By Natalee Kerr
Geelong’s council has raised “false hope” with a report suggesting fast trains could operate between the city and Melbourne within five to seven years, according to a public transport advocate.
“I think council have jumped the gun a bit. They’re raising an expectation that would seem impossible to meet,” said Public Transport Users Association Geelong convenor Paul Westcott.
“It’s good to see council uniting and trying to improve rail services but it’s a remarkably optimistic timeframe they’ve set.”
The Stronger, Together report proposes a 200km/h rail network connecting Melbourne to regional cities such as Geelong and Ballarat.
Funding for the project would come from the $10 billion allocated to the Melbourne airport rail link, the report said.
Eight trains an hour could run during peak periods on the Geelong line, the report stated, with express services reaching Melbourne in 35 minutes.
Mr Westcott labelled the proposed plan a “significant amount funding for a fairly modest improvement”.
“VLocity trains currently operate at a top speed of 160km/h, so it’s a lot of money to spend on what is a relatively small increase in speed,” he said.
Mr Westcott also raised concerns for plans to fully-electrify the line.
“They’re proposing the line should be electrified but we don’t have a single electric train that could run at the moment,” he said.
Mr Westcott accused the report, which drew on more than a year of research from urban planners, transport and rail experts, of “misreading” what commuters wanted.
“Reliability, frequency and capacity are the big issues Geelong commuters are facing and spending all that money in theory wouldn’t solve those problems,” he said.
“None of those things will be delivered by a train that goes 40kms faster.”
But deputy mayor Peter Murrihy said the benefits of moving to an electrified fast rail network were “enormous”.
“Increased speed, capacity, frequency and connectivity between cities, airports and towns will transform the way people move and live in Victoria,” he said.
City Hall has put the plan on the council’s website for public feedback until 31 July.
The federal coalition promised $2 billion before the federal election to deliver fast rail between Geelong and Melbourne. The project also has state support, with the Victorian Government pledging $150 million for planning regional fast trains.
