Geelong-Melbourne rail rated a national infrastructure priority

INFRASTRUCTURE Australia (IA) has slated better rail connections between Geelong and Melbourne are a priority, and should be finished within 15 years.

Last week, the independent infrastructure advisor announced it had identified more than $55 billion worth of nation-shaping projects in its latest Infrastructure Priority List.

This list includes “Melbourne-Geelong rail capacity enhancement”, identified by IA as a long-term initiative without a business case that should be completed within 10-15 years.

Based on the Australian Infrastructure Audit and more than 500 submissions from governments, stakeholder groups and the community, the Infrastructure Priority List is the authoritative list of nationally-significant infrastructure investments Australia needs out to 2033.

“In the 10 years since Infrastructure Australia was formed, the Priority List has helped establish a longer-term view of our collective needs as a nation — one that enables our leaders to look beyond elections and budgetary cycles and make evidence-based investment decisions,” IA chair Julieanne Alroe said.

Liberal Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson said IA putting Geelong-Melbourne rail on its priority list highlighted the “ineptness” of the state Labor government.

“Of the $224 million being delivered for the South Geelong duplication project and the Warrnambool line upgrade under the Regional Rail Revival package, $204 million is being provided by the Turnbull government and only $20 million by the state. This is utterly untenable and Daniel Andrews should hang his head in shame.

“Our train service, which should be first class, is slow, over-crowded and unreliable.

“The Regional Rail Revival Package is providing $1.57 million to upgrade regional rail lines throughout Victoria. Of this money, $1.42 billion is being provided by the Commonwealth and only $150 million by the state which is not good enough.”

She said it was also disappointing that a business case for the project would take two years.

However, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development Anthony Albanese said the federal Coalition must respond to IA’s list with extra money in the coming budget.

“Traffic congestion in cities is eroding our quality of life and cost the economy $16.5 billion in lost productivity in 2015 alone, according to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.

“But the Turnbull Government is cutting infrastructure investment, with this financial year’s $8 billion in grants to states set to fall steadily over the next four years to $4.2 billion in 2020-21.”