The Andrews Labor Government is doing what matters for Victorian commuters: building the road and rail projects Victorians need to get home sooner and safer, adding more public transport services, and making transport more affordable for hardworking families.
The Victorian Budget 2023/24 takes into account current economic conditions and the potential impacts of the Commonwealth Government's 90-day national infrastructure review.
While the review is underway, we're getting on with the road and rail projects Victorians voted for - fixing the missing links in Victoria's transport networks and creating thousands of jobs across the state.
We're delivering the city-shaping Metro Tunnel, with test trains set to run later this year. A $339 million investment will get the project ready to connect to the existing network as it prepares to open a year ahead of schedule in 2025.
We've removed 70 dangerous and congested level crossings across Melbourne to ease congestion across our suburbs, allowing us to run more trains, more often and making our transport network safer. Because we're removing them so fast, we've added another 25 to take it to 110 crossings removed by 2030.
We're giving one of Australia's fastest-growing communities the train services it needs. In this Budget, we'll invest $650 million in the Melton Line Upgrade. Our investments will remove four level crossings and build a brand-new Melton Station to allow nine-car VLocity trains to run on the lines, increasing passenger capacity by up to 50 per cent and creating up to 1,000 local jobs during construction.
As we remove those level crossings, we'll upgrade stations along the way. With a $129 million investment, we'll build a new station at Davis Road in Tarneit West and kickstart planning for others.
As the Frankston Line prepares to return to the City Loop when the Metro Tunnel opens, $353 million will be invested in a stabling and maintenance facility to support rail services for Melbourne's south-east and bayside suburbs.
Victoria's roads will be safer and more reliable, with $694 million in upgrades including Stage Two of the Barwon Heads Roads upgrade, the Watson Street-Hume Freeway interchange upgrade in Wallan and the Ballan Road intersection upgrade in Wyndham Vale.
We'll upgrade busy intersections like Point Cook Road and Central Avenue in Altona Meadows, the congested junction of Grant Street and Station Street in Bacchus Marsh, and the Thompsons Road and Berwick-Cranbourne Road intersection in Clyde North. We'll also fund a study to inform future upgrades of the Western Highway between Melton and Caroline Springs - complementing the Melton Line Upgrade.
We know the October 2022 floods had a devastating impact on roads across regional Victoria. That's why, for the first time, we're investing an extra $2.8 billion in road maintenance over 10 years to provide long-term certainty, as we substantially repair not just flood-damaged roads, but roads across our state - keeping communities connected and drivers safer.
This extra funding means at least $6.6 billion will be invested in road asset management on Victoria's road network over the next decade.
In Melbourne, an investment of more than $60 million will deliver new road and active transport upgrades across busy suburbs, boosting safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.
We'll ease cost of living pressure for our hard-working apprentices by making rego free - saving eligible trade apprentices up to $865 every year.
We promised we'd make regional public transport fares fair - and since we capped regional fares at the daily metropolitan price, Victorians have already saved about $8 million.
We'll keep improving V/Line, delivering almost 200 extra regional weekend services as part of the $219 million investment in More Trains, More Often, and a $601 million investment that will see 23 new VLocity trains be built right here in Victoria - supporting 500 local manufacturing jobs.
We'll provide an additional $322 million for Stage 2 of the South Dynon train maintenance facility in West Melbourne, as well as $111 million to support regional rail network operations' reliability and punctuality, including an increase to maintenance capacity at Bendigo Rail Workshops, minimising disruption from train faults right across the network.
Delivering Victoria's Bus Plan initiative is strengthening our network and encouraging more Victorians to travel by bus - including investing to accelerate the transition of our bus fleet to zero-emission buses over the 10-year term of the new metropolitan bus services contracts.
More than $60 million will prepare our tram network in the Western suburbs for the new modern and accessible Next Generation Trams to be rolled out in the coming years.
Victoria's much-loved piers and jetties will benefit from a $47 million package of works to rebuild the Dromana and St Leonards piers and Warneet jetties - and deliver essential repairs to Workshops Pier in Williamstown.
We'll ramp up our planning for Victoria's offshore wind generation with $27 million to progress development on the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at the Port of Hastings.
The Clean Air For Melbourne's West initiative will receive $15 million for grants to support transport operators modernise their fleets with newer trucks that limit engine emissions, and $5 million for inner west councils to seal local roads near industrial areas.
A further $3.5 million will extend the Mode Shift Incentive Scheme until June 2024, at which point it will cease when the Port Rail Shuttle Network comes online.
We're investing $9.1 million to plan for Victoria's future housing needs and implement planning controls to protect 13 of the state's waterways, while a further $23.4 million will make planning rules stronger and simpler, delivering more housing that's more sustainable.
An additional $3.5 million will support the Victorian Planning Authority to unlock housing supply across the state, boosting housing choice and affordability, while $3.8 million will protect Victoria's heritage as part of UNESCO's World Heritage list.
As stated by Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
"We're doing what matters for Victorian commuters: removing level crossings, providing more transport connections than ever before, and building the road and rail projects we need to keep our city and state moving."
As stated by Minister for Roads and Road Safety and Ports and Freight Melissa Horne
"Whether you're dropping kids at school, hauling grain to port or commuting to work, our record investment in the state's roads and ports means less congestion, shorter travel times and a better-connected Victoria for everyone."
As stated by Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll
"We're making critical public transport investments across our bus, tram and train networks, making services more reliable and more frequent for millions of Victorians every day and supporting thousands of local jobs."
As stated by Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny
"We're strengthening and simplifying building and planning rules to ensure Victorians have high-quality, comfortable and sustainable homes near family and friends in areas where they want to live."
