A meeting between transport ministers this Friday offers hope of a solution for a $100 million Warrnambool train line upgrade, but the state and federal governments remain at a stalemate.
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Federal Wannon MP Dan Tehan and Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson called for the state government to “come clean” and release costings and a scope of works for the project, announced in April.
Mr Tehan said if they had the plans, the pair would work to secure a share of $460 million infrastructure funding allocated to Victoria in the federal budget.
“We’re basically saying to the state government, you put up the costings and the plans and then we will make a priority getting the money allocated for the Warrnambool train,” he said. “If we can make the case that this is shovel-ready and demonstrate that it is, there’s money sitting there.”
Mr Tehan said he was concerned the state government had not completed the plans for the project.
“I cannot see otherwise why the state government won’t release them,” he said.
State Transport Minister Jacinta Allan confirmed she would be attending the Transport and Infrastructure Council meeting and would use the opportunity to talk to federal Transport Minister Darren Chester about funding for the regional rail revival package the Warrnambool upgrade is part of. A spokesman for Ms Allan’s office said the starting point for the discussions would be that the state government was owed $1.45 billion for under the asset recycling scheme.
Mr Chester said he was looking forward to discussing important issues affecting the state with Ms Allan at the meeting.
