Full sized image here
I made one of these before, ages ago. With construction starting on the Melbourne Metro in earnest, more rail projects being announced, and increasing public interest in expanding Victoria's rail infrastructure, I thought it's time I update my ideas. Also a few people got internet famous recently for making their own fantasy rail maps, and frankly I think mine is better.
Firstly, acknowledgements. This map is heavily influenced by Public Transport Victoria's Network Development Plan from 2012, and the Rail Futures Institute's InterCity study from 2016. The orbital line around Melbourne is based in part on Urban Melbourne's "Revisiting a Melbourne Orbital Rail Line" article by Alastair Taylor, which went into quite a bit of detail, though has many differences from the line as shown here. The line to Rye is basically taken from the fantastic proposal at peninsularaillink.net, which seems to have a bit of traction behind it. Ideas were pilfered in bits and pieces from trawling through endless threads on the wonderful railpage.com.au
The Melbourne Metro (shown here as T7 from Footscray to South Yarra) and the extension to Mernda (along existing reservations; here shown to the former terminus at Whittlesea) are currently under construction. The Airport, Doncaster, and Rowville lines were first proposed many decades ago and usually considered the most urgent priorities for network expansion. Other lines are extended/electrified to serve new growing suburbs.
A restored Bellarine Peninsula line (Geelong-Queenscliff) was proposed by the former Liberal-National Victorian state government, and would serve a fast growing area, while the line to Torquay was proposed by the current Labor state goverment.
The South Gippsland Line has been restored, and a new "Regional Rail Link" has been built with trains to Gippsland now running on new tracks from Caulfield to Moorabbin to Dandenong.
Conspicuous absences: the rest of the Outer Circle line, between Fairfield and East Camberwell; other demolished lines such as the Inner Circle, Kew, and Red Hill lines. Either these areas are already well-served by trams, or I think rebuilding them takes less priority than the other new lines shown on this map. The Port Melbourne and St Kilda lines I left as light rail.
The construction timeline could go something like this:
2020s: Melbourne Metro; extension to Mernda, Wollert, and Clyde; line to the Airport via Sunshine and Albion; restored passenger services to Horsham and Mildura
2030s: Doncaster Rail Project, including tunnel from Clifton Hill to Fitzroy, Parkville, Southern Cross, Fishermans Bend, and Newport; Rowville Rail Project, including tunnel from Ashburton to Oakleigh
2040s: Regional rail projects including Midland rail (Geelong-Ballarat-Bendigo) and new lines to Bendigo/Seymour via Melbourne Airport, Extension to Avalon Airport
2050s: New Airport Line tunneling under Maribyrnong and extensions to Knox
2060s: Metropolitan orbital line
Yes, this is all hugely expensive and speculative. But to cope with the challenges of the next half century, Melbourne and Victoria needs a daring, ambitious, integrated transport plan, and a robust and efficient train network. There's no harm in dreaming big, and perhaps, if enough of us do, then some of it might become reality.
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