{"id":64184,"date":"2024-06-12T13:31:57","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T03:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=64184"},"modified":"2024-06-12T13:32:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T03:32:07","slug":"plans-for-new-underground-rail-route","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=64184","title":{"rendered":"Plans for new underground rail route"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An underground train station would be built next to Marvel Stadium in Docklands and two more in Fishermans Bend as part of long-awaited plans for mass transit to the fledging precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state government has revived hopes that stalled plans for major public transport links to Fishermans Bend<\/a> may eventually be delivered by confirming a preferred route for a new cross-city rail line, dubbed Melbourne Metro 2.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The state government has outlined plans for a station below Bourke Street in Docklands. CREDIT: WAYNE TAYLOR <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Fishermans Bend is the country\u2019s largest urban renewal area<\/a> and is forecast to be home to 80,000 residents, 80,000 workers and 20,000 students by 2050. But a failure to deliver promised tram or train connections has delayed housing and commercial developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Transport and Planning said in an update published online at the weekend that it had endorsed a preferred route for a \u201cpossible\u201d rail tunnel below Bourke Street in Docklands with a station between Wurundjeri Way and Harbour Esplanade, next to Marvel Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is a departure from the state government\u2019s 2018 Fishermans Bend Framework, which flagged the tunnel running below Wurundjeri Way, with a station parallel to Southern Cross Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Docklands<\/a>, the rail tunnel would dip under the Yarra to Fishermans Bend with stations at the future Sandridge commercial and residential precinct, and the planned employment and research precinct at the old GM Holden site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishermans Bend Business Forum secretary Linda Norman said developers were delaying projects in the area because of uncertainty about plans for tram and train connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter six years of hearing nothing, we welcome the news that there\u2019s been progress,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the key issue for Fishermans Bend, so we look forward to hearing more information particularly around the timing: we need an idea about when might this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government\u2019s 2018 framework said there would be a new tram line from the CBD to Fishermans Bend\u2019s employment and residential areas by 2025, but that has not materialised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A state government spokesperson declined to comment on when the rail or tram lines might be built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locking in a rail route would allow \u201cwork on complementary surface public transport, and detailed precinct planning\u201d, like trams and buses, and give landowners, businesses and developers certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlanning work for complementary surface public transport is also well advanced\u201d, the department said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spokesperson said the state government had added 1500 extra bus services a week to Fishermans Bend since 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Melbourne Metro 2, or MM2, is a proposed underground tunnel from Clifton Hill to Newport with stations at Fitzroy or Carlton, Parkville, Flagstaff, Southern Cross and Fishermans Bend. From Newport, trains would connect to the Werribee line to service the booming western suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government transport planners added the project to long-term transport plans in 2012 and it was expected to be a follow-up project after the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But transport experts and local councils who desperately want the MM2 built have feared it has been\u00a0pushed aside i<\/a>n favour of Labor\u2019s flagship $34.5 billion Suburban Rail Loop East between Cheltenham and Box Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Age<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An underground train station would be built next to Marvel Stadium in Docklands and two more in Fishermans Bend as part of long-awaited plans for mass transit to the fledging precinct.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":61380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9770,163],"tags":[10201,10322,993,10197,8],"class_list":["post-64184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro-trains-melbourne","category-rail-industry-news-australia-new-zealand","tag-fishermans-bend","tag-marvel-stadium","tag-melbourne","tag-melbourne-metro-2","tag-victoria"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t