It would be the first of a number of rail trails across the city, if councillors get their way, with other paths suggested for Bushfield, Woodford, Dennington and Allansford.

Cr Ben Blain said a link between Deakin and the CBD was desperately needed as the city expanded.

He said not all students used cars and if they wanted to encourage more students to come to the city, being able to get to the CBD in different ways was important.

Cr Blain said it also tied in with the council's push towards Net Zero.

"The track would comprise a lot of informal paths that are already along the rail trail. Council would go along and be formalising these," he said.

"There are some issues about some key intersections, but these things would be worked through in the design phase."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Cr Blain said because it was a staged project, it would allow the council to spread the cost over a number of years and budgets to give a "really impressive" finished product.

He said the project would be "front of mind" when considering future budgets.

Cr Debbie Arnott said there were a lot of positives about the project. "It would have the ability to change the way people live and work," she said.

Cr Vicki Jellie said she would like to see a similar trail in places like Bushfield, Woodford and Dennington.

Cr Angie Paspaliaris said she looked forward to it being completed and eventually extending to Allansford.

"The pathway would be such a valuable transport link," she said.

Mayor Richard Ziegeler said about 5600 households would be within 800 metres of the path. He said it was dependent on external funding but council would contribute.

"It won't be something that we have to find all the money for," he said.

Cr Max Taylor said 80 per cent of the land along the Deakin rail link was owned by VicTrack.

The cycling and pedestrian path from Sherwood Park at the university through to Lake Pertobe and the CBD would be carried out in three stages and follow two different routes.

The concrete path would be mostly in the rail corridor and be separated from the rail line with a fence.

Phase one, which would cost $713,125, included sections from Sherwood Park to Verdon Street, Foster Street to Timor Street, and Simpson Street to Bostock Street.

Stage two, with a $1.5 million cost, stretches from Bostock Street to Flaxman Street, Mahoneys Road to Simpson Street. Phase three's $1.5m works would extend it from Otway Road to The Flume and through to Lake Pertobe.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Now just one tap with our new app: Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with The Standard:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.