The Federal and Victorian Governments will both contribute $2 billion to shave 15 minutes off the travel time between Geelong and Melbourne as part of the Geelong Fast Rail Project.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Daniel Andrews revealed stage one of the project will cut travel time between the cities down to 40 minutes when completed.
The project will see Geelong services running on the Werribee corridor instead of where it currently runs on the Sunshine corridor alongside Wyndham, Melton, Ballarat and Bendigo lines. The most direct rail line between Geelong and Melbourne will be about eight kilometres shorter than the current route.
Construction is expected to be underway from 2023 and will support over 2800 jobs during construction.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the plan would deliver a major boost for the fast-growing city of Geelong where the population is expected to grow by almost 50 per cent in the next 30 years.
"We want commuters to spend less time travelling and more time with loved ones and the faster rail corridor provides a better transport link for urban and regional communities," he said.
Some Geelong services will continue to run on the existing corridor for increased frequency, choice and the quickest connection with the new Melbourne Airport Rail line.
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