The Turnbull Government will release $1.7 billion for Victoria’s Regional Rail Revival program after the state formally signed up to cooperate on the Inland Rail project.
Victoria has agreed to negotiate a new long term lease with the Australian Rail Track Corporation, which will support the extension of the North East Rail Line corridor to be part of the Inland Rail line.
Inland Rail will link Brisbane to Melbourne via an inland railway capable of handling long trains with double-stacked containers, at over 100km/h.
A joint statement from transport and infrastructure minister Michael McCormack and Victorian public transport and major projects minister Jacinta Allan said the sides had signed a bilateral agreement, which also frees up $1.7 billion for the state’s Regional Rail Revival program.
Victoria has been attempting to pry at least $1.5 billion from the Commonwealth since it sold the Port of Melbourne in 2017.
The state’s Andrews Government claimed it was owed the money under asset recycling initiative, but the Turnbull Government said it had missed the deadline for the program, and the money would not be supplied.
Allan said $1.57 billion of the funding would go towards the Regional Rail Revival program, and $135 million will go towards the upgrade of the North East Rail Line to a class 2 standard.
“I thank the deputy prime minister for acting quickly, so we can now get on with the job of upgrading track, station and signalling throughout regional Victoria, to run modern trains and get people home sooner,” the state minister said.
McCormack said the Coalition was committed to completing Inland Rail.
“I’m pleased to reach agreement with Victoria, the first state to get behind Inland Rail which will improve freight travel times for local farmers and producers and support thousands of jobs,” the Nationals leader said.
“[I’m] delighted that Jacinta has put pen to paper along with myself, and we were there with the Victorian senator Bridget McKenzie, deputy leader of the Federal Nationals, for that historic signing,” McCormack later told ABC radio.
“We’ve agreed that we need to build the sort of infrastructure that not only regional passenger commuters but also our freight task requires, and delighted that we’ve signed that agreement, delighted that the North East Rail Line is being looked at for passenger safety and security, and a very good and historic day in signing this morning.”
Speaking to the media outside Southern Cross station in Melbourne, Jacinta Allan said the funding would help the Andrews Government get on with one of its biggest commitments to the state’s regions.
“The significant amount of development work and planning that’s been underway can now really ramp up into the construction phase, and it is across every regional passenger line,” she said.
Regional Rail Revival includes a $557 million, two-stage upgrade to the Ballarat Line, a $91 million upgrade to the Bendigo Line, $110 million for the Geelong Line, $530 million for the Gippsland Line, and $114 million for the Warrnambool Line.
Total listed spending planned for the North East Corridor upgrade is $140 million, and the program also includes $10 million to identify potential improvements to enhance freight capacity around Shepparton.
Hi All,
These Figures in terms of $1s spent do look impressive. Wonder if there will B Provisions for more
Standardization of the Freight System in the North East.Long Overdue.