With the announcement of a 2025 Federal Election for May 3, Committee for Ballarat, along with our city and region’s leaders, are well prepared and ready to advocate strongly for the key projects as identified as part of the Ballarat Now and Into the Future (BNIF) project
The Federation University City Centre project, Sovereign Hill’s Gold Vault as part of the continuation of their Master Plan, the City of Ballarat’s Circular Economy Precinct, and the duplication of Dyson Drive continue to be priorities that will enable our regional growth and prosperity. In addition, work done in the past 2 years regarding the Western Victoria Aviation Precinct at Ballarat Airport demonstrates its significance as a regional transformational project.
BNIF is our key advocacy document for projects that can help transform and develop our region, and we will work collaboratively and across all political parties to seek their support in the lead up to the May election.
This month we also saw the release of the Federal Government’s 2025-26 Budget, which had some significant announcements for Ballarat and the region regarding connectivity. All of us who travel to Melbourne by car will know the Western Freeway needs work. The $1.1 billion announcement is a welcome investment and includes planning and early works to improve the safety of the Brewery Tap Road and Warrenheip intersection.
Committee for Ballarat has always advocated strongly for improved rail connectivity to Melbourne. As the population in the western suburbs of Melbourne has rapidly grown, the pressure on our V-Line services has likewise increased. Whilst we have more services, our travel times have extended due to greater congestion on the lines and more people getting on and off at more stations.
The Federal Government’s commitment of a $2 billion investment in Sunshine Station will improve rail services for commuters to and from Ballarat. The investment will ensure Melbourne Airport Rail will proceed, providing a much-needed service from Ballarat directly to the airport. In addition, the investment will provide a funded and committed pathway for the electrification of the line to Melton.
The extension of Metro services to Melton and the electrification and duplication of this line means our V-Line Services will no longer need to service Melton and all the additional stations into Sunshine. The works at Sunshine will untangle what is currently a complex web with a new dedicated regional line that will benefit Ballarat.
For Ballarat trains in and out of Southern Cross, it will be possible for them to run express between Sunshine and Bacchus Marsh. This will result in a huge improvement.
For almost as many years as we are old, Committee for Ballarat has advocated for improved travel times and reliability of our rail services. Services to Melbourne have seen extensive investment, and yet as our region grows, further investment is required to keep up with the demand. We welcome the investment for Sunshine and what is proposed for Melton, as together, this will allow our rail services to take the next step in improving our connectivity and accessibility to Melbourne and other parts of the state.