Geelong Fast Rail Line

RAYLINK CONSULTING

GEELONG FAST RAIL LINE

HIGH LEVEL TECHNICAL REPORT

Prepared by Raylink Consulting

APRIL 2018

Table of Contents

1. Purpose of Report ...... 3 2. The Geelong Rail Line...... 3 3. Background ...... 0 4. Report Overview...... 1 5. Fast Rail Alignment Options ...... 3 6. Regional Rail Link Option ...... 5 6.1 Features of Regional Rail Link Option ...... 5 6.1.1 Southern Cross Station - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 0 6.1.2 Southern Cross to West Footscray section - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 0 6.1.3 West Footscray to East Sunshine section - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 0 6.1.4 East Sunshine section to West Sunshine - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 0 6.1.5 West Sunshine to Deer Park section - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 1 6.1.6 Deer Park Junction to Manor Junction section - Regional Rail Link Option...... 2 6.1.7 Manor Junction to Geelong section - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 3 6.2 Estimated Cost of Regional Rail Link Option ...... 3 6.3 Regional Rail Link Option Speed/Travel Time Issues ...... 5 6.3.1 Speed Related Issues - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 5 6.3.2 Train Simulation Assessment - Regional Rail Link Option ...... 5 7. Western Freeway Option ...... 7 7.1 Features of Western Freeway Option ...... 7 7.1.1 Southern Cross Station – Western Freeway Option ...... 0 7.1.2 Southern Cross to Geelong Road Brooklyn – Western Freeway Option ...... 0 7.1.3 Geelong Road Brooklyn to Somerville Road - Western Freeway Option ...... 0 7.1.4 Somerville Road to Western Freeway Derrimut - Western Freeway Option ...... 1 7.1.5 Western Freeway to Regional Rail Link Truganina - Western Freeway Option ...... 1 7.1.6 Regional Rail Link to Manor section - Western Freeway Option ...... 2 7.1.7 Manor Junction to Geelong section - Western Freeway Option ...... 2 7.2 Estimated Cost of Western Freeway Option...... 2 7.3 Western Freeway Option Speed/Travel Time Issues ...... 4 7.3.1 Speed Related Issues – Western Freeway Option ...... 4 7.3.2 Train Simulation Assessment – Western Freeway Option ...... 4 8. Geelong Road Option ...... 6 8.1 Features of Geelong Road Option ...... 6 8.1.1 Southern Cross Station – Geelong Road Option ...... 0 8.1.2 Southern Cross to Geelong Road Brooklyn – Geelong Road Option ...... 0 8.1.3 Geelong Road Brooklyn to Just West of Princes Freeway Western Ring Road Interchange Altona - Geelong Road Option ...... 0

8.1.4 West of Princes Freeway Western Ring Road Interchange to Just East of Kororoit Creek Road Altona - Geelong Road Option ...... 0 8.1.5 Just East of Kororoit Creek Road to Just Beyond The Old Geelong Road – Sayers Road Intersection at Williams Landing - Geelong Road Option ...... 0 8.1.6 Old Geelong Road – Sayers Road Intersection to Forsyth Road Overpass at Williams Landing - Geelong Road Option...... 1 8.1.7 Forsyth Road Overpass to Manor Junction - Geelong Road Option ...... 1 8.1.8 Manor Junction to Geelong section - Geelong Road Option ...... 2 8.2 Estimated Cost of Geelong Road Option ...... 2 8.3 Geelong Road Option Speed/Travel Time Issues ...... 4 8.3.1 Speed Related Issues – Geelong Road Option ...... 4 8.3.2 Train Simulation Assessment – Geelong Road Option ...... 4 9. The Fishermans Bend/Newport alternative ...... 6 10. Comparison of Options ...... 7 11. Conclusion ...... 7 12. Next Steps ...... 7

1. Purpose of Report

The purpose of this report is to provide a preliminary and very high-level assessment of the practical options for a Geelong Fast Line that could be potentially developed as a private/public partnership. In commissioning this report, the client, the City of Greater Geelong, emphasized the need for a preliminary technical assessment of a fast rail solution or options which would represent the least cost while delivering transformative travel times. Accordingly, new capital investment has been balanced with possible ways of enhancing the existing rail infrastructure. Such a project has multiple complementary infrastructure project benefits:  It benefits Melbourne planning and development by “shrinking” the existing distance and enhancing access to more affordable land value by reducing typical Melbourne-Geelong commuting time by up to 30 minutes;

 It benefits Geelong directly, but also places a much larger region around Geelong within range of a one-hour commute to Melbourne;

 it provides direct benefits by freeing up capacity on Melbourne’s Metro public transport system; and

2. The Geelong Rail Line

The following map shows the existing Geelong rail line.

Figure 1. – Map of the existing Geelong rail line

3. Background To incentivise the development of Geelong and its surrounds, to reduce the enormous growth pressures on Melbourne’s western suburbs, a much faster, more reliable and more comfortable rail service between Geelong and the Melbourne CBD will be a critical pre- requisite. Rail investment is not keeping up with demand growth in the Geelong corridor. Regional Rail Link (RRL) delivered new rail lines in 2015, from Southern Cross to Sunshine, segregated from suburban trains, and from Deer Park to Manor Junction via Wyndham Vale and Tarneit. This has improved the service frequency to Geelong but, being 8 km longer, has not improved journey times which mostly remain at about one hour or more. To this end, a Geelong Fast Rail Line will be required. This will allow greater service frequency with a suitable alignment to achieve a 40-minute or better journey time for express services. This will transform Geelong as a regional centre and have a ripple effect through its hinterland. For Geelong, the gains from RRL have been short-lived as metropolitan travel demand rapidly grows along the new route through Tarneit and Wyndham Vale and is starting to overwhelm regional trains designed for longer trips. The RRL route through Tarneit will therefore need to become an electrified Metro route in the short term with an increasingly intensive suburban service and additional intermediate stations. To enable regional trains to and from Geelong and beyond to operate without being impeded by suburban trains, quadruplication between Deer Park and Wyndham Vale to provide two non-electrified express lines will also become essential in the short term. There is an option to also use this infrastructure for the Geelong Fast Rail Line. Subsequently, Werribee suburban services will also need to be extended to Wyndham Vale via a new link, interchanging with Geelong stopping trains at Black Forest Road. Related factors are that Avalon Airport should be suitably linked to a new station on the existing corridor between Little River and Lara. At Corio, the present poorly patronised station should be replaced with a major new Parkway station near the junction of the Princes Freeway and Geelong Ring Road, with potential to provide up to 3,000 park and ride spaces, ample bicycle parking, and a major urban bus interchange. Before 2030, RRL capacity will be fully utilised from Southern Cross to Sunshine due to demand growth from the western suburbs and the Ballarat and Bendigo lines. This would trigger a need for a separate fast line to exit the metropolitan area and which has the potential to serve the Geelong region. This report suggests an alternative approach that might preempt the need for that situation to arise. These developments will have important implications/opportunities for related aspects of the Geelong line, including the line to the south-west of Geelong, which terminates in Warrnambool in South-Western Victoria. It also creates planning and investment opportunities for key stations, for stabling sites and a range of other aspects of the rail service which are beyond the scope of this report.

4. Report Overview This report assesses several high-level options that appear to have the best potential to provide an optimal corridor for a Geelong Fast Rail Line and describes them in terms of their primary features, suggested conceptual horizontal alignment, possible vertical alignment(surface, elevated or tunnel), potential station locations, capacity, network interfaces and potential property acquisition, if applicable. The report also considers the operational implications of each alignment option and provide outputs of achievable trip times based on preliminary operational modelling. Train Performance Modelling (TPM) using SimTrain (a highly adaptable proprietary TPM) has been used to estimate the times and relative energy consumption of train and stopping condition alternatives for three alignment options outlined in this report. The travel times are expressed in minutes and seconds, but in reality, the timings would be set and advertised in minutes. Retention of the more detailed format (minutes and seconds) is to allow a better understanding of the operational relationship between the alternatives but should not be taken to imply a degree of accuracy of actual outcomes, these being very dependent on track, train and other operational parameters in the ‘as built’ configuration. High level cost estimates have been provided for each of the primary options considered, taking constructability issues into account, which are also described. Our conclusions and suggested next steps then follow. At the outset, it should be clarified that we are not proposing a high-speed rail (HSR) solution for the Geelong line, HSR being conventionally defined as a railway which operates at speeds of 250km/h or higher and today, typically in the range of 300-350km/h. Operation at these speeds requires fully segregated, secured and very high-quality infrastructure typified by Japan’s Shinkansen, France’s LGV lines and China’s extensive high-speed lines. Trains operating at these speeds typically need more than 25km between stops to achieve 300km/h for even a short period of time. For this reason, initial modelling has shown that, for the relatively short distance between Melbourne and Geelong, a train with two intermediate stops and permitted to reach 300km/h would complete the trip only 5 minutes faster than one with a permitted maximum speed of 200km/h. Indeed, on a suitably aligned and maintained track, at the current maximum speed of 160km/h, an unconstrained run by an existing VLocity train, would be only 4 minutes slower than one which was permitted to operate at 200km/h. The primary challenge for any of the possible schemes for creation of a Geelong Fast Line lies within the first 10km or so of the Melbourne CBD. This is because the existing rail corridors from Southern Cross for most of the distance towards Footscray and then to at least West Footscray or alternatively to Newport are fully occupied with existing busy rail lines and generally the corridors concerned only can have additional tracks provided by means of tunnels or where feasible, by installing elevated structures above the existing tracks. The “close to Melbourne” end is also poorly aligned and is thus the slowest part of the current Geelong line trip. Accordingly, the three most feasible routes for the Geelong Fast Line which commence at Southern Cross station and which this report will assess are what we describe as:  The Regional Rail Link option  The Western Freeway option  The Geelong Road option

A fourth option, known as the Fishermans Bend/Newport option, was looked at initially but was considered unsuitable and was therefore not examined in any detail. Each of the above options is examined in more detail in the next section of this report.

5. Fast Rail Alignment Options

The figure below shows the Regional Rail Link option.

Figure 2. – Map showing the Regional Rail Link option

The map below shows the Western Freeway option.

Figure 3. – Map showing the Western Freeway option

The figure below shows the Geelong Road option.

Figure 4. – Map showing the Geelong Road option

Figure 4 also shows the Fishermans Bend/Newport alternative alignment in blue.

Each of the above options are examined in detail in the next section of the report.

6. Regional Rail Link Option As the name of the option implies, this option uses the existing Regional Rail Link (RRL). More specifically it utilises what was the green fields section of the Regional Rail line between Deer Park junction and Manor Junction. It is worth noting that in this option, and all other options, the fast rail line to Geelong would have two parallel tracks with signalling suitable for 200km/h operation. Where the fast line uses existing tracks, the level crossings would be grade separated.

In order to obviate major problems with diesel fumes it is assumed that a fleet of new trains with bi-modal traction technology would be introduced which can normally operate under diesel power and be seamlessly switched to electric mode when in tunnels.

6.1 Features of Regional Rail Link Option

The following map shows the alignment of this option.

Figure 5. – The Regional Rail Link option alignment

A section by section description of the main features of this option is provided below. For convenience, the breakdown of line sections matches the breakdown of sections in the itemised conceptual cost estimate.

6.1.1 Southern Cross Station - Regional Rail Link Option In this option the rail infrastructure for Geelong trains at Southern Cross station would have little or no modification other than to provide connections to the tunnel ramp and portal located near the existing Latrobe Street overpass and east of Dudley Street.

6.1.2 Southern Cross to West Footscray section - Regional Rail Link Option This section comprises a new 7km pair of tunnels commencing at the north end of the CBD near the existing Latrobe Street overpass. The tunnel would pass under the Maribyrnong River and Footscray. The portal at the other end of the tunnel would be located immediately west of the station at West Footscray. The picture below shows the east end of the Tottenham rail yard where there are numerous sidings that are now disused which would provide ample space for the portal infrastructure to be constructed.

Figure 6. – East end of the Tottenham rail yard

6.1.3 West Footscray to East Sunshine section - Regional Rail Link Option From the portal near West Footscray station, the new tracks would continue at surface level as there is ample railway land available in this section in which to locate the new tracks. The tracks would remain at surface level until a new portal located just west of Stony Creek. .

6.1.4 East Sunshine section to West Sunshine - Regional Rail Link Option The tracks would continue, in a pair of tunnels, from the abovementioned portal to another portal to the west of Anderson Road Sunshine. The picture below shows the extent of rail infrastructure at Sunshine where, once the proposed Airport line is constructed, there will be no room available to build more new tracks at surface level.

Figure 7. – Aerial view of Sunshine station

New sub-surface platforms would be constructed at Sunshine to provide easy interchange with the Ballarat, Melbourne Metro lines and the proposed Melbourne Airport line, the latter expected to incorporate regional services to Bendigo and north-eastern Victoria. In effect, this corridor would largely parallel the proposed Melbourne Airport line between Southern Cross and Sunshine.

6.1.5 West Sunshine to Deer Park section - Regional Rail Link Option From the portal near Anderson Road, the pair of new tracks would continue on the surface until approximately half a kilometre before Ardeer station. Fortunately, the rail corridor in this section is just wide enough to accommodate an additional pair of tracks proposed for the Melton Electrification project and the Geelong Fast Rail Line pair of tracks. The picture below shows a typical view of this section of the corridor.

Figure 8. – Typical section of track between Sunshine and Deer Park Junction Approximately half a kilometre before Ardeer station the tracks would rise to pass over Ardeer station or dive to tunnel under Ardeer station because the corridor width is insufficient

to accommodate the two additional tracks bearing in mind there will be another pair of tracks when the proposed Melton quadruplication takes place at the time of electrification to Melton. At that time, the station will need to be rebuilt and its platforms relocated to the north side of the corridor. Survey work and detailed design work would be required to determine whether the elevated or tunneled solution is the best solution. The figure below shows the restricted corridor width at the present Ardeer station.

Figure 9. – Aerial view of Ardeer station

From approximately half a kilometre past Ardeer station, the pair of Geelong Fast Line tracks would continue on the surface until Deer Park Junction. It should be noted that there will also need to be substantial alterations at Deer Park station, however, the rail corridor widens out at the station and this will more than likely avoid the need for tracks to be located over or under the station.

6.1.6 Deer Park Junction to Manor Junction section - Regional Rail Link Option From Deer Park Junction through to just short of Manor Junction a new pair of tracks is required as the existing tracks will be used for the proposed suburban electrified Wyndham Vale service. This section of the line is along the Regional Rail Link corridor where adequate corridor width has been allowed for. The picture below shows a typical section of Regional Rail Link corridor.

Figure 10. – Aerial view of typical section of track between Deer Park Junction and Manor Junction

There will need to be a flyover before Manor Junction to pass over the proposed metropolitan line to link Werribee with the new station at Black Forest Road, however Manor Junction would remain as it is currently configured. It should also be noted that significant works will be still required for the additional tracks to pass through the station precincts at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale.

6.1.7 Manor Junction to Geelong section - Regional Rail Link Option From Manor Junction, the Geelong Fast Line would utilise the existing Geelong line tracks with upgrading works to allow 200km/h maximum speed operation. A picture of a typical section of the Geelong line is shown below.

Figure 11. – Typical section of Geelong line track beyond Manor Junction Note that there are three tracks for most of this section, the pair of tracks on the left are the broad gauge Geelong Line tracks and the track on the right is the interstate standard gauge line connecting to Adelaide, Perth and Darwin. As with all sections of the Geelong Fast Line, all level crossings and at grade pedestrian crossings would be grade separated. Although the track is generally of high quality in this section some upgrading would be undertaken to allow 200km/h operation. At Lara the curve on the east side of the existing platform would be straightened for 200km/h operation, in conjunction with the level crossing removal.

6.2 Estimated Cost of Regional Rail Link Option An itemised conceptual estimate has been prepared for the Regional Rail Link option. A copy of the estimate is shown below.

Figure 12. - Regional Rail Link option concept estimate

The estimated cost of the Regional Rail Link option is approximately $10.5 billion.

6.3 Regional Rail Link Option Speed/Travel Time Issues The likely achievable track speeds for each section of this corridor option have been assessed and train simulation then used to determine the likely travel times for 160 km/h and alternatively 200 km/h maximum train speeds.

6.3.1 Speed Related Issues - Regional Rail Link Option The track configuration for the Regional Rail Link option involves a tunnel from Southern Cross to beyond West Footscray, then an alignment via Tottenham to join the existing Regional Rail Link a short distance beyond Sunshine via a short tunnel. Track speeds would be 160 km/h in the tunnel and through to just before North Shore station, apart from a 70 km/h curve at Sunshine and a 100 km/h junction at Robinsons Road (Deer Park), both of which would be an improvement on the existing configuration. Speeds from North Shore to Geelong would be similar to existing VLocity speeds over this short section. Route distance Southern Cross to Geelong has been estimated at 81.20km. The basic train type assumed in the simulation is a 6 car VLocity train as currently operates, with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. This train type has been calibrated using actual observed performance and therefore the time estimates can be developed with some confidence. These trains would not operate the new service and in fact they could not do so due to the long tunnels required in the Melbourne area. New trains will be required and it has been assumed that they would be of higher power and higher speed capability Sensitivity testing was undertaken, using a train with 20% more power and running at up to 200 km/h where curves and junctions would permit.

6.3.2 Train Simulation Assessment - Regional Rail Link Option The simulation was run in a mode which gave optimum outcomes (fastest achievable times). To adapt the simulated times to realistically achievable times one minute was added to the overall time (approximately 3%) of all runs.

Simulated trains were run ‘nonstop’ Southern Cross to Geelong, as well as a more realistic ‘stopping’ alternative that served a pickup station in western Melbourne as well as key Geelong line stations; at Sunshine (inter-change for Airport. Melbourne Metro and regional trains to Bendigo and Seymour), Corio Parkway (future key ‘park and ride’ Geelong area station) and North Geelong. Services that deal with all intermediate stations were outside the scope of this study. In the case of stopping trains, the simulation model identifies the train run times but not the dwell time (this is outside the technical issues to do with the train) hence 60 seconds dwell was allowed for at each stop. The results of the simulation are laid out in a ‘timetable’ format in the table below Run No. 1. 160km/h express 2. 200km/h 3. 160km/h express stopper Power / weight ratio (hp/t) 12.93 15.52 12.93 Maximum Speed (km/h) 160 200 160

Southern Cross dep (min.sec.) 00:00 00:00 00:00 Sunshine depart 07:48 Corio Parkway arrive 31:57 North Geelong arrive 38:35 Geelong arrive 36.16 32.38 43:16 Energy (indexed to RRL train) 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Figure 13. – Simulation results for Regional Rail Link option

Interpretation of Simulation Results The improved alignment, allowing much faster train running between Southern Cross to beyond Deer Park, would provide significant time savings for express trains as compared to now. Stopping trains would also gain a similar benefit. Future express trains via this route would be able to be scheduled for 37 minutes between Melbourne and Geelong (an improvement of 13 minutes as compared to the best schedule now), while a three-stop service could be scheduled in around 44 minutes. The combination of higher powered trains and higher track speeds would enable a 33 minute scheduled time (17 minutes faster than now) lifting the average speed, end to end, from 136.4 km/h to 152.1 km/h. The length of line is an issue for train timings via this route. The actual times able to be achieved will depend on the ‘as built’ configuration of track and train types as well as the chosen pattern of intermediate stops.

7. Western Freeway Option

As the name of the option implies, this option uses the Western Freeway for a portion of the journey to Geelong. The fast rail line to Geelong would have two parallel tracks with signalling suitable for 200 km/h operation. Where the fast line uses existing tracks, all level crossings would be grade separated. In order to obviate major problems with diesel emissions it is assumed that a fleet of new trains with bi-modal traction technology would be introduced which can normally operate under diesel power and be seamlessly switched to electric mode when in tunnels.

7.1 Features of Western Freeway Option

The following map shows the alignment of this option.

Figure 14. – Map of Western Freeway option

7.1.1 Southern Cross Station – Western Freeway Option As with the Regional Rail Link option, the rail infrastructure for Geelong trains at Southern Cross station would have only minor modifications other than to provide connections to the tunnel ramp and portal located near the existing Latrobe Street overpass and east of Dudley Street.

7.1.2 Southern Cross to Geelong Road Brooklyn – Western Freeway Option This section comprises a new 8.1km tunnel commencing at the north end of the CBD near the existing Latrobe Street overpass. The tunnel would pass under the Maribyrnong River and Footscray. The portal at the other end of the tunnel would be located in Geelong Road approximately 1.25km south-west of the rail line at West Footscray. The picture below shows Geelong Road near where the portal would be located.

Figure 15. – Typical section of Geelong Road The portal will more than likely need to be “split” to fit into Geelong Road without having too great an impact. In other words, the tracks would emerge from underground separately in order to have a narrower footprint within the Geelong Road reservation. Once out of the ground, the tracks would continue to climb to become elevated within the Geelong Road median.

7.1.3 Geelong Road Brooklyn to Somerville Road - Western Freeway Option From the portal to the west of West Footscray station, the new tracks would continue on a bridge structure then curve to the west in order to be located on a bridge structure in Somerville Road Brooklyn. The picture below provides a view of Somerville Road.

Figure 16. – Typical section of Somerville Road

The section of Somerville Road between Geelong Road and Kororoit Creek has a somewhat narrower reservation width of around 20m. It should be possible to locate the rail bridge within the road reservation, however a small amount of land purchase may be required in areas where turning lanes are located. The land on both sides of Somerville Road contains industrial development. The detail of precisely how the rail infrastructure would look are beyond the scope of this high-level assessment and would be assessed at a future stage of development. An alternative to this option would be to locate the alignment along Boundary Road, approximately 1.5 km to the south of this option. Again, this is beyond the scope of this exercise and would be assessed at a future stage of development.

7.1.4 Somerville Road to Western Freeway Derrimut - Western Freeway Option From the western end of Somerville Road, the elevated rail tracks would continue across developed industrial land, then cross the access road for the freeway service centre and enter the freeway reservation just south of the traffic lanes in Derrimut. The picture below provides an aerial view of this portion of the Western Freeway option

Figure 17. – Aerial view of freeway section of Western Freeway option. In this section it will be necessary to either negotiate air rights above the industrial development or purchase a number of industrial facilities.

7.1.5 Western Freeway to Regional Rail Link Truganina - Western Freeway Option In this section the rail line continues along the southern side of the freeway reservation, partly at ground level but elevated where necessary. Where the freeway veers northward at Truganina, the new rail line would exit the freeway reservation on an elevated structure then continue westward to meet the Regional Rail Link reservation in a sweeping left hand curve. The following picture provides an aerial view of this portion of the Western Freeway option.

Figure 18. – Aerial view of section of Western Freeway option west of freeway.

7.1.6 Regional Rail Link to Manor section - Western Freeway Option From Truganina through to just short of Manor Junction, a new pair of tracks is required as the existing tracks will be used for the proposed suburban electrified Wyndham Vale service. This section of the line is along the Regional Rail Link corridor where adequate corridor width has been allowed for. There will need to be a flyover before Manor Junction to pass over the proposed metropolitan line to link Werribee with the new station at Black Forest Road, however Manor Junction would remain as it is currently configured. It should also be noted that significant works will be still required to pass through the station precincts at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale.

7.1.7 Manor Junction to Geelong section - Western Freeway Option From Manor Junction the Geelong Fast Line would utilise the existing Geelong line tracks with upgrading works to allow 200 km/h maximum speed operation. Note that there are three tracks for most of this section; a pair of broad gauge Geelong Line tracks and a single interstate standard gauge track connecting to Adelaide, Perth and Darwin. As with all sections of the Geelong Fast Rail Line, all level crossings and at-grade pedestrian crossings would be grade separated. Although the track is generally of high quality in this section some upgrading would be undertaken to allow 200 km/h operation. At Lara the curve at the back of the east side of the existing platform would be straightened in conjunction with the level crossing removal.

7.2 Estimated Cost of Western Freeway Option. An itemised conceptual estimate has been prepared for the Western Freeway option. A copy of the estimate is shown below.

Figure 19 – Concept estimate for Western Freeway option.

The estimated cost of the Western Freeway option is approximately $9.0 billion.

7.3 Western Freeway Option Speed/Travel Time Issues The likely achievable track speed for each section of this corridor option have been assessed and train simulation is then used to determine the likely travel times for 160 km/h and alternatively 200 km/h maximum train speeds.

7.3.1 Speed Related Issues – Western Freeway Option The track configuration for the Western Freeway option involves a tunnel from Southern Cross to beyond West Footscray in the Geelong Rd alignment, then a surface or elevated alignment via Somerville Road and a short section of the Western Freeway to join the Regional Rail Link north of Tarneit station. Track speeds would be 160 km/h in the tunnel and through to just before North Shore station, apart from an 80 km/h curve at West Footscray, and two 130/140 km/h curves prior to joining the RRL line. Speeds from North Shore to Geelong would be similar to existing VLocity speeds over this section. Route distance Southern Cross to Geelong has been estimated at 78.63km As with the previous option, the basic train type assumed in the simulation is a 6 car VLocity train as currently operates, with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. This train type has been calibrated using actual observed performance and therefore the time estimates can be developed with some confidence. These trains would not operate the new service and in fact they could not do so due to the long tunnels required in the Melbourne area. New trains will be required and it has been assumed that they would be of higher power and higher speed capability. Sensitivity testing was undertaken, using a train with 20% more power and running at up to 200km/h where curves and junctions permit.

7.3.2 Train Simulation Assessment – Western Freeway Option The simulation was run in a mode which gave optimum outcomes (fastest achievable times). To adapt the simulated times to realistically achievable times one minute was added to the overall time (approximately 3%) of all runs. Simulated trains were run ‘non-stop’ Southern Cross to Geelong, as well as a more realistic ‘stopping’ alternative that served the major northern Geelong area stops; Corio Parkway (future key ‘park and ride’ Geelong area station) and North Geelong. An additional stop could be included at the outer fringe of Melbourne at a future Black Forest Road station but

has not been included in the simulation. Services that deal with all intermediate stations were outside the scope of this study. In the case of stopping trains, the simulation model identifies the train run times but not the dwell time (this is outside the technical issues to do with the train) so 60 seconds dwell was allowed for at each stop. The results of the simulation are laid out in a ‘timetable’ format in the table below. Run No. 4. 160km/h express 5. 200km/h 6. 160km/h express stopper Power / weight ratio (hp/t) 12.93 15.52 12.93 Maximum Speed (km/h) 160 200 160

Southern Cross dep (min.sec.) 00:00 00:00 00:00 Corio Parkway arrive 29.02 North Geelong arrive 35.41 Geelong arrive 35.24 31.46 40:22 Energy (indexed to RRL train) 94.4% 97.6% 93.6%

Figure 20. – Simulation results for Western Freeway option

Interpretation of Simulation Results The shorter alignment, with less restrictive track speeds restrictions beyond West Footscray, allows for slightly faster times via this route compared to the RRL Option. Future express trains (true inter-city trains) would be able to be scheduled for 36 minutes between Melbourne and Geelong (14 minutes faster than the fastest times now), while a two-stop service could be scheduled in around 41 minutes and a three-stop service in around 44 minutes. The combination of higher powered trains and higher track speeds would enable a 32 minute scheduled time (18 minutes faster than now) lifting the average speed, end to end from 137.1 km/h to 153.3 km/h. The length of line is an issue for train timings via this route, being several kilometres longer than the most direct line or the competing highway. The actual times able to be achieved will depend on the ‘as built’ configuration of track and train types as well as the chosen pattern of intermediate stops.

8. Geelong Road Option

As the name of the option implies, this option uses the Geelong Road for a portion of the journey to Geelong. The Geelong Fast Line would have two parallel tracks with signalling suitable for 200 km/h operation. Where the fast line uses existing tracks, the level crossings would be grade separated. In order to obviate major problems with diesel emissions it is assumed that a fleet of new trains with bi-modal traction technology would be introduced which can normally operate under diesel power and be seamlessly switched to electric mode when in tunnels.

8.1 Features of Geelong Road Option The following map shows the alignment of this option.

Figure 21. Map of Geelong Road option

8.1.1 Southern Cross Station – Geelong Road Option As in the Regional Rail Link option, the rail infrastructure for Geelong trains at Southern Cross station would have little or no modifications other than to provide connections to the tunnel ramp and portal located near the existing Latrobe Street overpass and east of Dudley Street.

8.1.2 Southern Cross to Geelong Road Brooklyn – Geelong Road Option This section comprises a new 8.1km tunnel commencing at the north end of the CBD near the existing Latrobe Street overpass. The tunnel would pass under the Maribyrnong River and Footscray. The portal at the other end of the tunnel would be located in Geelong Road approximately 1.25 km south-west of the rail line at West Footscray. The portal will more than likely need to be “split” to fit into Geelong Road without having too great an impact. In other words, the tracks would emerge from underground separately in order to have a narrower footprint within the Geelong Road reservation. Once out of the ground, the tracks would continue to climb to become elevated within the Geelong Road median.

8.1.3 Geelong Road Brooklyn to Just West of Princes Freeway Western Ring Road Interchange Altona - Geelong Road Option From the portal near West Footscray station, the new tracks would continue on a bridge structure in Geelong Road and through the Princes Freeway/Western Ring Road Interchange at Altona - a distance of approximately 6.4km.

8.1.4 West of Princes Freeway Western Ring Road Interchange to Just East of Kororoit Creek Road Altona - Geelong Road Option In this section, the tracks would be located at ground level for approximately 1.8 km on the north-west side of the Princes Freeway. The picture below provides a view along the freeway looking south-west.

Figure 22. Typical section of Princes Freeway In this section it will be necessary to negotiate with VicRoads as the two tracks would be located on their land.

8.1.5 Just East of Kororoit Creek Road to Just Beyond The Old Geelong Road – Sayers Road Intersection at Williams Landing - Geelong Road Option In this 3.5km long section the rail line is elevated in the Old Geelong Road reservation. Below is a picture of the Old Geelong Road.

Figure 23. – Typical section of Old Geelong Road

8.1.6 Old Geelong Road – Sayers Road Intersection to Forsyth Road Overpass at Williams Landing - Geelong Road Option In this 2.6 km long section, the rail line is located in a tunnel as it will be passing through residential development. The picture below is taken from the Forsyth Road Overpass looking towards Melbourne.

Figure 24. – Rail reservation near Williams Landing The tracks would emerge from the ground at a new tunnel portal which would be built within the rail reservation in the area shown in the photograph.

8.1.7 Forsyth Road Overpass to Manor Junction - Geelong Road Option This section of the line is along the Werribee rail line where there is adequate corridor width to accommodate two extra tracks for the Geelong Fast Rail service. A picture of a typical section of this section is shown below.

Figure 25. – Tracks in rail reservation West of Werribee The picture was taken facing towards Melbourne and shows the interstate standard gauge line on the left and the two broad gauge Werribee line tracks on the right. The new tracks would generally be located at ground level, however, it is anticipated that it will be necessary to elevate the new tracks for approximately 2km in the Werribee area due to proposed grade separations and other factors. Beyond the elevated section at Werribee, the existing tracks would be upgraded and used for the Geelong Fast Rail Line service.

8.1.8 Manor Junction to Geelong section - Geelong Road Option From Manor Junction, the Geelong Fast Rail Line would utilise the existing Geelong line tracks with upgrading works to allow 200 km/h maximum speed operation. Note that there are three tracks for most of this section; a pair of broad gauge Geelong Line tracks and a single interstate standard gauge track connecting to Adelaide, Perth and Darwin. As with all sections of the Geelong Fast Rail Line, all level crossings and at grade pedestrian crossings would be grade separated. Although the track is generally of high quality in this section some upgrading would be undertaken to allow 200km/h operation. At Lara, the curve at the back of the east side of the existing platform would be straightened, in conjunction with the level crossing removal.

8.2 Estimated Cost of Geelong Road Option An itemised conceptual estimate has been prepared for the Geelong Road option. A copy of the estimate is shown below.

Figure 26 – Concept estimate for Geelong Road option

The estimated cost of the Geelong Road option is approximately $11.0 billion.

8.3 Geelong Road Option Speed/Travel Time Issues The likely achievable track speeds for each section of this corridor option have been assessed and train simulation is then used to determine the likely travel times for 160 km/h and alternatively 200 km/h maximum train speeds.

8.3.1 Speed Related Issues – Geelong Road Option The track configuration for the Western Freeway Option involves a tunnel from Southern Cross to beyond West Footscray, then a surface or elevated alignment along Geelong Road and a modest tunnel to join the existing Werribee line alignment just beyond Williams Landing. Track speeds would be 160 km/h in the tunnel and through to just before North Shore station, apart from an 80 km/h curve at West Footscray, while the arrangement of Manor Junction would be reversed to give the fast route to this alignment. Speeds from North Shore to Geelong would be similar to existing VLocity speeds over this section. Route distance Southern Cross to Geelong has been estimated at 71.27km. The basic train type assumed in the simulation is a 6 car VLocity train as currently operates, with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. This train type has been calibrated using actual observed performance and therefore the time estimates can be developed with some confidence. These trains would not operate the new service and in fact they could not due to the long tunnels required in the Melbourne area. New trains will be required and it has been assumed that they would be of higher power and higher speed capability. Sensitivity testing was undertaken using a train with 20% more power and running at up to 200 km/h where curves and junctions would permit.

8.3.2 Train Simulation Assessment – Geelong Road Option Simulated trains were run ‘nonstop’ Southern Cross to Geelong, as well as a more realistic ‘stopping’ alternative that served a pick up stop at a Werribee South Interchange (future outer Melbourne interchange), Corio Parkway (future key ‘park and ride’ Geelong area

station) and North Geelong. Services that deal with all intermediate stations were outside the scope of this study. In the case of stopping trains the simulation model identifies the train run times but not the dwell time (this is outside the technical issues to do with the train) so 60 seconds dwell was allowed for at each stop. The results of the simulation are laid out in a ‘timetable’ format in the table below. Run No. 7. 160km/h express 8. 200km/h 9. 160km/h express stopper Power / weight ratio (hp/t) 12.93 15.52 12.93 Maximum Speed (km/h) 160 200 160

Southern Cross dep (min.sec.) 00:00 00:00 00:00 Werribee South depart 16.30 Corio Parkway arrive 28.59 North Geelong arrive 36.37 Geelong arrive 32.18 28.53 40:18 Energy (indexed to RRL train) 84.5% 88.4% 91.6%

Figure 27 – Simulation results for Geelong Road option

Interpretation of Simulation Results This route would be significantly shorter than either of the other two options and in fact would also be shorter than the original Geelong route through Newport. It would be about as close to the rhumb line as it would be possible to achieve these days. Future express trains (true inter-city trains) would be able to be scheduled for 33 minutes between Melbourne and Geelong (17 minutes faster than the fastest schedule now), while a three-stop service would be able to be scheduled in around 41 minutes. The combination of higher powered trains and higher track speeds would enable a 29 minute scheduled time (21 minutes faster than now) lifting the average speed, end to end from 136.6 km/h to 153.4 km/h. The length of line is not an issue for train timings via this route, being the shortest distance realistically achievable between the two cities. It should be noted that any of the proposed future train timings would be well ahead of anything currently achieved in this country, despite involving more or less existing train and track conditions. The actual times able to be achieved will depend on the ‘as built’ configuration of track and trains as well as the chosen pattern of intermediate stops.

9. The Fishermans Bend/Newport alternative

As mentioned previously, this option has not been considered in any detail as it is the proposed alignment of the Melbourne Metro 2 (MM2) line between Southern Cross, Werribee and Wyndham Vale. The option is shown below coloured bright blue until it merges with the existing Metro Werribee line at Newport and the Geelong Road option near Hoppers Crossing.

Figure 28 – Map showing Fishermans Bend/Newport alternative

This option comprises a new tunneled corridor from underground platforms at Southern Cross beneath Wurundjeri Way and turning south-west to pass below the Yarra River at Docklands. The line is to have at least one, and possibly two, underground stations in the Fishermans Bend Development Precinct, most likely aligned under Plummer Street. From here it continues in tunnel beneath the Yarra River shipping channel and with an underground station at Newport. It then merges into the Metro Werribee line in the vicinity of Altona Junction. As this is expected to become a busy suburban line which connects the Mernda Line in the north of Melbourne with the Werribee/Wyndham Vale line in the south-west of Melbourne, its cost is such that it could not be economically duplicated. As such, the corridor is not considered suitable for use to support the proposed Geelong Fast Line.

10. Comparison of Options

Quadruplication of the section of the Regional Rail Link corridor between Deer Park Junction and Manor Junction is likely to occur within the next decade in conjunction with the Wyndham Vale Electrification project. This represents a significant advantage of this option. The Western Freeway option and the Geelong Road option both require a significant length of track to be constructed in existing road reservation within developed areas where there are currently no rail lines. This will introduce visual and noise impacts which will more than likely cause community concern and will make it more challenging to gain planning/environmental approval when the Regional Rail Link option is available without introducing new rail lines within roadways.

While the Regional Rail Link option option covers the greatest distance of the three options, the differences in simulated Melbourne-Geelong travel times between the options are not great, being a maximum of 4 minutes:

160km/h express 200km/h express 160km/h stopper (min/sec) (min/sec) (min/sec) RRL option 36.16 32.38 43.16 Western Freeway option 35.24 31.46 40.22 Geelong Road option 32.18 28.53 40.18 As indicated in Section 6.3.2, the improved Regional Rail Link option option alignment, allowing much faster train running between Southern Cross to beyond Deer Park, would provide significant time savings for express trains as compared to now. Stopping trains would also gain a similar benefit. Future express trains via this route could be scheduled for 37 minutes between Melbourne and Geelong (an improvement of 13 minutes as compared to the best schedule now), while a three-stop service could be scheduled in around 44 minutes. The combination of higher powered trains and higher track speeds to 200 km/h where practicable would enable a 33 minute scheduled time (17 minutes faster than now), lifting the average speed, end to end, from 136.4 km/h to 152.1 km/h. For the above reasons, the Regional Rail Link option is considered the most suitable option.

11. Conclusion Of the three corridor options examined in this assessment, the Regional Rail Link option is considered superior as it will have the lowest impact and portion of this option is likely to be constructed in the relatively near future as part of the Wyndham Vale Electrification project, thereby effectively reducing the overall cost.

12. Next Steps Examination of the rail corridor to the west of Geelong is outside the scope of this assessment. Similarly, examination of rail capacity related issues is outside the current scope. These issues could be incorporated as part of a second stage assignment.