 65 to 85 minutes to get to Bendigo and 85 to 100 minutes to Shepparton and Traralgon.

The plan is designed to stop Melbourne sprawling ever outwards, by creating better links to satellite regional towns.



Slowing breakneck population growth in the city and on the fringe would ease Melbourne's population, traffic and housing price pressures.

Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said fast rail would make it easier for people to travel between the cities for work and create more access to affordable housing.

"Geelong has become very attractive for people to come down and live, and we have also had an increase in work opportunities as well ... we just need better connectivity to our capital city," he said.

The proposal states that track and fleet upgrades for Geelong and Ballarat must be built in tandem with the airport rail link, to avoid permanently "locking out" the regional upgrades.

If the airport rail tunnel from the city to Sunshine were shared with regional trains, this would create massive capacity to run fast trains to Geelong and Ballarat, and even Bendigo and Shepparton, via the airport.

Upgrades to Geelong and Ballarat would be prioritised and the other links progressively upgraded, under the plan.

The project moves away from pricey "bullet" trains built on costly new rail corridors that require land acquisitions, and instead calls for upgrades along existing rail reservations.

It states that the diesel VLocity fleet must be phased out and replaced by electric, possibly double-deck regional trains.

The plan is backed by a consortium including international project financiers, state transport officials and infrastructure lawyers.

The pitch is not an unsolicited proposal and the consortium is not seeking to build or raise the project's funds.

John Ginivan, a former top planning bureaucrat who oversaw a major regional growth plan in Victoria, said governments could not afford to continue putting off the major regional rail upgrade.

"This starts a conversation that is worth having now, so we ensure that the current investment the government is making in rail doesn't cut off regional rail options," he said.

The Geelong fast rail would require two new electric tracks to the city, with trains running every 7½ minutes.

Of the four routes explored, the favoured regional rail option would see trains run through the proposed airport rail tunnel and surface at West Footscray.

The tracks would continue to Sunshine, where they would dip for two kilometres beneath the station and continue above ground to Deer Park, Tarneit, Wyndham Vale and and on to Geelong.

The project would involve minimal if any acquisitions, and cost $10.5 billion (including the airport rail tunnel's price tag).

Damian Ross, operations director at Mars Wrigley Confectionery, said he may be forced to relocate some of his 600 staff from Ballarat to Melbourne.

Workers commuting between offices in Ballarat and Melbourne often cancel meetings and arrive late at home, because they're held up by train delays, equipment faults and track congestion, he said.

"They're losing more than three hours a day on the train and that has a significant bearing on their quality of life," Mr Ross said.

Minister Allan welcomed the council-led proposal and said it would be incorporated into its own planning.

However, electrifying the tracks to each regional town and building a new fleet within the proposed costs and timeframe was not achievable, she said.

"We always welcome ideas on how to make our public transport system better, and look forward to working with local governments and communities to make it happen."

A spokesman for Minister Tudge said the federal Coalition was investigating fast rail in Victoria.

"The first one will be $2 billion to deliver faster rail from Melbourne to Geelong that will slash commuting time from 62 minutes to approximately 32 minutes. We are also funding several business cases which will determine future priorities."

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Melbourne Age --> Tunnel link mulled for Geelong fast trains


Potential route

Fast trains from Geelong would speed into the city via a new rail link connected to the proposed Melbourne Metro 2 underground railway, under a game-changing proposal being considered by the Andrews government.

Sources across industry and government say Spring Street is looking at the proposal. Melbourne Metro 2 would connect Newport, Fishermans Bend, the CBD and Clifton Hill.

Geelong express trains would run along upgraded tracks linking the Geelong and Werribee lines that are currently used for freight. New tracks would then be built from Werribee to Newport and link up with Melbourne Metro 2.

The proposal is understood to have been pitched to the Morrison government in a bid to win support for an above-ground airport rail link, which would mean ditching plans for a tunnel between the city and Sunshine.

The Morrison government has previously said that a tunnel to Sunshine was crucial for delivering fast rail to Geelong, which it has pledged $2 billion to build.

A state government spokeswoman did not deny that the alternative rail proposal was being considered.

The project - which would cost tens of billions of dollars - could be built in stages, with the Geelong line upgrades to Werribee built first.

The ambitious Metro 2 city tunnel would be built many years from now, most likely in the 2030s.

The state government is yet to commit to the project, sources said.

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said there was merit in providing fast trains to Geelong and separating them from Wyndham Vale services.

Taking trains out of the Sunshine corridor would free up capacity for more Wyndham Vale, Melton, Ballarat and Bendigo services to the city.

"It separates Geelong trains from Wyndham Vale trains, helps get the [Melbourne Metro 2] over the line, frees up capacity on existing V/Line tracks from Sunshine to the city, which then allows airport rail to share those tracks without too many impediments," Mr Bowen said.

But the Melbourne Metro 2 was needed sooner to achieve the full benefits of the proposed Geelong line upgrade, he said.

There is currently no more room to run extra services on Werribee's city-bound tracks via Footscray.

"There's no use providing a fast link to Geelong which then gets clogged at the city end, behind stopping-all-stations metro services," he said.

Rail Futures Institute secretary David Hardy estimated that the 17-kilometre Metro 2 would cost more than $20 billion and would therefore not likely be built "anytime soon".

He said the $15 billion express airport rail link between the city and Sunshine, proposed by the private AirRail consortium, could be built within eight years and allow fast Geelong services.

The Metro 2 would see trains service Fishermans Bend, a new inner city suburban development set to accommodate 80,000 residents.

Under the new proposal, express Geelong trains would bypass Sunshine.

However, other V/Line Geelong trains would still stop at Sunshine to allow commuters to travel to the airport.

A state government spokeswoman said the government would "continue to work closely with the federal government on the best design for airport rail".

"All options being assessed for the airport rail will stop at Sunshine for connections to Victoria's major regional rail lines – Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo."

A spokesman for federal Cities Minister Alan Tudge said faster rail to Geelong was a "complex project and the final design is still being worked through."

"Since the Morrison government committed $2 billion for faster rail from Melbourne to Geelong, we have been working constructively with the Victorian government to get this project under way."

Both Premier Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have promised to build fast rail to Geelong, with train speeds to reach 200km/h and trips to take less than an hour.

The federal government's $2 billion promise was conditional on the state stumping up the same amount.

Transport Department secretary Paul Younis told a public event a few weeks ago that the government's Western Rail Plan would include a link to the Metro 2.

The Metro 2 tunnel would start at Newport and continue to underground stations at Fishermans Bend, Southern Cross, Flagstaff, Parkville, Fitzroy and Clifton Hill, before linking up with the existing Mernda line.

[SurfRail]

This is what should have happened from day 1!

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Stronger Together releases independent assessment of its plan to speed up regional rail

Electrifying and speeding up the state's regional rail network could add $200 billion to Victoria's economy by 2060, according to detailed new analysis to be provided to government.

The Stronger Together Alliance, a group of leaders and advocates fighting for the state's regions, will on Sunday release its report outlining the economic benefits of massively upgrading the current V/Line service.

The independent assessment from the National Institute for Economic and Industrial Research (NIEIR) assessed a proposal of refitted electrified commuter services running up to 200km/h between Melbourne and Geelong, Colac, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Latrobe.

It found that if built the upgrades would smash travel times, double capacity, and massively boost the state's economy.

But the plan also hinges on use of the Melbourne Airport Rail Link and a dedicated tunnel that would run between Sunshine and the CBD with regional services.

TheHerald Sun understands the tunnel option is unlikely to go ahead as the Andrews Government considers its own vision which would connect airport rail trips through the Metro Tunnel instead.

Senior federal Nationals MP Damian Drum said the regional network upgrade was vital to improve wealth for the regions.

"A proposal like this has the capacity to bring people together so that all Victorians can share in what Melbourne has to offer," he said.

"What the Stronger Together project talks about is changing the huge gap between personal wealth of people in the regions in comparison to people in the CBD."

Stronger Together chair and City of Greater Geelong Councillor Bruce Harwood said the report showed it was vital the federal and state governments opt to build the tunnel despite added costs.

He said the regional fast rail plan had been an "impossible dream" until the airport rail link had been announced.

"The airport tunnel gave us the design we needed," he said.

"We're just so glad that this report, by one of the nation's most respected independent economic modellers, shows just how much this helps Melbourne and the rest of the state.

He said unless the new corridor was built regional services could be frozen out.

"They get slower and less reliable as suburban services grow," he said.

"We're hoping the Prime Minister and Premier will realise from the NIEIR report just what can happen to Victoria post-COVID if they both get behind the Melbourne Airport Tunnel and push for regional fast rail."

Committee for Melbourne chief executive Martine Letts said the group endorsed the Stronger Together vision.

"An airport rail link with dedicated tracks between Sunshine and Southern Cross is essential to cater for more regional services and to unravel the competing needs that exist between V/Line and suburban trains across the congested rail network," she said.

"A properly constructed Melbourne Airport Rail Link is a crucial building block for city, regional, interstate and global connectivity."

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Express track to slash train travel time between Melbourne and Geelong

Train trips between Melbourne and Geelong will finally be slashed to less than an hour, as the state government matches Scott Morrison's $2bn commitment for the fast rail overhaul.

The dream of a quicker commute between the two cities will become a reality through the construction of an express track between Werribee and Laverton that will wipe up to 23 minutes off travel times.

Once the project is complete, the Herald Sun can reveal commuters will spend 50 minutes travelling between Melbourne and Geelong, with future upgrades aimed to cut the journey to just 40 minutes. ...]Train trips between Melbourne and Geelong will finally be slashed to less than an hour, as the state government matches Scott Morrison's $2bn commitment for the fast rail overhaul.

The dream of a quicker commute between the two cities will become a reality through the construction of an express track between Werribee and Laverton that will wipe up to 23 minutes off travel times.

Once the project is complete, the Herald Sun can reveal commuters will spend 50 minutes travelling between Melbourne and Geelong, with future upgrades aimed to cut the journey to just 40 minutes. ...

Meanwhile, in Queensland they cannot even rustle up enough moolah to properly duplicate a railway that should be have done in 2009!

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https://twitter.com/AlanTudgeMP/status/1329986291476295680

[verbatim9]

They don't mention electrification. I thought that would be a key component for faster lower emission trips from Geelong to Melbourne?

[ozbob]

The Age --> Slow train coming: Regional fast rail projects hit the buffers $

Victoria's burgeoning rural population should not expect fast rail connections with Melbourne any time soon, with the Morrison and Andrews governments at loggerheads, private sector schemes shelved and the only service planned – to Geelong – to be much slower than first promised. ...