Construction of Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East will be underway next year, with the Victorian Government announcing a major investment in the state’s biggest and most significant infrastructure project – an investment that will create up to 8000 direct jobs.
The Victorian Government is providing new funding of $9.3 billion towards major works on SRL East to deliver 26km twin rail tunnels and 6 underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill, as well as investment in new community projects and initiatives in the broader areas around the stations.
With a massive pipeline of road and rail upgrades delivered across Victoria, delivering SRL will change how and where Melbourne grows in the decades ahead.
Just like London and many other great cities of the world, Melbourne needs to become a ‘city of centres’ if it’s to grow in a sustainable way that preserves all that we love about it.
Trains will be running on SRL East by 2035, improving Melbourne’s public transport network and better connecting people to jobs, health, education, retail opportunities and each other.
Fast, efficient, high-tech trains powered by renewables will provide a turn up and go service – carrying around 70,000 passengers a day.
Commuters in Melbourne’s south east will experience much faster journeys on the underground line, saving up to an hour on a one-way trip. Trains will take 3 to 4 minutes between stations, and a journey from Cheltenham to Box Hill will be just 22 minutes.
The funding provides certainty for project delivery and communities in Melbourne’s east and south east, paving the way for procurement of main works packages to start next year – and comes on top of the $2.5 billion already provided for planning and development of SRL and for Initial and Early Works on SRL East.
Construction starts next year, with the Business and Investment Case showing SRL East and SRL North will deliver $58.7 billion in economic, social and environmental benefits, and will support up to 24,000 local jobs.