Melton and Wyndham Vale would receive 25 hybrid electric trains under a $1.7 billion Victorian Coalition election pledge aimed at expanding services and easing pressure on Melbourne’s rapidly growing western rail corridor.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the new trains would operate across electrified and non-electrified sections of the network, allowing suburban-style services to reach the two communities before the lines were fully electrified.
The Liberal and Nationals plan is intended to support additional peak-hour services and more than double passenger capacity on the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines. The opposition has not provided a delivery timetable for the new fleet.
“My Liberal and Nationals team has a plan to get Melbourne’s west moving,” Wilson said.
“Labor has twice promised and twice failed to deliver the modern train services communities across Melton and Wyndham Vale deserve. Labor says one thing before an election then does another afterwards.”
The Andrews government committed to planning for the electrification of both corridors before the 2018 state election. Labor returned to the proposal during the 2022 campaign, linking the work to upgrades at Sunshine station and the construction of Melbourne Airport Rail.
Passengers on the two corridors remain reliant on V/Line diesel services, despite continued population growth in Melton, Wyndham Vale and surrounding suburbs.
Wilson said the Coalition proposal would provide an earlier alternative to full electrification. “Our plan will deliver metro-quality train services to Melbourne’s west sooner – meaning more trains, more seats and greater capacity.”
The trains would draw electricity from the suburban network where infrastructure was available and use their hybrid capability on non-electrified sections. The Coalition said their introduction would not prevent the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines from being electrified after the Sunshine station upgrade was completed.
Shadow public transport minister Matthew Guy said the western suburbs required trains designed for suburban demand.
Remember, it was only a few months ago that the Liberals were promising to cut carriages on the Wyndham Vale line leaving us ‘a bit thin – John Lister
“Suburban passengers need suburban trains. Labor has promised electrification but broken it time and again, our Liberal and Nationals team will deliver more trains, more seats and greater capacity for Melbourne’s west,” Guy said.
“Our hybrid suburban trains will deliver metro-quality services now and are able to run seamlessly across both electrified and non-electrified train lines.”
The Coalition has also promised to establish an independent Public Transport Victoria board, with responsibility for service delivery across the state’s public transport network.
Labor questioned whether the proposed trains could be accommodated within Melbourne’s existing rail system, particularly through the City Loop.
Werribee MP John Lister said, “The Liberals have no idea when it comes to public transport for the west.”
He linked the proposal to earlier comments from the opposition about reducing the number of carriages on some services. “Remember, it was only a few months ago that the Liberals were promising to cut carriages on the Wyndham Vale line leaving us ‘a bit thin’. ”
Lister also criticised the former Coalition government’s management of train procurement during construction of the Regional Rail Link. “The Liberals also forgot to order trains when last in government for Regional Rail Link, delaying the opening. ”
He said introducing a new train type would not by itself resolve constraints closer to central Melbourne. “Now they think they can order a brand new type of train, and it’ll have nowhere to go with capacity constraints in the City Loop.”
“Labor has delivered 50% more capacity for our line, and is upgrading Sunshine station so we can fit more trains into Melbourne – the first step towards electrification,” Lister said.
Guy said the November state election would determine whether the proposal proceeded. “The only way to deliver the quality train services Melton and Wyndham Vale communities deserve is to change the government this November.”
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