By Alesha Capone
Infrastructure Victoria has recommended the state government build new train stations in Wyndham and protect land near Werribee for the future Bay West port within the next three decades.
The advice was included in the state’s infrastructure strategy for 2021-2051, which was presented to Parliament last week.
The strategy contains 94 recommendations for future projects across Victoria, with a capital cost of about $100 billion.
Since 2016, the state government has completed or made progress on most of the 137 recommendations that Infrastructure Victoria proposed in its first 30-year strategy for the state.
Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Michel Masson said that in the latest plan, much of the demand for new infrastructure came from the outer northern and western suburbs.
“By better connecting outer suburban growth areas and the regions to Melbourne, we can provide fairer access to jobs, transport and services for all regardless of postcode,” Mr Masson said.
The 2021-2051 strategy urges the state government to add extra stations and services on the Wyndham Vale and Melton rail corridors.
Infrastructure Victoria is encouraging the state government to electrify the Wyndham section of the Regional Rail Link by 2031.
It also recommends separating the Werribee and Williamstown/Laverton train tracks, so they no longer share the same tracks from Newport to the city to improve frequency and reliability, and boost capacity.
The document suggests the construction of a potential new train station to support future development of the National Employment and Innovation Cluster on the Princes Highway.
The strategy also said that within the next five years, land should be identified and secured for a future Bay West port site.
“The Victorian government should place planning protection overlays on land for the port, associated road and rail transport corridors, and for buffer zones, particularly south and west of Werribee,” the strategy said.
Infrastructure Victoria advised the state government four years ago that the bay between Werribee and Geelong was its preferred location to build a new container port.
The proposal is for a manmade island of four kilometres in length, connected to the mainland via a road and rail bridge, with the capacity to handle 10 million shipping containers a year.
