Wednesday, 13 May 2009

V/Line’s Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo passengers will benefit from a dedicated rail line direct to the centre of Melbourne following last night’s Federal Budget announcement.

The Federal Government last night committed $3.2 billion toward the ‘Regional Rail Link’ project, which is worth a total $4.3 billion.

This massive project will eclipse the Regional Fast Rail (RFR) project as the biggest in V/Line's history and marks the next evolution of regional train travel in Victoria.

When complete, the special regional tracks to Melbourne’s CBD will significantly boost train service frequency during peak periods, and encourage thousands of additional Victorians to ditch the car when travelling to the city.

Already, more than 7500 people travel from Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo during the morning peak each weekday alone. A further 5000 people travel in the off-peak each weekday from these centres.

V/Line CEO Rob Barnett said the dedicated tracks would be strongly welcomed by regional train travellers.

“Our record patronage shows us that the Fast Rail project was a major success because train services improved dramatically between outer Melbourne and Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

“This project allows us to improve train reliability and frequency at the Melbourne end of the lines which has been limited as the system has started to reach capacity with more regional and city trains added in recent years.

“It’s basically like adding an extra couple of lanes to a freeway. You have greater capacity to move more people, more often and make the travel experience more enjoyable,” Mr Barnett said.

Works on the Regional Rail Link project start next year and are expected to take five years to complete.