What is Regional Rail Link?
Regional Rail Link is a landmark infrastructure project designed to remove major bottlenecks in Victoria's rail network. It will do this by untangling metropolitan and regional tracks as they travel through Melbourne's west into the heart of the city.
Dedicated regional tracks will be built from West Werribee Junction to Deer Park, then along the existing rail corridor from Sunshine to Southern Cross Station. When complete, passengers on the Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat lines will have a streamlined journey through the metropolitan system.
Regional Rail Link will increase the size of Victoria's rail network by laying 90km of new track. The project also includes:
- two new stations at Wyndham Vale and Tarneit
- a rebuilt West Footscray railway station
- upgrades to Sunshine and Footscray stations
- improvements to the entrance and forecourt at Tottenham station
- two new platforms at Southern Cross Station
- removal of two level crossings at Anderson Road in Sunshine
- 13 road and rail grade separations through Wyndham Vale and Tarneit
- construction of a new rail bridge over the Maribyrnong River
Regional Rail Link will create capacity for an extra 23 metropolitan and 10 regional services during each morning and evening peak period. This means capacity for an additional 54,000 passenger trips each day.
As well as improving existing services, Regional Rail Link will lay the foundations for future expansion of the rail network to meet the needs of Victoria's growing population.
The project will also be a major economic boost to Victoria, in particular Melbourne's west in terms of business opportunities, service contracts and jobs, and will make the western region more attractive for long-term business investment. Read more about the benefits of the project.
Regional Rail Link is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments with the Australian Government contributing $3.225 billion.
