Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has released the state’s first detailed network development plan for Melbourne’s metropolitan rail system in over 40 years.

The Network Development Plan – Metropolitan Rail is designed to:

  • expand the capacity of the existing network to meet the growing needs of the city;
  • redesign train services to maximise opportunities for seamless coordination with buses and trams; and
  • extend the network to areas currently not served by metropolitan rail.

State Minister for Public Transport, Terry Mulder, welcomed the plan, saying it is sorely overdue.

“It is a very detailed plan – in fact no Government has released a plan this detailed and this transparent since 1969. This is exactly why we established an independent public transport body – a detailed rail strategy like this is just what we expected and wanted,” Mr Mulder said.

“The Network Development Plan is a carefully considered, holistic, strategic plan for development of our rail network during the next 20 years, which will be used to help inform future funding decisions.

The release of the new plan comes a year after the statutory body was formed in April last year, with the mandate of improving the state’s ageing public transport system.