By Luke Voogt
A $2 billion “fast rail” investment will make little difference to trains between Geelong and Melbourne, according to a local public transport advocate.
“It’s a bit of spin to say it’s fast rail they’re going to deliver,” Public Transport Users Association Geelong convener Paul Westcott said.
Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan this week announced a new express track through Werribee, 8km shorter than the current route through Wyndham Vale.
Rail Projects Victoria touts new times of about 50 minutes in stage one of the Geelong Fast Rail project, reducing travel times by “up to 15 minutes”.
But the 5.32pm weekday Melbourne-Geelong train already makes the trip in 50 minutes, according to V/Line’s timetable.
Even savings of 15 minutes for Geelong’s slowest trains amounted only to “slightly faster rail”, Mr Westcott said.
He said planners were trying to match “pie in the sky” expectations built up by “federal government spruiking fast rail”.
Federal government’s 2019 election commitment of $2 billion towards 32-minute “fast rail” included no detailed planning, he said.
“Fast rail is a bit of a fetish that has been generated by people that don’t use the service day-to-day. Regular passengers don’t complain about the time – they complain about the lack of seats.”
Mr Westcott urged state government to use its additional $2 billion investment to increase the frequency of Geelong-Melbourne trains.
Under the plan trains will use both the Wyndham and Werribee routes, which he said was an excellent opportunity to increase services.
