In short:
Melbourne’s west could still be relying on diesel V/Line trains when SRL East opens in 2035. Wyndham and Melton leaders are pushing for long-promised electrification as population growth drives increasing demand for Metro services.
Driverless In East, Diesel In West
Melbourne’s rapidly growing outer west is on track to receive the raw end of a three-tier rail system.
By 2035, Suburban Rail Loop East — the first stage of the late Allan Labor Government’s flagship rail project — will have opened before the Melton and Wyndham Vale lines are electrified.
Another way of phrasing that is a world-class, driverless train will run between Box Hill and Cheltenham while two of Australia’s biggest population hubs will remain stuck with diesel V/Line services.
The Suburban Rail Loop was first announced in August 2018, seven weeks before Labor unveiled its Western Rail Plan, which was the initial promise to incorporate Melton and Wyndham into the Metro network.
For Manor Lakes resident and regular V/Line commuter Sean Row, the government’s priorities are back to front.
“The SRL, while being an important piece of infrastructure, simply isn’t as important as providing stability and continuity of service for two of the biggest growth corridors in Melbourne and Australia,” Mr Row said.
“The prospect of SRL East coming first makes me feel completely neglected, as a commuter, and questions where we as western suburbs residents rate. It’s not acceptable, Labor seems completely disinterested and frankly should be ashamed of their long-term neglect and incompetence.”
(Tarneit Station during evening peak).
Suburban Passengers Overwhelming Regional Lines
While the state government committed funding in the 2026-27 Budget for planning and development activities towards the future electrification of the Melton Line, along with longer nine-car trains for Wyndham Vale, Mr Row said this was akin to “putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.”
Wyndham councillor Peter Maynard said Wyndham’s reliance on regional trains was increasingly at odds with its growth.
“Commuters from Melbourne’s western suburbs now account for approximately 40% of all V/Line boardings outside Southern Cross Station, highlighting the demand for public transport in the area,” Cr Maynard said.
“Despite being one of the fastest growing municipalities in Australia, Wyndham continues to be served by regional V/Line trains rather than electrified metropolitan services.
“This electrification of the Regional Rail Link must also be accompanied by a direct rail connection between the RRL and the Werribee Line to improve connectivity and support future growth.”
(Wyndham City Council eventually wants an electrified Wyndham Vale Line to be linked to the existent Werribee Metro Line).
System Overwhelmed By Status Quo
The pressure for action is only growing, with Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny announcing the approval of the new suburb of Melton East on Friday 21 August, which will eventually include almost 12,000 homes and more than 36,000 residents.
Melton mayor Lara Carli said residents cannot afford to wait any longer for Metro integration.
“Our residents were promised electrification of the Melton line under the Western Rail Plan in 2018 and nearly a decade on there has been no financial commitment to its delivery,” Cr Carli said.
“We need the Victorian Government to deliver the electrification of the Melton rail line and new train stations at Thornhill Park and Mt Atkinson (Truganina) by 2030, in line with Infrastructure Victoria’s recommendation.”
Wyndham TV understands Melton council estimates the municipality’s population will almost double to 456,000 by 2046, with more than 300,000 people expected to rely on the Melton rail corridor within the next 25 years.
Council modelling also indicates extending the electrified metropolitan network from Sunshine to Melton, together with new stations at Thornhill Park and Mt Atkinson, could triple passenger capacity and improve travel times.
(Tunnel boring machines are already clearing the way for SRL East).
Investigations, Concepts, But No Concrete Commitments
The Department of Transport and Planning was asked if the state government would consider pausing SRL East and diverting more funding to Melton and Wyndham Vale.
A Victorian Government spokesperson did not directly answer the question, instead spruiking increased services on the Werribee Line, the opening of the Metro Tunnel and West Gate Tunnel, and progress on Airport Rail.
What Wyndham TV can report is site investigations to determine the timing, design, scope and cost of electrifying the line began in July and are due to wrap up by mid-2027.
Perhaps more telling than an election year government response is that of a government changing its skipper four months out from a potentially disastrous election.
Since leading a reluctant coup against Jacinta Allan three weeks ago, new Premier Ben Carroll has publicly stated that Airport Rail is his highest public transport priority and has refused to rule out diverting resources away from the SRL.
Obviously, backing out of a project whose first two stages are estimated to cost taxpayers more than $200 billion to build and operate before it even reaches its final western leg is probably not feasible.
(Early concepts of SRL East at Cheltenham).
Victoria Already All In On SRL East
Billions of dollars in state and federal funding have already been committed, boring machines are already tunnelling and contracts have been awarded, meaning canning the project would amount to the biggest infrastructure U-turn in the state’s history.
Beyond SRL East, SRL North is planned to continue from Box Hill through Melbourne’s northern suburbs to Melbourne Airport, with completion currently slated for 2053.
Melbourne Airport Rail would then connect the airport to Sunshine, before SRL West finally connects Sunshine to Werribee.
SRL West is yet to be properly planned and has no construction or completion date. It would likely not be operational until well into the 2060s.
If you asked the average punter whether having an orbital rail system on par with those in Singapore, Dubai and Copenhagen was a good thing, they would probably say yes.
But if you asked whether, in 2035, Melbourne should have three tiers of rail — world-class driverless trains in some suburbs, electrified Metro services in others and diesel regional trains servicing some of its fastest-growing communities — the answer might be very different.
There are no magic fixes when building a transport network for a city expected to reach nine million people by 2050 — only priorities, decisions and consequences.
