The Victorian government has pledged they will build a huge new underground suburban rail network, which will link every major line and the planned airport connection. Is it a train straight from the city to the airport? No, but it’s kinda sorta almost there.
The so-called Suburban Rail Loop, which the Daniel Andrews government is billing as “the biggest public transport project in Australian history” would connect the majority of key train lines, meaning that many commuters will no longer need to travel all the way to the city to reach other Melbourne destination. As any Melbourne suburbanite will tell you, this is a huge current weak spot in the system.
Here’s a nice little announcement video from the Premier’s office:
There are 12 stations planned, starting in the south-east and travelling north. You will have a while to wait, though – if Labor is returned to government at the next election, construction will be slated to begin in 2022. Here’s Transport Minister Jacinta Allen:
This will be an investment. Just as the previous investments in the city loop were made many decades ago, the investments in a ring road were made over many decades ago. The suburban rail loop is an investment that would be made over a number of years.
