Victoria’s troubled regional rail network will receive a further upgrade over the next two years making a more frequent and reliable service a reality for regional centres.
Central Highlands Regional Councils Victoria (CHCV) has welcomed the announcement that stage two of the Ballarat train line upgrade will be funded in this year’s budget.
In the announcement the Andrews Labor Government committed $39 million to the Ballarat Line Upgrade topping up the $518 million which was allocated last year. Stage two of the project will deliver better services for Ararat and Maryborough.
A new train shed to be built at Ararat will enable trains to stay overnight which will allow an extra morning service. There will also be an upgrade of the line’s signalling.
This commitment is part of a $1.45 billion Regional Rail Revival package announced by Premier Daniel Andrews and Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan on Sunday. The package will see upgrades on every regional rail line across Victoria and is expected to create more than 1000 jobs.
CHCV chair and Ararat Rural City Mayor Paul Hooper said the announcement would be especially welcomed by commuters in Ararat and Maryborough who had long advocated for improvements to their services.
“Any upgrades to the rail service which improves access to Ballarat and from there to the metropolitan area and other major regional centres can only be good for our region.”
CHCV, which represents six municipal councils in the Central Highlands, has been advocating for improvements to regional rail connections at both federal and state government levels for many years. Upgrading rail services is seen as an important factor in improving the economic and social outlook of the Central Highlands.
“While this announcement is welcome, we will continue to push for even further improvements to both our public transport service and the freight system.
“We will continue to advocate for a bigger share of state and federal money across all our infrastructure needs including the rail system.”
