In short:
The Coalition has promised $1.7 billion for 25 hybrid electric trains on the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines if elected in November. The plan aims to deliver more services and capacity while the west continues to wait for long-promised full electrification.
Coalition Pledges New Train Fleet
Commuters in Melbourne’s west have been promised a Victorian-first fleet of hybrid electric trains as part of a $1.7 billion election pledge from the Coalition.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson announced today that the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines will receive 25 new trains capable of running on both electric and diesel power if her government is elected.
Hybrid trains have already been used in New South Wales and South Australia and are well-established in parts of Europe.
The Coalition says the fleet would more than double passenger capacity and allow additional peak services, including potential services through the City Loop.
Melton and Wyndham Vale remain reliant on diesel V/Line services almost 12 years after Labor came to power and eight years after the government first promised to bring both corridors into Melbourne’s electrified Metro network.
The Western Rail Plan was announced in 2018 and Labor again committed to electrification ahead of the 2022 election.
The State and Federal governments have since committed $152.7 million towards planning and development for Melton electrification, while upgrades are also underway to allow longer nine-car VLocity trains to service the growing western suburbs.
There is still no completion date for electrifying either corridor.
(Diesel V/Line trains currently service the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines).
Trains Pitched As Being “Metro-Quality”
Wyndham TV reported last month that the delays have Melbourne on track for a three-tier rail system by 2035, when driverless Suburban Rail Loop trains are expected to operate between Cheltenham and Box Hill while Melton and Wyndham Vale could still be served by regional diesel trains.
The Coalition says its hybrid fleet would provide suburban services sooner without preventing the lines from eventually being fully electrified following upgrades to Sunshine Station.
“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,” Wilson said.
“Our plan will deliver metro-quality train services to Melbourne’s west sooner – meaning more trains, more seats and greater capacity.”
The $1.7 billion plan is itself an election promise and depends on the Coalition winning government in November.
Wilson announced the policy at Cobblebank Station on 1 September, the same date the new Melton Station opened to passengers following major State Government upgrades to the corridor.
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