Investment $704 million
Public transport is vital for connecting communities and getting regional passengers from A to B.
What will the money be used for?
The Victorian Budget 2018/19 includes $704 million to give Victorians in regional areas more efficient and reliable public transport, including:
Shepparton Line Upgrade
$313 million for Stage 2 of the Shepparton Line Upgrade. Funding will deliver a business case for 9 return services a day, with funding also provided to deliver a range of infrastructure upgrades ahead of the scope and costs of Stage 3 being finalised to enable increased services. Funded works will allow modern VLocity trains to operate to and from Shepparton for the first time, offer faster journey times and improve reliability of services.
VLocity fleet
$189 million to provide additional stabling and train maintenance facilities to support the state’s growing VLocity fleet.
Regional rail infrastructure upgrades
$130 million for regional rail infrastructure upgrades from Maryborough and Ararat to Ballarat.
V/Line services
$26.2 million for V/Line services to ensure the sustainability of regional rail, and improve reliability and punctuality.
Regional bus network
$22.2 million for extra regional bus services and infrastructure works across the regional bus network.
Additional regional rail services
$10.8 million for additional regional rail services, including additional weekday off-peak and weekend services to and from our regional cities.
These investments build on and complement the $1.7 billion for the Regional Rail Revival program in last year’s Budget. This project will create more than 1,000 jobs across regional Victoria and upgrade every regional passenger line in the state. The Government has also ordered 87 VLocity carriages since 2015, with its rollout starting in 2017, and the last carriage of the current order to arrive in early 2020.