Regional Rail Link project

Regional Rail Link (RRL) is the name of a project to build a 47.5-kilometre (29.5 mi) length of railway through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The name is also colloquially used to refer to the rail alignment constructed as part of the project.

The project aimed to increase rail capacity by separating regional services on the Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo corridors from suburban services on the Werribee and Sunbury lines, while also serving new housing developments in the Tarneit and Wyndham Vale areas with a rail connection to the city.

A pair of new, non-electrified tracks were constructed from Southern Cross to Sunshine along a new alignment over the Maribyrnong River; this new alignment controversially bypasses North Melbourne station. Another new, non-electrified, double-track line was constructed from a junction site west of Deer Park to another junction site near the former Manor railway station, where it joins the Warrnambool railway line.

Stations were built at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale, while West Footscray and Sunshine were rebuilt. Two new platforms were built at Southern Cross and Footscray stations, and two level crossings near Sunshine were removed.

The project was managed by the Regional Rail Link Authority, on behalf of the Victorian Government. At the time, it was the largest transport infrastructure project being undertaken in Australia. Construction commenced in July 2009 and was fully completed in June 2015.

Following the rail infrastructure improvements provided by the Regional Fast Rail project, there was an increase in both patronage and the number of regional services being operated. This led to congestion and increased delays in areas where trains operated by V/Line shared tracks with Metro Trains Melbourne suburban trains. Late running by V/Line or metropolitan rail services affected the reliability of other trains, while V/Line trains which ran express through most suburban stations limited the frequency and affected the timekeeping of stopping suburban trains. After major disruptions each operator might blame the other for causing the problem.

A separate line for regional trains between Geelong and Melbourne, then called the "Tarneit Link", was included as a possible long-term rail option in the Bracks government's 2006 Meeting Our Transport Challenges report. Costed at around $500 million, the link was also recommended in Rod Eddington's East-West Link Needs Assessment study, released in April 2008. By November 2008 the link between Deer Park and West Werribee was estimated to cost $1.5 billion.

The project was expanded and re-branded as the Regional Rail Link when announced as part of the Brumby Government's Victorian Transport Plan of December 2008. With a revised aim of separating all regional trains between Southern Cross and Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo, from suburban rail movements, the proposed route was from Southern Cross through Sunshine and Tarneit to West Werribee.