Major parties come on strong during pledge week

THERE’S no denying it, election season is in full swing with both major parties hitting Ballarat recently to make big funding pledges across the city.

It started at Ballarat Station with Opposition Leader Matthew Guy pitching a $19 billion overhaul of regional passenger rail across the state with 45-minute trips to Melbourne at 200kph.

By Friday the focus had shifted to sport with the Coalition offering up $5.1 million for the second stage of the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre, while Premier Daniel Andrews promised $7 million for upgrades to the Wendouree West Recreation Reserve.

Rail realignment
The Liberal/ National train plan would see a European style, high-speed network built throughout the state.

It would run at 200kph and use nextgeneration Velocity units that Mr Guy said would be constructed in Ballarat.

“This announcement that a Liberal/ Nationals government will revolutionise transport across Victoria has huge opportunity for Ballarat,” he said.

When it’s fully up and running, the proposal would use the yet-to-beconstructed Tullamarine airport rail tunnel from Sunshine to by-pass urban commuter services.

While that project is being built, Mr Guy pledged to re-establish express Ballarat-to-Melbourne services with a travel time of just over an hour.

No matter what happens there will still be passing loops on the Ballarat Line with no commitment to two tracks at Melton Weir or to address the issue of the incline out of Bacchus Marsh.

“The only long-term solution would be to build another bridge over Melton Weir and to duplicate up through Bacchus Marsh, and that isn’t in these plans, but that is the only way out of that now,” Mr Guy said.

With trains running at 200kph, Mr Guy said keeping them away from cars was critical to the success of the plan.

“We can’t run 200kph over A or B class roads where they’re being intersected, so we’ll need to remove those level crossings,” he said.

Further afield the plan would see 32-minute services between Melbourne and Geelong, with Geelong also getting its own metro style heavy-rail network, while other towns would become transport hubs.

Ararat is set to benefit with passenger rail services returning to Hamilton, Horsham and Mildura to pass though that city.

While not addressed directly in the high-speed rail plan Mr Guy said freight services would also benefit.

“Any infrastructure upgrade, any track upgrade, allows for a greater weight on freight use and freight will benefit from the ability to do that,” he said.

Hoop dreams

Ballarat Sports and Events Centre will get further capital works should the Coalition be successful in November.

Shadow sports minster Danny O’Brien made a $5.1 million pledge to undertake stage two of the centre’s redevelopment, including a new façade, 3-on-3 outdoor courts and a strength and conditioning centre.

“This is a fantastic edition to get this whole project finished,” Mr O’Brien said.

“I’m told 3-on-3 basketball’s the fastest growing, and biggest, sport in the world… and Ballarat will have one of the best facilities probably in Victoria.”

The centre is currently undergoing a $24 million expansion which is slated for completion in 2019.

It hosts basketball, netball and volleyball events and Basketball Ballarat CEO Peter Eddy said it’s used by 8,750 athletes all levels, along with Federation University.

Soccer, skate, BMX and basketball

Shortly afterwards, in the same suburb, Primer Daniel Andrews and ALP candidate for Wendouree Juliana Addison pitched $7 million in upgrades to the Wendouree West Recreation Reserve.

The site is currently home to Forest Rangers S.C. as well as a 3-on-3 basketball court and BMX track.

Under the plan new soccer pitches would be built along with lighting for night games, also in the offering are new skateboard and BMX facilities, the relocation of the Wendouree West Men’s Shed and the building of a new shed for bicycle refurbishing group, ReCranked.

“At its core, community sport is all about community spirt,” Mr Andrews said. “With this investment, we’ll help make this strong community even stronger.”