Plan for rail duplication

Detailed planning has begun on the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds rail duplication, after the State Government contracted a company to create a business case.
Geelong MP Christine Couzens announced on Friday the government had awarded the contract to Aerocon, a global infrastructure advisory company.
Ms Couzens said removing the rail “bottleneck” would deliver “the more frequent and reliable services the people in Geelong’s growing suburbs expect and deserve.”
The Geelong to Waurn Ponds Railway Planning Project would examine different duplication options and undertake geotechnical and environmental investigations, Ms Couzens said.
The project would also examine options for modernising the Geelong to South Geelong tunnel and upgrading Geelong’s southern stations, she said.
Ms Couzens said the planning project would support the $110 million duplication’s first stage, which includes upgrades to Waurn Ponds Station and the Armstrong Creek transit corridor.
Aerocon will develop detailed planning works and consult the community to build the business case for the duplication.
The government will hold information sessions in November, and will advertise the details in local newspapers.
“We’d like to hear from local residents, business owners, passengers and visitors to the area to make sure we get the right outcome for the community,” Ms Couzens said.
The government planned to redevelop Geelong Station car parking for longer term commuter needs as part of a plan to revitalise the city, Ms Cousins said.