Wednesday 3 October 2018
A Liberal Nationals Government will transform Victoria’s rail network slashing travel times on the Echuca line to better connect our community with more jobs further education and healthcare.
People living in Echuca and Rochester will have better access to universities TAFEs and specialist medical services with high speed rail between Melbourne and Bendigo and track upgrades so trains can run at faster speeds between Bendigo and Echuca.
Leader of The Nationals and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said the Liberal Nationals’ European-style high speed rail will knock 47 minutes off the trip from Echuca to Melbourne from a current time of 3 hours and 27 minutes to 160 minutes.
“Our High Speed Rail project will get Echuca line passengers where we need to be sooner” Mr Walsh said.
“We’ll cut travel times to Echuca and Rochester with track upgrades to increase speeds to 130kmh introducing limited express services to Echuca and building high speed rail between Bendigo and Melbourne.
“If elected we’ll also buy new-generation long-haul trains for the Echuca line which will be reliable fast and comfortable ending the plague of cancellations and replacement buses that we’ve been stuck with under Labor.”
Building European-style high speed rail will also take more cars off our roads saving lives and cutting traffic congestion for regional freight going into Melbourne.
This $15 billion to $19 billion super-infrastructure will cut travel times on all regional rail lines and will be planned and built in three stages over the next ten years.
Mr Walsh said high speed rail would better connect the Echuca and Rochester communities with services and jobs in Regional Victoria and in Melbourne.
“Daniel Andrews has been the Premier for Melbourne. A Liberal Nationals Government will be for all of Victoria not just Melbourne” Mr Walsh said.
“When we reduce travel times we increase opportunities for people to live in one place and work in another.
“If we truly want to decentralise our state we have to improve connectivity between our regional communities.”