The Victorian government has pledged a whopping $50 billion to go towards a new underground suburban rail network.
With the big build expected to take up to 3 years to complete, it has been said to be “The biggest public transport project in Australian history” and won’t be completed until 2050.
In total, 90km of track will connect 10 train lines and will enable commuters to reach other parts of the city without having to travel into the city. Another 5 additional stations will also be built at Doncaster, Bundoora, Burwood , Monash and Melbourne Airport. Upon completion, the loop will connect 15 stations with new interchanges being built at 10 existing stations.
Premier Daniel Andrews has said that this project is about everyday use to better connect people to their jobs.
“This is about connecting universities and TAFEs and hospitals and employment precincts; it’s also about being able to live closer to where you work”.
“This is about taking hundreds of thousands of cars off the road and giving people a public transport system that they can leave the car at home for. ‘‘It will take time to build, it will take a lot of money, but the real question is, what’s the cost if we don’t deliver this? A congested city that just doesn’t function”.
Although it is not yet known where the funding for the project will come from, it has been assumed that the private sector will be jumping at the chance to be apart of the project.