| Suburban Rail Loop | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Map of Suburban Rail Loop | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Under construction (SRL East) |
| Owner | VicTrack (Projected) |
| Locale | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Termini |
|
| Stations | 6 (SRL East) 7 (SRL North) 2 (SRL Airport) TBD (SRL West) |
| Website | suburbanrailloop.vic.gov.au |
| Service | |
| Type | Rapid transit |
| Depot(s) | Heatherton Train Stabling Site |
| Rolling stock | 4-car driverless trains (SRL East & SRL North) High Capacity Metro Trains (SRL Airport) |
| History | |
| Commenced | 2022 (SRL East, SRL Airport) |
| Planned opening | 2035 (SRL East) 2043–53 (SRL North) 2033 (SRL Airport) TBD (SRL West) |
| Estimated cost | $31–58 billion |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 15 km (9.3 mi) (SRL Airport) 26 km (16 mi) (SRL East) 34 km (21 mi) (SRL North) 90 km (56 mi) (total) |
| Number of tracks | 2 |
| Character | Underground (SRL East and SRL North) |
| Electrification | Overhead catenary |
| Operating speed | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
| ||
|---|---|---|
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Member of the Legislative Assembly for Mulgrave (2002–2023) Premier of Victoria
Ministries Elections Royal Commissions
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The Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) is a group of new rapid transit lines planned or under construction in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The project is divided into four distinct sections. The two main sections, SRL East and SRL North, would together form a single 60 km (37 mi) fully automated orbital metro line through the city's middle suburbs, with 13 stations between Cheltenham and Melbourne Airport connecting to eight existing Melbourne rail lines. SRL East is currently under construction and is planned to open in 2035.
The SRL Airport section, in the city's west, would be formed by the separate Melbourne Airport Rail project. This section will run into the central business district via the Metro Tunnel. The final section, SRL West, has not been defined in detail by the state government but would connect the city's outer western suburbs and may be formed by electrifying the existing Deer Park–West Werribee railway line and extending it to Werribee station.
Several orbital rail schemes have been proposed and some constructed throughout Melbourne's history, but the rail network has remained largely radial. The Victorian Labor government led by then Premier Daniel Andrews announced the SRL as policy in 2018 in the lead up to that year's state election. Initial planning for the SRL was carried out in secret prior to its announcement, and, when the plans were released, it received significant attention. The SRL plan has been praised for its long-term vision and ambition, as well as being an innovative solution to the difficulties faced by Melbourne's transport network,[1] but is criticised for its political motives, transparency of business case,[2] prioritisation ahead of other transport projects,[3] and large cost.[4][5]
SRL East and North would take more than 25 years to construct and together are estimated by the project's business case to cost between $30.7 and $57.6 billion depending on project staging, of which capital costs would be between $24.1 and $45.1 billion.[6] SRL East and North will be built entirely underground along new rail alignments, while SRL Airport will be formed by the at-grade and elevated Melbourne Airport rail link and funded separately.
In 2021, the Victorian government announced that the SRL East, between Cheltenham and Box Hill, would commence construction first and be open by 2035.[7] On 2 June 2022, early works began on SRL East with major construction expected to commence in 2023, followed by tunnelling works in 2026.[8]
Although the Victorian government signed the first $3.6 billion contract with the Suburban Connect consortium in December 2023 to build the tunnels,[9] the project remains threatened by the state Liberal/National opposition. Opposition Leader John Pesutto has pledged to pause and review the project if the Coalition wins government in 2026.[10] Previously, under the leadership of Matthew Guy in 2018 and 2022, the opposition had pledged to abandon the project.[11]
- ^ Stanley, Janet; Stanley, John (18 January 2023). "Melbourne's Suburban Rail Loop: A Big Build or a big bet?". ArchitectureAU. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Whitson, Rhiana; Kent, Lucy (4 December 2023). "Calls to halt Suburban Rail Loop project ahead of multi-billion-dollar contract signing". ABC News Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Huitson, Joseph (6 July 2023). "'The time is now': Victorian Opposition calling for Melbourne Airport Rail to be prioritised over Suburban Rail Loop". Sky News Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Kolovos, Benita (13 March 2024). "Labor won't outline cost of Melbourne's Suburban Rail Loop as opposition cites independent estimates". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ McCubbing, Gus (13 March 2024). "Suburban Rail Loop to cost another $16b, Victorian budget office finds". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (26 October 2021). "Business and Investment Case". Victoria’s Big Build. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ Premier of Victoria (19 August 2021). "Next Steps For Suburban Rail Loop". Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Works Start Today On Victoria's Suburban Rail Loop | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ "Full Steam Ahead For SRL With Major Contract Awarded | Premier of Victoria". www.premier.vic.gov.au. 12 December 2023.
- ^ Rooney, Kieran (28 January 2024). "Pesutto vows to pause and review Suburban Rail Loop". The Age. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Sakkal, Paul (17 August 2022). "Matthew Guy says Coalition will shelve 'dreamt up' Suburban Rail Loop". The Age. Retrieved 8 June 2024.