How Melbourne’s transport infrastructure shapes the way the city moves.

The Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) has been a point of contention during the 2025 federal election, with both the Coalition and Labor Government condemning the project. 

With a promise to connect the South-East suburbs to all other major train lines in Melbourne, the government has a tall order to fill. The cost of such a large-scale operation is estimated at just over $30 billion—for one quarter of the train loop. 

The State of Victoria has committed to self-funding one third of the project, finding the second third from the Commonwealth and the remaining amount from ‘value capture’—a process in which developers are anticipated to pay additional taxes due to the expected economic improvement created by the addition of these train lines and stations.

The Australian government is against the projected cost for the entire Loop, however, the rapid growth of Melbourne’s population, along with the ever-increasing cost-of-living crisis calls for a serious upgrade of the existing public transit system. 

Accessibility is integral, other states across the country have planned with train lines, cities and pedestrians in mind, streamlining the entire public transport system.

The SRL Authority (SRLA) says the Authority and council/s will be close collaborators throughout this multi-year project. Contrary to this, Evelynn Downer, urban planner for the City of Kingston says there has been limited chance for consultation, discussion and agreement.

 “The main issue is that the state government doesn’t have that fine grain knowledge of the individual local areas, … they’re not really receiving that input from councils,

“There’s forums for it [two-way conversation], but they’re infrequent, and I would argue in-effective.”

Internal government conflict continues to complicate the SRL project. Research from Four Geographic Information Systems (GIS) academics suggests that public transport (PT) systems do not rely on the number of people residing in the area. They noted that “LGAs such as Kingston and Knox have services similar to those of a smaller LGA such as Moreland”. 

The growth and accessibility of PT in densely populated areas can reduce the number of cars on the road if the system is planned accordingly. 

The City of Kingstons 2021 Road safety strategy states, “Kingston strongly supports more public transport services. These services should be safe and accessible to meet community needs”.

Shakya Lahrech, a Kingston City local, currently studying her Master of Sustainability believes that the location of the new station and train line itself is a positive for the local community. 

“It will encourage people to visit the park [Sir William Fry Reserve] and will expose people to greenery, especially if they copy what they did at Mentone station,” she said

“I think it [planting native trees] will offset any potential environmental impacts, once the trees are up the birds and native animals can come back into that area as well.” 

Overall, the impact of this project seems minimal for flora and fauna as adjustments are made in accordance with advice from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as outlined in the 2022 Environmental Management Framework.

In 2024 a media release by Danny Pearson, who was the of Minister for Transport in Victoria at the time, claimed that there was overwhelming support from communities across Melbourne for the construction of the SRL., affirming that there was interest in the benefits this train line would bring to local communities.

As of March 2025, internal disputes continue as Infrastructure Australia criticises the unwavering support Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has for the SRL. Prior to her role as leader of the party, Allan’s previous titles include; Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop.

References

/ABC News. (2025, March 23). Premier Jacinta Allan defends Victoria’s mammoth Suburban Rail Loop project. Abc.net.au; ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-23/premier-defends-suburban-rail-loop-east-amid-federal-scrutiny/105085676

City of Kingston. (2021). ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY. https://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/hptrim/communications-website-and-online-development-corporate-website-documents/road-safety-strategy_fa_web.pdf  

Parliament of Victoria . (n.d.). Jacinta Allan | Parliament of Victoria. Www.parliament.vic.gov.au. https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/jacinta-allan/

Parliamentary Budget Office. (2024). Suburban Rail Loop Cost to build and operate East and North sections.https://static.pbo.vic.gov.au/files/PBO_Suburban-Rail-Loop-East-and-North-build-and-operate-costs_PUBLICATION.pdf

Pearson, D. (2024). THOUSANDS SHAPE FUTURE OF SRL NEIGHBOURHOODS. https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-04/240417-Thousands-Shape-Future-Of-SRL-Neighbourhoods-.pdf

Sakkal, P. (2025, February 10). Federal MPs furious over Allan’s Suburban Rail Loop “blackmail.” The Age. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/federal-mps-furious-over-allan-s-suburban-rail-loop-blackmail-20250210-p5laxe.html

Suburban Rail Loop Authority. (2022). SRL East – Environmental Management Framework Suburban Rail Loop SRL East -Environmental Management Framework 2. https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/717645/SRL-East-Environmental-Management-Framework.pdf

Sultan Alamri, Kiki Maulana Adhinugraha, Nasser Allheeib, & Taniar, D. (2023). GIS Analysis of Adequate Accessibility to Public Transportation in Metropolitan Areas. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 12(5), 180–180. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi12050180

Victoria’s Big Build. (2022, June 2). SRL East. Victoria’s Big Build. https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/suburban-rail-loop/srl-east

Victoria’s Big Build. (2023, July 5). About the Suburban Rail Loop Authority. Victoria’s Big Build. https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/about/about-the-suburban-rail-loop-authority

Willingham, R. (2025, March 21). Infrastructure Australia questions viability of Victorian government’s suburban rail project. Abc.net.au; ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-21/victoria-suburban-rail-loop-report-infrastructure-australia/105082444