Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) will connect Gippsland residents to Melbourne’s middle suburbs, cutting travel time and increasing access to job opportunities, education and health services.
The recently released SRL Business and Investment Case shows regional Victorians will be able to travel between destinations across Melbourne’s suburbs without having to go through the CBD – cutting 80 minutes from return public transport trips and providing transport to previously inaccessible jobs in major employment areas.
Victorian Minister for Suburban Rail Loop, Jacinta Allan, met with leaders from the Gippsland community, including local mayors and councillors, as part of a regional roadshow to explain how SRL will deliver benefits to the region.
“Suburban Rail Loop will deliver enormous benefits for Gippsland – the transport super hub at Clayton will provide a quick and easy interchange and will make travelling between Melbourne and Gippsland faster and more convenient,” Ms Allan said.
SRL East from Cheltenham to Box Hill will deliver a transport super hub at Clayton. All Gippsland trains will stop at Clayton on their way to and from the city.
It is expected more than 40 per cent of regional passengers approaching Melbourne from Gippsland will interchange at Clayton when SRL East opens in 2035.
SRL North from Box Hill to Melbourne Airport will enhance access to locations in Melbourne’s north and north east.
Travelling to world-class healthcare will be fast, with SRL East stations near Monash Medical Centre, Monash Children’s Hospital, Monash Heart Hospital and Box Hill Hospital.
SRL East will also create direct connections to major educational institutions such as Monash, Deakin and La Trobe universities and Box Hill Institute.
A one-way trip from Traralgon to Box Hill Institute will be around 26 minutes faster, and will be comparable to driving times.
With SRL East and SRL North complete, more than eleven per cent of Melbourne’s jobs will be located near SRL stations – compared to around 13 per cent of jobs in the central city – giving regional Victorians better access to employment options in the decades ahead.
