The Victorian Government will soon begin planning and design for a new tram route between Caulfield and Rowville to connect the precincts.
The route would provide a fast, alternative transport option for thousands of Victorians who travel to the area to work, study and shop.
Stage one would link Caulfield Station to Monash University’s Clayton campus via Chadstone Shopping Centre then to Rowville via Waverley Park.
It would also make it easier for local residents to access the key rail interchange at Caulfield Station and Monash University’s Caulfield campus, boosting the area’s economic activity and reducing traffic congestion on nearby arterial roads.
Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, said, “Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs are growing and a new tram link between Caulfield and Rowville will help ease traffic on some of our busiest roads and get people home faster.
“This is the missing transport link for the south-eastern suburbs – it will connect some of our most important education, employment and shopping precincts, and boost the local economy.”
Planning and designing the new route is a critical first step in linking the growing employment, retail and study precincts in the city’s south-east, from Caulfield to Rowville.
The proposed corridor would begin near Caulfield Station, stop at Chadstone Shopping Centre and finish near the intersection of Blackburn and Wellington Roads, outside Monash University’s Clayton campus, then extend to Rowville.
The corridor aligns with the thriving employment hub that houses the Australian Synchrotron, the Monash Medical Centre and the future Victorian Heart Hospital.
The Victorian Government will provide $3 million in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 for design and planning works to examine alignments, park and ride options, stop locations, cost and travel time benefits.
It has already committed $11.6 million to expand and improve Huntingdale Station and bus interchange, to cater for the thousands of people using public transport to get to these busy precincts.
