Regional Victorian Cities Are Thriving, but They Are Held Back by Lack of Connection. the Greens Have a Plan to Revive the Cross
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GEELONG TO BENDIGO TRAIN SERVICE THE GREENS’ PLAN TO REVIVE THE GOLDFIELDS RAIL LINE Regional Victorian cities are thriving, but they are held back by lack of connection. The Greens have a plan to revive the cross-state rail line between Geelong and Bendigo, to link five cities. The Greens want all Victorians to have the opportunities In regional centres like Meredith, Carisbrook, Guildford and offered by public transport that is fast, frequent, affordable Newstead, the abandoned tracks and stations remind residents and reliable. that an inter-city train service is possible. We know that people travel to nearby regional Victorian THE GREENS’ PLAN cities, and between them, not just to Melbourne. So our train services should link towns with regional cities, and link The Greens support an affordable, staged re-introduction of the regional cities with each other. train service: The Greens want to re-open the Goldfields Rail Line, to link Geelong, Ballarat, Maryborough, Castlemaine and Bendigo with a regular cross-state passenger service. People will travel for work, education and health between regional centres with a decent train service. RAIL REVIVAL CAMPAIGN Passenger trains between Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo were withdrawn in the late 1970s, after the service was allowed to run down. Since then, the population along the train line has boomed. There are now 400,000 people living along the route. Geelong, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bendigo are all thriving regional cities. Bannockburn is a fast-growing residential area only 22km from Geelong. The only public transport is a V/Line bus Stage 1: which doesn’t provide a good commuter service for people Re-open the Geelong to Ballarat rail line, with new low-cost working or studying in Geelong, let alone jobs, study and stations at Bannockburn and Meredith to provide a commuter sport or entertainment in Melbourne. service for the growing communities. AUSTRALIAN GREENS VICTORIA • BETTER CONNECTIONS FOR REGIONAL VICTORIA Authorised and printed by Greg Barber, 1/362 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 2014 •PAGE 1 GEELONG TO BENDIGO TRAIN SERVICE THE GREENS’ PLAN TO REVIVE THE GOLDFIELDS RAIL LINE This section has good quality freight lines for much of the Bendigo line upgrade is needed regardless of this project. distance, so an initial 65 minute moderate-speed Geelong- An initial moderate-speed service would be the same standard Ballarat service can be achieved at low cost with some new as the existing Ballarat to Maryborough service, and fast enough track, upgraded level crossings and one passing loop. to compete with car travel. So it would take cars off the road. Geelong-Ballarat trains would continue to the Ballarat- Maryborough service. An improved service with more trains BENEFITS would encourage Maryborough to grow as a regional centre. Trains are great for regional cities. Just look at the way Stage 2: Castlemaine and Bendigo have taken off since the rail line was upgraded. Repair and rebuild the train line between Maryborough and Castlemaine, re-open Newstead station and build new low- Trains are a safe alternative to car travel, especially for regular cost stations at Carisbrook and Guildford. trips for work and health services. An initial 45 minute moderate-speed Maryborough- They prevent isolation by letting people get out when they don’t Castlemaine service can be achieved at low cost. have a car, especially young people looking for work or entertainment, and seniors. People are more likely to live in This section of track is currently in disrepair, but some track regional cities if their families can get around easily. and bridges are fit for use and others can be repaired rather than replaced. New level crossings will be needed. OTHER PARTIES Passengers would change trains at Castlemaine for Bendigo The Liberal government spent $2 million on the Rail Revival or Melbourne services. Study, which took two years to compete and recommended Stage 3: upgrading the bus service, which they haven’t done. Once the Geelong-Castlemaine service is established, Instead the government is pouring billions of dollars of public upgrade to a faster service and increase the number of trains money into an inner Melbourne toll road. using the line. Continue to Bendigo on existing tracks. Labor has been completely silent on this issue. KEEP THE COSTS DOWN SOURCES The Liberal government study was used as an excuse to do The Liberal government Rail Revival Feasibility Study nothing at all. (estimated capital cost $760-$935 million) The high cost estimates were partly because it included http://ptv.vic.gov.au/projects/rail-projects/rail-revival-study- upgrades to lines that are already open, and partly because it geelong-ballarat-bendigo included super-fast tracks and extra width on bridges to take a second track. Rail Revival Study: An Alternative Proposal – Noel Laidlaw & Associates, May 2014 (estimated capital cost $90 million) While it would be great to have super-fast service on all new accessed via the Rail Revival Alliance: http://railrevival.org tracks from the beginning, we would rather have a basic level service at a price we can afford, than none at all. Rail Futures Inc submission on 2015-2015 State Budget. The cost of some upgrades, like passing loops, would be shared with the freight service that would also benefit. A AUSTRALIAN GREENS VICTORIA • BETTER CONNECTIONS FOR REGIONAL VICTORIA Authorised and printed by Greg Barber, 1/362 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 2014 •PAGE 2 .