The Western Rail Plan was announced by the Victorian State Government in the lead up to the 2018 election. It was focused on extending Melbourne’s fully electrified Metro service to Melton, enabling Melton and all the stops to Sunshine, to come off the V-Line network and allow for faster travel times for Ballarat commuters.
That was 2018. In the years since there have been a number of budgets allocating money for Planning, whilst the new growth suburbs between Melton and Caroline Springs have been planned and delivered and are booming. And still it seems electrification and Metro services are years away.
In an Age exclusive, it seems the State Government is taking a new look at the Western Rail Plan through the lens of its North-West Strategic Assessment. The Assessment broadens the scope of planning beyond just the electrification to Melton and aligns with the commitment to develop Sunshine Station as a “superhub”.
Whilst the devil will be in the detail and detail is not public, we are left to ponder the implications of Sunshine’s Superhub and the new strategic assessment of Melbourne’s transport needs in the northern and western growth areas.
It may be that to manage congestion on the train network from Melton to Southern Cross, Ballarat trains and those that come from other parts of our region, terminate at Sunshine or even Bacchus Marsh? This would leave commuters with an “All Change” call and the transformative project for the Sunshine Station is the death-nell for direct services to Melbourne’s CBD for regional commuters.
Committee for Ballarat have been long-term advocates for improved connectivity and as we grow, we must find ways to reduce the relative number of cars on our roads. Further disincentivising rail travel to Melbourne will not help this cause.
We advocate vigorously for growth but it must come with appropriate and timely investment in the infrastructure that helps us maintain the liveable, prosperous, thriving and vibrant regional city and we want to be. Improving connectivity through improved rail services to Melbourne must be a given.