The Federal Government has announced a new $1.52 billion investment in Victorian infrastructure to ease congestion and provide better rail services right across the state.
It will invest $1.42 billion to improve services on most regional lines in the state. Victoria has offered to provide $150 million towards these works, which altogether will create over 1,000 new jobs.
This investment will see new services added, travel times slashed and stations upgraded, and include:
- $555.6 million – Ballarat Line
- $435 million – Gippsland Line
- $140 million – North East Line
- $110 million – Surf Coast rail, including Waurn Ponds duplication
- $114 million – Warrnambool Line
- $91 million – Bendigo and Echuca Line
- $95 million – Avon River Bridge upgrade
- $20.2 million – Murray Basin freight rail, taking the total Commonwealth commitment to the project to $240 million
- $10 million – Shepparton Line
The Commonwealth will also provide $30 million towards a Melbourne Airport rail link, as announced in the recent Budget.
The Federal Government is also committed to the East West Link, and will provide $3 billion to any Victorian Government to deliver this vital project.
These commitments take the total amount of Commonwealth funding available for Victorian projects to $4.5 billion. Over 19 per cent of total current Commonwealth infrastructure funding is available to Victoria.
Further funding is available for metro and regional rail in Victoria under the $10 billion transformational National Rail Program announced in the recent Federal Budget. Victoria will also significantly benefit from the once in a generation $8.4 billion Inland Rail project between Brisbane and Melbourne.
The announcement provides an additional $509 million on top of a $1 billion commitment to Victorian infrastructure announced in the Budget, and builds on the Commonwealth’s existing investments in Victoria.
This includes $500 million for the Western Highway, $200 million for the Tullamarine Freeway Widening, and the $1.5 billion infrastructure package announced in November 2016 incorporating:
- $500 million to upgrade the Monash Freeway
- $350 million to complete the M80 Ring Road upgrades
- $220 million for Murray Basin freight Rail
- $345 million for a Rural and Regional Roads Package
- $85 million for an Urban Congestion Package
