The Melton train line should be electrified by 2030 and completed alongside the Sunshine Superhub project, according to the state’s peak infrastructure advisor.
Infrastructure Victoria’s (IV) latest Victorian Infrastructure Strategy makes 45 recommendations to the state government across infrastructure sectors including transport, health, housing, energy, social infrastructure and the environment.
IV said that by 2030, the government should extend metropolitan train services from Sunshine to Melton by electrifying the line, and it should build two more tracks to provide four tracks from Sunshine to Caroline Springs to allow for faster Geelong, Ballarat and Wyndham Vale V/Line services.
It said this should be a “top priority” for the west.
IV chief executive Dr Jonathan Spear said electrifying the Melton line would result in up to 16,000 more train trips and up to 9000 fewer car trips each day by 2041.
“The extensions would reduce congestion and travel times on many roads and trains during morning peak hours, including the Western Freeway,” he said.
IV has also recommended three new bus routes be established in Melbourne’s west, one of which is a Point Cook to Watergardens service.
“We recommend these routes progress by the early 2030s, based on how many people we expect to use the services and current and future congestion,” Dr Spear said.
The report also recommended a new cycling corridor to be built from St Albans to Docklands as well as two new tram projects to be delivered by the mid-2030s— a route from Highpoint to Sunshine and an extended tram line from Airport West to Melbourne Airport.
A government spokesperson said rebuilding Sunshine station is the first step towards electrifying the Melton line – with the station set to unlock capacity for more than 1000 services each day across the busiest rail lines in Melbourne’s west and western Victoria.
The $4.1 billion Sunshine Superhub project will include construction of the track that will become the electrified Melton line.
According to the state government, the 2025/26 budget has allocated funding for the future rollout of seven new or upgraded bus services across Tarneit, Tarneit West, Rockbank, Aintree, Deanside, Cairnlea, Thornhill Park, Cobblebank and Mt Atkinson.
