The Suburban Rail Loop project has already broken ground at all six locations involved. Image: Victorian Budget 2022-23, Victorian Government.
The Suburban Rail Loop will cut congestion, reduce travel times and connect some of the largest universities in the country by train, according to the Victorian Government.
Citing advanced transport modelling, the government expects the project to reduce travel times across Melbourne.
The SRL Travel Time Savings Report was revealed recently at the Suburban Light Rail Burwood site by Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Suburban Rail Loop Harriet Shing. The Burwood site is across the road from Deakin University, providing better and more convenient transport for students and staff with a direct train line.
The report shows how and where Victorians will see the benefits of the project:
- Someone travelling from Cheltenham can now go to Deakin University in 19 minutes, saving 40 minutes.
- Anyone travelling from Caulfield to Glen Waverley will save 17 minutes.
- A trip from Cheltenham to Monash will take 10 minutes, while the same trip in a car will take more than three times as long.
- Someone living in Burwood and travelling to Box Hill Hospital can make the trip in 3.5 minutes.
- A traveller going from Frankston to Clayton will save 15 minutes, partially due to an interchange at Southland Station.
- Users going from Laverton to Deakin will take an hour using the SRL, while the same trip in a car takes as long as 79 minutes.
The government also said the SRL would reduce congestion across the city by taking more than half a million cars off the road every day, by making public transport an irresistibly quick and convenient mode of transport.
The Suburban Rail Loop will also be “Australia’s largest housing project”, the government claims, saying it will help deliver 70,000 homes around stations. This will provide young people with the opportunity to live near top-of-the-line transport as well as employment and service infrastructure.
“Victorians want to spend less time stuck in traffic or stuck on the train – and I’m on their side,” Premier Allan said.
“Our advanced transport modelling shows just how the Suburban Rail Loop will slash travel times, giving you more time back in your day.”
Government estimates show that 70,000 passengers will use the service every day and the construction of the SRL will create up to 8000 jobs. Work is already underway at all six station sites.
Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Housing and Building Harriet Shing said: “The Suburban Rail Loop will change the way that people live, move and work across our growing city, by connecting communities, delivering housing, and making it easier to get around.
“As Melbourne grows, it needs to grow well, and the Suburban Rail Loop will provide thousands of Victorians the same opportunities for home ownership as their parents had, closer to where they grew up.”
Train users looking to see how they can save time can check the SRL’s website.
